Q's about darts in general.

[ColleenT]

thanks. springtail culture is on the way. actually have 2 on the way so i can keep one on the side. just curious about how many ff they generally eat. i am guessing i might not see them once they move into the big tank. so i guess i just have to try to guess at QT.

[deranged chipmunk]

Well, as you know from your gray's, frogs are individuals. Some eat more than others. That's why I start lower. It's also another reason we qt all frogs. It gives us time to be close and personal with them where we can see them openly. After a week of qt, you'll have a routine for them, just like you do with your gray's.


Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[DigitalPunk]

Our azureus consume a decent amount of flies per feeding. When we first got them they would eat D. Mel Fruit flies, but they were almost to big for them and tended to prefer springtails.

Fruit Flies - Start off with less than you think you need and watch them eat. If them quickly consume all you put in drop some more in near them. As they get older they will naturally eat more and more. What we do is check the tank in the morning just after the first misting - any fruit flies still in the tank well start running around. If we see a decent amount in there from the yesterdays feeding we feed less today. You always want to add fresh flies to the tank daily and dust with a supplement with each feeding. If you want I can share my dusting rotation with you. We feed out adult Azureus and our to baby Azureus the same size flies. They are a smallish frog so the Hydie would be to big for them.

Springtails. Not only will you need to seed the tank with some when you set it up you will want to have a breeding culture going that you can pull some springs from and dump into the tank from time to time. The breding culture can be setup in a small plastic tub (you can get them from the dollar store) no need to poke holes in the lids. (you can also just buy the Springtail culture kit from Joshs frogs or NeHerp). It will take the breeding culture about 30 days to hit the first population boom. Once that happens you will have a lot of springs. We add more springs to the tanks roughly once a month or more often if we see the frogs decimating springs throughout the weeks. This is all a guessing game as we don't dig through the tank looking to see how many we find. Rule of thumb --- No such thing as to many springs in your tank.

To add a culture of springs to a new tank I setup I just dump the culture strait into the soil before I begin adding hardscape or plants.


Drop the food (Springs or Fruit Flies) in the same spot in the tank eat time you feed. Frogs are smart and will eventually show up to the feeding area when they are hungry and begin searching for food. Frogs do not like to have their food dropped on their head. Its a shame when that happens :/

Paul

[deranged chipmunk]

Our azureus consume a decent amount of flies per feeding. When we first got them they would eat D. Mel Fruit flies, but they were almost to big for them and tended to prefer springtails.

Fruit Flies - Start off with less than you think you need and watch them eat. If them quickly consume all you put in drop some more in near them. As they get older they will naturally eat more and more. What we do is check the tank in the morning just after the first misting - any fruit flies still in the tank well start running around. If we see a decent amount in there from the yesterdays feeding we feed less today. You always want to add fresh flies to the tank daily and dust with a supplement with each feeding. If you want I can share my dusting rotation with you. We feed out adult Azureus and our to baby Azureus the same size flies. They are a smallish frog so the Hydie would be to big for them.


Paul

That's what i said! Ok, not in so many words, but still! Lol



Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world ~ Nelson Mandela

[ColleenT]

2 springtail cultures are on the way. i have a container ready for the 2nd culture. got some melanogaster, will get supplies ready and make more. i would not have thought the hydei would be too big, but i've never seen them in person. my melanogaster are SO small. i also have rice flour beetles-larvae, but they are a pain to sift out.

[ColleenT]

ooh! new Q. I plan to use Leca, substrate cloth, AGB, sphagnum moss and live oak leaves. should i use a heater under the tank for humidity for my Azureus? my house is usually about 70 f winter or summer, and i will be misting a few times daily. and if i use a heater will it bother the springtails?

[Frogman1031]

I think it might bother the frogs. I think that it might add extra humidity to the tank but i know dart frogs like it cooler than most tropical species. Im not sure with all those layers that the heat pad would be enough to affect either the temps or humidity though

[Mentat]

...should i use a heater under the tank for humidity for my Azureus? my house is usually about 70 f winter or summer, and i will be misting a few times daily. and if i use a heater will it bother the springtails?

D tinctorius Azureus prefer temps in low to mid 70's and can tolerate down to 65F. Long exposure to high temps above 80F can be dangerous. You do not need any heat source; specially one under the substrate which is a no-no for frogs.

Humidity is maintained by manual misting (I do twice a day) or with the use of misters/foggers controlled by timers or automatic controllers .

[ColleenT]

thanks guys. i didn't think i needed heat, but i did not know about using it for humidity reasons. ok, no heater.

[Happy Frog]

I kept my mated pair of D. Tinctorious "Azureus" in a twenty gallon long for close to two years and they bred like crazy. I ended up moving them to a twenty gallon tall because the 20 long just got too overgrown and yucky. I designed my 20 long so there was driftwood up against the back and allowed them to climb a little.

I believe the length was more important to them than height.