What is the Best Tree Frog for a display

[j3000]

Me and my wife are remodeling our living room and we were discussing the possibilty of creating a nice Frog Vivarium that we are designing the whole living room around. I don't want posion dart frogs. I traded a piano for a 65 gallon aquraium with all the pumps and etc. I don't want fish. Me and my wife are responsible pet owners and this is not a deccission we made in a day or two, we took two months before we decided on this. so our first step is to decide what tree frog will be the best for our display.. any suggestions will be appreciate. Thank you for your time

[tylototriton]

The problem with tree frogs is that they are primarily nocturnal, which is why many times you see dart frogs in display tanks, because they are diurnal. However, if that doesn't bother your, then a Central or South American species would be great. Species of Agalychnis (the red-eyed tree frog and its relatives), Dendrosophus (the clown tree frogs), and Hyla (almost all the other ones), can be great. They are relatively small and gentle, so they won't destroy your carefully planted tank. Species like the White's Tree Frog (Litoria) are common frogs to keep, but they tend to be destructive of nicely planted terrariums because they are so big. You could also think about Phyllomedusa (the waxy monkey frogs), they tend to be diurnal and some of the species are more gregarious like the White's. An alternative could be day geckos (dare I say that on frogforum?). They are diurnal and often very colorful. You often see these kept along with frogs because they are also insectivorous and often pose little danger to the frog.

I hope that helps a little, and if you have any more questions, just ask.

Best,
Alex

[bshmerlie]

Alex is right...the problem with tree frogs as a display tank in a living room is that they are nocturnal. Someone mentioned that Pacific Chorus Frogs can be trained to wake up and feed before the lights go out. I personally wouldnt mix speices of animals.,especially day and night animals. Let them sleep. That's not even considering toxins poisoning each other over time. Is there some reason you don't want darts?

[DonLisk]

Nice reply Alex. Right on the money.

Your viv will look pristine with most Big Eyed Tree/Leaf Frogs since they will gently skirt across vines, plants, and landscape. Whites Tree Frogs can bring a beautifully laid out viv down in no time and don't mind trashing the viv glass if it is in the way of getting someplace. But they do have unbelievable personalities and the best smiles.

I rarely have to tidy up my Red Eyes viv, but, the Whites viv requires a daily cleanup.

Now, the Whites are out from the minute I get home from work and will be constantly entertaining. My Red Eyes are more timid and only come out once the room is dark and they feel your not watching.
The Red Eyes are almost delicate in movement and have some amazing colors.

As for not wanting Dart Frogs, I'm hooked. Bought my first one recently and once the viv is up and cycled, the hardest things to do is dust the fruit flies and remember what you dusted them with the last time. Day time movers, they roam the viv constantly all day, don't require a water dish or pond, and work well in a viv thats pretty much closed up to retain humidity. They also will leave your viv looking pristine.
One other thing about Darts is they don't require a stock pile of crickets and once you have your fruit fly cultures going its a never ending supply of food. New Cultures are a simple by putting a few wingless flies in a cup and putting on the shelf.

I keep Whites, Red Eyes, and now one Dart and all have great reasons to choose each and all have the coolest personalties.

[John]

Amazon Milk Frogs, and the various Polypedates (spelling?) species are often visible during the day, although as has been pointed out, tree frogs don't do much during the day time. All those beautiful photos of Red Eyes are really "lies" - the frogs are never that active during the day time, but fast asleep. The truly entertaining and active day time frogs are the dart frogs, particularly large species like Dendrobates tinctorius and Phyllobates terribilis. If you're looking for something diurnal that is a little less tricky for a beginner, try fire-bellied toads.

[Kisa]

I keep one White's Tree Frog and agree with Don all the way. Though they're not very active animals, sometimes even at night mine will just sit and sit and sit, they have wonderful personalities and are great for beginning frog owners (not sure if you said you've kept frogs before) because of their durability. They're especially a treat when they're small and can't hurt the plants in your viv, but White's can get up to 5' in length, and trust me, that's HUGE in the frog world. XD

I haven't had experience with any other frogs (and I haven't even had Bruce for three months yet) but I can assure they're a wonderful pet.

