Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all, I want to start a dart tank soon sometime in the next year, but just had a few simple questions.

How many Darts can you keep together in one tank, lets just say its a big tank for size issues.

and do darts need a longer tank or higher tank?

The rule of thumb is 5 gallons per frogs, but bigger is always better as more area leads to less poop per square inch, more excercise, and more area for micro fauna to develop.

Some species spend most of the time in the upper parts of the terrarium while others like to be more on the ground. As far as beginners, most spend most of the time on the ground (tincs, azureus, and auratus). Leucs are my favorite starter frog and they will use all parts of the terrarium.
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Josh Willard
www.joshsfrogs.com

and can you put alot of Leucs in one tank together?

Leucs are among those that do get along together rather well in large groups. Others include D. galactonotus and Phyllobates terribilis. The galacs actually get along better in larger communities, but unfortunately, they are among the more expensive and difficult to get. Like Josh, I think the best starters of all are the leucs, both for price and entertainment.

Of course, in very large, heavily planted tanks, sometimes the frogs can be difficult to keep track of individually. So as a beginner, you might want to start out with just 3 or 4 in a 20 or 30 gallon. Of course, when you first get them, you will want to keep them in a smaller quarantine tank. Patrick recommends individual tanks for each frog now, but I just put all the froglets or juveniles that have been shipped together in the same tank. For young frogs, a critter keeper or a fairly simple 10 gallon with either a damp cocoas fiber bottom or wet paper towels and a few plant cuttings with leaves for simple hides do nicely. The point is to be able to monitor your new frogs for health, make sure they are all eating well before introducing them to a permanently planted, more complicated vivarium. Some people recommend plastic shoe or sweater boxes for this, but I find these are opaque and the entire lid has to be removed for care and feeding, so really aren't very convenient. I like to see where the frogs are before I open a lid. They can pop around like pop corn, and sometimes jump right by you, so I like the critter keepers or simple 5 or 10 gallon tank with a hinged glass lid better. With critter keepers, you have to seal off all of the vents except for the center feeding area in order to preserve a high humidity. I use clear plastic shipping tape to do this. I also keep a couple of the shipping cups in the quarantine tank on their sides, with a small cutting or leaf to hold a little water. After four to six weeks, the youngsters are ready for the larger tank. and you'll both be feeling more comfortable about their welfare. The advantage of using a thin, perhaps 1-2 inch layer of cocoanut fiber is that you don't have to change it. The advantage to a paper towel (and separate containers for each frog) is that you can monitor their poop and collect samples if you suspect a parasite. I've never been particularly concerned with parasites in captive bred frogs, but other people are. However, that's another subject.
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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
2 D. azureus
4 P vittatus