Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was hoping to eventually have dart frogs, but was thinking that I should get a starter frog first so I know how to keep their habitats under optimal conditions, and get all the heating under control. Is it wrong for me to think that two green eyed tree frogs in a 10g tank is right for this? They seem to be on the low range of frogs. Let me know, and thanks!

I would say just go for a dart frog. Set a tank up for about a month and practice culturing fruit flys before getting one. From what I've read some of the starter species are pretty hardy. Check out the link below, it helped me.

If you do want to get a "warm up" frog then I suggest a fire-belly toad instead of a treefrog. Treefrogs are nocturnal and hide up high during the day. Fire-belly toads are more like dart frogs in their habits and like similar conditions. Plus they are funny.
Doyles dart den FAQs

Right on, thanks. I don't have a problem with the nocturnal thing, as most everything I have is nocturnal (leopard geckos and cresties) I will check out the fire bellys though. Are there any darts that can be kept in a 10g tank?

Yeah I think a 10g is big enough for most, but only for a pair. If you plan on having more than one pair you'll need more space because females can get really territorial.

A 10g is big enough for a pair - a good first choice would be D. leucomelas, D. auratus, D. azeurus, or any of the tinc species - just make sure that if you get tincs, you only get either 2 males or a male and a female. Any frog would appreciate more room - a 20H would be great. Why would you want to start with other frogs? Both species you named have completely different care requirements than dart frogs. Just set up your viv, check the temps and humidity to make sure you can keep them constant, and get fruit fly culturing down, and you will be fine.

I agree-- Darts aren't all that mysterious or special, as long as you have the right temps and humidity and plenty of fruit fly food cultured ahead of time. Also the planted tanks they are usually kept in are biologically recycled, so there is very little cleaning, except for keeping the glass clean and trimming off plants. A ten gallon with a couple of D. leucomelas would be a nice beginning. The general rule is about 5 gallons of space per dart frog, although this varies, depending upon the particular habitat or species. Most dart keepers think the bigger the better.

Some darts are more territorial than others, and need to be kept in mated pairs, or a least with only one female, but others are more gregarious and even do better in groups of the same species. 10 gallons won't hold a group, however, just a couple of frogs. So D. leucomelas, D. auratus, D. galactonotus, P. terribilis, don't need to be sexed to get along well. The D. leucomelas, D. auratus and P. terribilis, are all readily available and among the less expensive frogs to begin with. Don't be afraid to try them. If you read the care sheets and accommodate them with the right temperatures and humidity (65 to 80 degrees and 80 to 100 percent humidity) they will do just fine. Your tank can be as simple as merely providing a drainage area for the plants with a substrate of something like sphagnum moss and coconut fiber on top, to a more complicated tank of backgrounds of cork barks, water ways, drip walls and water falls with a false bottom. A ten gallon tank is better kept simply to a drainage of gravel and an organic substrate as above, for the plants. I like to separate the gravel drainage area of about 2-3 inches of gravel from the substrate with a layer of week cloth to filter out the debris. When the drainage gets full of water, you just siphon it off or use a turkey baster from one corner. The tank needs to be enclosed rather closely, usually with a hinged glass lid, and lighted with something like an aquarium fluorescent light for the plants on top of this. for 12 hours a day. You need to mist daily with spring or distilled water, and feed the frogs with fruit flies dusted with vitamins that contain both calcium and D3. (No UV reaches them, so D3 supplementation is essential.) We usually use a combination of Herptivite and Rep-Cal (without phosphorus). You can also use Dendrocare.

Otherwise, other than cleaning off the glass, you don't have to change substrate or do much maintenance except for trimming the plants.

The "beginner" darts are actually easier and just as hardy as other frog or toad choices.
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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 think its the food part that gets everyone nervous. And truthfully, raising FFs isnt that hard. Id recommend picking up a starter kit from Josh's frogs (i think its joshsfrogs.com) for starters, until you get enough experience to make your own media. One culture a week would be plenty to feed 2 frogs.

I think leucs are a great beginner frog - they are colorful, not too expensive, hardy, and very bold.

Cool, thanks man. Bugs aren't a huge problem with me, I already have mealworms and lobster roaches on roll, so it shouldn't be too hard.

My leucs eat Blatta latteralis nymphs, so if you go with leucs, youll have an extra treat for them every week or so.

Thanks Patty! I noticed you said a top of glass..don't the frogs need any circulation? Having a glass top would be very easy, but I just thought maybe they'd suffocate or something.

Anyway, thanks for the rest of the post!

The frogs won't suffocate with a relative tight system. Some people will arrange for a narrow front ventilation screen to help clear the glass for better visualization, but otherwise, you are opening the tank to feed, mist, wipe glass, etc. usually on a daily basis, which provides a lot of air exchange. The plants also help over all with some positive oxygen exchange. You can use various automated fans, humidifiers or misters that circulate air, but these are not absolutely necessary for the frogs' welfare.
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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

Cool, thanks a ton!

I only named one frog species, and I was thinking more along the lines of vivaria than actual frog care. Thanks for the post though.