# General Topics > Member of the Month >  MOTW - Apr 21 - Apr 27 2013 - Dart Ed

## Jen

Congratulations to this weeks Member of The Week!!!!

And don't forget to send your nominations - we are running low!

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## Lisa

Yayyy congrats ed!   :Wink: 

 .:* Lisa *:.
laissez le bon temps roulet! :-)

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## Jen

*Monday*, tell us all about you! We know you obviously like amphibians and we will learn about them tomorrow, but we want to know about the rest of your life. Details about you, your life, hobbies, families, past times, favorite colors, poems you have written etc etc....just use this post to brag/boast/bore us how you please.

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## DartEd

Thank you everyone.  :Smile: . 

Well, I'm 39. I'm a paramedic in New York.  I've been in my field for 22 years. Ive worked every boro in NYC and was deployed to the trade center.  That day helped me realize my mortality and prompted me to decide, join the military or propose to my then girlfriend.  She said she understood but couldn't bare the thought of me in the military.  I am married 10 years. i also have the coolest 9 year old son.  My favorite color is purple, I love music.  My primary musical taste is heavy metal, iron maiden, ozzy, Metallica, megadeth.   Also listen to some more modern stuff like trivium, all that remains, etc... My guilty pleasure is 80's hair bands (DON'T JUDGE ME). Hahaha.  I do enjoy jazz, blues, and some r&b.  I also have a soft spot for late 70's early 80's rap. Run dmc, Curtis blow, etc... I play electric guitar although it's been awhile.

I am extremely patriotic.  I love my country despite the choices and errors the politicians make.  When I'm not "frogging and bugging" as my wife calls it, I'm either coaching baseball for my sons team or he and I are out riding my motorcycle.  I'm a pretty hardcore rider.  Ive been riding 15 years.  I ride rain or shine, March through November. I average about 8000 miles per year on the motorcycle.   So long as there isn't snow on the ground, my tires roll.  I didn't reply earlier because I rode to NE herp (about 85 miles each way)for more ABG to finish planting the freebee plant clippings that Lynn, one of our beloved moderators, gave me at the white plains show.  The winds were rough. I should have worn a full face helmet. Live and learn. 

I spend tons of time online since my job has some down time.  Aren't ya jealous :P I get paid to play online and can't get in trouble for it.  :Wink: .  I love movies though I seldom get to sit through an entire one.  I live for baseball season, MMA and football season. Sports die after the Super Bowl until spring training for me. I bleed Yankee pinstripes and have already attended 2 games this season and plan on more.  Football I just love the sport.  I root for the NY teams. 

My son is working towards his blue belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu and kickboxing which he started at the same time and attends BJJ 2 times per week and kickboxing once. During baseball season and basketball season he cuts BJJ down to once per week He was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of 18months and slowly he progressed to an ADHD component with autism spectrum disorder.  He thrives in a busy environment.  He is my permanent back seater on my bike.  

I love video games.  I'm a big kid with big toys.  My play station 3, xbox360 and wii u set to the 3-D HD TV. I love to fish both freshwater and saltwater although fresh water is my true love.  I hunt and love to shoot.  Yes I keep handguns, rifles and pistols in the house with my son. yes I've educated him with regards to gun safety and yes he's almost as good a shot as his dad.  All my weapons are secured safely in gun vaults along with the ammo and No he doesn't have the combination.  I'm a whole lot of pro 2nd amendment.  Don't like guns? Don't own them! I do and I will.  

Besides frogs, I have two great cats and up until recently we had a bullmastiff.  Due to lymphoma we had to put him down which brought me back to frogs.  I have k many different reptiles in my life including one standard ball python, a pair of surinam boa constrictors , an iguana that lives with an ex gf to this day to my knowledge, bearded dragons, and assorted geckos.

My latest past time is vivarium building.  I enjoy putting them together because no two are ever the same and I draw great satisfaction from the finished product. Here's my kid on the bike.  A pic of me at work and my bike.

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## DartEd

Wife hates being photographed so you get the dog and cats instead.

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## Lisa

Nice to "meet" you Ed!

 .:* Lisa *:.
laissez le bon temps roulet! :-)

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## Heather

Nice to meet you  :Smile: .

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## Jen

It is so great to get to know more about you!  

I also have been raised around firefighters, rescues  and guns - couldn't think of a better way to grow up!

*Tuesday*, tell us about your amphibians. How you came to keep them, mistakes/learning curves, species kept, breedings, how you found Frog Forum etc....we heard enough about you on Monday, let us hear about them frogs!

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## DartEd

I initially came into the amphibian hobby like so many others.  I started with other reptiles and always liked frogs. One day this beautiful frog with a jade colored back, purplish blue sides, golden feet and bright red eyes caught my attention. I had to have it.  I kept it in a large critter keeper which at the time I was told was appropriate by the shop owner....FALSE. My buddy explained to me the requirements and I realized I wasn't ready for this animal.  My friend had experience and an established viv for tree frogs so I gave the frog to him.

