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Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...

New to the forum / Dart Frogs - Newb Questions
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New to the forum / Dart Frogs - Newb Questions
#1
Hey guys my name is Dan, I was browsing through Kingsnake.com and was checking out some poison dart frogs and now I want a few of them. I did a search on google.com and found this forum. What size tank would I need for 4 frogs, are they calm frogs or do they run away from you, What does their diet consist of, do they need temperature needs and UVB lighting, how many species are there and how can you tell what color they are just by the species name.
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#2
I think the rule of thumb is 10 gallons per frog. So 4 frogs would mean 40 gallons. The frogs dont need UVB however most people use it because they have live plant's in the enclosure. Their diet should be mainly fruit flies and spring tails. I've seen adults being fed small crickets though. My frogs seem to run away when I make fast sudden movements. As long as you move slowly they should be fine. I wouldn't reccomend handling though. The temp's should be around 75 - 80F during the day with 80 - 100 percent humidity. Night temps shouldn't drop below 70F. I don't know much about morph's and species. Maybe another member can help you. Oh, and welcome to the forums Smile
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#3
Uh... Are you sure they use the uv for plants? Because UV burns the plants...
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#4
Im not sure on the whole lighting issue. People say plants grow fine with shop lights, where as other's say they need UVA, UVB. There was an article on the net that explained it though I don't know where it is located.
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#5
armyofanubis Wrote:Uh... Are you sure they use the uv for plants? Because UV burns the plants...

What do you think sun light consists of??
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#6
The main reason for the use of U.V.'s is to provide vitamin D3 which helps with the assimilation of calcium promoting healthy bone growth.
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#7
955i Wrote:The main reason for the use of U.V.'s is to provide vitamin D3 which helps with the assimilation of calcium promoting healthy bone growth.

Well thats for animals, I think they were referring to why you'd need it for plants.
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#8
I know sunlight consists of UV, but I don't think the plants use it. They use red and blue visible light. That is why plant lights seem so dark, our eyes are much more sensitive to green light than the other colors. And since plant grow lights have very low green content it makes them seem dark. Most tropical plants are low light plants, which would be accustomed to higher visible light and lower Ultra violet. It would have the same effect on as a person that has fair skin out in UV light, they get burned, wouldn't it?

Meh, someone told me that a long time ago and I always trusted it to be true, I never bothered to look it up.

And I am guessing the reason that everyone uses daylight bulbs is because they contain high blue light content? Since most plants use red light for their main source of energy and blue as secondary, this wouldn't seem right. However most of these plants people use, have red leaves, so they reflect the red and use all blue light? I am also guessing they use this strategy to help aid them in their competition for energy, since most plants are using the red, they use the blue? Or is it to ward of predators. Or maybe even because they are getting enough visible light to the point that they no longer need more energy, so they absorb less light (Change color) in order to prevent themselves from overheating or burning.

I dunno I am such a noobie... =( Those are just my guesses.
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#9
I wouldn't go so far to say all tropical plants are low light. Some are and even most could probably survive on it, but there are quite a few tropicals that like/require high light to thrive and have proper color.

I was informed that recent research shows that "plant bulbs" are a total waste of money and that most all plants will grow under almost any spectrum provided the correct intensity, although I THINK the 6500 degree Kelvin range is popular amongst hobbyists.

I don't know the affects of UV rays (A or B) on plants as I have not done any research, but I would bet that they are beneficial in some way to some of the high light loving bromeliads that get a lot of sun or even some of the various trees that are in the tropics shading everything else b/c they are taking all the light available.
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#10
Yeah, my bad, I shouldn't have said that all tropical plants are low light. But yes plant bulbs are a waist of money, even if they are a waist of money, they work. Only because they are a normal light minus the green. Might as well just get a normal (White) light, it is pointless to waist money to make it look darker. But you are wrong about the plants growing under any spectrum. If you put a plant under a spectrum of only green light, it will die. Like I said, alot of people use daylight bulbs because of the high amount of green light. But seriously, even if a plant could benefit from UV, why would you waist the money to get one. It will still survive on a normal light bulb. No point in waisting about 4 times as much money. Not to mention the difficulty of getting special materials that will let UV to pass for the top.

I even doubt that some plants would use UV for energy, if they needed more light they could just absorb the plentiful green light reflected by all the rest of the plants. But the whole chlorophyll being green thing kinda makes this hard... Lol. [Shrugs]

Also if, 'some' plants benefit from uv, I bet others are harmed.

Just my 2 cents.
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#11
i got no real clue, but maybe the high/low light definition for plants is what amount of uv they should get.

place a high light plant that needs direct sunlight in the shade, it will die off. but in the sun it florishes. and its the exact opposite for most low light plants. in the sun they burn and die, but in the shade, they do fine.

a rubber tree for example. put a rubber tree in the sun and its leaves will burn (mine did anyway). but in a shadey spot, it does wonderfully.



also... a plant useing uv radiation to photosynthesise sounds more logical then useing pure, plane light. light is just light. uv radiation is radiation and we all know that radiation can cause mutations. perhaps plants use this radiation to react with the chloraphile and photosynthasise.

p.s. ignore all the spelling errors in the long words Tongue
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#12
Nope, plants use visible light for photosynthesis, look it up. And by the way, visible light and UV light's frequencies are right next to eachother as far as electromagnetic rays. Plants use both ends of the visible light spectrum, but reflect the center. The center is green, that is why they look green to our eyes.

This is completely me guessing, but maybe, since plants use both ends of the visible light spectrum, maybe, the energy they use extends into Infra red, and Ultra Violet spectrums.
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#13
Frogtofall Wrote:
955i Wrote:The main reason for the use of U.V.'s is to provide vitamin D3 which helps with the assimilation of calcium promoting healthy bone growth.

Well thats for animals, I think they were referring to why you'd need it for plants.

A quick change of topic in this thread methinks Big Grin

The first couple of posts refer to whether darts need UV or not, that was where my post came in.

Apologies for any confusion.
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#14
Not a bad idea Chris.

Dan,

I was holding back a bit and am not usually as nice as Cindy or Pat so....
Kingsnake can tend to start people off on a very bad "non-search" habit. All of the basic newbie questions are at your fingertips here. I just belive that if someone is truly interested in a 'hobby' that requires study, one must study a bit. I would never think of jumping into a forum where more than the very basics are needed to go forward in the hobby.
"What do I need to succeed in every "basic " aspect of this hobby"?
Search;
Food, mixing, not mixing, hybrids, temps, swings, large vivs , small vivs, peat brick, peat moss, melanos, gliders, springtails, temperates, tropicals,.....I could go on forever.
I may sound a bit harsh, and it may surprise a few froggers to know I was in the "hobby" for well over a year before I posted anything, but most of the answers are posted. Between this forum and others, the answers(or opinions) are out there. Read the posts and ask questions about those posts, not a general "tell me all you know so i can get these cool frogs"

This is not meant as a slam Dan. I just want everyone to know that there are options for getting very pertinent info without asking a very broad question.
Good luck,
Rich
Darts with parasites are analogous to mixed tanks, there are no known benefits to the frogs with either.


If tone is more important to you than content, you are at the wrong place.

My new email address is: rich.frye@icloud.com and new phone number is 773 577 3476
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