I have set up a viviarium, just finished putting the last plants in today and will seal up the openings (used to be an acrylic fish tank) tomorrow. I have about 2 1/2 weeks until the herp show where I will get my new babies. I have ALWAYS wanted PDF's! Two questions- how soon should I start my cultures, I have the cups and media for the cultures. How do I go about beginning the cultures and 2- I LOVE the Azure frogs but have been told they can be tricky. I want some that will be forgiving but beautiful- any suggestions as to particular color morphs...? Thanks!
Well you should get going on those fly cultures now. You can never have enough. Secondly the Azureus frogs are as easy to take care of as any other tinc, leuc, auratus, etc. They all seem to be good beginner frogs. My first frogs were a pair of Azureus. Hope this helps.
James
i am a beginner too. i already have my first frogs. 6 cobalts, also tincs like the azureus. when i purchased the froglets i also picked up one ff culture...big mistake! i almost ran out of flies for them. thank goodness i had a shipment on the way. start those cultures! i have prepared a few now and it does take a very minimal amount of practice, but it does take some.
as far as how you go about beginning the cultures...there is tons of information on the various frog boards. covers a-z and then some. if you already have the cups and media, what question(s) in particular do you have?
im finding the tinctorius family extremely easy to raise and care for. i say go with the azureus you like. ^^
What kind of yeast do I use and where do I get it? Can I take flies from a culture from my local petstore or is it better to get them online somewhere? How many frogs can I safely keep in a 40 long? How young is too young to start in a new viv? Should I worry about flies getting all over my house? (My boyfriend really doesn't want me to have these and flipped when he found out about the flies!) How many cultures should I keep going at one time- I have 10 containers and a lot of media...
Thanks guys!!!
First off tell your boy friend to be a man and not be afraid of some tiny flies!! jk. or am i?
u can buy cultures at some places. i got a place near me that sells cultures but probably easiest buying a instant formula from ed fly meat or someone. dont buy flies from petco or anything though. they suck
the yeast used is either bakers yeast or brewers yeast. i use brewers yeast because thats what the folks at eds fly meat recommend.
i wouldnt suggest using flies from your local petstore due to the fact that they seem to have a higher probability of having 'flyers'. and their yields seem to be lower. i picked those up from eds too.
you will get some flies in your house, its inevitable, but there are a few solutions for 'catching' the strays. i read about a lady that puts red wine vinegar in jars and adds a few drops of dish soap to break the surface tension and makes a paper funnel for the top. the flies enter the funnel opening and either fall into the vinagar and drown or cant get back out through the funnel. the moment i set a couple of these out the fruit flies immediately congregated to them! i was shocked! im not even going to bother trying other methods now. i caught more flies than i suspected had escaped.
you should read up a little bit more before getting your azureus if you ask the question "how many can i fit into a 40long". that all depends on the species. tinctorius dont do too well in groups containing more than one female due to the fact that the females will fight eachother. 1 male and 1 female or 2 males and 1 female is what is usually suggested. ***that is a decent sized tank... a larger male:female ratio might work...someone with more experience will have to chime in on this one***
the number of FF cultures you will need depends on a few variables. the most important being how many frogs you will start with. its wise to start culturing before you get your frogs so you can get a feel for it. cultures can and do crash for no apparent reason and this can cause a major headache. always have more cultures going than you need. you will get a feel for your individual frogs needs. since i just started culturing. i made up 3 cultures and ordered 3 that were already going to make sure i get it right and have enough food for my 6 juveniles.
some people add their new frogs right into their vivarium. others set up temporary quarantine enclosures (usually a sterilite or rubbermaid shoebox with lid) so they can monitor their frogs and make sure everyone is happy healthy and eating properly. i chose to go with the quarantine method.
i urge you to visit some of the frog forums and just read. places like here dendroboard.com and frognet are filled to the brim with in depth information regarding every aspect of PDF keeping. i scoured all of them for months before i purchased my frogs.
tell your boyfriend to get over it :wink: this is a wonderful and rewarding hobby. these are very beautiful and very interesting lil creatures each with his/her own personality.
I have been reading for MONTHS!!! I get a lot of conflicting data and my number one concern is doing this RIGHT
! I have thought long and hard about this. I had worked for P(#TCO for 2 1/2 years and was never tempted to get a reptile or amphibian until I saw the PDF... It was all over at that point. I am thinking maybe the Cobalts- I want some with color and personality. I also own and breed German Shepherd Dogs so I understand the commitment needed to take care of an animal(s)...
I really appreciate all the info and I hope you guys (and girls) understand my bit of frustration as to how to advance at this point. I think I will start with 2-3 frogs and see how they do as well as order a few cultures and get my own going.
THANKS!!!
For the fruitfly media, I buy from BlackJungle and the water I add to the media is one part white vinegar and 4 parts water. It's supposed to help keep the mold from cropping up...so far seems to work.