[Justyn20003]

So I've been reading up a lot on the beginner articles here but still have a few questions.

1. Noone really says how often or what to feed. I understand there are variables such as age, humidity, season, and so on, but are there any good "Guidelines"?

2. What is everyones opinion on Exo-Terra tanks? I think they'd be nice because of the front opening on the tanks, but then again I'm a total Noob at this whole thing, so it's better to ask the knowledgeable then to make mistakes and waste money and possibly not give frogs the best possible living conditions.

3. What would be a good beginner species that is a social species? I think personally it'd be way more interesting to have a group of 4-6 opposed to 2.

4. Does anyone know of a reputable breeder in SE Wisconsin, northern IL.?
I'd really like to talk to a few breeders close by, maybe see some of their vivariums. I really want to be the more prepared I can be before I purchase any frogs. I really don't wanna have a unprepared "Test batch" of frogs.

Thanks ahead of time. I'm just trying to do research before I purchase any frogs.
I fully intend to do quiet possibly 100+ more hours of research, I want to provide the best living conditions I can.

 

[Micro]

So I've been reading up a lot on the beginner articles here but still have a few questions.

1. Noone really says how often or what to feed. I understand there are variables such as age, humidity, season, and so on, but are there any good "Guidelines"?

2. What is everyones opinion on Exo-Terra tanks? I think they'd be nice because of the front opening on the tanks, but then again I'm a total Noob at this whole thing, so it's better to ask the knowledgeable then to make mistakes and waste money and possibly not give frogs the best possible living conditions.

3. What would be a good beginner species that is a social species? I think personally it'd be way more interesting to have a group of 4-6 opposed to 2.

4. Does anyone know of a reputable breeder in SE Wisconsin, northern IL.?
I'd really like to talk to a few breeders close by, maybe see some of their vivariums. I really want to be the more prepared I can be before I purchase any frogs. I really don't wanna have a unprepared "Test batch" of frogs.

Thanks ahead of time. I'm just trying to do research before I purchase any frogs.
I fully intend to do quiet possibly 100+ more hours of research, I want to provide the best living conditions I can.

1. Your going to want to seed your tank with springtails and maybe even isopods. These allow for tank cleanup and a snack for your frogs if they want more than was fed. You will mainly be feeding fruit flies to your frogs though. As for as how much to feed them takes a little bit of patience and attention to each of your frogs and how much they eat and what is left over from the last feeding day to day( i.e. if there are alot of flied left the next day you probably fed to much, if they eat all of the flies quickly then try feeding a little more until you find a good balance)

2.The benefit of Exo-Terra tank is exactly what you said, they are front opening and easy to access but any tank that is clean and solid with a good glass top will be fine as long as you can keep proper humidity and temp.

3. It is thought to be that D. Tinctorius, D. Auratus, D. Leucomelas are good beginner species. D. Tinctorius are large and usually very bold frogs but are best kept in pairs not groups. D. Auratus are also large and can be kept in groups but tend to be more shy than other Dendrobates. D. Leucomelas are bold frogs and can be kept in large groups. So any of these are a good start.


Many of these questions have entire threads dedicated to them so i would get to doing more research and narrow down what species you would like to keep and then go from there.

Good luck,
Micro

 

[jbherpin]

So I've been reading up a lot on the beginner articles here but still have a few questions.

1. Noone really says how often or what to feed. I understand there are variables such as age, humidity, season, and so on, but are there any good "Guidelines"?

2. What is everyones opinion on Exo-Terra tanks? I think they'd be nice because of the front opening on the tanks, but then again I'm a total Noob at this whole thing, so it's better to ask the knowledgeable then to make mistakes and waste money and possibly not give frogs the best possible living conditions.

3. What would be a good beginner species that is a social species? I think personally it'd be way more interesting to have a group of 4-6 opposed to 2.

4. Does anyone know of a reputable breeder in SE Wisconsin, northern IL.?
I'd really like to talk to a few breeders close by, maybe see some of their vivariums. I really want to be the more prepared I can be before I purchase any frogs. I really don't wanna have a unprepared "Test batch" of frogs.

