Thumbnails as first dart-frogs

[GeoNewt]

Hi all,
I've been looking to keep dart-frogs from some time now, and have done a lot of research, but I only have a limited amount of space. The frogs which particularly appeal to me are Ranitomeya, but I've had lots of conflicting advice as to whether they are any good for beginners. Of the Ranitomeya the species that I have been told I could try are R. amazonica, lamasi and ventrimaculatus. Does anyone disagree with this, or are there any other thumbnails that could be considered? Also, I'm particularly interested in breeding the frogs, and have been told that the ventrimaculatus and amazonica are relatively easy species to breed - again, is this correct, or would I be much better off looking at something like E. anthonyi, which is very easy to breed and care for but not (in my opinion) as pretty? Also, which other frogs that are not in the Dendrobates family would you recommend?

 

[Mark]

The only dart frogs I've kept were thumbnails so I think it is possible to start with them as a beginner frog. Basically their care is all the same although some breed more readily in captivity and some are hardier. I would strongly recommend you start by learning all there is to know about culturing tiny foods, especially fruit flies. Either find yourself a reliable supplier of fly medium or get a decent recipe. I bought my own for ease. Tiny tropical frogs have very high metabolisms so a constant food supply is essential. Flies, spring tails and tropical woodlice are the staple so master these before purchasing frogs.

Dendroworld is a friendly UK based dart frog forum. There's always lots of private sales, tips and advice.

 

[GeoNewt]

Thanks for the advice. I have already joined Dendroworld, I'm just waiting for my account to be activated. Which thumbnails would you recommend?

 

[Mark]

I only have experience of R.imitator (see my avatar) and can recommend them, although they are rather shy. There may be a bolder Ranitomeya species. I kept them in 40cm ENT cubes and had 3-4 per tank. They're territorial so a single pair is often the best option to avoid stress and conflict.

 

[GeoNewt]

Thanks again.
I already had a 30x30x30 ENT vivarium, so this afternoon I had a go at setting it up for thumbnails. I'm planning on obtaining the frogs in a month's time, so there should be time for the food to breed and the plants to grow. Would you recommend any alterations to the tank? Also, what temperatures did you keep them at?

 

[Mark]

I would add more plants. My imitators were very arboreal and spent most of their time off the floor hidden amongst the leaves. Pothos is a great climbing plant which'll give you instant structure and levels. Lots of small bromeliads will provide small pools of water for breeding and hiding.

For general care information (housing, lighting, temperature, humidity etc...) our very own Alan Cann has a great care overview here:
Keeping Dartfrogs - a knol by AJ Cann

 

[joshfrogz72]

the anthonyi get cherry red with yellow lines , they get more red with age and are bueatiful when they get older try looking up pics when there older you will be amazed