Just getting everything ready...

[argolupin]

Ok, so i have finally gotten my husbands ok for dart frogs after researching for a few years. I have some larger tanks at my grandparents but until i get them here i am setting up a couple of 10 gallon tanks as kind of quarentine tanks. here are my questions:

1) i have eco earth for my tarantulas so would it be ok to use that as wustrate with leaf litter over the top as well as some forest moss?

2) For the false bottom can i use aquarium gravel that has een rinsed or would the hydroballs work better?

3) so if i am reading right a glass aquarium lid should work just fine for the lid of the aquarium.

4) i will be picking some live plants up at the reptile show in a month so would it be ok to put them in at the same time as the frogs?

I am only planning on one or two at the moment and while i have the money to properly care for them i am trying to save money on the caging at the moment and tell my family what i want for my birthday and Christmas is money to go towards etter setups. I have experience raising leopard geckos, tarantulas, and Bearded dragons and work occasionally for a crested gecko breeder and wanted to go a different direction in my hobby.

[Philsuma]

Ecco earth is...not great to use. When wet it sticks to the frog like coffee grounds. There are better 'substrates' to use - here's one:

http://www.joshsfrogs.com/substrates-fo ... s/abg.html

Gravel is ok to use but it will be mucho heavy

yes, a glass lid is what you want. It can have some vents or a small strip of vent as long as the strip or screen will prevent the frog from coming out.

lights - be careful not to be too hot. Temps over 80F inside a viv can = death.

Plants should go in before the frogs. In fact, you should set the whole she-bang up prior to getting the frogs.

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Ok, so i have finally gotten my husbands ok for dart frogs after researching for a few years. I have some larger tanks at my grandparents but until i get them here i am setting up a couple of 10 gallon tanks as kind of quarentine tanks. here are my questions:

1) i have eco earth for my tarantulas so would it be ok to use that as wustrate with leaf litter over the top as well as some forest moss?

2) For the false bottom can i use aquarium gravel that has een rinsed or would the hydroballs work better?

3) so if i am reading right a glass aquarium lid should work just fine for the lid of the aquarium.

4) i will be picking some live plants up at the reptile show in a month so would it be ok to put them in at the same time as the frogs?

I am only planning on one or two at the moment and while i have the money to properly care for them i am trying to save money on the caging at the moment and tell my family what i want for my birthday and Christmas is money to go towards etter setups. I have experience raising leopard geckos, tarantulas, and Bearded dragons and work occasionally for a crested gecko breeder and wanted to go a different direction in my hobby.

Hello and welcome to Dart Den and the dart frog hobby. I'll address your points, though others may have a differing opinion.
1. EcoEarth on it's own is not a suitable substrate. You're going to want to use something that drains better. A lot of hobbyists prefer the ABG mix, which was developed by the Atlanta Botanical Garden. It's a mix of Coco Coir, Milled Sphagnum Moss, Orchid Bark, Coco Husks, Tree Fern Fiber and Chunk Charcoal. This is a nice, light substrate that drains well to prevent your plants roots from getting root rot and also prevents the substrate from being constantly soggy which can be detrimental to the health of your frogs.
2. I prefer hydrballs over aquarium gravel because of weight. The aquarium gravel will work however. Another choice is what we call "Egg Crate" which is a plastic lighting diffuser that can easily be found at Lowe's or Home Depot. It comes in a 2'x4' sheet which would be enough to do a couple of ten gallon tanks and probably be cheaper than hydroballs.
3. A glass lid will work fine, most of us like to include some area of ventilation through the use of a screen vent, but an all glass top will work especially for a temporary set up. Make sure to secure the plastic strip so your frogs can't find a way out of the tank.
4. I would get your plants first, rinse them very well, a give them a short soak in a 10% bleach solution to reduce the chance of any unwanted pests making their way into the tank. You want to pull the plants out of the pots, rinse away all the existing soil, soak them in the 10% bleach solution and then rinse them very well, many times, to make sure you don't have any residual bleach on them. After you plant them I would give the plants at least a few weeks to establish themselves before adding frogs.

Here's some more unsolicited advice.
A. Get the biggest tanks you can for your frogs. You'd be hard pressed to find any experienced hobbyists who would recommend a ten gallon tank for frogs, or even keep their own frogs in ten gallon tank.
B. Do lots and lots of reading and research. Ask questions here. Yes you have experience keeping tarantulas, leopard geckos, and beardies, dart frogs are not any of those and not quite as forgiving of any of those beginner reptiles.
C. Research carefully who you plan on getting your frogs from. Don't just buy them from any ol' vendor at a show. You'd be better off buying from a hobbyist breeder that's found on this forum. The quality of the animals is almost certain to be better, and you're more likely to get real advise on how to take care of them.
D. The sooner you start culturing ff's and learn how to do that well the better of your frogs will be.
E. Take your time researching, learning, building your tanks, and learning how to culture. The hobby will not run out of frogs before you're ready to purchase, I promise.