# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Beginner Discussion >  Dendrobates Ventrimaculatus Questions

## Ju5t1n

Hello,
I'm planning on getting some Vents someday. I was just had a few questions. I'm going to build a 24"W x 24"H x 18"D out of glass it will almost be 45 gallons. Also plan on fully planting it and putting a waterfall with a few drippers.

-How much adults could I keep?
-What's a good number to keep if I breed them?
-Anyone have any care sheet links or advice? (I found a few threw google, but the more the better!)
-Will that vivarium be good? Should I go bigger, smaller, higher, wider, deeper?

This will be my 1st Dart Frogs so any information will be helpful. I've been doing research on and off over a few years but recently started looking more into it. Already learned a lot here cruising threw the forums!

Thank you
-Justin.

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## Lynn

Hi,

Do you mean: ( ranitomeya ) R ventrimaculata  ? If so: 

You will find some valuable information here:
Ranitomeya ventrimaculata | Understory Enterprises

I believe this is a good size enclosure.  I have not kept these but do have imitators.   I would say they are , in-terms of a difficulty scale to keep - intermediate. They are still good starter thumbnail. Like imitators their behavior can differ from one frog to another; shy to bold.

I have 4- ( 2 breeding pair) 3  are very bold since I purchased them; one female is shy from the day I got her. 

They will tend to be arboreal when fully grow---so the height of the tank you are planning is perfect. They will use the 24" high, plus substrate takes down much of the height!

Double check on your plans to keep more then a pair in one tank , however. I believe it is recommended they remain in pairs.
If you keep them  in a group ( like mine ----long story) ie 2 pairs ....and put  into the enclosure all at the same time ....you may find a _dominant pair_ will pick on the other. 

Enjoy your build....fun stuff!   Lynn

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## DartEd

That vivarium is wonderfully large.  The water feature is really nice to look at but unnecessary with regards to the husbandry of the ranitomeya Amazonicus ( formerly known as ventrimaculatus ). Vents are more arboreal than they are terrestrial.  They will descend to forage in leaf litter for springtails and other insects but will spend a good majority of their time in the upper portion of the vivarium provided the temps are appropriate.  Plenty of water bearing bromeliads and film canisters are key to breeding.  Vents are not obligates so once a clutch is laid you can remove it and rear tads yourself. 

 The size of your vivarium will lend to raising a good amount of adult vents.  The only drawback to keeping too many is competition for breeding.  Females have been known to eat each others eggs in order to "relieve" a male from having to guard a clutch.  in other words, if a breeding male is guarding a clutch, he will not breed until the tads have been transported to canisters.  another female will eat the eggs, in order to force the male to breed. To reduce the incidence of this, your male to female ratio should be equal.  

If you haven't purchased the tank already, you could go with something a bit smaller.  Just to give you an idea, an 18w x 18d x24h will comfortably house 4-5 adult breeding vents.  For your size enclosure, you could easily double that number.  By doing so, however, you will be increasing the likelihood of losing clutches to egg eating.  I strongly advise skipping the water feature and providing multiple levels for frogs to inhabit.  Use multiple breaks in line of sight by utilizing lots of leaf, cork bark, plants, rocks and branches in order to provide privacy. Although one of the better communal thumbnails, aggression can still occur.  

Keep temps for vents between high 60's to mid 70s.  They can tolerate temps as high as 78-80 for brief periods but I wouldn't recommend you letting it get that high too often.  Humidity should be maintained above 80%.  90-100% is ideal. Lighting is purely for plant growth. In order to support good plant growth and color, a lighting should be in the 5000-7000kelvin color spectrum.  Most froggers keep 6000-6500kelvin lights with excellent plant growth and coloration.  For a 45 inch high vivarium, I would recommend around 2000 lumens of lighting to penetrate to the substrate. Here's an article to help explain the lighting jibber jabber... New England Herpetoculture LLC - Vivarium Lighting 101

If you intend on raising tadpoles, I recommend practicing culturing fruit flies in order to ensure success.  Flightless ff and Turkish gliders are best for frogs the size of Vents.  I also recommend culturing springtails in the vivarium as well as maintaining a few cultures in larger Tupperware / Rubbermaid containers to provide food for froglets as ff are too large for a freshly morphed baby.  

