Getting into dart frogs

Hello all. After almost 6 years of waiting, oooohhh awww-ing I decided to slowly get into dart frogs. I've done a lot of research but I'm having a tough time finding recent care sheets.
I'm starting with Dendrobates auratus (green and black) and maybe one other species.
Is there anything more I should then what the old care sheets I've read says?

I'm starting small and working my way up. Small as in only 1 or 2 frogs.

Thank you.

I don't know what care sheets you have available to you, but Saurian Enterprises has some really good ones that you may want to check out. Black Jungle has some information in their Learning Center about Darts, Vivs, etc. as well as some youtube videos if you search for them. Josh's Frogs has some really great videos as well as how-to guides.

After reading/watching all of this you'll have a TON of info!

Christine -

Reading a reasearching is a good thing.

Get the tank set up and planted before hand and give it a few weeks to cycle before you get the frogs. make sure you seed the tank with springtails. This will give them chance to get established before you put the frogs in.

Also make sure you have the concept of culturing fruit flies down as well.

Make sure you buy CB and make sure they are from a reputable breeder.

If you get the tank set up and the culturing down you should have no problems.

Pm or email me with any questions or post here. I have kept darts for a few years and I am more than willing to help out in any way that I can.

Thank you for the replies. I'm still in the reading /studying phases of this and am currently looking at enclosures, which will be Zoo Med or Exo Terra. I'm buying it at PetSmart since that seems to be the cheapest plus I have a $5 off coupon.
Looked on here and all over eBay for caging but so far something hasn't come up at the size, style and price I need.

What I've read so far is to get really small aquarium rock and put that at the bottom, then soil, then moss /leaf litter and then add plants etc. I haven't seen where heaters are required if the room temp is around 75-82o during the day but UVB /UVA lighting is of course required. 75-100% humidity.

I've found a few breeders on here for frogs whom I'm interested in but will definitely be accepting word of mouth referrals. But yes the frogs will come much later.

I also have found fruit fly suppliers online but I'm also looking locally to see if a reptile shop here may actually have them. By what I've ready the cultures are easy but I still want to make sure I know (for the most part) what I'm doing before little amphibian lives are in my hands. When a life is at stake it's never good to have butter fingers.

I hope to have the cage this week or next then will move on to phase two. I'm sure y'all will be hearing more from me.

Instead of using the small aquarium rock which will make the tank really heavy try using either hydroton or Lava rock. Make sure you rinse them realy well regardless of what you use.

The one reason I do not like the zoo meds or the exoterras is the screen lids. You cannot have a screen lid with darts frogs so it wil have to be modified. and neither is very fruit fly prood so plan on so me FF escapees.

Try to avoid letting them get as high as 82ish as that is a little high for dart frogs in my opinion, so no heaters are needed. Also UVA And UVB lights are not needed either.

When you say you are starting with auratus and another species, do you mean in the same tank?

Each species would have it's own terrarium.

So what cage is recommended??? I was going to seal off the top with a piece of cut glass that's glued (safely) so that it seals it. But I'm still open to other cages.

Keep them blow 80 for warm then?

Originally Posted by TailsWithScales

Each species would have it's own terrarium.

So what cage is recommended??? I was going to seal off the top with a piece of cut glass that's glued (safely) so that it seals it. But I'm still open to other cages.

Keep them blow 80 for warm then?

I use fish aquariums for 99% of mine, with glass tops. The exos are nice to look at but the backgrounds are a pain, the frogs can get behind them, the doors and vents are not really fruit fly proof. The glass top you are taking about putting on should work fine just the doors that caused me issues.

Yes try to keep them below 80.

Excellent. Thank you so much Kristy. I will start looking at a tall fish aquarium then instead of the Exo Terra etc.

I was thinking of getting just a regular PVC or so type cage or should I just stick with a fish tank?

Edit: I've also just learned a whole lot from reading this months Reptiles Magazine which features a large article on dart frogs. At least with the aquarium it will probably be a whole lot less expensive.

yes using just a regular old fish tank in any size or shape that you can find normally is a little less expensive and they work wonderfully.

I will help you out as much as I can. So ask away :-)

Okay, do you mind if I crash this party? I was unsure where to post this. I'm also interested in df's and I was also looking at the Exo Terra tanks. They have some that are all inclusive habitats with light, vines, this and that. So the consensus is an aquarium? So if the lid is to be glass and not screen, what about air flow and oxygen? It seems with no air flow things would get a bit stale.

Thanks.
Barry