New to dart frogs, first vivarium!

[emandkel]

The background looks great so far. Nice job. You can keep a pair of D. Auratus safely in an enclosure that large. I'd be careful with keeping more. The females tend to be very territorial and can be aggressive towards other females. If you do decide to keep a third try to ensure that at least 2 out of the three are males as they tend to be less aggressive. Make sure you include some good tall branches etc for climbing as they love to climb high when they call.

From what I've read Auratus is a good group frog with very little aggression ... it is the tincs that can be aggressive with each other ... is this correct?

[Keister]

Are green and bronze, powder blues, costa rican green and blacks, or matechos "group frogs" meaning I can keep more then a pair together in this vivarium? I would really like to keep more then just a pair or 1 female and two males in this vivarium if at all possible? If it just isn't possible I won't do it but if it is that would be great! I don't want to be one of those people who just do whatever they want and not care about the animals.

[emandkel]

Are green and bronze, powder blues, costa rican green and blacks, or matechos "group frogs" meaning I can keep more then a pair together in this vivarium? I would really like to keep more then just a pair or 1 female and two males in this vivarium if at all possible? If it just isn't possible I won't do it but if it is that would be great! I don't want to be one of those people who just do whatever they want and not care about the animals.

Green and bronze; and costa rican green and blacks are Auratus and group frogs -- one site even said you can keep 2 Auratus in a 10 gallon. Powder blues; and matechos are in the tinc family and it is my understanding per the research I've done they are territorial and need to be kept in pairs only no matter what the size of tank is, although it needs to be at least a 20 high for two. I'm new to dart frogs too, so please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[emandkel]

Green and bronze; and costa rican green and blacks are Auratus and group frogs -- one site even said you can keep 2 Auratus in a 10 gallon. Powder blues; and matechos are in the tinc family and it is my understanding per the research I've done they are territorial and need to be kept in pairs only no matter what the size of tank is, although it needs to be at least a 20 high for two. I'm new to dart frogs too, so please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

After more searching, some sites say Auratus can be territorial as well. I think the general rule even for group frogs is to allow at least 10 gallons per frog.

[flybyferns]

After more searching, some sites say Auratus can be territorial as well. I think the general rule even for group frogs is to allow at least 10 gallons per frog.

Agreed--space is key. ie If you had 4 ,for instance, in a vertical 10 gallon... then subtract the 'space'; the substrate, background, wood takes up.
Not much room left!

[DartEd]

Agreed--space is key. ie If you had 4 ,for instance, in a vertical 10 gallon... then subtract the 'space'; the substrate, background, wood takes up.
Not much room left!

I agree space is key. I also believe that line of sight is important as well. Creating little hiding places where they can escape each others line of sight will create less opportunity for female to female aggression. I agree with Lynn. 10 gallons is a bit small for a pair of these guys. A ten gallon is excellent for a grow out tank or an isolation tank prior to adding a specimen to your viv.

[Keister]

So what I think I am getting from this is, to make these guys group frogs you need a lot of space for them to kind of spread out? I think not having a lot in this tank could be made up for by them successfully breeding and getting new frogs out of them! I just think it would be awesome if I could get them to breed, lay eggs, have the tads, and then have those tads successfully make the transformation into baby frogs! I think you guys have swayed me into getting the mistking supreme kit..... I am looking at dropping over $400 just into making this vivarium right hahaha oh well whatcha gonna do!

[flybyferns]

Green and bronze; and costa rican green and blacks are Auratus and group frogs -- one site even said you can keep 2 Auratus in a 10 gallon. Powder blues; and matechos are in the tinc family and it is my understanding per the research I've done they are territorial and need to be kept in pairs only no matter what the size of tank is, although it needs to be at least a 20 high for two. I'm new to dart frogs too, so please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Good morning,
I agree with emandkel.

As for D. Tinctorius -- when young ...a group is okay. However, when they have matured, it will be necessary to pair them off and remove any extra frogs.
Good excuse to do another tank We are always looking for reasons for that !

I have read and have had many breeders say D auratus make great groups , without display of aggression. I suppose there could be the outside chance a bullying thing could develop ? Plenty of space will minimize this.
I have 4 green black D. auratus in an exo 18 x 18 x 24H - No difficulties , never witness any aggression... of any kind
In fact, they all trade off --snuggling with each other in their favorite little places
They do use ALL levels (of which are provided ) and appreciate their leaf litter
Mine are private and very shy. Their behavior is not nearly as entertaining as my imitators or my leucs.
I'm always so thrilled when they "pay me a visit".

Lynn

[DartEd]

From what I've read Auratus is a good group frog with very little aggression ... it is the tincs that can be aggressive with each other ... is this correct?

As I mentioned in my post above, females can be aggressive towards each other. Their aggression involves competition for male attention. That's why I recommended considering a 2:1 male to female ratio to avoid aggression. Females have been know to sit on other females while n water to drown them, eat each others eggs to force the male to breed again, and chase each other out of feeding areas. This leads to stressful conditions for the females and can definitely lead to death.