# Frogs & Toads > Mantella & Other Mantellidae > General Discussion >  Lighting in Dart Frog Terrarium

## Dave kernow

I was wondering what lighting and heating would be perfect for my Dart Frogs, at the moment I'm using Exo Terra Daytime Heat Lamps for heating and light as I put waterfalls in my Terrariums using zoo med waterfall kits, I would appreciate any advice iff I am doing wrong, the temperature gets to 23/24° during daytime and down to about 18° of a night with humidity between 80/100%, I don't see to much of my frog's and was wondering iff the heat lamps are a problem, any advice would be appreciated, many thanks......

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## Josh

Is there any reason for the heat lamp? Does it get very cold in the room where the tank is being kept? The best lighting right now is LED lighting, and there are several brands out there. If you're on a budget, look at beamswork 6500K LED lights, preferably the ones with 3W bulbs. If you're looking for a day/night cycle, I would go with the finnex 24/7, which can be found on Amazon. On my 18x18x24, I have both lights, with the finnex in the back for lighting some of the background plants (since it's not as bright as the beamswork), and the beamswork in front, lighting the majority of the tank. 

Also, if this is your first build, I would definitely recommend against the waterfall. About 90% or more of waterfalls will fail due to a variety of reasons, even for experienced keepers. I know of one experienced dart frog keeper who has stated that he has only had one successful waterfall out of dozens of attempts. As a beginner, I was attracted to a water feature as well, and it crashed and burned in a couple of months. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it usually takes some experience to have it done successfully. If you have any other questions, let me know.

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## Dave kernow

Where I keep the frog's I struggle to keep the temperature in the 22/23°, during night time it drops in the tanks to 15/16°, so perhaps it's best to remove waterfall and start the tanks again, I don't see much of my frog's during daytime, would that be because of the waterfall, thank you very much for your advice, great to be able to get advice from experienced keepers like yourself, l love keeping these frog's so much and really want the frog's to be happy.....Dave....

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## Josh

Since LEDs tend to not be very warm, many keepers will use heat mats (sometimes more than one on a tank) in order to get the tank up to the proper temperature. 15/16 degrees celsius is at the very extreme low of pdf temperatures. At night time, the temp generally shouldn't drop below 18 degrees. Once the weather heats up, you can always remove the heat mat. Also, it's usually best to play the mat on the side of the tank. 
I don't think the waterfall will necessarily cause the frog to hide, but it will likely end up crashing. If the frog is recently acquired, then the frog is likely still just antsy around movement. My pair of D. auratus used to flee every time I entered the room, but now they practically jump into my hand when I open the tank.

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Dave kernow

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