Azureus pair and Exo Terra 18x18x24

[Frogopolis]

My 2.5 year old pair of D. Tinctorius "Azureus" have completely trampled over everything in their 20 gallon tall aquarium. They have been in there about a year and a half and I need to relandscape it.

Right now I have a brand new Exo Terra 18x18x24 and I'm only at the point where I have the drainage layer and soil in it. I was thinking about putting my Azureus pair in it so I've held off landscaping it and adding the wood, plants and other material in it.

What do you think? Could a pair of Tincs live comfortably in a tank this size? I've always considered Tincs to be the type of dart that needs more floor space.

[joneill809]

They will be fine, given the right hardscaping. Focus on creating offset ledges that take advantage of the vertical space. My azureus, bakhuis and Lorenzo spend most of their time off the viv floor. My Robertus are probably 50/50 floor versus upper ledges. All are in 18x18x24 vivs. All tincs will climb when given the chance. Post some pictures of what you have and you'll get plenty of feedback. Good luck!

[Frogopolis]

They will be fine, given the right hardscaping. Focus on creating offset ledges that take advantage of the vertical space. My azureus, bakhuis and Lorenzo spend most of their time off the viv floor. My Robertus are probably 50/50 floor versus upper ledges. All are in 18x18x24 vivs. All tincs will climb when given the chance. Post some pictures of what you have and you'll get plenty of feedback. Good luck!

In their 20 gallon tall I have 2 MagNatural mushroom ledges on each side. One medium and the other is a small. I have cork tubes at an angle leading up to each one and the frogs climb up there. I have one of the ledges a little lower than the other one and there's another cork tube laying across the tank connecting both of them. The frogs utilize this bridge also. For some reason the female climbs more than the male.

Right now the Exo Terra has nothing in it. I was holding off till I made a decision. I was originally going to design it for another group of my Iquitos, but I'm now leaning towards my Azureus pair. I'm currently collecting all the materials I'll need for the build of the Exo Terra.

Let me ask you - Are adult Bakhuis considerably smaller than normal size Tincs like Azureus or Cobalts? Bakhuis are the only other type of Tinc I'd consider getting right now although those Robertus have really had me interested in them for some time now.

[joneill809]

Let me ask you - Are adult Bakhuis considerably smaller than normal size Tincs like Azureus or Cobalts? Bakhuis are the only other type of Tinc I'd consider getting right now although those Robertus have really had me interested in them for some time now.

Yes, the adult Bakhuis are quite small (as are Lorenzo, but IME the Bakhuis are smaller). I have a 2.2 Bakhuis in an 18x18x18 heavily scaped Zoomed. The males are roughly 1.25" (about 30 mm) and the females are slightly larger, maybe 35 mm, but much heavier. Though it defies conventional wisdom of pairs only for tincs, this group has worked out. The only aggression I witnessed was between the males right after they started breeding. The aggression lasted about a week, and they seemed to establish a pecking order and everything has been fine since (about 8 months). They have been together for about 2 years. They are pretty cool frogs though - I definitely appreciate the dwarf tincs.

In their 20 gallon tall I have 2 MagNatural mushroom ledges on each side. One medium and the other is a small. I have cork tubes at an angle leading up to each one and the frogs climb up there. I have one of the ledges a little lower than the other one and there's another cork tube laying across the tank connecting both of them. The frogs utilize this bridge also. For some reason the female climbs more than the male.

Right now the Exo Terra has nothing in it. I was holding off till I made a decision. I was originally going to design it for another group of my Iquitos, but I'm now leaning towards my Azureus pair. I'm currently collecting all the materials I'll need for the build of the Exo Terra.

Sounds like you have the ledge approach down. I started with magnaturals then moved to bulk cork purchase and siliconing my own ledge framework togethers (I like the Zoomed 15 lb bulk box shipped for ~$100 from Amazon - I can usually get 2 to 3 18x18x24's done with a box, but I like lots of ledges). FWIW you can find my current azureus viv build out here:
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=6303&start=60#p54695

That post shows the framework on the back wall for the cork work I did (there are a lot more plants in there now, so the bottom of the viv is quite dark). Most of my builds use that kind of approach for tincs now, and in the case of the azureus, they spend nearly all their time on the top shelf. They come down to drop tads in the pool, but they seem to prefer the upper rear ledge under that cork round. You can always find them out and about. The same goes for the True Sips and Robertus. I find the smaller tinc morphs to be more reclusive, with the Bakhuis being the most skittish (for me). The Bakhuis are also tucked away in a low traffic area in my kids room, so those frogs don't see a lot of foot traffic which likely makes them more sensitive to people walking in the room.

For some reason the female climbs more than the male.

It always amazes me to see my female Robertus haul herself straight up the front door of her 24" tall exo to track down a fly. They are adept albeit cumbersome climbers, but I think tincs appreciate the height. They all seem to perch high for a good view of what is going on in the viv, and outside it. I really like the 18x18x24 footprint for two to three adult tincs. With the right hardscaping they make for a nice display. Just get a second 18x18x24 for your Iquitos