I was always fascinated with poison dart dart frogs but always thought they were too complicated for me to keep.  20 years ago the Internet was in its infancy and was a luxury not afforded by everyone( you younger members have no idea how good you have it these days).  Very little info was available about these delicate guys.  Finally at a herp show i spoke to a gentleman who designed vivariums to supplement his income as an art teacher.  He explained to me some of the finer points and I purchased a ready made viv from him.  He also steered me to a trusted breeder at the show and recommended both Dendroboard and Frog Forum for info.  I purchased a pair of leucs from Tim Heath along with a producing culture of FF. 

I wish the story had a completely happy ending but It doesn't.  i did end up finding one of my leucs dead under a coco hut that I had added.  I was being careful but apparently it had burrowed down into the soil and I put the coco hut right on its back.(I know, I still feel horrible about it).  Now a bit older and wiser, I've built 3 of my own vivariums.  I still have one of the original Leucomelas from Tim and 2 more that I purchased Sunday.  I keep them in the 20H viv that I purchased at the first show and they're doing well.

Since my first darts and like everything else I do, I become a student.  I dive in head first and read and read and obsess. I have learned tons from books and forums such as this.

I have a 40g viv that I built.  I bought the tank on Craig's list along with lights and wood for 60 bucks.  I kept a breeding group of 3.2 Epipedobates Anthonyi Santa Isabels along with 5 offspring in there.  I have sold 1.1.1 of that group.  They're doing very well and have given me 17 tadpoles. I have 12 in a separate container that I'm raising and 5 more in the pond of the 40g viv. All are doing very well and expected to morph completely within the next 30 days.  
Here's 2of the frogs


heres the viv when I first finished it. I need to take pics now that its grown in more. 


I have designed a 20H vertical vivarium that I completed about 2 weeks ago for a Ranitomeya species.  At a Dendroboard get together, I purchased 4 Ramitomeya Amazonica Arena Blanca tadpoles.  They're the most beautiful frog, Brightly colored and so many pattern variations.  
Here's a pic a of one potential variationof the frog

Here's the 20h vert



And I have a 20h horizontal viv that I just threw together the last two days to house some plants I had left over and some gorgeous clippings that I received from one of our beloved moderators, Lynn( flyby ferns).  I haven't taken pictures yet but I will tonight when I get one from work. Im not sure what's going in this one yet.  Maybe some terribilis, a couple of tincs or a group of southern variabilis( one of the few terrestrial thumbnail darts)

Two things that have developed from this love of frogs is a love for the gorgeous plants.  I love watching them grow as much as I love the frogs. I also have developed a desire to culture assorted bugs that thrive in vivarium conditions. I currently have white, pink and silver springtails that I culture and occasional sell, trade at shows and donate to people that are new to the hobby.  I also culture dwarf white, and orange isopods successfully.  I have been trying to culture dwarf purple isos but they're not doing as well as I had hoped.  Once my isopod cultures get large enough I will be selling and trading with people so keep your eyes out.

heres a pic of my cultures


That's pretty much my frog setups.  I promised my wife no more Vivs for awhile.  It gets expensive especially the plants.  I have so many now that I will be able to propagate clippings and brom pups.

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## Jen

*Wednesday*, show and tell. Wow us with your pictures/videos/sound clips.

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## Carlos

Congrats and nice meeting you Ed  :Big Applause:  !

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## bill

dude...how did i miss this thread?!?!? congrats on MOTW buddy!! after reading your first post, it was meeting my brother from another mother...LOL wow, it all sounded familiar....lol love the intruder. i had a similar passenger when i had my honda ace. my oldest (now 21) son rode with me everywhere!! you never saw me on my bike without a kid on the back...lol

you need to talk the wife into a new viv, i'm going to have some trimmings to unload in a few weeks.....lol

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## DartEd

Thanks Bill. That's actually my 06 Roadstar but my boy adores it. We rode to my nephews christening today an hour north in our dress clothes. Then we picked bugs out of each others clothes. Lol. I'm sure I can talk wifey into one more lol. If not, I guess I'll be asking for forgiveness. Hahaha :Big Grin:

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## bill

i thought it might be a star, i took a guess. it still looks like the old intruders before they re-baged the whole line to the stars. i almost bought one, then decided on the honda. i remember picking bugs out of clothes with my son, what fun. we were actually talking about it tonight. we were laughing about how we got caught in a summer downpour. i gave my son my jacket, and when we got home, my arms were covered in welts. LOL wasn't funny at the time, but looking back, we should have just pulled over and got ice cream or something...lol

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## Staffaz

_Congratulations and nice to meet you Ed_  :Big Grin:

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