Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I am planning on getting two D. Leucomeleus at a breeders expo coming up in october and i have a previously built Viv all ready, but I was wondering how does everyone heat there tanks? Would heat pads be a good choice? I imagine that a heat lamp would be to hot... any help would be appreciated.
heres a few pics of the Viv:

PS it is only a ten gallon.

I like to just heat the room that the tanks are in. But if that is too much then an undertank heater pad is a good choice too. Just get the size that is reccomended for that size tank. I would put it at one end of the bottom of the tank. A thermoter to check the temps at various spots is handy too.

Most of us don't heat our tanks. In fact, just the opposite! We often have to use fans just to keep it cool. The lights can sometimes make it hard to the temps in the 70's.

yeah, heat lamp would make it too hot. florescents work well if you want light. or energy effecient light bulbs, they produce almost no heat. florescents are still best for darts though. is that a screen lid? fruit flies will get out and it will be chaotic. plus you need glass lid to keep humidity up and moisture content high. getting glass cut is cheap though, but make sure you get it before you get the frogs. i would get a temp gun or a thermometer and if temps stay above 85 a lot install a fan. darts like it in the mid 70's and not too much higher. they get muscle spasms if it's too high.

Wow, thanks for all the responses. Yeah I live in seattle and in the basement of my parents home (Im only 15), so I think I will go with the heat pad then. I think I can get some plexi glass off a custom cage me and my dad made for the lid...

Actually I also have one more question. What is the process of quarinteening the frogs and what should I look for (in terms of disease and the like)? Thanks again!

Quarantine is keeping new animals seperate from any existing animals you already keep. If this is a new tank and you have no other reptiles and you get the frogs from a single good breeder I wouldnt worry about quarantining them. Just make sure they are acting like happy frogs and all should be good.

alright thanks

lol, we're twins, except i dont live in the basement. good luck getting all that stuff set up.

You don't need to heat your tanks as long as you maintain household comfort ambient temperatures. Do not use under-tank heating pads. They are not controlled by a thermostat you can adjust, although I believe they are supposed to have some internal control of an unspecified range. I've had them scorch wood under a tank. As long as the comfort range of your house is tolerable to you without dressing yourself in a down jacket, it's going to be just fine for the frogs. The lights will add some heat during the day and the tank will always be a bit warmer then the ambient temperature in your room. The soil and water will hold this over night, even when nights are cool. The range of 65 at night to 80 degrees during the day, is about what most people keep their household temperatures within. Many of the dart frogs can be cooled below 65, down into the mid 50's without substantial problems during the night. Most problems occur with overheating during the day in hot weather if you don't have central air conditioning, or if it fails.

The major problem is not heat in winter above what you are comfortable with, but overheating them in a small tank. They are not like tropical fish in this respect. They actually prosper with the same temperatures we are comfortable with in our homes. They just require more humidity.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

D. auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, galactonotus orange, galactonotus yellow, fantasticus, reticulatus, imitator, castaneoticus, azureus, pumilio Bastimentos. P. lugubris, vittatus, terribilis mint green, terribilis orange.

Would a pair of leucs be fine with that temperature range?

Yes, they would. They are among the most forgiving of mistakes and easiest of the darts, as well.
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Patty
Pahsimeroi, Idaho

D. auratus blue, auratus Ancon Hill, galactonotus orange, galactonotus yellow, fantasticus, reticulatus, imitator, castaneoticus, azureus, pumilio Bastimentos. P. lugubris, vittatus, terribilis mint green, terribilis orange.

Thats good, 'cause they'll be my first!