[cassiemarvin]

Hi all,
I thought I'd introduce myself and ask a couple of questions. I've been reading these boards for several days so far in my hopes to get a few pdfs (no earlier than this coming spring). My name is Beth, I live in the Midwest and have three kids, three dogs, two crested geckos, and fish. Growing up we had every critter imaginable and I've learned to always do my research long before getting any new pet. I've always loved frogs, and when I scored a nice exo-terra on craigslist, I moved my crested out of our 35 gal hex tank in the hopes of putting an animal in there that is more display versus needing handling.
Ideally, we'd like to take some time planning a really nice planted viv, with running water, maybe a pond. This tank has been planted already so that part I feel confident with (although choosing appropriate plants I'll have to research more when we get there).
Do you think a 35 gal hex will be a good size for two or maybe three pdfs? With my ideas up above? I've decided to get one of the two "novice" species...aureus and leucs? I'll have to look again. Thanks all, and I hope to learn a ton of great information from you all.

 

[McBobs]

Hi Cassie. It's good to see you made your way here. You'll find all the information you could ever need on this website and you've got some great beginner darts picked out.

My only advice is that you pick one species per vivarium and stick to not mixing species. There's a lot of reasons why mixing isn't such a great idea for beginners, but I'm sure you'll learn all of them on dendroboard as you spend some time here.

Whatever you do, be sure to keep us updated on how your vivarium is coming along. You'll receive lots of great advice as well as constructive (and non constructive) criticism.

Good luck with everything!
-Matt

 

[cassiemarvin]

Hi Cassie. It's good to see you made your way here. You'll find all the information you could ever need on this website and you've got some great beginner darts picked out.

My only advice is that you pick one species per vivarium and stick to not mixing species. There's a lot of reasons why mixing isn't such a great idea for beginners, but I'm sure you'll learn all of them on dendroboard as you spend some time here.

Whatever you do, be sure to keep us updated on how your vivarium is coming along. You'll receive lots of great advice as well as constructive (and non constructive) criticism.

Good luck with everything!
-Matt

Thanks! I have no plans to mix species yet, I'm just undecided on which ones I like better.

 

[Zoomie]

Welcome Beth !

First, the 35 hex would make an excellent tank for many novice frogs. You likely have a footprint of approximately 23 1/4 x 20 3/16 x 24 3/4. While some will suggest that the footprint is potentially better suited for an arboreal species, I keep a pair of Leucs in an exo which is 18x18x24.

I would humbly advice against attempting a water feature, especially a pond as it will eat up considerable floor space. A typical horizontal tank with more floor space may be a better candidate if you have your heart set on water features.

You can create a background on a few of the tank panels, or, use a center piece. Some of the center piece hex tanks desined by a number of members here are absolutely incredible.

As for novice frogs, Leucs are awesome. Even the most hardcore rare PDF keepers here smile when they see Leucs. They are typically bold, have great personality by frog standards, and are just plain fun frogs to have in your life. They are very forgiving and can be bred quite easily by ensuring they have a quality diet, a well planted tank, misted regulalrly, and kept within reasonable temps.

I am unsure if you meant Auratus or Azureus. I have 5 Auratus in green and bronze. I refer to them as my froggy biker gang. They pretty much run around the tank eating anything vaguely resembling a bug.

I have never kept Azureus but many people here do and seem to really enjoy them. Generally known as not quite as bold as Leucs, keepers here have reported that a well planted tank with lots of leaf litter makes them feel comfortable enough to be out and about regularly.

As for number of frogs, a pair would be fine for the tank. I supect that three could be done in a well designed tank, however, will defer to the vets here for sound advice.

You may want to consider running away as quickly as possible. PDF's are horribly addictive and just keeping a single species is virtually impossible. Since mixing species is frowned upon for a number of reasons, every new species means a new tank.

Are they worth it ? Yes indeed !

