[SmackoftheGods]

I was going to mention truncatus as well.... Possibly flavovittatus? Uakarii?

Three things i'll mention. First has been mentioned already. In order to maintain a species you have to reproduce them. You have to be prepared for the possibility that no one will want your frogs. That means having a huge space dedicated to tanks to keep your offspring in.

Second, in order to maintain a species you can't just work with a single pair or a single bloodline. You need to gather as many bloodlines as possible in an attempt to maintain genetic diversity.

Third, keep in mind that the hobby goes in cycles. Chances are when you get outside of the great beginner frogs like leucs, azureus, and some varieties of auratus, it doesn't matter which frog you're working with, it will have its day of unpopularity. This seems to be the way that some frogs are lost. Something gets overbred, becomes unpopular and people stop taking care of/breeding/distributing the frog. Then when the frog becomes popular/rare again no one can find it. So it's not necessary to find frogs you're not interested in right NOW. But if you get a species, hang on to it and continue to breed it. Chances are it's time will come. This is also another reason to gather as many lines as possible as you can if you're thinking about a maintenance project. If you're only working with one line, then a few years down the road if you're the only one pumping out that frog there may not be much genetic diversity.

 

[SmackoftheGods]

If there are other people who are dedicated to a species, then you don't have to gather up as many of the bloodlines as possible, but you should hold back some offspring to make sure that in case something happens to your frogs, you have some backup.

Actually it is more than just breeding the frogs.. you have to actually look to maximize the genetic diversity of the frogs that are breeding. The most common practice in the hobby is to get a group from a single breeder and then make one or more pairs from what are usually siblings or closely related cousins. This causes a loss of genetic diversity over time and puts the populations at risk not only from the popularity cycles but inbreeding depression.

Some comments

Ed

Thanks, Ed. I wanted to be more specific, but I was on my phone and typing too much with the thumbs hurts....

 

[SmackoftheGods]

i wouldnt consider them ugly, but others do. its really all opinion. they are pretty common still, but since they only go for $25 each it would be easy for them to slip away quickly from little interest.

Are they $25 because they're common, or are they $25 because of a lack of interest? Personally, I don't know anyone who has them....

 

[SmackoftheGods]

Please don't flame me, I don't mix now and I supplement with every feeding

IME, people get flamed when they mixed stupidly and are obstinate toward those who have more experience. Those who are willing to remedy the issue don't take heat.... We've all made stupid mistakes. If we're taking steps to fix them, then what's the point in making someone feel bad about something that can't be changed?