# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Beginner Discussion >  So you want a dart frog?

## Kevin

Congratulations! By reading this you are taking your first step into the wonderful hobby of dart frogs. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this before actually purchasing the frogs. Dart frogs are much different that other frogs and require specific settings for them to thrive. Ill try and touch on everything here the best that i can. Enjoy!

Things i will need before buying frogs (summery)

- tank (10gal minimum per frog)
- hydroballs / clay aggregate
- soil liner
- soil
- leaf litter
- background (highly recommended)
- plants
- glass lid (covering 90-100% of the top)
- lighting
- fruit fly cultures
- vitamins 
- temp gauge (get digital not the $5 ones)
- humidity gauge ( get digital not the $5 ones)
- spring tail culture
- isopod culture

(correct me if i forgot anything!)


HOUSING - 

Dart frogs are best kept in what we call "vivariums". Vivariums are made up of a drainage layer made out of hydroballs / clay aggregate, soil (abg mix is great), and live plants ( any hardy terrarium plants such as porthos). A 10 gallon per frog is the general rule in the hobby. Normally a glass lid is made for the top to trap in the humidity (covering 90-100% of the top). Humidity is probably the biggest factor. The humidity levels need to be kept 80%+. As for lighting, these frogs do not require lighting and lights are really only for the plants (i recommend a 12hr on 12hr off timer). Here is an over view of what your new enclosure should look like starting from the bottom.

The drainage layer is usually about 2-4inches deep. This allows any and all access water to drain into the bottom and not foul up the soil. It is important to remember to leave access to the drainage layer so you can siphon out water when it gets full. Next we put a piece of soil liner down (making sure to cover the entire drainage layer). This assures us that the soil will not leak down into the drainage area. 

Apply about 2-6inches of soil on top of the soil liner (making sure none can fall down to the drainage layer). As for soil, i highly recommend purchasing a few bags of ABG mix online (joshs frogs sell it). This soil is excellent for the keeping of dart frogs for many reasons. ABG mix holds moisture well (increasing humidity) but also allows drainage to not drown plants. Those are two big pluses but furthermore, it creates a wonderland for the micro organisms (cleaners) to flourish. Next we want to apply a nice coverage of leaf litter. This serves as hiding spots for the frogs as well as further housing for the cleaners (we will get to those later).

I would recommend picking up a nice wood feature to break the tank up and give more room for ground coverage (they look cool as well!). Plants are one of the most important things you can do to make your frogs happy along with the leaf litter. The more plants on the ground the better for them. You may worry that you will never seem them with all those plants. It actually the opposite! The more hiding spots for the frogs the more secure they will feel! Therefore, the more they will be out on the prowl hunting those flies! 

As for the background i would recommend making one out of clay or "great stuff". If i go into the creation of that this post will never end so i wont go that far! What is important is that you really need to take your time and make a nice suitable habitat for your frogs. They are going to be around for years and i believe you want them to have happy little lives in their new home.

After all of this is done it is important to seed the vivarium with isopods and spring tails. (see the food section for details)

Note: Lighting is not very important any standard light is fine for the frogs as long as they have a day and night time. Make sure to not make it to bright though.


FOOD - Dart frogs should be kept on a stable of fruit flies powdered with multivitamins everyday. Fruit flies are very easy to culture but they do require a sort of science to it. That is why many people recommend making a few cultures before purchasing a frog. Other cultures that should be considered are spring tails and ispods. Both act as a nice snack and as cleaners inside the vivarium. Spring tails and isopods should be added into the vivarium before getting the frogs in order to let them get established. Soon enough they will be living with hunters so we like to give them a bit of and edge.


I think i covered all the basics, i know i didnt go deep into everything i spoke of but it i feel it will give you all a big step in the right direction!
Any questions? Please feel free to ask, it would be nice to have a big thread here with bunches of answers for newbies.

Thanks for reading! Enjoy the hobby!

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## Kurt

> Congratulations! By reading this you are taking your first step into the wonderful hobby of dart frogs. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this before actually purchasing the frogs.


Damn I wished I had seen this sooner! I already have five Epipedobates anthonyi. I bet this applies to Mantellas as well, **** I have some of those too. I even have a colony of bumble bee toads. Damn damn! Why did I rush into this?

Sorry just busting your aggies.  :Big Grin:  Thanks for writing this

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## Kevin

Hahaha thanks for busting my "aggies" Kurt! Lmao, the title seems to direct towards people whom have not yet gotten their frogs and are considering getting into the hobby. Lol i honestly put about 45min into writing that and i realized that i could go on for ever. I think ill just stick it answering peoples specific questions because i could probably write and entire book on darts lol!

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## Michael

Kevin,

I like what you wrote.  Maybe you could tackle this in a couple different ways.  Take the commonly asked questions and really delve into them in greater detail or something like beginner, average owner and finally the Advanced or specialized topics.

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## Kevin

thanks mike! when i find some time ill attempt it again. Theres just so much info! hah!

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## Jdnocente

> Hahaha thanks for busting my "aggies" Kurt! Lmao, the title seems to direct towards people whom have not yet gotten their frogs and are considering getting into the hobby. Lol i honestly put about 45min into writing that and i realized that i could go on for ever. I think ill just stick it answering peoples specific questions because i could probably write and entire book on darts lol!


if u do write 1, i will gladly buy

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## bill

i know this is an old post, but since i am considering Mantellas, i wanted to give it a read. excellent article and i LOVE this sentence "Soon enough they will be living with hunters so we like to give them a bit of and edge."....LOL

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## Kevin

haha thanks bill,
i had to re-read to find out what you were talking about.
lol

-kevin

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## RustyVegetables97

Some sources tell me 10 gallons per dart, other say 5.
Since I have very limited space, could I somehow manage to make a 10 gallon Exo-Terra suitable for a pair of darts or Mantellas?

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## ToadPaparazzi

> Since I have very limited space, could I somehow manage to make a 10 gallon Exo-Terra suitable for a pair of darts or Mantellas?


It depends on which dart frog you plan on keeping.  In my opinion, 10 gallons is suitable for quite a few different species if designed and planted properly.  Some species however require much more space.  I'd put together a top 5 list then figure out which would be best for a ten gallon. If you can go bigger, go bigger! Also, take into consideration the orientation of your tank (I.e. vertical vs horizontal), you want to put frogs that utilize the provided space whether it be terrestrial requiring more of a horizontal footprint or arboreal utilizing more vertical space.

-Christian

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## RustyVegetables97

Would a pair of 'Tarapota' Dendorabtes imitator be suitable for a vertical 10-gallon?

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## ToadPaparazzi

If you can go bigger than 10 gallons, please do. If you are limited to a vertical 10 gallon, it's fine; just be sure to design and plant it in a way to maximize climbing, hiding and perching areas.

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## Ltw246

I was recently given a standard 10 gallon aquarium by someone who had given up the aquarium hobby and am considering using it to build a setup for a couple of dart frogs.  What are the advantages and disadvantages of horizontal versus vertical? Could I keep 2 dart frogs in a 10-gallon setup?  If I decided to buy something ready made for Dendrobates in that size or a little larger what should I look for?

I don't suppose anyone ever got started and then wished they had fewer or smaller setups. :Smile: 

Tom

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## bill

Depends on the darts. There are some that are primarily terrestrial, so the horizontal option would work best and some that are both arboreal and terrestrial,  so vertical would be the better choice. I'm far from an expert on darts, but i would say a pair in a 10g should be fine, especially if they are thumbnails. I could be wrong, so please don't take my advice as law......lol

Oddly enough, i downsized the amount of tanks i had this year, but they are creeping back up slowly.....lol

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