 

[deboardfam]

Awesome size tank.. I would love to have a hex. Yeah dont mix.
That tank would be amazing for some thumbnails. Not really recommended for newer users though. You will get addicted.

 

[fieldnstream]

Hi all,
I've decided to get one of the two "novice" species...aureus and leucs?

Hey everyone, ease up on the no mixing...she specifically said one of the mentioned species, don't want to scare away a new frogger!
Welcome Beth, you can find pretty much anything you care to know about darts here...searching is a great way to find an answer if you have questions. I have kept D. leucomelas and 7 D. auratus morphs and can tell you that either would be a great first choice. If you are looking for something incredibly bold and full of personality do some research on D. leucomelas. Don't get me wrong, D. auratus are fun frogs, but D. leucomelas are all-around amazing. Just a word of caution, if you do start with D. leucomelas you will be spoiled from the beginning and any new frogs will have a hard time competing (ok maybe I'm a little biased, but you really can't go wrong with leucs as your first species/morph). Good luck and welcome,
-Field

 

[tclipse]

Welcome Beth !

First, the 35 hex would make an excellent tank for many novice frogs. You likely have a footprint of approximately 23 1/4 x 20 3/16 x 24 3/4. While some will suggest that the footprint is potentially better suited for an arboreal species, I keep a pair of Leucs in an exo which is 18x18x24.

I would humbly advice against attempting a water feature, especially a pond as it will eat up considerable floor space. A typical horizontal tank with more floor space may be a better candidate if you have your heart set on water features.

You can create a background on a few of the tank panels, or, use a center piece. Some of the center piece hex tanks desined by a number of members here are absolutely incredible.

As for novice frogs, Leucs are awesome. Even the most hardcore rare PDF keepers here smile when they see Leucs. They are typically bold, have great personality by frog standards, and are just plain fun frogs to have in your life. They are very forgiving and can be bred quite easily by ensuring they have a quality diet, a well planted tank, misted regulalrly, and kept within reasonable temps.

I am unsure if you meant Auratus or Azureus. I have 5 Auratus in green and bronze. I refer to them as my froggy biker gang. They pretty much run around the tank eating anything vaguely resembling a bug.

I have never kept Azureus but many people here do and seem to really enjoy them. Generally known as not quite as bold as Leucs, keepers here have reported that a well planted tank with lots of leaf litter makes them feel comfortable enough to be out and about regularly.

As for number of frogs, a pair would be fine for the tank. I supect that three could be done in a well designed tank, however, will defer to the vets here for sound advice.

You may want to consider running away as quickly as possible. PDF's are horribly addictive and just keeping a single species is virtually impossible. Since mixing species is frowned upon for a number of reasons, every new species means a new tank.

Are they worth it ? Yes indeed !

Solid advice, except I (and I'm sure many others) would argue that azureus and other tincs are generally as bold as leucs. Most of the tinc adults I have owned are/were willing to take flies from my hand... I don't think it gets much bolder than that. You may be thinking of auratus.

 

[Zoomie]

Solid advice, except I (and I'm sure many others) would argue that azureus and other tincs are generally as bold as leucs. Most of the tinc adults I have owned are/were willing to take flies from my hand... I don't think it gets much bolder than that. You may be thinking of auratus.

My Auratus are pretty bold so I mixed up their respective personalities. Thank you for the correction.

 

[Feelin Froggy]

Welcome Beth!!

Its always great to hear from new members!!

As the folks above had mentioned pick the frogs you like the most then build the viv to suit their needs. Those species are very hearty but its always best to build your tank with the target species needs in mind.

I'll have to second the notion that building a water feature isnt necessary. They make look cool but I'm sure your frogs would appreciate the extra floor space, and they can be a serious pain to get right and work on if something goes wrong. You'll end up tearing your tank apart several times

This may give you some ideas. Driftwood center spires look awesome to me!!

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me.../71512-my-new-30g-hex-vivarium-pic-heavy.html
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/59825-retic-hex-freshly-planted.html

Best of luck with the build!!