Hi There ^_^

[RokedBeGeshem]

Hi guys! I decided to stop being a stalker and make a first post. Any new animal in my life requires a loooong research phase. So, I've been reading up and researching dart frog care for about a year now, off and on. Nice to finally join the community ^_^ Let me ramble on for a minute and tell a little about myself.

My name's Matty (or Matt), I'm from Northern VA, and I'm a part time student (currently a psychology major - we'll see where that goes) and part time worker at a holistic pet supply store. I currently have two cats and a betta fish, but I sometimes foster animals for local rescues, and I've had other cats, dogs, fish, and amphibians through the years, including skinks and salamanders. Frogs are new for me! I'm excited to be starting. My non-animal-related hobbies include music (I play the ocarina and darbuka), dance (Swing, Israeli, and Latin Ballroom, and hoping to start belly dance classes soon), cooking, and gardening. My plants are my babies, and they're part of what led me to the frog hobby.

I don't have any darts yet, I have a 20 gallon high aquatic tank which, when I'm happy with its planting, may become home to an African dwarf frog, and I have a 5 gallon bowfront which is currently home to my B. splendens friend, BUT I'm ready to start my tank builds on a 20 gallon hex, and later a 36 gallon bowfront (both scored for ~$30), and so stay tuned and hopefully I'll be non-lazy and do build threads. I'd definitely appreciate any ideas and input, and look forward to posting here more!

I'm a firm believer in what's best for the animal, not what's most convenient or best looking for the observer, which is why I'd like to ask outright if anyone has species recommendations for my proposed tanks. I'm leaning towards starting the 20 gallon with a pair/trio of hyloxalus azureiventris, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. ^_^

[flybyferns]

Hello,
Welcome to Frog Forum.

I have never kept this species, but 'studying' has taught me you have chosen a nice species. Pretty blue bellies. Four different colors on them! They will be out and about too. A pair can be housed in well planted, 10 gallon vertical vivarium as they will need a more terrestrial habitat. Of course.... they would appreciate an enclosure that is larger. It's the vertical set-up they need. This is a great species to start with; you don't have to worry about a horizontal conversion and they will be easy to care for. Look into the details of what this species prefers in the enclosure before you build. I believe they like rocky areas and little caves vs open ground areas? But not positive? These little details are important

If you are interested in breeding them- eventually-look into a misting system ( ie Mist King). Like most dart frogs they need to be maintained in 90% humidity to breed. This is a, very often, overlooked detail. When keeping multiple enclosures it's just about impossible to maintain enough humidity if hand misting.

Oh! I have heard their call.... very pretty...loud...not annoying, of course.
Call/listen hear ---- AmphibiaWeb - Hyloxalus azureiventris

I'm positive they are about an inch when adults and they are big eaters.
There are not different 'color morphs' but the color pattern can be different between them.
That's what attracted me to learn more about them. Very often, it is difficult to differentiate our frogs from one another ( in certain species).

Hyloxalus azureiventris | Understory Enterprises

Enjoy your research !

[Lija]

Another plant maniak lol yay!

welcome! Have fun around here!

[RokedBeGeshem]

Thanks guys ^_^

I have looked heavily into the species (thanks for the links though ^_^) and unfortunately very few people seem to be breeding/selling them. Hm. Must be the male heaviness of the clutched when raised in captivity. So I might seek out another specie if I can't come across any.

Yep! Total plant maniac. I've got quite a few small citrus trees and fig trees that need to be acclimatized to indoors for the winter. They're great, because they bloom all winter long and keep my rooms cheery and bright. And I have a couple baby bonsai that I'm wire training, as well as some more normal house plants - african violet, ferns, succulents and the like. I didn't even know about the dart frog hobby until looking into terrariums for rare orchids and broms. Hehe. That was some lucky googling.

[Tylerman]

Nice to meet you Matt... How does anybody keep live plants alive and they are going in a terrarium. I want one or two for my FBT tank and cane toad tank and American toad tank. All are three separate tanks. I also have an ornate box turtle. Any help on plant care would be appreciated. I'm a complete newbie to plant care in tanks.

[jarteta97]

Welcome to the Forum! Research beforehand already gets you on the "good side" of things, so nice job on that. I can't wait to see what you can do