Dart Den
Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...
Dart Den

Serving the Dart Frog Community Since 2004...

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Hi guys i have some questions
#1
Im into the saltwater reef hobby and i work at a fishstore so i thought why not take advantage of my discount and get into something new.

Ive been wanting a dartfrog tank for about a year now and since its summer i thought i would actually have time to set up one.

Like all hobbies i gotta do my research before i spend money on stuff i might not need and get some incite on this hobby.

-I wanted to get one of those exoterra tanks, i saw them at a petstore and i thought they were really cool. I know i have to keep my humidity and temperature at a certain level but the exo terra tanks have an open screen top, would this just make things harder to keep it a stable level? Would you guys even recommend me this tank or should i just get a regular glass tank?

-Im planning to keep 2 dartfrogs in this tank, what size exoterra tank should i get? I know bigger is always better but i was thinking the small one (12x12x18) since my table wont be able to fit the 18x18x18 size tank.

-Would dartfrogs prefer pairs or does it not matter? Would mixing species be okay?

-Do dartfrogs need a special light? I want to keep plants too. What would you guys recommend that isnt too expensive?

-Do dartfrogs need a speicalized diet?

-Is there any good places online where i can see some nice setups for inspiration?

-Is there a brand i should stay away from?

-Should i buy a fogger or a mister? would you guys recommend one?

-I also live in san francisco, so weather here can change very rapidly but mostly its cold in the house. Is there any concerns? I plan to keep this tank in the kitchen.

-please add any information or suggestions you want

sorry for all these questions, i just want to make sure i get all the right information and do this the right way. As a fish hobbiest i see people make a lot of mistakes and go the wrong route all the time.

thanks for your help
eric
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#2
Hi Eric,
welcome to the hobby.
It's good to hear you are doing your "homework" before hand! This can help to avoid some costly mistakes.
I have heard that a lot of people have used the Exo-Terra tanks witha few minor modifications. They can make a nice looking setup, but you could get a lot more tank for the same amount of money if you went with a standard tank. Sometimes people will sacrifice the comfort of the frogs to have a "neat looking" front opening tank. The more room you can offer the frogs, the better.

If you chose to go with the Exo Terra, you will need to cover the screen section to help maintain your humidity.

You will not neccessarily need to keep the frogs in pairs or groups, however, keeping a single frog you will not witness the interaction you would with two or more.

Mixing species/morphs is not recommended.

It is believed that the dart frogs do not require special lighting, the lighting is primarily for the benift of the plants.

I'm not sure what you mean by "do dart frogs need a specialized diet".
We primarily feed our frogs a diet of fruit flys, dusted with calcium and vitamin powder.

This site has some nice setups.
http://home.hetnet.nl/~vinc15/main.htm
of course reading the text is pretty much out of the question, but nice pictures to look at. Scroll through the names in the menu at the far left to see their setups.

A fogger and a mister serve two diferent purposes. For the size tank you are talking about a mister would be a little overkill, hand misting will be sufficiant. A fogger would create a nice "effect".

Depending on what your house temp is, you may or may not need supplemental heating for your tank. Once you get the tank setup with the lights on it, you might be surprised how warm that tank will get.

Good luck with your project, keep us posted.


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