[alilock34]

I really appreciate your time reading and responding to me. I had my own small group of thumbnails that I was completely comfortable with but suddenly have taken on a very large group, totaling 41 frogs..35 being darts, due to a nasty, nasty divorce. I have been thrown into this rather quickly and have done tons of research but I still have questions so your help is greatly appreciated!!!
I’m asking for several bits of information from all of you knowledgeable, wonderful froggers I’ve poured over all the posts on here and done tons of research in Facebook groups (I’ve discovered who the real experienced pros are and anywhere else I can find trustworthy info..but I decided it wouldn’t hurt to put out my own information and specific questions to see if I could get a little more help for my frogs.

I posted on a couple Facebook groups recently and got bashed for having such a big group of frogs and asking such basic questions. I was called irresponsible and more… I deleted my posts and tucked my tail, rather embarrassed, not feeling the need to get into my personal business with people like that.
But it’s not about me or anyone else, it’s about the frogs well being. Those people didn’t know anything about my situation and it’s a shame I was shut down because I guarantee others probably could’ve learned from my questions being answered too.
Anyway, thanks in advance for your help, patience, and understanding… it is appreciated more than you would imagine 💗


1. How many melanogaster & hydei cultures to make per week based on my collection? Could y’all look at my group of frogs and tell me how many melanogaster cultures you would use per week and how many hydei cultures per week….based on my different frogs and their ages. I’d like to see if it is what I’m currently doing. Any guidance on how to do it so I have enough to feed and culture and be ok if some crash would be amazing!!

2. Culturing my own FFs for my group:
I’ve been buying cultures and I know I really need to start culturing my own. My wallet told me so, that’s for sure!!!!
Also, hurricane season scares me so I’d rather be self sufficient in case of a natural disaster situation.
My Frogs
I have…. 35 dart frogs in 12 Vivariums
~11 thumbnails ( 9 Southerns {4 in one tank / 5 in one tank} & 2 Nickys)
~8 froglets: (-3 Patricias-3 Blue foot leucs & 2 Isabels)
~16 adults ( 4 Isabels, 4 bronze & green Auratus, 4 sub adult Standard Leucs, 4 bassleri Chromes)
(Occasionally, like once a week, I will give my 3 Milk frog babies and 3 White babies some Hydei in addition to their crickets and dubia- probably 50 in each tank so 100 total)

3. I’m still trying to decide if this group is too large for me. I’m enjoying them, my 4 year old adores them but there are also reasons why I might need to downsize.
If I was to downsize, how could I sell frogs that I can’t easily catch or even find?

Other little questions
~ Some of the cultures I’ve ordered have been very wet/ liquidy so that when I’m tapping the flies out, liquid will spill into my fly cup or I’ll catch it before it spills but it has still caught up many flies and messed up a lot of a great culture. Is there something I can do to get the flies out if this happen or get rid of the liquid?

~ My Nickys are a proven breeding pair I got from Shawn Harrington on 2/12 and I have only seen one.. (pretty sure the female) since that first week I put them in their new tank. I built it to suit them.. it is escape proof. At least in my opinion. I always put enough flies in there to feed at least 2 frogs and they are always gone fairly quickly.. however.. I never see him and very, very rarely see her.
I was convinced he escaped but then I just really don’t think he did.
Do Pumilios, in this case, Nickys go this long without being seen? Should I hear him calling?

~ Is there anyone with lots of knowledge/experience who is willing to be a mentor or just someone I could go straight to with questions and seeking advice?

 

[fishingguy12345]

I'd make 4-5 melanogaster cultures per week for a collection that size. (That's how many I make for my 30 frogs, of a similar size makeup as yours).

Sorry that I'm not answering the rest of the questions, it's a busy Mother's Day morning around here.

 

[alilock34]

I'd make 4-5 melanogaster cultures per week for a collection that size. (That's how many I make for my 30 frogs, of a similar size makeup as yours).

Sorry that I'm not answering the rest of the questions, it's a busy Mother's Day morning around here.

I truly appreciate you taking time to read it and your response is super helpfu!! Thank you so much!!!

 

[dablock]

Hi, I'm David Block. I've been involved in dart frog husbandry since 2005. I'd be happy to help you out with your questions. Since typing answers takes a while, I'd be easier to talk to you. Message me and I'll give you my phone number. I'll have recommendations for most of your questions.

