Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

I have a 45 tall aquarium with 2 female U.phantasticus. I finally acquired a male 2 weeks ago and am getting ready to introduce him to my girls. Has anyone had any experiences that might suggest a best way to introduce an individual to a group? Time of day? Etc...

Also, how long have you all had groups together before any breeding activity started?

Finally, one of my females does not have a tail (she came that way so I am not sure how long it has been gone), and I was wondering what the consensus was on if these guys regenerate tails or not? I have read mixed info...

Thanks,

Matt

might be a better idea to quarantine a lil longer, but thats up to you. i dont know if there really is a best way to introduce them to each other, but i guess try once lights are out. that way they can get a feel for the enclosure and everything, and try to keep an eye on them for at least a lil bit to catch any odd behaviors if they should come up. my guess is that breeding would start at around a month after the introduction if youre lucky (sooner if you get very lucky), but can take anywhere up to a year or more, so dont get your hopes up yet. and finally, no the tail will not grow back on satanics. i think species of the "ebenaui group" (i.e. ebenaui, phantasticus, and malama) will NOT grow their tails back, while all other species will.
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-Mike Martin
North Carolina

personally i would quarantine 60 days or more. after at least a 60 day quarantine put the male in and obseve behavior. my male phants "tail-wave" to get a females attention and usally the female lets him know by tail waving back on weather or not she wants to breed. i have a female with no tail and a male with no tail and it does not grow back. the tailless male i have had for three years and it has not grown back yet. the female was a juvie and is know adult size and has not grown back but she is laying infertile eggs. It might take anywere from 1 month to 1 year to get breeding going onbut it should. humidity fluctations and photperiod can all help breeding success.

Thanks for the responses...

I wasn;t expecting breeding activity anytime soon, and really that is not even my goal in keeping them, I was just curious. I was definitely afraid that the tail would never grow back, but thats cool... she looks like Gollum without it!!

My male has been in the US for about 5 weeks now and was treated with Flagyl when he first arrived. I was going to try and do a stool exam sometime in the next few days to see how he is doing... but believe me he will not be introduced to my girls until he is firmly disease free!

On another issue, how have people combatted mold in their enclosures? My vivarium has 5-6 inches of potting soil/sand mix on the bottom and is planted with live plants. There is a smattering of orchid bark over the substrate. I spray them down 2-3 times per day, but because the tank has a screen top it is able to dry out in between sprays. The humidity stays between 70-85% and the temp in the 70's. The mold is not a problem, but it is there on the soil substrate in small doses and I do not want to lose control of it.

Thanks!

combat mold with:

a) uv light
b) drier substrate
c) better ventilation
d) springtails
e) removing all feces asap
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-Mike Martin
North Carolina

Mike,

Thanks for the reply!

I do have a UV light on the cage, which I think helps a lot. When I spray down the cage it really stays in the "canopy" and off the ground for the most part... so that is good. And it is pretty well ventilated with an entirely screen top and in a room with fans/AC.

How do I get springtails? Do you recommend just catching them outside, in a natural area or can you get them somewhere? How do they help with mold?

Also, in a cage with dimensions 18" x 30" x 24" high (45 gallon tall or so) do you think that I have enough space for a 2.3 group?

Thanks!

you can get springtails from major fruit fly culturers they sell them for dart frogs.

well, you could also passively get springtails, as i did. not sure exactly where they came from, but once they got established in one tank it took no time for them to move onto pretty much every other tank. im guessing they might have come from something like a piece of moss i collected outdoors, perhaps even a stick, maybe even one of the plants i bought at the store. but once they get goin, theres no stoppin em.
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-Mike Martin
North Carolina

and yea, i would imagine that a 45 tall will be suitable for a 2.3 group, but just keep a close eye on them all.
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-Mike Martin
North Carolina