Dart frog questions

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

I've been looking into dart frogs lately (D. tinctorius, to be exact) and I would like to know:

-Isn't D. tinctorius supposed to be the best poison frog for beginners?
-How many can live comfortably into a 10-gallon tank?
-What kind of plants should I buy?
-What are the ideal day and night temperatures?

[Paul Rust]

I've been looking into dart frogs lately (D. tinctorius, to be exact) and I would like to know:

-Isn't D. tinctorius supposed to be the best poison frog for beginners?
-How many can live comfortably into a 10-gallon tank?
-What kind of plants should I buy?
-What are the ideal day and night temperatures?

-Tincs are an excellent beginner choice, very bold and active.
-One Tinc in a 10g tank. If you want multiple frogs go with D.auratus or D.leucomelas.
-Any tropical plant that you like, Tincs don't climb so they won't destroy plants.
-Day temps around 75F-78F, never over 80F, Night temps around 70F.

[John]

I'm going to disagree with Paul here and say that you can keep a sexed pair in a 10 gallon. It's not ideal, but I know a ton of tinc breeders in real life who just use a 10 gallon for their pairs, and I have 2 pairs set up that way myself.

As for the temperatures, my tincs get down to about 65 °F (18 °C) at night and up to about 75 °F during the day.

[Paul Rust]

I'm going to disagree with Paul here and say that you can keep a sexed pair in a 10 gallon.

I'd agree with that, how else would we get babies huh.

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

There's something else I don't understand. Do I keep the plants in their pots when I put them in the tank, or what? I know it may sound like a stupid question, but I've never really dealt with any sort of live plants, so I have no idea what to do.

[Paul Rust]

There's something else I don't understand. Do I keep the plants in their pots when I put them in the tank, or what? I know it may sound like a stupid question, but I've never really dealt with any sort of live plants, so I have no idea what to do.

You can do that but if you want a true vivarium try this.
2-3" of aquarium rock for drainage.
2" of coco-fibre or other substrate to plant the plants in.
Top it all off with sphagnum moss and leaf litter.
Seed it with springtails.
Put in seed pods and other hiding spots.
Darts will be very happy.
This setup will take care of itself and you won't have to clean it.
This sounds like a lot but it is really basic.
Look at my albums and others as well for pics of various setups.

[Kurt]

You can do that but if you want a true vivarium try this.
2-3" of aquarium rock for drainage.

I would use LECA like this - http://www.blackjungle.com/Merchant2...tore_Code=BJTS It weighs considerably less than pea gravel.

2" of coco-fibre or other substrate to plant the plants in.
Top it all off with sphagnum moss and leaf litter.

I plant my plants in sphagnum moss. It works well with my bromeliads, which have grown so well that I had to build a new tank for them. I am hoping to set it up next week some time. Still building the top. On top of the sphagnum is a thin layer of leaf litter. I have a few plants that were planted in my tank, but there are others that popped up on their own from lord knows where.

If you do use coconut bedding, make sure to put a fine mesh in between it and the drainage layer (LECA or pea gravel). It would probably be a good idea if you went the sphagnum route as well.

[Ebony]

Hi there Teh Frog Whisperer, I think it depends on the plant. Some plants need soil and some don't. I have some in pots and some just in the sphagnum. When I do have the plants in pots I re-pot them up with sphagnum on the top and bottom of the new pot. It just separates the frog from the soil as allot of soils have growing agents and pesticides in. I hope this helps.

[Ebony]

Sorry Paul, We posted together.

Teh Frog Whisperer, I would go with Paul's set up. Sounds awesome.