# whats the best terrarium to buy ?



## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

hi im interested in keeping some dart frogs and just doing some research into housing requirements and needs i have read a few things about exo terra needing some modifications to stop dinner escaping and to maintain the humidity required is there another terrarium available online that is better what are the komodo ones like ?

also what size would be best for dart frogs i was thinking 5-6 eventually but start of with just a couple would i need to start with a small terrarium or could i add just 2 to a large terrarium ?

cheers for any advise


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## Eds-Exotics (Oct 23, 2010)

Hi 
I am new to darts too but after a bit of research these seem to be the best.
Dartfrog - Vivaria

or 

http://www.rainforestvivs.co.uk/index.php?route=product/category&path=59 They are designed to be ff escape proof, i have not used any of these myself so do not know how true that is.

As for how many darts per tank im not really sure, i think it depends on species, I'm sure someone with more experience will be able to help you there.


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## aberreef (Aug 10, 2010)

The ENT vivs in the links are by far the best housing for Dartfrogs IMO. The way they are designed allows air to flow through freely while keeping humidity high. This keeps the front glass clear so you can see your frogs: victory:

Good species to keep in groups are Dendrobates leucomelas and Phylobates terriblis. I'd say to introduce the whole group at the same time to prevent territorial aggression to new arrivals although I haven't kept them in groups personally, so no practical experience:Na_Na_Na_Na: Dendrobates tinctorious do better in male:female (1:1) pairs or 2:1 trios, females will fight so should be kept separate.

Vivarium size for a pair should be a minimum of 45cm cube but bigger is always better . For a group of 5 terriblis I wouldn't go less than 90x50x50. There's no need to start the frogs in a small viv: victory:


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

aberreef said:


> The ENT vivs in the links are by far the best housing for Dartfrogs IMO. The way they are designed allows air to flow through freely while keeping humidity high. This keeps the front glass clear so you can see your frogs: victory:
> 
> Good species to keep in groups are Dendrobates leucomelas and Phylobates terriblis. I'd say to introduce the whole group at the same time to prevent territorial aggression to new arrivals although I haven't kept them in groups personally, so no practical experience:Na_Na_Na_Na: Dendrobates tinctorious do better in male:female (1:1) pairs or 2:1 trios, females will fight so should be kept separate.
> 
> Vivarium size for a pair should be a minimum of 45cm cube but bigger is always better . For a group of 5 terriblis I wouldn't go less than 90x50x50. There's no need to start the frogs in a small viv: victory:


when you say 90x50x50 90 is the height right ?


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## aberreef (Aug 10, 2010)

No sorry it's the length, I should have labelled the dimensions:blush:

Leucomelas will climb and utilise the whole of the vivarium but will tend to spend most of their time on the floor, From what I've been told, terriblis are pretty much terrestrial and don't climb much at all, hance the need for a large floor area

Is there any species/morph that you particularly like?


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

aberreef said:


> No sorry it's the length, I should have labelled the dimensions:blush:
> 
> Leucomelas will climb and utilise the whole of the vivarium but will tend to spend most of their time on the floor, From what I've been told, terriblis are pretty much terrestrial and don't climb much at all, hance the need for a large floor area
> 
> Is there any species/morph that you particularly like?


none in particular i like them all just had it in my head they would be arborial so length and depth is more important than height ?


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## aberreef (Aug 10, 2010)

Pretty much yes. This is a photograph of my rack of vivs. The top row houses pumilio and the dimensions are 30x45x60cm (wxdxh). The other two rows house tincs and leucs, middle row are roughly 38x38x38 and bottom row are 38x38x46. The two on the left are 45 wide. They were built like this to match some converted fish tanks that I've since got shot of:devil:









The floor area is the most important for the larger frogs in particular but extra height is easier to decorate and more aesthetically pleasing IMO. I'll be building a new frog room soon(ish) and plan on doing most of the tinc vivs as 45-50cm cubes which I see as the ideal size:2thumb:


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

aberreef said:


> Pretty much yes. This is a photograph of my rack of vivs. The top row houses pumilio and the dimensions are 30x45x60cm (wxdxh). The other two rows house tincs and leucs, middle row are roughly 38x38x38 and bottom row are 38x38x46. The two on the left are 45 wide. They were built like this to match some converted fish tanks that I've since got shot of:devil:
> image
> 
> The floor area is the most important for the larger frogs in particular but extra height is easier to decorate and more aesthetically pleasing IMO. I'll be building a new frog room soon(ish) and plan on doing most of the tinc vivs as 45-50cm cubes which I see as the ideal size:2thumb:


wow it reminds me of my tropical fish keeping days so it would be an idea to start with a pair and once i know what im doing add another cube rather than a big tank with a group then later once i have more knowledge i could step up really interested in dart frogs been looking for a while but dont want to jump in at the cost to the frogs health i have leopard geckos at the moment and want something i can observe more and the appeal of live plants also 

your setup looks great i can imagine the time you spend in there must be great


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## aberreef (Aug 10, 2010)

Thanks, as you can see they are pretty addictive:2thumb:

I think I've followed the same route as you. I kept fish for a very long time before moving over to Darts. Now the fish have pretty much gone:whistling2:

The most important thing with dartfrogs is their food. They need a constantly available source of very small insects eg fruit flies, woodlice, springtails and aphids. All these are easy to culture but will need new cultures starting on a regular basis. There's lots of info available on here about feeding though


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## jacko32 (Jan 26, 2012)

aberreef said:


> Thanks, as you can see they are pretty addictive:2thumb:
> 
> I think I've followed the same route as you. I kept fish for a very long time before moving over to Darts. Now the fish have pretty much gone:whistling2:
> 
> The most important thing with dartfrogs is their food. They need a constantly available source of very small insects eg fruit flies, woodlice, springtails and aphids. All these are easy to culture but will need new cultures starting on a regular basis. There's lots of info available on here about feeding though


im actually looking into selling or trading 1 of my leos to help fund it so if anyones interested in a leo with full setup hes an almost 100% orange from nose to tail 2 years old male raptor between 20-30% snake eye weighs 100g really needs to go into a breeding project 









im always culturing live food its part of the fun


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## aberreef (Aug 10, 2010)

jacko32 said:


> im always culturing live food its part of the fun


Funnily enough I said the same thing to my wife yesterday. The frogs are just the icing on the cake:2thumb:


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