Couple Starting Questions

[downthebeatenpath]

Ok so I have been looking to get some dart frogs for a while, and I think I'm finally gonna make the jump soon. Anyway, I was planning on using a 36 gal. bowfront with false bottom and all that stuff. Some questions I have are, what kind of lighting is best for the plants and frogs? Right now I have live plants in my day gecko tank and I just use a 60 watt plant bulb and a 5.0 compact flourescent, would that be sufficent, or is there something better I could use to promote better plant growth? My other question is how deep should the water be? I have seen varying reports, some say not too deep because they can drown, but I have seen tanks with water as deep as 6 inches. I'm planning on either doing leucomelas, azureus or auratus, which would you recommend for a beginner to dart frogs out of the three? Also, can the GreatStuff foam be constantly exposed to water, ie have it in the pond area as well? I've already done a decent amount of research so I know everything else about their care and such, I just needed some help with these questions, thanks alot.

[michaelslenahan]

Lighting is up to you--I use a plain 15w 2.0 full spectrum light and it works great for the frogs and the plants (some vines, Java moss, bromeliads, etc.). You definitely don't need any head lighting--contrary to popular belief, frogs actually prefer lower temps, from around 68-78 F.

You don't actually need standing water for darts (just high humidity). If you want to add water for aesthetic reasons, it needs to be shallow; nor more than 1 or 2 inches. Darts don't sit in water unless they are sick. A neat idea that I heard was to put a pump in the false bottom and have it run continuously into a small water feature which overflows into the moss and filters back down into the false bottom where it is recycled back to the water feature--plus it filters the water.

I have auratus; all of the ones you mentioned are great starters. I definitely have a preference for auratus, but I'm probably biased--but they're relatively cheap, hardy, and fairly active.

I haven't used great stuff before, but I know it holds up to water, because it is used outdoors as a sealant--just make sure you let it dry first. I'm sure you can find the directions online.

Good luck on your first darts!