My new Benedict's Poison Dart Frog!

[Coogan Middlebrook]

This is my new Ranitomeya benedicta which I purchased today.
I have been meaning to get this species for a long time but have always put it off until now. A beautiful specimen with stunning contrasting colours. I only have one for now but plan on having a group of around 5 in an attempt to breed them. I also uploaded a pic of the viv he is in just so you guys can see; its seeded with many springtails and melongaster fruit flies to keep him busy!
Please comment, any advice or personal experience is welcomed greatly!

[FrogBoyFinland]

Wow! Awesome tank! And nice frogs

[Mentat]

Congrats on your new frog and the nice vivarium !

[Coogan Middlebrook]

Thanks guys
The little frog really is tiny, barely 1cm at the minute. I believe it to be a juvenile so he should grow a few more mm yet .
The vivarium came out better than I expected, using a clay background was definitely a good choice and the plants do well in it too.

[DigitalPunk]

He/she is beautiful!

The viv looks great as well! I am a bit confused. Did you say you seeded the tank with fruit flies?

[Coogan Middlebrook]

Thanks and yeah I worded it funny, sorry.
I seeded the tank with springtails and added a load of melongaster fruit flies to last the frog a few days.
Is there any way of telling the sex of one individual frog if you don't see it calling?
I know females are usually slightly rounder but is that the only indicator of the sex?

[DigitalPunk]

How old is the frog? Sex is very hard to tell until the frog reaches maturity. Even then it is still easiest to tell when you have 2 or more and can compare them to each other. Calling is a great indicator though


ahh ok lol. I personally limit the number of flies to enough for one feeding. To many things crawling around the tank can stress your new frog out. Also adding a roughly set amount per feeding will allow you to dust the flies with supplements and ensure your frog has a good chance at getting what it needs. The flies will clean themselves off in 5 - 10 mins

[Coogan Middlebrook]

Yeah that's what I thought about the sexing.
When I get the other frogs I should be able to compare and get a rough idea of sexes,
the frog is a juvenile but I can't say how many months because I don't know.
The fruit flies were a small pot given to me by the shop I bought him/her from and as I already have good cultures going I decided to just add those now (around 25) then feed him/her daily with my normal cultures.
I don't usually add so many fruit flies to last longer than one day.
Thanks for the advice its much appreciated :-)
How many frogs of this species could I comfortably keep in this viv?
Its a 45x45x60 exo Terra.
Thanks again

[DigitalPunk]

I think like most dart frogs they work well in groups until they mature and then you may need to split them into mating pairs and sell off the ones you don't wan to keep. In a tank your size I would think 4 - 5 would be good. 5 may be a bit to crowded, but if the tank is designed and planted with some breaks in line of site for the frogs than that will help.

[Coogan Middlebrook]

Yeah I was thinking four or five. Thanks for confirming my thoughts.