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

## Brett

Isn't D. azureus just a color morph of D tinctorius?

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## Paul Rust

*Yes, that is a new development and those of us that grew up with D.azureus find it hard to change. It is correctly D.tinctorius(azureus)*  :Big Grin:  *D.galactonotus was once a morph of Tinctorius but is now A.galactonotus. We'll see if this sticks. All PDF's are constantly being reconfigured as more is learned every year.*

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## Brett

Thanks. I was wondering because I wanted to keep 2 frogs in a 10-gallon tank. I wanted 2 cobalt tinctorius but my mom and one of my brothers wanted me to get a cobalt tinctorius and an azureus. I explained to them the compatibility issue with D. tinctorius, but now I guess I can keep both frogs together. Hooray.

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## John Clare

I wouldn't do that if I were you.  Pick one or the other kind and get two of those.  If you got one of each kind and they interbreed, no one who is in the dart frog hobby will want to buy the offspring - there is a big anti-hybrid feeling in the hobby.

Also, keep in mind that two tinctorius of the same sex, no matter what race they are, will almost always fight.  In the case of females, this is almost always to the death of one of them.

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## Paul Rust

> I wouldn't do that if I were you. Pick one or the other kind and get two of those. If you got one of each kind and they interbreed, no one who is in the dart frog hobby will want to buy the offspring - there is a big anti-hybrid feeling in the hobby.
> 
> Also, keep in mind that two tinctorius of the same sex, no matter what race they are, will almost always fight. In the case of females, this is almost always to the death of one of them.


 *John hit the nail on the head here, these two are aggressive and will fight. Pick one species.*

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## John Clare

> *Pick one species.*


Paul means of course, pick one race rather than species, since they are the same species.

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## Paul Rust

> Paul means of course, pick one race rather than species, since they are the same species.


 *LOL...Old school...I'm working on it*  :Big Grin:

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## Brett

Oh. If that's the case, I guess I'll just get two cobalt tincs then. Thanks for the help.

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## Paul Rust

*They cannot be the same sex. They will be fine until they start to mature and then you will likely have problems. Be prepared to seperate them if you get unsexed froglets. Cobalts aren't that expensive so get a sexed pair or one sex now and then the other later.*

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## Brett

Can I keep, say, one male and three females or 2 males and 2 females together in a 20-gallon tank? Or is a sexed pair the best way to go?

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## Paul Rust

> Can I keep, say, one male and three females or 2 males and 2 females together in a 20-gallon tank? Or is a sexed pair the best way to go?


*I would go with a sexed pair. Tincs used to be considered an intermediate level frog because of the aggression issues. Two females will try to kill each other and two males will fight. If you really want more frogs in the same enclosure than I recommend going with a more social species like D.leucomelas or D.auratus, thay are just as beautiful and can be just as bold. Except blue auratus, I hardly ever see mine and they bolt for cover if they catch me looking at them.*  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  *Come to think of it, my girlfriend does the same thing.*

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## John Clare

If you want to keep more than one female in the same enclosure you will need a huge terrarium.  Some people get away with 2 males with 1 female but that's about it.

If you want a group compatible dart frog that you'll see as much as a tinctorius, I would recommend _Phyllobates terribilis_, _P. bicolor_, and _Dendrobates leucomelas_.

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## Brett

How many  D. leucomelas can I keep in a 20-gallon tank? Would I have to sex them to make sure they don't fight, or is that not an issue with D. leucomelas?

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## Paul Rust

> How many  D. leucomelas can I keep in a 20-gallon tank? Would I have to sex them to make sure they don't fight, or is that not an issue with D. leucomelas?


*3 or 4 if you have no unusable space like a pond. You should have at least 5 gallons of usable space per frog. they are terrestrial so a lot of ground space is needed. Sex is not an issue with D.leucomelas as they get along fine in groups. They are one of my favorite frogs, strikingly beautiful.*

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## Brett

Could I use a 20-gallon long, or would a 20-gallon high be more suitable for D. leucomelas?

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## John Clare

Both would work but leucomelas like to climb so I would use the 20 high and "landscape" so that there is plenty to climb on.

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## Paul Rust

> Both would work but leucomelas like to climb so I would use the 20 high and "landscape" so that there is plenty to climb on.


*Mine spend about 95% of the time on the ground, the rest of the time they spend up on logs and things. I guess it depends on how the frog decides to negotiate his surroundings whether he climbs or not. Mine don't climb even though they have vines and tall plants to climb on but that doesn't mean they won't in someone elses enclosure.*

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