Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my friend is giving me his 125 plexi tank

6ft long x 18inches high x 18inches deep

already drilled and has a sump....

i was thiking of pumilios...how many males could go in that big of a tank safely...more than 2? i have read that they can be real territorial.

thanks

-slappy

With a lot of bromeliads and heavy planting, you may get by with more than one pair of pumilios from what I've been told by a breeder, although I keep mated pairs in separate tanks and haven't tried this. Someone on another board has just pointed out that in their natural rain forest environment, the territory for a single pair is much larger than any vivarium we are able to provide, referring specifically to the blue jeans morph. How males only would get along, I don't know. It's rather difficult to find pre-sexed pumilios for sale, and they would be somewhat more expensive than a group of unsexed juveniles.

If you want a group of small, active frogs, you might try the D. imitators or others of the intermedius group. In my personal experience, while these do establish territories and do a lot of chasing, egg-eating and wrestling among the females, they don't seem to stress each other out with it or do any permanent harm.

Check out the care sheet for pumilios on this link for some more information:

The photos are of some D. pumilio bastimentos froglets in a small nursery tank--still getting along with each other. I lucked out when they proved to be 2:2 and I paired them off correctly the first try with a WAG.

Saurian

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris

could i go with 1 male and many females (7-8) ?

or do teh females get territorial as well?

i will look into the other frogs you suggested... i also liked the leucs.

i really like dteh pumilio colors and morphs and they seem to use more of the tank than just the floor...but are they bold enough to come out regularly? i know taht once some specieces are comfotable with their suroundings they tend to come out more...is that the case with pumilios?

i appreciate the time and answers to my questions...i have kept mantellas before so the care is basically the same...but not on teh scale of 125 gals worth!

-slappy

My D. pumilio bastimentos pairs are quite bold and conspicuous most of the time, and each utilizes 33 gallon tall hex tanks from top to bottom. They often feed on the floor, breed in the bromes, and are virtually all over the place. They don't show any shyness when I'm around or meddling with the tank, and the males will often call when I'm right in their faces. I've been able to watch their breeding activity, which is on an open leaf without disrupting them. They have not successfully raised any tads yet, although one did morph out, but had SLS. (Spindly leg syndrome.) Patrick (Saurian) told me that it is relatively common with first clutches of these pumlios, but later clutches seem to do well. I've posted a picture of it. You can see that it is lying flat and has no front legs. I'm not sure if the females are as aggressive and territorial as the males, but I suspect they might be. I've just never observed them all together except as froglets and young juveniles.

If you like the leucs, they might be the way to go with a large group. They also use all layers, hunt on the ground, splash around in the waterways and you could probably keep up to 10 in a 125. I have 6 in a heavily planted 80 gallon bow with lots of bromeliads and a stream/pond. While they have called a lot, they have never bred--at least I've never found any eggs, but since I'm not into deliberately breeding, I've never bothered "conditioning" them as is sometimes recommended, with a relatively dry spell followed by heavy misting. I've seen a little half-hearted wrestling between a couple of the fat females, but I've never noticed any vicious aggression. They are also relatively cheap, so a large group would be more affordable. The pumilios are much more expensive, so any losses from experimenting would be even more devastating than usual.

Another very nice frog that also does well in groups (and even breeds better in groups) is the orange glactonotus. I have the orange splash backs. They are bold and actually "intelligent," if this quality can be applied to a frog. They are super-fun to watch. Mine are about 7 years old now. They are also on the expensive side however, but less likely to present a problem than a group of pumilios in a single tank.

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris

Sorry, the second picture is of "Pebbles," one of the female splash-back galactonotus. She's been the boldest and most adventurous of my group, of believe it or not, turned out to be all females. I have three more unsexed adults in quarantine tanks that I'm going to add soon to see what happens if there is a male among these-- maybe goose the old girls up a bit.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
6 P. terribilis mint and organe
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus
2 P. lugubris