The other frogs I'm excited about, and looking to own sometime within the next few weeks, are Phyllomedusa, as mentioned above. Monkey frogs are GORGEOUS and all of them have distinct looks. I find these particular frogs fascinating because of the way they move and how closely they can resemble their name sake. My favorite of the Phyllomedusa (though keep in mind I've never kept one but have done extensive research) are the P. Tomopterna, P. Hypochondralis, and P. Bicolor. They are absolutely fascinating, to me anyway.

But yes, sadly both of these types are nocturnal so if you want frogs for viewing it would probably be best to go with Dart Frogs as the others have said.

Sorry about being a total n00b giving my two cents, I'm just trying to be helpful. ><

[j3000]

The way the aquraium is design it is more tall then wide. And I heard dart frogs are harder to take care of. Also if I spend 45-100 dollars on a frog, my wife would shoot me.

[Grrrit]

I got my amazon milk frogs as a first time frog and they're really neat. Not really dinural but I often see then when I turn the lights on in the morning creeping around and they huddle up together and sleep. And in the evening they get up and explore around til its food time. I'm not sure where your located but if you're interested I can point you to a breeder that you could get more info from. Hope this kinda helps.

[Leefrogs]

I found that if I feed my whites treats at 5 pm, like Don, they will be waiting up for you at that time, and remain active the rest of the night. They also fit into your budget, 20$ a piece. Wax monkey frogs are also in that range. I found blue ones on a site from a breeder for 30$. Reg tiger leg monkey are around 15 to 20$.
They most important thing for a centraly located viv is covering your animals when u first get them. Getting used to their new home can take months. I have 2 indoneasian whites, very shy at first, I covered them for two months. First I uncovered a side that faces nothing, then raised curtain slowly, with my new baby, I did a low cover, blue bubble wrap, and when I found her peeking at me above the cover, I knew she was ready for her view of the world.
The best thing is whites personality, and they'll live 15 to 20 years, they eat from your fingers and like looking at you, begging fir more food like dogs, they're quite cute. U can use sticks and wood from outside, just bake at 200 for an hour. It gives a more genuine look to a viv, when there's stuff not store bought. Check my alblum, natural wood and shelf mushrooms from the wild. Get your viv running a month before u bring babies home. And keep us posted.

[Rocko]

I'm just gonna say it, fudge dart frogs (no offense to the people who keep them of course). You want colorful, day active, large (but not so large they break everything) frogs? That can climb on land or and additionally swim in water? Fire belly toads. Entertaining to one and all, bright red bellies, neon green tops these things I swear never sleep day or night. If what you are looking for is something that visiting folks see and immediately get the idea from? Go with fire belly toads. Just my 2 cents...

[tylototriton]

John, I can't believe you're giving out photography secrets! Hahah.

All these responses raise valid points. In the end, it depends on your taste and budget. I love Bombina (Fire Bellies) but you mention that your tank is more vertically oriented, and they wont use that vertical space. However, that doesn't rule them out. You can certainly design a very nice planted aquaterrarium with tall plants in the back. Not only are they diurnal, active, and colorful, but they're dirt cheap.

Alex

[Macj1983]

I found that if I feed my whites treats at 5 pm, like Don, they will be waiting up for you at that time, and remain active the rest of the night. They also fit into your budget, 20$ a piece. Wax monkey frogs are also in that range. I found blue ones on a site from a breeder for 30$. Reg tiger leg monkey are around 15 to 20$.
They most important thing for a centraly located viv is covering your animals when u first get them. Getting used to their new home can take months. I have 2 indoneasian whites, very shy at first, I covered them for two months. First I uncovered a side that faces nothing, then raised curtain slowly, with my new baby, I did a low cover, blue bubble wrap, and when I found her peeking at me above the cover, I knew she was ready for her view of the world.
The best thing is whites personality, and they'll live 15 to 20 years, they eat from your fingers and like looking at you, begging fir more food like dogs, they're quite cute. U can use sticks and wood from outside, just bake at 200 for an hour. It gives a more genuine look to a viv, when there's stuff not store bought. Check my alblum, natural wood and shelf mushrooms from the wild. Get your viv running a month before u bring babies home. And keep us posted.

