# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > General Discussion >  Dart Frogs VS Tree Frogs

## MillerFroggies

Hi every one I currently have RETFs and am thinking about starting a dart frog tank i was wondering besides having to keep the humidity a lot higher which will be no problem since i am struggling to keep mine low enough for the tree frogs.What are the major differences in care  and what would be a good hardy starter frog since if i do decide to try them i know i am bound to mess something up at least once so i want to make sure they can handle it. Any advice or suggestions   would be greatly appreciated

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## Kitten

I just jumped into the Dart frog world a couple of months ago. I thought they would be somewhat hard to keep, but they are, in fact, quite easy to keep IMHO. I started out with Santa Isabels (E. anthonyi). I feed them every day to every other day depending how many fruit flies I happen to dust & dump into their enclosure. They are a thumbnail species, which means they get about as big as your thumbnail. I would definitely recommend them as a first time owner. They like it cooler, so keeping them at room temperature is just fine with them. They also go through a dramatic color change, which I find neat. If you don't want a smaller species then Dendrobates auratas is a species recommended for first time dart frog owners.

Size of enclosure depends on what species you want to keep. You basically want to do a live planted terrarium. When you pick a species I can go into more detail of the type of enclosure. With dart frogs you do want to make sure your lid is glass.

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## Kevin

Taking care of dart frogs is relatively easy. As long as you take your time and get properly prepared there wont be any issues.

Some good starter species would be D. Leucomelas, D. Azureus (or other Tinctorius morphs), and D. Auratus.
All great species, and favorites in the hobby.

Here a small over view.

Temperatures - 70-80 day times, 65 low and night. For the most part mid 70s is perfect.
Humidity - Around 80% (glass lids should cover at least 90% of the tank)
Housing - They should be housed in a vivarium with live plants. The vivarium should consist of a drainage layer, soil, leaf litter and live plants.
Food - Dart frogs should be kept on a stable of fruitflies. Keep in mind the fruitflies need to be dusted in supervine high quality supplements.
I recommend learning to culture flies before purchasing your frogs.

Just take your time, ask tons of questions, read, and read some more and you will have no issues.
Enjoy!

Feel free to PM me with any questions you have or post here

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## MillerFroggies

Thank you i will ...  I am definitely going to try and slowly start a vivarium and make sure I can keep the plants alive and the conditions right for a while before I decide to add frogs

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## Kevin

Create a thread and make a journal of it! Ask questions as you go, and post lots of pictures.
We all will be able to give you advice to the best of abilities. 
oh and remember, bigger is always better! haha
Petco does $1 per gallon sales a couple times a year, maybe talk to sales person about that.
If your not so concerned about $$, go with a zoomed or exoterra front opening tank. Definitely a great investment.
I wouldnt go any smaller than a 18x18x18 for any species though.

-Kevin

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## Happy Frog

I'm also new to dart frogs and I have Leucs and D. azureus.  Dart frogs are a lot hardier than what you would think.  My azureus are always out and jumping around.  They also seem to be attentive and somewhat personable to my presence - I know I shouldn't assign human behavior to an animal but they don't flee when I stick my hand in the tank to change their water dish and they also come up to the glass and watch me.

If I could offer one bit of advice with my limited experience...Learn the whole science of vivarium construction and maintenance before you get your frogs.  I consider it a whole hobby onto itself.  Good luck.

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