# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Beginner Discussion >  Dart questions

## Grrrit

i'll be moving sunday and will be gaining a big frog room =] i have eleven, empty 10g tanks that will be converted vertical. what kinds of darts could i keep in these? im not new to frogs, or viv builds, just darts. 
im intrested in imatators, vents, climbing mantellas, and auratus. but i would like to know what would be a good introductory dart for me. 
thanks guys, garrett.

----------


## Leefrogs

Bees are sopose to be the easiest I guess.

----------


## bshmerlie

Wow, eleven tanks.  That is going to be a lot of frogs.  Im working on my frog rack which will be nine tanks.  Out of the frogs you mentioned I would say Auratus would be the best beginners. They are not as big as some of the other darts and would work in a ten gallon tank.  I have a pair of Auratus and really like them.  I have heard that Auratus can be shy but I haven't experienced that with my two.  Every time I look into the tank one of them is always visible.  I can even open the tank to feed them and mist and they don't run.  They don't care if I watch them.  As soon as you get your feet wet thumbnail options are endless.  Eric has some Vents that he says are very bold and active.  Mike said his Vanzos are bold for him.  Then of course you have the imitators.  They are very cool and are often mentioned as beginner thumbs.  Make sure you see the size of the thumbnails before you just order them.  Pictures of thumbs are rather deceiving.  They are very tiny in person so just make sure you know what you're getting into.  I would not put more than a pair of anything in the ten gallons.  If you have the opportunity to get some larger horizontal tanks it would give you some more options.  Some of the more bold darts are larger and would need bigger tanks.  I've got Cobalts, Azureus, and Leucs.  They are all bold and active but again would require a larger tank size.  If you're going to get into darts you have got to eventually try a pair of Cobalts.  I can't stress to you how active and bold these frogs are.  I challenge anybody, even Eric's Terribblis on activity level.  These guys never sit still. Anyway you got a lot of options out there but you are going to miss out on some really cool ones if you limit yourself to just the ten gallon tanks. Hope this helps.

----------


## Grrrit

On easter I found the tanks on craigslist for 50$ so I jumped on them.  I will be getting larger ones as well. 
Thank you both for the info though. I love the highland bronze auratus colors, and how they have almost limitless color morphs. 

Hopefully I will be building up some of them just to sell at our local show.

----------


## clownonfire

I would go with thumbnails. Mantellas in one or two of them would be wonderful, too!

----------


## Grrrit

Thumbnails are really cool too. I love how some of them care for their young.

----------


## dtfleming

I would only keep imitators and vents in the 10g verts. I think your pushing it with putting auratus in a 10g. 20g would be much better.

----------



----------


## Grrrit

Don- I was thinking the same thing.

----------


## dtfleming

> Don- I was thinking the same thing.


Plus, there are a lot of different morphs of both.

----------


## Eric Walker

Ten gal. verts are not a good choice for auratus. they are more of a terestrial frog.
 ranitomeya would be your best bet and then only a pair.   

I have seen plenty of anthonyi pairs in ten gal verts with plenty of breeding success although I have been told that they like just as much horizontal space as vertical.

IMO 10 gallons should only be use for temp tanks and froglet raising no matter how it is turned 

BIGGER IS BETTER :Frog Smile: 


Congrats on this new and bigger frog room :Big Applause: . I will be getting a new one shortly :Cool:

----------



----------


## Grrrit

Ok cool, thanks for your input and opinions guys and gals!

Ps, just moved today.. Phew, almost done lol

----------


## Grrrit

what do i need to make a dart quarantine tank? and is this species specific? or is it the same as the tree frog simplistic Q. tank? 
again thanks!

----------


## bshmerlie

You only need to quarantine them if you are adding new frogs to an existing frog group. If its a new frog just build your tank and put him in. Don't forget the leaf litter. The small darts really like it.

----------


## Grrrit

ok that sounds relieving lol. I might be starting some builds this weekend then  :Smile:  cross your fingers and hope the wife let's me  :Stick Out Tongue:

----------


## clownonfire

> ok that sounds relieving lol. I might be starting some builds this weekend then  cross your fingers and hope the wife let's me


If you ever need to build a quarantine tank for darts, it should be simple. As you might need to sterilize it often depending on the treatment or the reason why the frog is in quarantine. When I housed my P. terribilis in a quarantine, I made it simple. I kept a wet Scott Towel at the bottom for humidity. But as frogs are stressed by the color white, I added sphagnum moss over it. A layer of leaf litter could have also being good. I was suggested to use plastic plants in quarantine tanks instead of real plants, and this by very reputable hobbyists. The reason is that whatever the frog may carry, it will be easier to wash/sterilize it between treatments (as in the case of the A. hoogmoedi - after each fungus treatment and/or antibiotics, the whole quarantine tank was sterilized (javeled), fake plants and everything used to touch the frog.

If you have a hiding spot for your dart frog, make sure you can also disinfect it. As the humidity need to be kept higher in a dart quarantine tank, the risk of bacteria will be greater in that tank. Make sure you keep the tank in a place where you know the frog will relax, away from stress.

Eric

----------

