# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Beginner Discussion >  Very New. Set up Green Mantella

## k5MOW

Hello everyone

I am extremely new into the idea of setting up a 10 gallon set up for Green Mantella. I already culture wingless fruit flies for my tropical fish so I definitely have food for them. My question is what items do I need to buy for my 10 gallon aquarium. I am thinking of getting the basic 10 gallon starter kit from Joss frogs. Is the fruit flies a good diet for them to feed on a regular basis. Do I need any kind of light system getting started. Basically I would like to start as inexpensive as I can and add to my frog terrarium. Please anything you all can tell me will be a help. 

Roger

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## James

Hi Roger,

Fruit flies for them (along with a regular dusting / supplementation regime) will work fine for the Green Mantella (M. viridis). I would also suggest culturing flightless D. hydei as they will also like larger fruit flies.

Lighting isn't as important for them (other than a day / night schedule) but is more important for plants in the viv.

I'd have to look at the 10gal starter kit from Josh's, but to start out simple is fine with these mantellas. Mine like to hide during the day and are most active in the morning and end of the day. At night they also can be seen being active...and I have a male that likes to come out during ther day especially around misting time.

Depending on how many you are getting, make sure you have enough plants/hides for them to feel comfortable and set up territories even though they are a good group frog.


After the basics, they do like pinhead crickets as well as bean beetles.

Feel free to ask any other questions as I have them and there are others (Paul, Bill, etc.) that have experience with Mantella's.

Raising/ keeping Mantella's is fairly easy, but breeding them requires more work and cycling of conditions.
They also need cooler temperatures as compared to darts and can tolerate drier conditions than darts.

Check out these for additional info:
http://mantella.amphibiancare.com/ar...tive_care.html
http://www.amphibian.co.uk/mantella.html

There are also care sheets on frog forum written by Joshua Ralph for M. aurantica and M.expectata that are relevant and similar to those that would be used for viridis:
http://www.frogforum.net/showthread.php?t=29492
http://www.frogforum.net/showthread.php?t=30613

This should get you started!

James

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## k5MOW

> Hi Roger,
> 
> Fruit flies for them (along with a regular dusting / supplementation regime) will work fine for the Green Mantella (M. viridis). I would also suggest culturing flightless D. hydei as they will also like larger fruit flies.
> 
> Lighting isn't as important for them (other than a day / night schedule) but is more important for plants in the viv.
> 
> I'd have to look at the 10gal starter kit from Josh's, but to start out simple is fine with these mantellas. Mine like to hide during the day and are most active in the morning and end of the day. At night they also can be seen being active...and I have a male that likes to come out during ther day especially around misting time.
> 
> Depending on how many you are getting, make sure you have enough plants/hides for them to feel comfortable and set up territories even though they are a good group frog.
> ...




Thank you very much for all the information. Is a 10 gallon set up big enough for two frogs.

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## James

10 gal is more than adequate for the two.

The viridis are thought to be more ground dwelling, but they will climb and explore the entire viv.

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## k5MOW

I also have one more question it is about 71 to 75° in the house. Would I  need any kind of heater.

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## James

Hi Roger,

This is covered in the links in the previous post so make sure you go over them a few times.

Temperatures of 65-75 degrees F are fine..but as measured in the Viv. Temps above 77 degrees F should be avoided with mantella (see links).  There are some differences with some species, but these general guidelines will work for all of them.

If your Viv stays in this range in the room then it is OK to just use the ambient room heat.  
The only caveat is that your lighting will create heat (some more than others) so you must check to make sure that the temps in the viv stay within the range when the lights are ON as well as OFF.

Many opt for keeping their Mantellas in a ground floor or basement where it tends to be on the cooler side and the lights will warm the viv up during the day. The lights will help to generate a variation within the temperature range as naturally occurs.

Others reverse their day/night schedule if the daytime temps are too warm to have the lights on then and instead have them on at night but only if the nighttime temps are cooler in the room.

Adequate ventilation (in at the bottom of the viv and out the top of the viv) similar to the Exo-Terra vivs, etc. will help to cool the viv in a cooler room when the lights are on. In an emergency (unexpected hot day, air conditioning breaks) ice packs could be placed on top of the viv as cold air sinks.

So the best preemptive advice is for you to plan to set up your viv with a thermometer inside so you can see what the actual range is for you before you put them in.....and adjust/modifiy from there. Either obtain the frogs after this and/or keep them in a quarantine setup in a temperature controlled place.

Quarantine in a smaller container is a good idea with new frogs as you can make sure that they are eating and doing well before they are put in the larger viv where they may hide / be difficult to find.

James

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## Lynn

James has you covered !
The QT  ( quarantine) is very important.
It is a good opportunity for you to keep an eye on  how well the frog is eating.
Depending on the species, after a move from QT to their permanent enclosure, they will often hide for sometime as they get adjusted.

The bean beetles are a great additional feeder ( I  believe, necessary ) ~~~~BUT be careful---only a few as a treat. 
IMO ~~ I would give them to adults only.
They are difficulty for the frogs to digest.

Pinhead crickets ~~ I never use them for my PDF ( I don't even feed them to my terribilis)  :Disgust:  
I don't want any walking around in the enclosure plus I think they are riddled w issues.
I guess I'm really tired of dealing w them for my tree frogs.

Consider isopods cultures for additional feeders as well. 

Our moderator "MantellaMan" is an expert ~~~try to read his posts here. He has published many magazine articles. 
You will find additional information on his facebook pages.
He recently traveled to Madagascar to research the Mantella species !

Enjoy !
 :Butterfly:

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## k5MOW

I think you all for the help. I am now in the process of setting up my new home for the frogs. I have been reading all the links posted above and reading a lot more. I already paid for my frogs but I am not having them delivered till I get there enclosure all done. I have ordered two from Joshs frogs. Their customer service is absolutely amazing and been a very big help. I will post a picture of my enclosure and two frogs when I get them to their new home and set up. 

Again thanks all for all the help

Roger

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## James

One thing I forgot to mention.

Josh's kits usually contain Rep-Cal Calcium and Rep-Cal Herptivite (Pink and Blue containers) for dusting.

I would recommend switching to Repashy Calcium Plus and Repashy Vitamin A Plus for your dusting or  alternatively Dendrocare for dusting rather than using the Rep-Cal products.

The Rep-Cal products (originally developed for reptiles) do not contain preformed vitamin A which is needed for frogs, and both the Repashy and Dendrocare products were specifically developed for frogs and have the preformed Vitamin A.

If you are buying a kit with the Rep-Cal, Josh's should be able to substitute out for these other products. 

James

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