Thinking about Dart's

[John]

I'll see your galactanotus and raise you some terribilis. If you want a very visible frog, terribilis wins in my opinion. However, they are not as active as tincs - terribs tend to stay stock still most of the time. If you're game, look through the morphs/races of tincs and see what one you like in particular, and try those. The only downside to tincs is you can't keep them in groups - 1 male and 1 female is about the only safe option. At least with terribs you can keep as many as your space will allow.

[sleepingwolf1772]

Thanks for all the recommendations everyone! I will look into Tincs and Terribillis, and if I do go with Tincs I will be going with a male and female for sure.Im starting to Look more into the Leucs like I said. I have fallen in love with there calls and colors. Im going to be buying another Terrarium in the future for sure so Im sure I will own some Tincs or Terribillis eventually.

[JimO]

Regarding the false bottom and drain, all five of my vivs have false bottoms and some kind of water circulation feature, but I never wanted to risk drilling a drain hole in glass. However, I have rarely had to change out the water and when I do, I just use a simple syphoning device. My water is pretty dark tea/coffee colored, but it's clear and that's how I like it. Those who want a clear underwater feature should probably install a convenient drain.

[sleepingwolf1772]

After looking at a few others designs I think I will be going with the syphoning system as well. I dont really want to risk breaking my tanks drilling them out.

[Alpha Pro Breeders]

I'll see your galactanotus and raise you some terribilis. If you want a very visible frog, terribilis wins in my opinion. However, they are not as active as tincs - terribs tend to stay stock still most of the time. If you're game, look through the morphs/races of tincs and see what one you like in particular, and try those. The only downside to tincs is you can't keep them in groups - 1 male and 1 female is about the only safe option. At least with terribs you can keep as many as your space will allow.

Terribilis are my hands down favorite frog, but their a little expensive for the first time dart frog buyer. When I check their hut for eggs and their sitting on top a lot of times they won't even hop off. I don't really agree with tincs having to be in pairs, if they are raised up from juveniles together (in my opinion)you will rarely see aggression. I usually see a problem when you try to add one later or put 2 older females together. I breed one set of my Galacts in a group, couple sets of my leucs, and I even have one male and 2 females Azureus breeding group.

www.alphaprobreeders.com

[frogfreaks]

Hi

We keep lots of Tincs, a group of Blue/Bronze Auratus and Leucs.

I agree that Auratus may not be the best first frog. They can be shy and skittish. You may not see them a whole lot at first. That can be nerve racking for your first frogs.

Tincs are a very bold frog. We love them and have lots of different morphs. I think they do best in trios or pairs as well. 2 males to 1 female can work if brought up together. There are cases where they can be done in groups but you need to be prepared to seperate fast if troubles begin. We had to seperate two females quicky once. The larger female was trying to drown the smaller one. We just caught it in time. When they sexually mature they can be very aggresive. Especially females.

I think Leucs would be the best bet for your first frog. They're bold. They get along well and are very entertaining. They have a beautifull call. They use the whole viv and are very active too. I would still stick to a pair or trio though. I think you would very happy with these guys as your first frogs.

[John]

I don't really agree with tincs having to be in pairs, if they are raised up from juveniles together (in my opinion)you will rarely see aggression.

I've found with tincs that everybody's experience on their aggression is different. I've seen sibling froglets consistently jump on another to deny it food. They were less than a month old. Several people have never seen this. It actually put me off getting too much into tincs.

[Alpha Pro Breeders]

I've found with tincs that everybody's experience on their aggression is different. I've seen sibling froglets consistently jump on another to deny it food. They were less than a month old. Several people have never seen this. It actually put me off getting too much into tincs.

Their just like people all very different, but I would say that would be a rare instance. Some times you need to seperate, I alway keep a good supply of Sterlite tubs handy just in case.

www.alphaprobreeders.com

[sleepingwolf1772]

Well Im just getting back from the store I mentioned earlier. I did get to see some Darts! Leucs actually as well as some Terribillis and Tincs. I was not impressed by the store however. I had read great reviews on it but it dissapointed me. I was able to find the Darts after some looking. The tank they were in had no info on them except they were Darts, and the price. If I hadnt been doing research I would not have even know what species were in there. They were also housing Leucs, Tincs, and Terribillis all in the same tank! Granted it was a fairly large tank with plenty of cover but still. They also wanted $200 for one frog! As I said no information was given except that they were all Darts and that was the price. I am happy however that I got to see them all In person! They are amazing creatures.

[John]

I don't have a problem with them housing those frogs together for the time of them being in the store. Those 3 species will be ok together like that. Now, leucs and tincs can hybridize but they won't be able to develop the dynamic necessary to breed with all those other frogs around, so not an issue.

