let nature do its thing

[frogheaven]

Hi,
I am brand new to the forum and have owned dart frogs in the past because I just love frogs as most people do in this forum.
Although I am not an owner of dart frogs in the present. I do plan on re-starting a new tank one day. And of course I would love to set it up in the most natural setting as possible.
I am reading a lot about breeding of the dart frogs as I'm finding it all very interesting, and I would love to be able to try my hand at this one day in the future. My plan would be of course to set up a nice terrarium with moss, ferns, wood hiding spots and bromeliads. My question is of course watching many many shows on dart frogs in the wild, how several of these species actually lay their eggs in certain bromeliads that can hold water after the rain. and the tadpoles actually grow and become small frogs right in the bromeliads. I would love to try this, and since it is just an experiment, I cant see the harm in trying it one day. And from what i'm reading about needing to change the water on a very regular basis, and adding a leaf and of course food, I would hope the continuous misting would allow the water to re-circulate as it fills and replaces after the "rains"/misting. And of course I would probably have my misting bucket either filled with actual rain water from after a good rainfall or perhaps using distilled water to mist with. Does this sound like it could work? or has anyone who like me ,(just wanting to try mimic nature) ever tried this? Just curious and what problems would you foresee or have had?

[RanaVenenosa]

Hello Sir, Welcome to Dart Den

I will try to help you w some of your questions in no particular order. What your proposing is standard par for the frog hobby. The frogs that will offer you the best success for end to end "parental rearing" are imitators. I would also say that nothing is entirely hands off - that is, nature wont take care of itself left in a glass box in your living room. You will get to spend time most every day baby sitting your frog/s. Unlikely you be content with just one viv, so take that into consideration. You will need to monitor your tank/s on a daily basis, except as you can automate (i.e. timers for misting systems and lights). Having a viv where all the pieces just fall into place will require lots of patience, planning, and experimentation. That is part of the fun of the hobby. None of us have it all figured out yet. Enjoy the experience. Read as many posts as you can, then read them again. Ask questions if you get stuck along the way. The only way to really mimic nature is if your backyard is in Costa Rica : )

I would also recommend adding your location to your profile- this will help you network w other folks in your vicinity. Meeting local froggers has great benefits.

Again, welcome aboard and keep us posted with progress

-Scott

[frogheaven]

hi and thanks for the response,
How well aware I am of the care and attention needed for dart frogs as I have had some a few years back successfully as all were surviving well when i did had them, but as you said it is a continuous learning process, and as far as I'm concerned, it will be like starting from the beginning as it was a while back when I had them. And I wish my backyard was in costa rica lol. I will also go fix my profile, thanks
mary

[Philsuma]

Welcome ! Sounds like you would fancy the dart frog species "pumilio"....

[frogheaven]

thanks ill look them up