 

[Clorein]

I really appreciate your time reading and responding to me. I had my own small group of thumbnails that I was completely comfortable with but suddenly have taken on a very large group, totaling 41 frogs..35 being darts, due to a nasty, nasty divorce. I have been thrown into this rather quickly and have done tons of research but I still have questions so your help is greatly appreciated!!!
I’m asking for several bits of information from all of you knowledgeable, wonderful froggers I’ve poured over all the posts on here and done tons of research in Facebook groups (I’ve discovered who the real experienced pros are and anywhere else I can find trustworthy info..but I decided it wouldn’t hurt to put out my own information and specific questions to see if I could get a little more help for my frogs.

I posted on a couple Facebook groups recently and got bashed for having such a big group of frogs and asking such basic questions. I was called irresponsible and more… I deleted my posts and tucked my tail, rather embarrassed, not feeling the need to get into my personal business with people like that.
But it’s not about me or anyone else, it’s about the frogs well being. Those people didn’t know anything about my situation and it’s a shame I was shut down because I guarantee others probably could’ve learned from my questions being answered too.
Anyway, thanks in advance for your help, patience, and understanding… it is appreciated more than you would imagine 💗


1. How many melanogaster & hydei cultures to make per week based on my collection? Could y’all look at my group of frogs and tell me how many melanogaster cultures you would use per week and how many hydei cultures per week….based on my different frogs and their ages. I’d like to see if it is what I’m currently doing. Any guidance on how to do it so I have enough to feed and culture and be ok if some crash would be amazing!!

2. Culturing my own FFs for my group:
I’ve been buying cultures and I know I really need to start culturing my own. My wallet told me so, that’s for sure!!!!
Also, hurricane season scares me so I’d rather be self sufficient in case of a natural disaster situation.
My Frogs
I have…. 35 dart frogs in 12 Vivariums
~11 thumbnails ( 9 Southerns {4 in one tank / 5 in one tank} & 2 Nickys)
~8 froglets: (-3 Patricias-3 Blue foot leucs & 2 Isabels)
~16 adults ( 4 Isabels, 4 bronze & green Auratus, 4 sub adult Standard Leucs, 4 bassleri Chromes)
(Occasionally, like once a week, I will give my 3 Milk frog babies and 3 White babies some Hydei in addition to their crickets and dubia- probably 50 in each tank so 100 total)

3. I’m still trying to decide if this group is too large for me. I’m enjoying them, my 4 year old adores them but there are also reasons why I might need to downsize.
If I was to downsize, how could I sell frogs that I can’t easily catch or even find?

Other little questions
~ Some of the cultures I’ve ordered have been very wet/ liquidy so that when I’m tapping the flies out, liquid will spill into my fly cup or I’ll catch it before it spills but it has still caught up many flies and messed up a lot of a great culture. Is there something I can do to get the flies out if this happen or get rid of the liquid?

~ My Nickys are a proven breeding pair I got from Shawn Harrington on 2/12 and I have only seen one.. (pretty sure the female) since that first week I put them in their new tank. I built it to suit them.. it is escape proof. At least in my opinion. I always put enough flies in there to feed at least 2 frogs and they are always gone fairly quickly.. however.. I never see him and very, very rarely see her.
I was convinced he escaped but then I just really don’t think he did.
Do Pumilios, in this case, Nickys go this long without being seen? Should I hear him calling?

~ Is there anyone with lots of knowledge/experience who is willing to be a mentor or just someone I could go straight to with questions and seeking advice?

Not per week buy maybe like twice a month so I would say 4 mongolester and 4 hydei but they take longer to start producing flys and what are all their set ups I would also suggest downsizing if you don’t know much you could go on fb and post them or ig

 

[Philsuma]

make fly cultures every week - pick a day and stick to it. My day is Sunday.

The life cycle of the fruit fly is best maintained on a weekly basis or there will be large gaps in production.

 

[fishingguy12345]

My day is Sunday.

For whatever reason I'm a Monday guy, so it's fruit fly culture making day today!

 

[Louis]

Seems almost inconceivable that your ex would have a dart frog collection that size and not at least browse dendroboard. Imagine how much he's going to seethe if he ever sees this lol.

 

[Encyclia]

For whatever reason I'm a Monday guy, so it's fruit fly culture making day today!

Sundays are the correct day for making flies, FG. Get with the program!

 

[Encyclia]

1. How many melanogaster & hydei cultures to make per week based on my collection? Could y’all look at my group of frogs and tell me how many melanogaster cultures you would use per week and how many hydei cultures per week….based on my different frogs and their ages. I’d like to see if it is what I’m currently doing. Any guidance on how to do it so I have enough to feed and culture and be ok if some crash would be amazing!!