Thanks ahead of time. I'm just trying to do research before I purchase any frogs.
I fully intend to do quiet possibly 100+ more hours of research, I want to provide the best living conditions I can.

1. The staple is generally Fruit Flies. You can offer D. melanogaster to most all Dart species, D. hydei are better suited for larger Darts, and "Turkish Gliders" are another alternative. Some say the frogs truly appreciate hunting down the "Gliders". Another food source is Bean Beetles. These are better for larger species, but perhaps Bean Beetle offspring would be suitable for smaller species. Springtails should be well seeded into the viv and be a constant food source for them. These are considered supplemental for adults, but VERY IMPORTANT for Froglets, and smaller species in general. Woodlice are seederes as well, but to my knowledge mostly only very young offspring are consumed by frogs. Termites are reputed as being a good feeder, but the risks generally outweigh the benefit IMHO.

2. I do not like exos. For me they didn't hold humidity well, have a tendency to leak from the bottom, and are not as good as aquarium style glass tanks.

3. I suggest P. vittatus. This frog is readily available, won't cost an arm and a leg, and is a very social species, provided proper viv size, and set-up. You will want to include many visual barriers, and perhaps several "feeding stations" to limit competition.

4. Can't help you with local breeders, but the sponsors here all ship very well, IMO.

Best of luck to you! I will help you gladly with anything you need if I am able!

JBear

 

[james67]

1. Noone really says how often or what to feed. I understand there are variables such as age, humidity, season, and so on, but are there any good "Guidelines"?

this is a topic that is actually discussed with regularity. and what becomes apparent is that overfeeding is a major problem in this hobby. it is totally feasible to feed your animals once a week, although more frequent feedings may be needed. one thing to look for is flies remaining in the tank. if there are still flies, you dont need to feed.

and to those who may be skeptical, i will say that i personally feed my collection about once a week and my frogs are of healthy weight. (of course froglets and juveniles are fed more frequently)

2. What is everyones opinion on Exo-Terra tanks? I think they'd be nice because of the front opening on the tanks, but then again I'm a total Noob at this whole thing, so it's better to ask the knowledgeable then to make mistakes and waste money and possibly not give frogs the best possible living conditions.

cant comment here. i have 35 or so tanks, all of which are either standard aquariums or standard aquariums which have been converted to front opening. front opening tanks are GREAT and i wish all my tanks were front opening, but if i were to go that roue it would definitely be custom built "euro" style tanks, and not exoterras or zoomeds.

3. What would be a good beginner species that is a social species? I think personally it'd be way more interesting to have a group of 4-6 opposed to 2.

leucomelas
phyllobates species

4. Does anyone know of a reputable breeder in SE Wisconsin, northern IL.?
I'd really like to talk to a few breeders close by, maybe see some of their vivariums. I really want to be the more prepared I can be before I purchase any frogs. I really don't wanna have a unprepared "Test batch" of frogs.

frogmanroth is a great guy and lives in wisconsin (i havent seen him on here in a while). you should have no trouble finding frogs if you post a wanted ad with wisconsin in the title.

1. The staple is generally Fruit Flies. You can offer D. melanogaster to most all Dart species, D. hydei are better suited for larger Darts, and "Turkish Gliders" are another alternative. Some say the frogs truly appreciate hunting down the "Gliders".

ok, so some things to think about here... D. melanogaster are available in many forms. all of which are genetic variants of wild type flies. the turkish gliders are simply a mutation that is commonly used because many of us believe they are superior to other types for our purposes. the biggest advantage, IMO, is that they produce FAR more heavily than wingless type flies, while retaining the inability to fly. they are also less prone to drowning in minute amounts of water. yes, they are faster and encourage "hunting" but that isnt a selling point. also, i havent seen any frogs (or froglets) that are incapable of catching them.

Another food source is Bean Beetles. These are better for larger species, but perhaps Bean Beetle offspring would be suitable for smaller species.

bean beetles are one size. when you culture them you'll find that one day there seem to be no beetles, and the next they emerge from the beans and are full size, there isnt a way (that i know of) to harvest them at any other size than adult.

