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I can't really hold back anymore on getting some dart frogs, so I've been looking into setting up a tank lately. It'd been recommended that I get a 29 gallon tank to start off with. I want to set up the tank for a month or two prior to getting frogs so that plants can get established.

I'm not entirely sure what I want to get in the way of species. What are some good beginning dart frogs? I was thinking of D. auratus or D. azureus or D. leucomelas. I've been told that all of those are easy to begin with. At some point I'd like to get Phyllobates terribilis, but I'd like to get some experience with dendrobatids before I get them. I like some of the morphs of D. auratus (like the reticulated and blue morphs) and like the color of D. leucomelas. Would it be okay to have a trio of auratus and leucs? Or should I keep all of one species? Now, if I do keep one species, would it be recommended that I keep the same morphs? I would hopefully like to start breeding them. How long do they take to mature? I was told I could fit 6-8 adult frogs in a 29 (at least for some of the smaller species, like auratus). Also, I'm really partial to tropical anurans, and I had wanted to get some Red-Eyed Leaf Frogs at some point. Could I keep them with dart frogs, or is that generally not recommended either?

Now this is what I had planned for the tank. The background would be a wood or coconut fiber mat to allow for vines to grow. The bottom would have 2-3 inches of gravel with sphagnum on top. I'd have a couple inches of water in the bottom as well. One side of the tank will have some open water for tadpoles and such. Imbedded in the gravel would be a pump to help get some circulation in the tank and an aquarium heater to warm up the water, and as a result, the tank itself. I'm going to go out and get a branch and hollow it out, then drill some holes in it to put sphagnum in, then set some plants in. I'll put the wood in the oven to kill bacteria and fungus and such. I'll have a glass top to keep humidity up, and a light to promote plant growth. As far as plants are concerned, I was thinking a couple of bromeliads, pothos, and maybe a philodendron. How does that sound for a set up?

Welcome to the wonderful hobby of dart frog keeping.

Your 29 gallon will be a nice starter tank, and establishing it for a month or two is wise. D. auratus are good starter frogs. The blue morphs are often very shy however, so I would go with the bronze or greens at first. The blue morphs are not more fragile, by any means, they just tend to hide and aren't much fun. (I've had a female quartet of them that have finally come out of hiding and are showing themselves after 7 years!!) D. leucomelas are about the best, since they are not only bold, entertaining, but do very well in groups, and aren't expensive. (If you can damn the expense and go for it, D. galactonotus--the pumpkin orange splash backs are the most congenial, hardy, bold, "intelligent" and active darts I keep, but you pay a lot more per frog.) D. azureus are a tinctorius morph, actually, and are very territorial, so a beginner is best advised to get a mated pair to avoid fighting and problems that may occur in a mixed sex group, expecially with more than one female. P. terribilis are actually a great beginner frog. They get along in groups, and although they aren't as active as the leucomelas, tending to sit in one spot and look to the heavens for fruit flies to descend into their mouths, they are pretty and amusing as living statues.

Generally, you shouldn't mix different species, genera or morphs of the same species,--at least until you get some experience with each separately. Ethically, you don't want the different morph populations to interbreed, or create hybrids that might get into the trade. We just try to keep them as close to the original populations as possible.

For 29 gallons, be more generous with space than the recommended 1 frog per 5 gallons. Don't crowd even the more gregarious species.

If you are going to install a circulation pump, you will need a false bottom, not just a drainage gravel area. This needs to be about 4 inches deep at least. There are many ways to build a false bottom. My most recent favorite is to cover the bottom with Cocoa-Tek hydroponic grow slabs, which are 3 inches thick, and elevate this another inch or so with either more split layers of slab to about 4 inches. Then you can cut out any kind of ponds, waterways or places for your pump that you want. The land areas are then covered with a layer of weed cloth to filter out the fine particles of substrate so they don't get into the circulating water or clog the drainage.

I would suggest using cork bark attached with silicone and filled in behind with Great Stuff for a background and let the water trickle down it like a water fall. Or you can make a drip-wall with a Tree fern bark panel. Your bromeliads will grow there, and it will become covered with mosses and even extraneous ferns, as well as supporting vines.

For plants, I personally prefer something like Calathea to Pothos or Philodendron, but lots of things will work, especially if you are willing to trim them back seriously when they overgrow. There are many great ferns, as well, although like a lot of tropical plants, some will really attempt to take over a vivarium and need controlling.

For a substrate, I usually use a combination of cocoanut fiber, such as bed-a-beast, although I get mine in bulk, some jungle mix or organic compost, and top it with long fiber brown sphagnum. You'll need 2 or more inches of substrate, sculpted and terraced as you want. I like to top it with a layer of oak leaves.

This is not something that is written in stone. It's just my latest preference. Other ideas work just as well.

Dart frogs are easier to keep than most people imagine, and you will do just fine with your ideas, perhaps modified just a bit.
Don't be afraid to try your own ideas. As long as you keep the basic concepts of humidity, temperature ranges, and vitamin/Calcium/D3 dusted fruit flies for food, most of the dart frogs will do just fine.

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
6 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
6 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

Great! Thanks for the advise. I guess then I'd narrow it down to either auratus or leucomelas. How easily to the two species breed? My prof had some auratus escape in his greenhouse and now they're doing well, from the sounds of it (I might avoid costs for frogs and go hunt for them there, haha), so I'm reasonably sure that auratus breed easily. Only issue I've seen with many of the auratus that I've seen is that they're somewhat shy. The leucs or tincs seem to be more active.

I would think that in a 29, I could manage to get 4-5 frogs comfortably, correct? I think with that number I'd at least have one pair of frogs to breed.

I'll probably get terribilis later on mostly because at some point I want to be able to say quite casually to friends "oh, yea, I've got the most toxic vertebrate at home" haha. They're also a bit pricier than other species I've seen.

I'm trying to do as much research before getting them because they'd be a rather costly mistake if I messed up. Especially for a poor college student such as myself, haha.

Thanks again!

All the species you mentioned breed rather readily. You can sometimes induce breeding behavior in the leucomelas by keeping the tank relatively dry for a spell, i.e. less misting and perhaps draining off the waterway for a spell, followed by heavy misting and running the waterway again. I've also noticed that the male leucomelas, as well as being more slender than the females in general, also have a more up right resting stance, while the females tend to keep their heads down.

When you're ready for P. terribilis, don't be put off by the mint green morphs, which are generally less expensive than the yellow or orange. They are not just a "green frog," but a very exquisite, irridescent green that doesn't show up adequately in photographs. Mine range from a kind of chartreuse to one that is decidedly turquoise-green. I too, get a kick out of telling people that in the wild, they have enough toxins to kill eight adult men or 12,000 rats. (I've never grown up, I guess, so part of the reason I got them in the first place was this impressive fact.)

You are certainly wise to choose carefully and make sure everything is right, especially escape-proof. Like mice, they seem to be able to get out of the tiniest of openings. It's pretty devastating to find any frog mummified on the floor, let alone one that cost $150.00 or more!

Good luck with your project.

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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
6 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
7 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
6 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

i would stick to one species of frog or dart per tank if it's your first time, especially if you plan on breeding them. also, darts are extremely territorial for the most part, so it would be risky to keep more than one pair in a tank, even if it's a 29 gallon. also, darts don't need a big water area to lay eggs, just use a petri dish under a coco hut, if there is too much water the tads will die and become infected. even in the petri dish, don't cover the whole bottom, jsut so there is water hugging the eggs. slow down and take one frog species at a time, breeding they is easier said than done, but it sounds like you are on the right track. broms are pretty much the best plant for darts.