2. Culturing my own FFs for my group:
I’ve been buying cultures and I know I really need to start culturing my own. My wallet told me so, that’s for sure!!!!
Also, hurricane season scares me so I’d rather be self sufficient in case of a natural disaster situation.
My Frogs
I have…. 35 dart frogs in 12 Vivariums
~11 thumbnails ( 9 Southerns {4 in one tank / 5 in one tank} & 2 Nickys)
~8 froglets: (-3 Patricias-3 Blue foot leucs & 2 Isabels)
~16 adults ( 4 Isabels, 4 bronze & green Auratus, 4 sub adult Standard Leucs, 4 bassleri Chromes)
(Occasionally, like once a week, I will give my 3 Milk frog babies and 3 White babies some Hydei in addition to their crickets and dubia- probably 50 in each tank so 100 total)

3. I’m still trying to decide if this group is too large for me. I’m enjoying them, my 4 year old adores them but there are also reasons why I might need to downsize.
If I was to downsize, how could I sell frogs that I can’t easily catch or even find?

Other little questions
~ Some of the cultures I’ve ordered have been very wet/ liquidy so that when I’m tapping the flies out, liquid will spill into my fly cup or I’ll catch it before it spills but it has still caught up many flies and messed up a lot of a great culture. Is there something I can do to get the flies out if this happen or get rid of the liquid?

~ My Nickys are a proven breeding pair I got from Shawn Harrington on 2/12 and I have only seen one.. (pretty sure the female) since that first week I put them in their new tank. I built it to suit them.. it is escape proof. At least in my opinion. I always put enough flies in there to feed at least 2 frogs and they are always gone fairly quickly.. however.. I never see him and very, very rarely see her.
I was convinced he escaped but then I just really don’t think he did.
Do Pumilios, in this case, Nickys go this long without being seen? Should I hear him calling?

~ Is there anyone with lots of knowledge/experience who is willing to be a mentor or just someone I could go straight to with questions and seeking advice?

1. I like FG's suggestion of 4-5 a week. 5 because I think 3 melos 2 hydei will be a good baseline amount. This will probably give you too many flies, but better too many than not enough. You will probably still end up feeding the big fellas melo sometimes because of the more spiky nature of hydei cultures. You can always adjust if you just find yourself drowning in flies.

I have had great luck with Repashy Superfly, though it is a bit more expensive than some media. It is especially useful for hydei. I have found melos to be a lot easier to culture than hydei, so finding a good hydei medium was more difficult than finding a good melo medium. Superfly is the bee's knees.

2. I kind of addressed it above, but I am thinking you can feed your leucs (both flavors), auratus, and chromies the hydei when they are available. Melos will smooth things out when you are between hydei booms.

3. It's always a tough decision to downsize, but it's good to address it ahead of time. I can say that breeding makes a big difference in the effort level of keeping the collection. I don't mind feeding and misting as much, but there are times that I just don't want to mess with tadpoles and the stress of having to make sure that froglets are growing properly. If you fell yourself stretched thin, think about backing off on breeding. If it comes down to having to downsize, just make sure you have time before you are trying to sell. If you can pull the frogs you can see, then come back later and pull some more, it will work out. If you have some short deadline you are trying to meet, though, the likelihood of missing some frogs becomes greater. Just take your time.

4. Liquidy cultures are not uncommon. Sometimes folks like to start them out soupy so that they don't have to worry about adding water during the life of the culture. This is part of the dialing-in process when you learn how to make your cultures. I see more people advise a mashed potato consistency and that is what I do with my cultures (made from Superfly). Ventilation is also part of the equation, as is the humidity where you keep the cultures. These all work together. Start with the directions on the Superfly jug and adjust as needed I agree with you that the liquid is annoying, but it does dry out a bit over time. When you make your own cultures, you won't have this problem necessarily. Try turning the culture as you tap to see if you can spread the liquid out.

5. The Nicky is probably fine, but there are some possibilities to check for. Is there any way to get back behind the background or down into the substrate somehow? I have had both of these things happen. It's not the end of the world, but it makes it extremely difficult to get them out when and if the time comes. Having said that, there are tanks in my collection where I almost never see the frogs. It varies by species/morph, but some frogs just don't like being seen. Do you hear any calling from the tank? Even if you don't I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just keep an eye out. Check in the hour before the lights come on and the hour after the lights go off.

If you have further questions, feel free to drop me a message. I am happy to help out.

Best of luck,

Mark

 

[thedudeabides]

There has never been a more shinning example of the Dunning-Kruger effect than in FaceBook dart frog groups.

Looks like you're pretty well covered on your questions, good luck!

 

[jeffkruse]

I'm not sure but I didn't see anyone mention supplements. Don't forget to dust your flies with Repashy Calcium Plus every feeding. Vitamin A Plus 2Xmonth if you are breeding.

 

[calhoun3186]

Sundays are the correct day for making flies, FG. Get with the program!

Correct, Sundays are fly making days