Hello there. Newbie here.

[Fusser Balrod]

Hi guys. Newbie here. My names frank and im very interested in building a vivarium for some dart frogs. Since im completely new at this i have a few questions. They might have obvious answers but as a newbie im completely puzzled by this.

1. I currently have a 36x10x16 fish tank. Is that good enough for a couple of dart frogs? (im planning on getting azureus)
2. Also i was thinking of adding some small fish to it. Is it a good idea to mix frogs and small fish?
3. If its possible to have both fish and frogs, do I still use hydroballs for the bottom or how does the setup work in that case?
4. If its possible to have both fish and frogs, are spring tails still added to the setup?

Thanks in advance to everyone that helps me with this.

[Frogman1031]

Welcome to the forum Frank! The answer to your first question is a simple no. I have the exact same one. It isnt tall enough so i had to postpone my build until i could get an 18x18x24 exo terra. A member of ours is also building an Arzureus viv. She is using a 20 gallon high tank. I think that will suffice
Adding a pond to a viv is a difficult and complex process. I would leave mixing species to the experts too. It is extremely difficult to pull multispecies tanks off even if they don't interact. If you wish to build a tank with a water feature and fish though anyway, talk to Bill (deranged chipmunk). Expert is an understatement for his skill and knowledge on vivs and plants so he can definitely help.
A false bottom would be best with a water feature. It can be done with hydroballs but its way harder. I dont know much about the false bottoms using egg crate though.
Yes springtails should still be added to the setup. They wont drown dont worry. They clean up after the frogs.

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF ! A 16 in. tall tank does not have enough height to build what you want with a false bottom. Once you get enough depth in water to have fish and some kind of filtering system (3-6 in.) you would have 10-13 in. left. On top of that you would add 6 in. of egg crate, plastic window netting, ABG soil, and leaf litter. So suddenly you are left with very little of vertical space for the frogs .

An option would be to build a "dam" with a glass pane and aquarium silicone glue. It has to be totally leak free because any water making it's way to dry section will flood the substrate and create a bacteria breeding bog. Then you could use aquarium under gravel filter plates as a short false bottom, with a couple of lift tubes as access tubes for draining excess misting water out. That way you could have at least 10 in. above the dry area.

Even then would not recommend it. IMO 18 in. height enclosure is bare minimum for more terrestrial darts and 24 in. for the arboreal ones. Good luck !

[Fusser Balrod]

Thanks for the recommendations!!! But what about just for a couple of frogs? No fish and no water feature...

[Frogman1031]

I would recommend at least an 18x18x18 exo terra for two arzureus. They are more terrestrial but enjoy climbing. The substrate would have to be at least 5-6 inches when properly layered. Water or not the tank just wont be able to house the darts properly. Sorry . I do know where your coming from as i have the exact same tank and was so excited to get to use it but i want my frogs to be happy so i will probably use it as a hospital tank or put fire bellies or something in mine.

[LilyPad]

No experience with darts here, just wanted to say welcome to the forum, Frank!

[deranged chipmunk]

Hi guys. Newbie here. My names frank and im very interested in building a vivarium for some dart frogs. Since im completely new at this i have a few questions. They might have obvious answers but as a newbie im completely puzzled by this.

1. I currently have a 36x10x16 fish tank. Is that good enough for a couple of dart frogs? (im planning on getting azureus)
2. Also i was thinking of adding some small fish to it. Is it a good idea to mix frogs and small fish?
3. If its possible to have both fish and frogs, do I still use hydroballs for the bottom or how does the setup work in that case?
4. If its possible to have both fish and frogs, are spring tails still added to the setup?

Thanks in advance to everyone that helps me with this.

Sorry, been behind on my forum readings. You can do a dart tank with that tank, but to maximize space, a leca drainage layer should be used. Fish are not an issue, they can be housed safely with darts. Yes, microfauna would still be used. They would be the terrestrial cleaning crew, much like snails would be a cleaning crew in an aquarium.

Since this is your first Viv, I would recommend keeping it as simple as possible. There's plenty of time to build a bigger better tank down the road after you gain some experience. Water features are normally a pain in the butt, so simplifying things just makes sense for a first tank


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