[Deku]

I know I may get chewed at for saying this.. But heck! I feel indifferent today! xD.
I know you probably researched. But here is a general tip(of what I think):
1)Remember they are extremely fragile and scare easily as stated by john in another post.
2)They have very care specific needs.
3)They are quite expensive, so if one dies then just figure a ton of money down the drain.
4)Because of tip number 3 Id say you would need to be very careful, keep it in a quiet room, a room with no sprays or anything, and dont hold it more than it really needs to.
5)Make sure you have a source of fruit flies. Sometimes petstores dont even carry them, or missed their shipments. This goes for online too. Make sure you have multiple places to check. Personally Id breed them on my own if I were you.
6)Read, read, read, read, read some more. I know these frogs arent terribly difficult(as I was told), but nevertheless you dont want to take risks with them.
7)I dont know much about their care, but if they need heat. make sure you have extra heat sources. So if one fails you can put the other one on.
8)Id also keep pretty much an extra part of everything that is used for the terrarium. heck id keep an extra terrarium llaying about, just incase it broke(heck iam a clutz, I dont know about you but id keep one).


Again these are all suggestions! Meaning they are opinions!

[sleepingwolf1772]

Thank you John for clarifying that for me. I didnt know if they would be okay like that or not. Kevin thank you very much for your advice. I will be breeding fruit flys before I even aquire any frogs so that they will have a constant food supply. I will not be handling them at all unless it is to transfer them to another Terrarium or If I have to remove them for another reason I am planning on having a back up home for them if need be. It will be moths before I get any if I even do. I am going to start building the Terrarium very soon and It will take some time to make sure everything will be perfect for them. If I cant get the Terrarium to be perfect I will not be getting any because I would not want them to be stressed or sick just because I want them. Also I am not mad at all for your advice, I welcome it! Please feel free to say more if you feel the need to!

[frogfreaks]

I know I may get chewed at for saying this.. But heck! I feel indifferent today! xD.
I know you probably researched. But here is a general tip(of what I think):
1)Remember they are extremely fragile and scare easily as stated by john in another post.
2)They have very care specific needs.
3)They are quite expensive, so if one dies then just figure a ton of money down the drain.
4)Because of tip number 3 Id say you would need to be very careful, keep it in a quiet room, a room with no sprays or anything, and dont hold it more than it really needs to.
5)Make sure you have a source of fruit flies. Sometimes petstores dont even carry them, or missed their shipments. This goes for online too. Make sure you have multiple places to check. Personally Id breed them on my own if I were you.
6)Read, read, read, read, read some more. I know these frogs arent terribly difficult(as I was told), but nevertheless you dont want to take risks with them.
7)I dont know much about their care, but if they need heat. make sure you have extra heat sources. So if one fails you can put the other one on.
8)Id also keep pretty much an extra part of everything that is used for the terrarium. heck id keep an extra terrarium llaying about, just incase it broke(heck iam a clutz, I dont know about you but id keep one).


Again these are all suggestions! Meaning they are opinions!

This sounds a bit scary to me. lol

1) I wouldn't buy a dart frog untill they were at least three months old. Plenty of hides and lots of leaf litter will help them feel very comfy imo.

2) Compared to what Kevin? They're fairly easy to keep. Humidity, food, suppliments and a well planted viv.

3) Some of the beginner frogs can be bought for uner $50. Is that considered that expensive?

4) We keep ours in a room that see's lots of traffic. Depending on the species they can be very bold. Leucs and Tincs included. I wouldn't handle any frog.

5) !00% agreed. You need to get the hand of FF culturing first. IMO Humidity and cultures go hand in hand. Between 50-60% humidity is ideal for cultures. Too much and they don't produce well. To little and they dry out and don't produce at all. Pinheads are an alternative. Finding a frogger near you that keeps darts is a good idea as well.

6) Agreed. You can't know to much about any animal.

7) AC is more important than heat. They should be kept between the low 60's and the low 80's. We keep ours around 78F max. Fast temperature fluctuations are more of a concern. EX. Ac failed and the temps. rose quickly.

8) That's always a good idea. A spare tank with leaf litter and some coco huts will do. A glass top as well.

We have over 100 Darts atm and have lost 1 froglet. We lost him within a week of putting him in the viv. We don't think they're difficult to keep at all. Maintaining a diverse food source is key imo. We feed FF's, Springtails, Isopods and lots of pinhead crickets. Depending on how many frogs you have, taking care of the food source can be more work than the frogs. You can imagine how much time we spend looking after feeders with all those mouths to feed.

Glenn