Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I've been looking into dart frogs for a while and would like to setup a few tanks. I own a 4ft shoplight which accomodates 2 t8's or t12's. I was going to get 2 bulbs that were designed to grow plants. I was going to suspend it over a table with ten gallon tanks, I think 4 or 5 fit underneath the light. I'm going to use a false bottom in each tank. I was planning on adding a piece of aquarium tubing down into the false bottom in case I ever needed to siphon any water out. I am not too sure about what to use for substrate for the tanks. I was thinking of potting mix mixed with a little peatmoss and charcoal. I'm not going to keep any special plants in there, just a lot of hardy pothos plants. I was wondering if I could use pothos from Home Depot or some other store. They are cheap there but I'm worried about the possibily of them being sprayed with pesticides. Also, I haven;t had much luck with making my own fruitfly cultures. I was thinking of just buying ready made food, where do you guys get yours?

Pothos will grow in just about anything, including plain milled cocoanut fiber that is used for topdressing garden plants. It's a little more coarse, but is cheaper than Bed-a-beast and the bricks you can get at the pet stores. I've tried a lot of different soils and mixes. The most recent has been an organic compost with a layer of cocoanut fiber on top. Ferns and some of the other plants do a little better in this, I think. It has more available nutrients. It takes cocoanut fiber a long time to break down and start releasing nutrients, and there isn't a lot of nitrogen available to begin a break down process. You want to avoid fertilizers of course. Oak leaf litter is also great for a top dressing.

As for flies, I'd continue to try culturing them although I think Patrick Nabors will set up a regular delivery for you (Saurian), and I imagine others like Ed's Fly Meat will as well. But if you live in a cold area like I do, or one that gets excessively hot in the summer, it might be a problem receiving them alive.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

I forgot to add that when you purchase your plants, you can rinse off the roots and wash the leaves in a sink full of warm soapy water, then rinse them well. This should remove pesticide residue and doesn't hurt the plants a bit.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus

I do think small ferns are attractive, maybe I'll put a few of those in there. What do you suggest I use for the ferns as bedding. I can't think of anywhere where I can get compost. Know of any types of potting mix that contain no fertilizers or anything that will hurt the darts? Also, do you really need to have the live moss in the tank, it's kind of expensive. If I do get some, will it grow and spread in the tank? Thanks a lot.

I use a mix of peat, sand, and cypress mulch over a leca or gravel base. This works well. You can also order plants for the terraria from Black Jungle, Peace of the Tropics or Cloud Jungle Epiphytes (www.cloudjungle.com), they all have plants that are safe to put right into the terraria. At cloud Jungle if you tell them your set up and substrate they will customize a mix for you.
This is what $59 of plants got me from Cloud Jungle Epiphytes to plant up my 30 extra tall.

Ed

Very nice, Ed.

You can get organic compost from just about any plant nursery in bulk. Home Depot has it. I also like something called "Super Potting Soil" that they also carry, which is nothing but a compost of chopped up twigs and bark. Just avoid potting soils with additives like fertilizer pelets, vermiculite and perlite for a vivarium. This stuff clings to frogs, and messes up any pumps you may have to circulate a waterway. There is a purpose for it in a garden or for house plants, but it just doesn't work as well in a vivarium.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

4 D. auratus blue
5 D. galactonotus pumpkin orange splash back
5 D. imitator
6 D. leucomelas
4 D. pumilio Bastimentos
4 D. fantasticus
4 P. terribilis
4 D. reticulatus
4 D. castaneoticus