Thinkin' about darts again

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

I'm thinking about getting a pair of dart frogs-one male and one female-and keeping them in a 20-gallon long, provided that's enough space. These will be my first dart frogs, so which kind should I get?

[clownonfire]

20 gallon will be very nice for a pair of D. Tinctorius (Azurius, Powder Blue, Cobalt - note that if you are thinking about getting azureus, you shouldn't put two females together as they are very territorial, but that's not what you are aiming for).

Some of our members here are very happy with D. Leucomelas. These do really well in pairs and groups.

Another beginner dart frogs are the D. auratus. As opposed to the tincts and leucs, these are semi-arboreal.... therefore you would need to think about building a viv that will have lots of places to climb (tincts and leucs will also be caught climbing, but they are mostly terrestrial frogs).

These are just a few choices you may want to consider... There are lots more to chose, but it's a good starting point.

When you build your viv, you'll have to think about keeping it very humid, and make sure it stays at least at room temperature. Seeding springtails in advance will also be beneficial for the viv as the frogs will feed on this microfauna... and the springtails will also be playing the roles of janitors in your viv, eating feces and dead leaves, etc.

Have you thought about culturing fruit flies? It will be your frogs main source of food.... Something to consider...

Keep us posted!

Eric

[Leefrogs]

I been thinking bout them too. I wanted to do study a whole lot before making decision on species. Had a question, if it's a larger viv do territory issues go away?

[clownonfire]

Actually, like any other frogs, you will need to be careful about how many frogs you will put in an enclosure. Some are much more social, like the leucs, while some like the azureus are more territorial, and females tend to be extremely aggressive with other females in a closed tank. So for tincts, it's a good idea to pair them male-female in a tank.

If you plan on having larger groups, make sure you have lots of space, lots of hiding space and plants or pieces of wood that could act as a visual separation.

Also, juveniles don't have that territorial trait. I will be getting 5 juvenile P. terribilis, which will be housed together in a 29 gallons and I will separate them in about 12-18 months.

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

What temperature range do darts need? What kind of plants are best for darts in a 20-gallon tank?

[clownonfire]

What temperature range do darts need? What kind of plants are best for darts in a 20-gallon tank?

Generally speaking (and it can vary), a range of temperature of 70-80 F is suitable. Keeping it around 75 is good.

As for plants, often enough, when you read "darts" you'll often read "bromeliads". What you want to do is mimic their natural environment. Michael Lawrence (PoisonBeauties) on this site is a great reference. In my dart frog vivs, I have bromeliads, oak leaf figs, creeping figs, orchids, and one that I like a lot, Blushing Philodendron.

[Teh Frog Whisperer]

Alright, a few more questions:

-How many D. Leucomelas can fit comfortably in a 20-gallon, long tank?
-How do I maintain 80-100% humidity?
-What kind of lighting do I use?

[Kisa]

This is a great thread, thanks for starting it, I'm really interested in this information as well and will be reading along. My personal favorite of darts frogs are the D. Auratus, I just love their blue to green and black coloration. I'll probably start thinking about getting a pair of these in the future.

[clownonfire]

Alright, a few more questions:

-How many D. Leucomelas can fit comfortably in a 20-gallon, long tank?
-How do I maintain 80-100% humidity?
-What kind of lighting do I use?

I would put a pair of leucs in a 20-gallon, perhaps a trio. I wouldn't go above that. Maintaining humidity will be achieve by:

Putting a sheet of glass over your terrarium cover. Glass keeps the humidity in. Hydroballs will also help keeping good humidity. And if you do not was to purchase an automatic mister such as the Exo-Terra Monsoon or the Mist King, you will need to spray your terrarium at least twice a day. What you want is a wet environment. So twice a day, and good sprays. I suggest getting a digital hydrometer to make sure you keep track of the humidity. For example, I have two of them in my 29 gallon to make sure humidity is kept on all sides of my viv.

Lighting in itself is not necessary for the frogs. However, it will be for the plants I have mentioned above, and for most plants you will be getting for a dart frog viv. In my 29 gallon, I use two Exo-Terra Glow Light fixtures with each a 13w Repti Glo 2.0 Compact Full Spectrum Terrarium Lamp. Some members here use 26w. My plants are doing fantastic with a 13w. Other members here will use T5s and/or T8s. Here's a thread on lighting I started a few weeks back: http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...art-frogs.html.