Dart frog vivarium

[camfish]

I'm thinking for my first dart frogs i might get dendrobates auratus, are they good for starting with dart frogs? i still have to figure out how i'm going to setup the tank and where i'm going to find a glass top.

[Grrrit]

Petsmart carries glass tops. And they are pretty affordable. With proper husbandry I would imagine they would be a good choice. But there are alot of morphs/locales to choose from. Some may be more hardy, and some may be more skittish. Someone working with them and breeding them could help you choose a good auratus for you.

[guppygal]

I'm thinking for my first dart frogs i might get dendrobates auratus, are they good for starting with dart frogs? i still have to figure out how i'm going to setup the tank and where i'm going to find a glass top.

Auratus are a great starter frog. I raise blue/bronze auratus and their patterns change until they're mostly bronze with bright blue outlining at about 2yrs of age. Depending on the size of tank you're using, you could comfortably keep a small group of auratus. I posted some pix from my blue/bronze baby tank if you're curious.

I get my glass from a local glass company. I tried getting it cheap from Home Depot or Lowe's, but it's so thin, it breaks easily and the edges aren't buffed. I paid less than $15 for 1/4" glass with buffed edges from the glass company down the street from where I live. I used the glass for a 29g vertical; the glass for the 20g vertical was a little cheaper.

[bshmerlie]

I get most of my plants from Lowes, but if you are completly unfamilar with plants check out places like Joshs Frogs. That way you'll know you're getting plants that will not overgrow your tank quickly. Some plants will simply grow too tall for a vivarium. Just make sure before you purchase them. Do some research and you can get plants locally.

[camfish]

Do I really need a drainage layer for my first dart frog vivarium? It's probably just going to be a 10 gallon. Can i just do eco earth with sphagnum moss on top with leaf litter on top of that? Or do I have to have a drainage layer?

[Grrrit]

Its pretty necessary if you don't want a swamp. It will soak your tank buddy, its not very difficult but helps a whole lot.

[guppygal]

Frogs aren't overly fond of wet feet, and neither are plants. So, yeah, you do need a drainage layer. You might want to take advantage of Petco's $1 per gal sale going on now and pick up a larger tank. Most darts like a bit of room to roam.

kristi

[MikeM670]

You really need the drainage layer for the excess water to drain into. This keeps the substrate from becoming water logged. That will hasten the breakdown of the substrate but also could lead to a smelly tank.

SO you need.


Surface Material ( Something like ABG Mix)
Substrate ( Coco Fiber)
Mesh/Filter Material ( This keeps the substrate out of the drainage layer)
Drainage layer ( Expanded clay balls, large gravel, egg crate)

[camfish]

Ok thank you guys so much for the help, so would it be good if i put gravel thats pretty decent sized so they can't swallow it then a weed guard over that then eco earth sphagnum moss then leaf litter, or would it be a better bet to order the ABG mix?

[guppygal]

I've found a couple of recipes for ABG mix, in case you want to try to duplicate it:

2 parts Ground Tree Fern Root
2 parts milled Sphagnum Moss
2 part fine orchid bark
(i cannot emphasize *fine* enough here, it's hard to find)
1 part sphagnum peat moss
1 part charcoal

Will you be planting your vivarium?