# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Beginner Discussion >  How many male/ female D. Tinctorius Azureus can be house?

## Joshuaseidman94

So I am almost done completing my first 30 gallon tall vivarium. I plan to house 3 tinctorius azureus. I have been reading a few forum threads that have mention that when housing this particular morph it is important to have a larger male to female ratio or else the females will compete and potentially kill one another. Having said that, it seems clear that I would need to have 2 males and 1 female in my new vivarium. I was wondering if anyone could chime in on how big of a concern it would be to have 2 females and 1 male? Most vendors sell juveniles and so I will not know what sex I am receiving until they mature. So, does this mean I should find a vendor that could provide mature darts so that I ensure I get the ratio of 2:1? 

Thanks guys!!

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## Paul

It all depends on if your end goal is to breed your group of Azureus, how big the enclosure is, and how the enclosure is laid out.

Breeding - Better to have 2 males and 1 female if you are wanting to have more than 2. Females are known to eat each others eggs. Males will fight for dominance in a tank.

Enclosure size and layout - Azureus are primarily terrestrial frogs. They do appreciate some height and will climb some of the time, but will most often be found on the leaf liter. With that being said a properly laid out shorter vivarium that has several line of site breaks designed into it can potentially house a group with multiple females with no issues. With frogs they tend to operate on an "out of site out of mind" mentality.

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## Zhuisky45

Dendrobates Tinctorius as a species is know to be territorial,  especially females competing for access to a male. I currently have a Exo Terra 36x18x18 that is home to 5 sub adult Azuerus's. They are 9 months old and nearing the point of sexual maturity. They typically reach sexual maturity around 10-12 months on average. Its at this point that females might fight with each other. Every case is different and some people have success keeping groups of Tincs together. When I bought my 5 Azuerus froglets from Josh's frogs It talked to Zach Brink and he explained that if they are raised together from froglets and have plenty of cover and visual barriers that you can have success keeping them in groups. You just need to look out for signs of agression. A lot of breeders buy groups of froglets and as they mature and can be sexed, keep a mated pair and sell of the others. Hope this helps

In regards to purchasing mature frogs, it might be hard to find reputable dealers. You can look through the classifieds page and see if anyone is looking to trade or sell. Trade shows are another option as well. Not sure where you live but reptile expos might offer adult poison dart frogs. Most dealers like Josh's frogs for the most part only sell juvenile froglets 3 months out of the water. On occasion I have seen them auction off mated pairs on their facebook page. Hope this helped as well. Good Luck!

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## Lynn

Hi,
I agree with Zhuisky45. I have 3 New Rivers together. They are at about the same maturity level ( few months older)  I believe this to be  to be 1.2 group.
The one that appears to be a male has paired off with one of the females. They are housed , purposely, in a very heavily planted ( three hides / lots of breaks )
exo 18.18.24H. I have never witnessed any aggression. Fingers crossed. In fact, very obviously, get along quite well.

Sadly this is not always the case.

I did have what may have been a 'different' way in which they were put together , however.
I had to keep the apparent male  in QT for quite a while. In fact, months.
So the girls got a chance to 'bond'  :Big Grin: 
I still see all three, frequently, snuggling in their favorite spot under a cork flat.

So.... we'll see
Things can change 

 :Butterfly:

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## Zhuisky45

Do your New rivers use the whole space and height of your 18x18x24? 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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## Lynn

> Do your New rivers use the whole space and height of your 18x18x24? 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


No ......they do not. They would probably be just fine in an 18" H. 
I have a pair of sips in an 18 cube. They are happy and healthy. 
My leuc  group ( 5) , on the other hand , use every inch of their 18.36W.24H

 :Butterfly:

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## Zhuisky45

> No ......they do not. They would probably be just fine in an 18" H.


Good to know. I've been debating on whether to go with 24" or 18" tall vivs in my frog room that will mostly be focusing on Tincs. Starting to feel like 24" tall might be waisted space? Correct me if i'm wrong. I know Tincs are more terrestrial than other species like Luec's like you mentioned. Won't have as much room for plants but will save a few bucks which can go towards frogs  :Frog Smile:

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