Help starting tank

[d1rocchino]

Hello i am new to this site but i need some help. I have a exo terra 12"x12"x18" terrarium and i have some question. First, i need some help on plants, i am putting a pond in and i placed planting pots on the walls so i need some plants to fill them in but i dont know which would be the best. Second how many and what kind of poison dart frogs could i put in that tank? I want to breed them so i was thinking three dendrobate imitators for a better chance of getting both females and males.
Thanks a bunch

[clownonfire]

Hi! Well, you are on the right track! As you will have more of a vertical tank, thumbnail frogs seem like the obvious choice as they are arboreal. Unless you want to really get fancy with a few mantellas...

Imitators are great. R. ventrimaculatus also (I'm biased as I own a breeding pair - I've only had them for 3 months and they have already produced a few egg clutches).

Plants: If you want to breed, you will need a few bromeliads. Thumbnails will even raise tads in them. You may want to plant a few ficus like pumilia which will spread well. Philodendron is another great one.

I suggest you get your viv ready a few weeks before getting your frogs. You will want to maintain the humidity high. I like to keep mine 85+ (more than often it will be 90+). It might take a little while to master so practicing while you are still waiting for your frogs makes the process easy.

If you are building for darts, once planted, and before introducing your frogs, you should seed springtails, which will help clean your viv, but will also serve as food for your frogs.

[DonLisk]

I have to ditto Eric's post.

As for plants, here are a few I used in my dart's viv: Lemon Button Fern, Bromeliad, Ficus, Creeping Fig, and Cryptanthus.

Post pics when you can, everyone would love to see how it turns out.

[d1rocchino]

i was reading somewhere that bromeliads are not good for breeding b.c. the frogs lay the eggs on the leaves then they slide into the collection of water in the middle. Lets say i do go with a nice bromeliad how would i get the eggs out of the plant? or should i set up a petri dish somewhere in my tank?

[clownonfire]

i was reading somewhere that bromeliads are not good for breeding b.c. the frogs lay the eggs on the leaves then they slide into the collection of water in the middle. Lets say i do go with a nice bromeliad how would i get the eggs out of the plant? or should i set up a petri dish somewhere in my tank?

Broms are great for tads.

Speaking of raising thumbnail tads, have you read our article: http://www.frogforum.net/care-articl...nitomeya.html?

Eric

[d1rocchino]

Yes i read that and it helped alot, thanks a bunch i have one last question what do you use to heat your tank? I was going to put a medium heat pad on the outside of my tank but if you could give me a suggestion that would be great.

[d1rocchino]

Got ya well i live in Pennsylvania and we have hot summers and really cold winters but would a heater be ok because i know my room doesnt hit 85+ degrees at anytime

[clownonfire]

I used heat pads in my first viv, but stopped using them. Dart frogs will be happy at room temperature, as long as it's well monitored. If you live in a cold city like mine (Montreal), it will take a bit of tweaking comes Winter!

Eric