1. This also depends somewhat on how much you are willing to spend on a frog. Considering price, relative boldness and the ability to get along together no matter what the sex is, probably Dendrobates leucomelas tops the list. Phyllobates terribilis are delightfully bold, as well. While they are still somewhat expensive, my favorite of all of the larger bold frogs that get along in groups are the galactonotus, especially the orange morphs. Some people have reported that the red morphs are more shy and less "groupie," but I have no first hand experience with these, and their prices are pretty high. Smaller, and not quite as colorful over all are the different Epipedobates anthonyi morphs. I have some delightful "Pasaje" morph. If you can manage a mated pair, the azureus and tinctorius are both bold and colorful. While two males will get along, perhaps, usually females fight--Experiences with these seem to vary. Auratus are popular and do get along in groups, but some can be very shy--again experiences vary. A lot depends upon how your tank is set up and the age of the frogs. People usually report that the green and black morphs are relatively bold, while in my own experience with the blue morphs and Ancon Hill, the blues are finally showing themselves after having kept them for 8-10 years, and the juvenile Ancon Hills I have hide all of the time.

2. Froglets and juveniles are fed daily as much as they want to eat of the vitamin dusted fruit flies and spring tails. There seems to be a consensus that we tend to "overfeed" adults in captivity and they can become obese. I feed most of my adult darts every other day, and try to vary their diets occasionally with pinhead crickets, different little meal worms, and field plankton in season. (Field plankton is the stuff you can catch with an entomology type net--small gnats, leaf hoppers, spiderlings, etc.) I also collect pea aphids, cabbage aphids and aphids from fruit trees when available, which some frogs really like as if they were chocolate cake. But collecting needs to be done in pesticide free areas or you can run in to trouble with this. One needs to watch the frogs and feed less if they appear overly fat, and more if they become skinny. This is subjective and something they usually survive as you learn.

3. I mist by hand with a pump sprayer using distilled water. Depending upon the set-up with waterways, etc., some may need daily misting or more often and others perhaps none at all. I've tried a couple of the cheaper misting systems for individual tanks and found them lacking. This is something someone with more experience with using these needs to answer.

4. How you handle eggs depends upon the species, and most all breeders will have specific care sheets for raising each. The thumbnails such as imitator and intermedius will raise and feed their own tads if the set up is right for this. They may transport the tadpoles either to a water-filled axil of a bromeliad leaf, or many people offer them a film canister set at an angle. The obligate egg feeders almost must raise their own, as the tads will survive only on the infertile eggs the female lays. These include pumilio. Others may or may or may not transport the tads to a waterway to deposit them, but with those I mentioned such as leucomelas, galactonotus, auratus, etc., one usually removes the eggs after three or so days to make certain they are fertilized, and allows them to hatch out in a separate container. Here is where the techniques, the containers they use and the food they feed varies among almost everyone, with no two exactly alike. With first eggs, you are going to be experimenting, anyway--Often the first eggs of a pair may fail, even if they are fertile, or the tads won't hatch out properly. I don't know why, but failures at this point aren't always your fault. By the time you get to that point, you will have a lot of ideas and can invent some of your own.

5. My advice about plants is to use miniature tropicals, plant them when they are small and don't over-plant. Let them spread and come into their own, which they will do soon enough. Bromeliads that grow eiphytically on a back-ground or on a wood branch or log in the tank are almost a must for any dart species. For some they are a necessity, and for others, they are a joy to sit and soak in. In my opinion and experience, the smaller Neoregelia hybrids do the best job. Eschew voracious plants, which some, but not all ferns can turn out to be. Small vines such as Ficus pumila varieties, especially my favorite of all, quercifolia, Pellionia, Peperomia, etc. Many breeders and tropical plant dealers have "packages" for vivariums. Look on Black Jungle, Saurian, and a Google search including both "dart" and "vivariums or terrariums" will take you to a lot of sources. Selaginella species are almost always a good choice.

6. If the false bottom is a true false bottom meant to recirculate water over a waterway or drip wall, after the first few water changes as it cycles the tannins and foams, etc., you may only have to add water as it evaporates. With this type of set up, I usually only do changes until the water looks like I want it to, then only add later unless there are obvious problems. If by "false bottom," you actually mean a drainage area, then this is siphoned off regularly if and when the water builds up in it. There has always been some confusion among us about what "false bottom" implies.

7. Add the frogs when the tank is established enough so that you know all of the pumps and waterways are working and the plants are growing well. This is mostly so you don't have to make major changes with the frogs in the tank or have to remove them to do this.

I hope this helps, but don't take it as the last word. Others will chime in and give different experiences and suggestions. A lot of what you do depends upon your personal preferences regarding decoration and how you want things to look. If you follow the general humidity, temperature, feeding and vitamin supplement rules, plus some good light for your plants, most darts are very hardy fellows and will adapt to a lot of different set-ups. My God, am I long-winded!
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

Dendrobates: auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, tinctorius azureus, leucomelas. Phyllobates: vittatus, terribilis, lugubris. Epipedobates: anthonyi tricolor pasaje. Ranitomeya fantastica, imitator, reticulata. Adelphobates castaneoticus, galactonotus. Oophagia pumilio Bastimentos. (updated systematic nomenclature)

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