Finally invest in supplements for your frogs. I personally use Repashy supplements. A very light dusting on springtails and ff right before feeding will provide proper supplementation for your frogs. I use Repashy cal plus and vitamins alternating each time I feed. Cal +one day and vitamin the other.  Once a month, I provide vitamin A dusting.  Too much vitamin A is bad for frogs but a deficiency is also.  Vitamin A monthly can also stimulate breeding behavior in frogs. 



How's that for a care sheet.   If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

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## Lynn

Thank you, friend !  :Smile:

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## Ju5t1n

Wow thank you thank you thank you! I'm not to sure on the names still learning a lot lol. I just got the name from josh's frogs. Dendrobates ventrimaculatus at Josh's Frogs 

lol I googled arboreal and terrestrial. ty!

Couple more questions...
I also live on the second story and this week it's been hot up here my room temperature was 85 yesterday and 78 today that I saw. plus the lights on the vivarium it will get even hotter in it too right? How would I keep the temperature down?
I don't need any UVB lighting or D3 supplements right? Just a 6000-6500 kelvin lights.

I plan on adding springtails after it's planted.
I think I'm going to get 4 at the most seeing they are a bit expensive for me.
I've had a few flightless fruit fly cultures going when I had praying mantis egg cases that hatched. I'm pretty sure I can get a few going when/before I get the frogs.
I'm looking up tonight how to culture spring tails.
Thank you for the supplement break down!
I also picked those since they are Intermediate/beginner for thumbnails. I'm confident I can meet there care needs I've had (after I got older to take care of my own pets, rather than parents) Chameleons, Bearded Dragons, Dogs, Fish, Praying Mantis, Vietnamese stick bugs and newly acquired tadpoles that turned into frogs (will be taking them back and releasing them close to where I found them soon).


I haven't ordered the glass yet so I can change the design easily still. Maybe I'll add 5" or something higher to account for the substrate. The bottom will fit on my dresser/stand perfect 18"x24" with about ~2" on each side.
This design will cost around $80.00 cut and edges sanded at the local glass store.
 
 I love to DIY/build stuff.

And one more Thank you!
-Justin

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## DartEd

Joshs sells the springtail culture and FF culturing supplies you'll need as well. 

These frogs were once dendrobates vetrimaculatus. The name was changed to ranitomeya vetrimaculatus and then it was changed again to ranitomeya Amazonicus which is what it remains today. Joshs just never changed the name. Collectively dart frogs are known as dendrobatid. 

Vents are a great thumbnail for beginners. They're tiny which appeals to people but they can be spotted moving about an enclosure. 

The frogs do not require uvb or d3. The lighting is so we can enjoy the vivarium and for plant growth. Lighting will increase heat anywhere from 3-8 degrees. An 85degree room means the vivarium will reach in excess of 90 degrees.  Those temps will kill most darts quickly. To keep the temp from increasing, we reverse lighting cycles from day to night (frogs don't know and don't care).  We elevate lights 3-6 inches above the tank to allow for heat dissipation. In addition to elevating lights, a fan can be used to blow heat away from the vivarium. Some people remove the reflector if you have t5 lights. This allows heat to rise and not be concentrated around the light. 

You have to keep the room temp down. Keep in mind the vivarium will always be as warm as its surrounding environment.  If the room reaches 85 in the summer, you need to air condition the room or keep the frogs in a cooler room.   

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

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## Ju5t1n

Yeah There is a the Reptile Super Show this weekend that I'm going to and will be getting some supplies. Cork bark, driftwood, AGB substrate, plants, ect. and other reptile stuff I need. 
What ever I can't get there I'll be ordering at Josh's Frogs on Sunday. By the way....
 Found this on Josh's Frogs Facebook page 20% off! Sale is now till the July 8th.

Thank you for helping me with the "Real" name of them! It will help me look up more about Ranitomeya Amazonicus!  :Big Grin: 
I showed my girlfriend a few Vents in a local reptile store and she said "They're so cute!" The Vent was sitting on the water dish right next to the glass.
Today it's 78 in my room.

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## DartEd

Are you referring to the white plains show? I'll plan on going. Perhaps I'll see you there.   You should find everything you need from there cheap. 

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## Ju5t1n

lol Other side of the country. This ones in San Diego, California.

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