Springtails should be well seeded into the viv and be a constant food source for them. These are considered supplemental for adults, but VERY IMPORTANT for Froglets, and smaller species in general.

this depends on the frog species. most can take melanogaster (or stunted melanogaster) immediately upon emerging from the water.

Termites are reputed as being a good feeder, but the risks generally outweigh the benefit IMHO.

while the possibility exists for escapees a properly designed culture should be pretty escapee proof. also feeding can be regulated to dishes where the termites are contained, while some species that eat aggressively may allow for the escape of termites from the feeding station, most should be fine.

james

 

[jbherpin]

this is a topic that is actually discussed with regularity. and what becomes apparent is that overfeeding is a major problem in this hobby. it is totally feasible to feed your animals once a week, although more frequent feedings may be needed. one thing to look for is flies remaining in the tank. if there are still flies, you dont need to feed.

and to those who may be skeptical, i will say that i personally feed my collection about once a week and my frogs are of healthy weight. (of course froglets and juveniles are fed more frequently)


cant comment here. i have 35 or so tanks, all of which are either standard aquariums or standard aquariums which have been converted to front opening. front opening tanks are GREAT and i wish all my tanks were front opening, but if i were to go that roue it would definitely be custom built "euro" style tanks, and not exoterras or zoomeds.


leucomelas
phyllobates species


frogmanroth is a great guy and lives in wisconsin (i havent seen him on here in a while). you should have no trouble finding frogs if you post a wanted ad with wisconsin in the title.



ok, so some things to think about here... D. melanogaster are available in many forms. all of which are genetic variants of wild type flies. the turkish gliders are simply a mutation that is commonly used because many of us believe they are superior to other types for our purposes. the biggest advantage, IMO, is that they produce FAR more heavily than wingless type flies, while retaining the inability to fly. they are also less prone to drowning in minute amounts of water. yes, they are faster and encourage "hunting" but that isnt a selling point. also, i havent seen any frogs (or froglets) that are incapable of catching them.



bean beetles are one size. when you culture them you'll find that one day there seem to be no beetles, and the next they emerge from the beans and are full size, there isnt a way (that i know of) to harvest them at any other size than adult.

this depends on the frog species. most can take melanogaster (or stunted melanogaster) immediately upon emerging from the water.


while the possibility exists for escapees a properly designed culture should be pretty escapee proof. also feeding can be regulated to dishes where the termites are contained, while some species that eat aggressively may allow for the escape of termites from the feeding station, most should be fine.

james

Thanks for the clarifications. (In Boldface)

JBear

 

[Ed]

1. Noone really says how often or what to feed. I understand there are variables such as age, humidity, season, and so on, but are there any good "Guidelines"?

Often the search function of the board pulls up many topics that mentions something but if you go to google and type in a string search like "Dendroboard how often to feed" you'll pull up the relevent topics in a way that can be easily scanned for the results.

As noted by other posters it is a fairly common topic... If you look back through the threads we can see that even way back the grandfather of the hobby (see here http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/food-feeding/16608-how-often-do-you-feed.html#post149131) recommended feeding twice a week... As with James, I tend to only feed once a week.. (I'll bump it up to twice on occasion) but I wouldn't suggest only once a week if you don't have any microfauna in the tank....

2. What is everyones opinion on Exo-Terra tanks? I think they'd be nice because of the front opening on the tanks, but then again I'm a total Noob at this whole thing, so it's better to ask the knowledgeable then to make mistakes and waste money and possibly not give frogs the best possible living conditions.

I'm a fan of front opening enclosures for a number of reasons but I'm not a fan of the exoterras or the Zoomed tanks for small frogs. They tend to be a little more difficult to fruit fly proof and I've been removing them from use for frogs that take fruit flies or bean beetles as thier main food source. Instead I've been making front opening modifications or purchasing premade tanks from one of several companies (if you want the companies names pm me, so I'm not giving feedback). I probably would set up the tanks in the normal orientation rather than use exos...

3. What would be a good beginner species that is a social species? I think personally it'd be way more interesting to have a group of 4-6 opposed to 2.

