Hello from Wonderful Windy Wyoming

[Wyomingite]

Howdy all from out here in the wild west. Been lurkin’, thought I’d join. Thinkin’ of tryin’ my hand at keepin’ a frog or two. Got an idea of what I’d like to try, from some pics in a coupla books on frogs and nano-aquaria/vivaria. Have a 20 long and a 29 without a bottom that would fit right on top of that 20 real nice to make a nice vivarium for some critters. Sorta have some ideas already. Heterixalus alboguttatus, H. madagascarensis or Mantella baroni in the upper terrestrial portion (the 29) with a small school of the rainbowfish Bedotia marojejy or maybe some powder blue killifish (Pachypanchax omalonotus) in the lower aquatic portion (the 20) is what I had in mind. A series of terraces and a nice trickle fall down the middle to round out the scene. Oh, BTW, I’m a sucker for biotope habitats.

Not completely new to herps. Kept African dwarf frogs (Hymenochirus sp.), green tree frogs (Hyla cinerea), tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) and anoles (Anolis carolinensis) in the past, healthy and content, in spite of my best efforts. Have also kept a few fish over the past 26 years, as well. Some 250 species or so, with success breeding and raising around 100 or so of those species. Have a B.S. in Zoology. Just finishin’ up my fish room and decidin’ on what I want in my tanks, and this bottomless 29 sticks out like a sore thumb.

So, ya know what I’ve done in the past and my experience level, very experienced with fish and advanced beginner with herps, and ya may be thinkin’ that I’ve already made up my mind on what I’m gonna try. So what am I doin’ here? Well, I don’t take myself that seriously. In 26 years of keeping fish, I’ve learned ya take 90% of what’s on the web, 50% of what the average shopkeeper says and even 20% of what’s in print with a grain of salt. I do take the care of critters I take under my wing very seriously. There aren’t many frog enthusiasts in my neck of the woods, so I’m joinin’ here to chaw the fat a bit, and learn a bit, and maybe even share a bit from my own experiences. The above concept really appeals to me, but is open to tweakin’ and total redesign and restockin’ if needed. Maybe I otta look at a SE Asian biotope instead of a Madagascar biotope for starters, is one option I’m already considerin’. I do believe the overall concept will work with the right combination of fish and frogs. Anyways, this is the start and I’m lookin’ forward to spendin’ a little time here and developin’ this idea through to the end.

WYite

[Ebony]

Well howdy Wyite and welcome to the forum. You have come to the right place. Although being from New Zealand I'm not familiar with allot of frogs except the 3 species that I'm able to get here. You will meet allot of knowledgeable people on this forum and who will certainly help with chewin the fat.

[Kurt]

Hi, welcome aboard. Bad news on the Mantella baroni front, I think any mantella would end up drowning in that kind of set up.

On the plus side, reed frogs will be fine. Stick with one species of amphibian per enclosure. Personally I would go with powder blue reed frogs Heterixalus madagascarensis. Neat little frog and they are starting to breed them in captivity. As with all treefrogs, make sure they have good ventilation. I would also plant the aquatic part of the tank with Aponogeton madagascariensis.

[John]

Welcome to the forum!

[Wyomingite]

Thanks for the welcome, guys. I was kinda figurin' that with the mantellas, due to their similarity to poison dart frogs and what I have found led me to rule out poison darts from this type of set-up pretty quick. I've really been strugglin' findin' much widespread info outside the basics for popular, bread and butter species, but all in all that' s not really a huge dissappointment with the mantella. If this works out, I may give a tank over to mantellas or darts later, without fish in it (gasp!).

Kurt, is that a Dendropsophus leucophyllatus in your avatar? That is another species I considered for a set-up like this, possibly with a school of cardinal tetras in the aquatic portion. I especially like the giraffe-pattern. Would it work in a set-up like this? I could not find any info on this species in the literature I have access to, and only sketchy info on the web. The pics of that little clown frog and the two Malagasy reed frog species I mentioned are the ones that got my mind a workin', which methinks can be a dangerous thing at times .

WYite

[Kurt]

Yes, my current avatar is a Dendropsophus leucophyllatus. I have written a few short articles for a new series to be published here at the frog forum. The series is called "Meet the Frog" and will an introduction for most people to many different frogs from around the world. The first one is about Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis, the second is about Dendropsophus leucophyllatus.
I think Dendropsophus leucophyllatus will work nicely with cardinal tetras, Paracheirodon axelrodi. But I would consider how are you going to feed them? Remember crickets drown easily. You could use Drosophila hydei, but you need to have ventilation for treefrogs, while making sure the flies can't escape. In small enclosures such as critter keepers I use paper towels to do this. They are placed between the top and the bottom of the keeper. But how do you do that with a 20L or 29-gallon tank?
Also I have never seen the giraffe phase for sale.

Here is Danté Fenolio's care article on Dendropsophus leucophyllatus.
Click here: Clown Treefrog Care and Breeding