Retic Setup
Scott and Will,
I can't speak as to what the retics actually prefer (as they've only been in one setup), but I can share with you my limited experience. Hopefully Christina, Patrick, Sean, or someone else with more experience will chime in and give some more info.
The retics are definetely ground dwellers and when setting up a tank I would design it more like a tinc tank than a typical thumbnail tank (more ground space than height, but bigger the tank the better). With that said, my are in the same setup that has worked for me in breeding imitator and lamasi, which is essentially a vertical 10gal-style setup. For no other reason than experimentation, I used coco bricks as the substrate (vivaria.nl) covered with sphagnum then sheet moss and a little leaf litter. The coco bricks have worked great for the thumnails because they form little caves and cracks which gives them more places to hide - and in my opinion security and the willingness to breed consistently.
Similar to the imitator they seems to like to lay their eggs on overlapping leaves. They're tank is nicely filled out with creeping fig and another plant (can't remember what it's called) which has leaves about the same size as the fig but thicker. I opted for film canisters over bromeliads in my thumbnail tanks as I don't want to disturb they're tank looking for eggs and would much rather just reach in the tank every week or two, take out the tads, and replace the film canisters. The film canisters by the way are located right near the floor of the tank and are angled at about 60deg, half filled with water.
As far as the background, I like the flat cork bark, which has a nice look and allows for the plants to root and climb quickly. I also lay ghostwood logs at angles from about the bottom front of the tank to top back. This gives the tanks great depth and a much more usable volume for the frogs.
I don't have a water feature in their tank, but have used them with thumbnails before. It's definetely not a necessity but if it's something you like, go for it. I would suggest if you are to, go slow and small and have aquatic plants to cover the surface.
They love springtales even as adults so make sure to have plenty on hand. Mine are fed about half/half melanogaster and hydei (which is amazing to see them gobble down!), dusted at every feeding.
Hopefully this helps you guys some, feel free to ask me to repeat if I've said something confusing or if you have more questions. Good luck and take care,
-=Adam=-
