# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Beginner Discussion >  Are Ranitomeya Vanzolini easy to keep for beginners?

## Adam

As soon as I saw Ranitomeya Vanzolini I knew instantly I wanted to keep them. As a beginner my concern is being able to keep them alive. Also I was wondering how many can I  keep together. I know there are at least a few types that only do well in pairs like Azures for example. I know mixing species is frowned upon, but with a large enough tank with the proper planting and several hiding spots could these frogs be kept with Auratus successfully. If setting up two vivariums is a must then I will, I just think it be interesting/cool to keep them in the same space. Thanks in advance for any help, insight, or answers given.

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## berksmike

I would say that as a beginner I wouldn't mix species at all and keep one species per tank.
I personally dont mix any species at all but thats a personal choice. 
I would say vanzolinis are not a particularly difficult species to keep and as with any dart frog the skill is actually maintaining a continued supply of suitably sized livefoods (primarily springtails and fruit flies). They can be kept in groups if the viv is big enough.
They are a beautiful species and if you have the correct setup and have mastered livefood culturing there is no reason why you cannot keep them successfully.
I would however consider keeping a hardier species first - auratus are such a species, as are tricolors, leucomelas or the more common tinctorious morphs.
Ive done a culture guide for dart frog food if that is of any use to you:

Frog Forum - Culturing Livefood for your Dartfrogs

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## Adam

Thank you very much for this information. How big of a vivarium would either species require to keep around four of each? Coincidentally I have already read your culturing guide and found it to be very informative and helpful. Thank you for posting it as well. Though there is one food question is I still have. How much do you need to feed a single frog? I have found information that says feed them once a day sometimes twice a day, but never a baseline quantity. Like around ten fruit flies or five springtails. I realize that there is no set number and all frogs are different in their habits, but I don't want to under feed them. Or over feed them if there is such a thing.

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