The best way, BY FAR, to deliver adequate as well as 'realistic' humidity for dart frogs is by using a misting system or even better, larger droplets from a plant mister / hand pump or battery operated - like an insecticide sprayer. BIG droplets. This allows for a more natural humidity gradient, not a fine mist or an even finer enveloping 'fog'. The problem is with new people. They see the big companies like Zoo med and ex Terra marketing foggers and then travel 2 miles to PETCO and buy them thinking they are the best delivery system. They are not. The finer the mist, the quicker the evaporation, and new people usually take a long time with the humidity learning curve - ending up with too dry. Then the opposite comes into play. Too long of a fog and you get respiration / evaporative cooling issues and bacteria. Use the best tool for the job - Hand mist for 1 - a few tanks, and mistking auto misters for large collections. Wait until you're in the hobby for a while and get the hang of providing adequate humidity before getting a fogger. Less mistakes and deaths that way.

With Repashy and I assume any other dry media, it's actually better if it's not thoroughly mixed with hot water. Sounds counter intuitive but bear with me. I think the larvae create such a huge slurry of waste ect while consuming the media that when they hit a dry pocket near or at the bottom of the cup, it's not a problem as they are quickly turning it to liquid. Now if ALL the media is moist and mixed to start with, I wonder if that is not benefitial to the larvae - not sure if they can drown or suffocate but I been not mixing my media - just adding water and not mixing and have better results than when I mixed. 

Here's my Repashy ratio I've used for over 12 years with huge yields, and it remains the same amounts no matter how wet or dry the season / time of year. You never have to add more water ect.



1/3 of a cup dry media



2/3 of a cup very hot, not ness boiling, tap water.



Use 2 measuring cups -premade to both amounts.



Pour the hot water into the cup with media but do not mix.


The hot water will 'martha stewart' with the dry media and the media also has ingredients to expand and puff up. You want around 3 inches in the cup bottom. Any less and you won't get a strong bloom and def no secondary bloom.

I have 2 Karibik Auratus and I don’t see much information on them if anyone has these would u mind getting back to me to answer some questions?

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Hoping for some guidance, I'm building a fairly large vivarium for dart frogs, 40x20x40, I have a mistking misting system for it, and I know something this large will require good lighting to reach the bottom for the plants, I love the idea of the  jungle hobbies advanced double led but they are quite pricey. Can anyone recommend something similar as an alternative which won't cost $1k? (I'm in Canada).

Thanks

DF

Hey all,

I have built a handful of vivariums now and have made so many mistakes. I've had to rip most apart and I kinda wonder if i'm being hasty and not letting the tanks cycle? The internet is convoluted with information and I figured it is just better to ask my questions directly.

I am planning a large enclosure set up to hopefully take in two juvenile terribilis dart frogs in the future once the tank has cycled for about a month so I know everything is good to go.

My ultimate goal is a (nearly) maintenance-free bioactive vivarium, one where I will not need to worry too much about draining excess water or excessive mold. 

How often do you guys need to drain water from your false bottom? How much mold is TOO much mold (with springtails present)? 

Set up attempts (failed IMO): 

I have tried 20ppi filter foam, separated with reptile mesh, with leaf litter on top as a false bottom with a water pump to drain (the issue is the foam stays too wet and won't dry out causing things to smell and it's difficult to drain. I tried modifying this method by adding different varieties of moss (not sphag moss but green growing live moss) with leaf litter on top and this seems to work ok but then I read that moss keeps the ground too wet and I worry about my frogs getting bacterial infections. 

I tried leca false bottoms, separated with reptile mesh, and then ABG substrate and leaf litter on top. I personally HATE leca when it gets waterlogged and I find it holds on to stinky smells. Draining is easier, but tanks is very heavy. But this seems to be the most popular method. 

I am curious to know (in great detail) what false bottom setup others have used that have been successful as a long-term bioactive setup and to know what kind of maintenance to expect.

future considerations:

I currently don't have a misting system but am considering investing in one instead of manually misting the tanks daily. I used moss and covered the moss in leaf litter to help maintain humidity, but of course, I learned the hard way that moss (like frog moss) isn't a great addition to the tank as it can rot easily if too moist and hurt frogs long-term.

What temperature and humidity gauges do you recommend to check tank conditions?

Where do you buy your plants from or how do you "treat" plants that you are unsure have been treated with chemicals for pest control?

Thanks in advance

I'll keep it short.  I lived in Panama in the 1990s and to this day remember the poison dart frog (we called poison arrow frogs back then) I saw in the wild.  It was likely a dendrobates tinctorius Azureus or more likely a dendrobates auratus as I cannot find another frog with the same striking colorization. It wasn't until recent years that I considered keeping a poison dart frog because I thought it was either unlawful or unsafe.  I have been researching the subject now for about four years and think it time I reach out to other folk in my area that may have had success.

I converted a 36 gallon bowfront to a vivarium.  It's been running for a month now.  The trouble I am having is keeping the temperature below 80 constantly.  My home AC is working overtime as the outside temps are about 114 at times.  I am looking at installing a thermoelectric cooler to supplement the cooling to keep it at around 75 degrees.

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Hello! So I have had my oaypock dart frog for about 14 months now. He has been an absolute blast and I have considered getting a second oaypock frog to add to the viv. I will attach photos of my viv. I guess my question is, is adding another frog a good idea? is my space/hiding ratio adequate enough for a second? And lastly how would I go about introducing the frogs?

My other question is since I am considering adding another frog, I would like to know if the sex of my current oaypock could be determined by somebody with a more keen eye than myself.. I will attach what photos I have. He is shy. Also I tried getting him to call by playing YouTube videos of another tinc call, but this led to my frog immediately seeking his hiding spot and not responding with a call. If that info helps any.. 
I appreciate any help I can get! Thanks to all

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Hello!

Three weeks ago I got my first dart frog (yay!). It's eating fine and exploring the vivarium regularly, but I recently noticed a mucus-y looking spot on its back (pictures attached). Is this normal for these frogs or something I should be concerned about?

For reference, the frog is in an 18×11×22 terrarium. It's bioactive with some live plants. It has a misting system that runs every 6 hours for 12 seconds. Temperature sits around 72 degrees with humidity in the low 80s. I've been feeding fruit flies. The frog doesn't seem to be acting uncomfortable and doesn't hide away during the day.

Thank you for any help/advice!!

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Fairly new 
Found this forum 
Came over for Dendroboard

Greetings, 

I have a pair of oophaga about 3 years old. Calling male, and presuming a female. I have not had a chance breeding this pair. Looking for someone else to give it a try. Looking for $150 for both, plus shipping. 

Sellers Name and location - Steve Iwan, Pittsburg CA
Species - Oophaga El Dorado
Age - About 3 years
Quantity and sex (if possible) - 1.1.0
Price - $150
Preferred Payment Method - PayPal, AppleCash
Shipping Rates & information - TBD
Pictures - upon request, email Steve.iwan@gmail.com