There have been some good suggestions by others.. A general suggestion for better success is to try and culture some of the feeder invertebrates before getting the frogs. Culturing them isn't rocket science but sometimes there are quirks due to local conditions (and it lets you try some fruit flies in the cage to see if it is sealed up enough).

I'd really like to talk to a few breeders close by, maybe see some of their vivariums. I really want to be the more prepared I can be before I purchase any frogs. I really don't wanna have a unprepared "Test batch" of frogs.

Keep an eye out for some of the regional get togethers.. they are typically at a person's house so you can see some examples and talk to many people that produce/keep frogs.

Thanks ahead of time. I'm just trying to do research before I purchase any frogs.
I fully intend to do quiet possibly 100+ more hours of research, I want to provide the best living conditions I can.

One of the things I'm going to suggest is to try and keep the first couple of enclosures fairly simple. Often we seen newer people embarking on grand enclosure construction or stuff them full of plants, when it would be better for them and the frogs just to just get "acquainted".

Some comments,

Ed

 

[ckays]

I'll comment on the enclosures.

I will be certainly hitting Ed up for his Euro Style front opening vendor list, but if you are going to go with on of the more "commercial" tanks, I would go with a Zoo Med.

I haven't use an exo, and I probably never will. The zoomed has a single front opening door rather than a double and for the the life of me I don't know why anyone would want that very visible seem running down the front of the tank. I also recently read a thread that indicated the screen on these is fastened to the tank. (unconfirmed)

The zoomend screen top just pops right off. Big advantage during viv build.

Just some personal opinions..

 

[Ed]

I haven't use an exo, and I probably never will. The zoomed has a single front opening door rather than a double and for the the life of me I don't know why anyone would want that very visible seem running down the front of the tank.

When you have frogs making the break for freedom out of the opposite side of the tank close to the hinge....

I also recently read a thread that indicated the screen on these is fastened to the tank. (unconfirmed)

All of the exoterras I've seen new, the screen pops out readily. It is held down by clips around the edges.

 

[ckays]

When you have frogs making the break for freedom out of the opposite side of the tank close to the hinge....



All of the exoterras I've seen new, the screen pops out readily. It is held down by clips around the edges.

OK. Now I know why someone would want double doors. My frogs have yet to attempt a jail break.

Thanks for the clarification. I cannot find that thread that I was reading last night, but the OP of it mention "tearing out" the existing screen. Perhaps he was modifying the top to have an inlaid removable glass top and I misunderstood the process.

 

[Ed]

OK. Now I know why someone would want double doors. My frogs have yet to attempt a jail break.

Thanks for the clarification. I cannot find that thread that I was reading last night, but the OP of it mention "tearing out" the existing screen. Perhaps he was modifying the top to have an inlaid removable glass top and I misunderstood the process.

I think it was this one http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/77608-hacking-exoterra-screen-top.html. The whole screen top pops out, but it sounds like he was removing the screen from the frame it came in, not that the entire lid was stuck.

Ed

 

[ckays]

That would be it.

Someone get Ed a cookie..

 

[kgb]

As for breeders around our area, Im in Milwaukee, frogmanroth is a little north of me, and Daryll and Chris Miller are in chicago, check out ranitomeya.com for their list of thumbs, and Daryll has tincs too- do a search for daryll in the classifieds.

 

[Justyn20003]

I've been reading more about Frogs, tank construction, plants and needless to say, my mind is BLOWN.

I knew this was going to be extensive but I had no idea that this was gonna be this in-depth. I'm seriously glad I started researching this before I purchased anything.

I was seriously considering going a front opening or exo-terra route.
But after discussing it with a friend we came up with the idea of getting a Reef-ready aquarium. It was holes pre-drilled in the back, and is all covered. I could use one hole for drainage, and use another for pipping up a misting system. At the top of the cover in back we were talking of cutting holes to run nozzles for the misting system so we could run them around the upper rim of the tank. All the plumbing would be self contained and hidden.

Has anyone on here done anything of that nature?

 

[Ed]

That would be it.

Someone get Ed a cookie..

I'm already too fat..

Ed