What that web site?

[Kisa]

What that web site?

I'm not sure which site Ginger was referring too but there's a guy named Mike Novy who comes very highly recommended by others on this site. All of the amphibians he deals with are captive bred and he has great prices for all the frogs he carries, especially if you're looking in the monkey or tree frog arena. I'm planning in the near future to buy some Phyllomedusa Tomopterna (Super Tiger-Legged Monkey Frogs) from him.

Here's his site: Rainforest Junky&#039;s - Home

And here's a link to his frog forum page if you're interested in his merchandise: michael novy

If he's not what you want or you'd like to shop around you can always check out the site's sponsors, josh's frogs and alpha pro breeders. And you can always look around for breeders in your area or ask people on this site or others that are from your area where a good frog breeder may be. You never know what you'll find if you dig deep enough.

[Grrrit]

Mike is who I got mine from. Really knowledgeable and down to earth. Getting another thus sunday at my local show. And some monkeys in the next few weeks.

[Kisa]

Mike is who I got mine from. Really knowledgeable and down to earth. Getting another thus sunday at my local show. And some monkeys in the next few weeks.

Oh yeah, from the correspondence I've had with Mike he seemed like a really nice guy, laid back and cool, and he has all the info you need. I think he prefers if you call him though so if you wanna get in touch I would send him and email and then call, it's always easier to discuss business over the phone anyway. XD I can't WAIT to buy my P. Tomopterna from him, beautiful frogs. ><

[bshmerlie]

The way the aquraium is design it is more tall then wide. And I heard dart frogs are harder to take care of. Also if I spend 45-100 dollars on a frog, my wife would shoot me.

You mentioned that you tank was a 65 gal. That gives you a lot of room to work with. You could make a slopping hillside or something with tiered levels to give the terrestrial frogs a way to use the whole tank. Dart frogs being hard to keep is a misconception. As with all types of frogs there are certain species that should be kept by more experienced hobbies. But if you stick with what we would call beginner frogs than they are just as easy to keep as tree frogs. Maybe even easier because you don't have to go to the store and buy crickets all the time. Also there are beginner darts that you can get in the $20-$30 price range. All im saying is keep your options open. The firebelly toads are probably my second choice for a display tank. They also do well in groups. Check out my FB tank in my photo album it is a vertical tank because that's what I had for them. You can still make a nice display with them. Tree frogs are just not the best for a major display tank because they'll always be sleeping when the quests are looking.

[Macj1983]

I'm not sure which site Ginger was referring too but there's a guy named Mike Novy who comes very highly recommended by others on this site. All of the amphibians he deals with are captive bred and he has great prices for all the frogs he carries, especially if you're looking in the monkey or tree frog arena. I'm planning in the near future to buy some Phyllomedusa Tomopterna (Super Tiger-Legged Monkey Frogs) from him.

Here's his site: Rainforest Junky's - Home

And here's a link to his frog forum page if you're interested in his merchandise: michael novy

If he's not what you want or you'd like to shop around you can always check out the site's sponsors, josh's frogs and alpha pro breeders. And you can always look around for breeders in your area or ask people on this site or others that are from your area where a good frog breeder may be. You never know what you'll find if you dig deep enough.

That's funny. That where I got our 1st frog from a week ago at a show yeah he was ok guy I will check his site our thanks

[bshmerlie]

I'm just gonna say it, fudge dart frogs (no offense to the people who keep them of course).

You are only saying this because you have never kept them. I have long considered myself a tree frog person and then about 5 weeks ago I got myself two Cobalts for a display tank at work. I wanted frogs that would be bold and active and awake all day. And that's them. I get there in the morning the lights come on and I tap the fruit fly container on the counter in front of their tank and they come running. They're like cats when you turn on the can opener or dogs at dinner time. They come up to the front...they start tapping their toes. They are on my desk at work and as I sit there they are watching me. If I move to the other side of the tank they follow me. They are the most engaging frogs I own. I've got some firebellies, who are very active little frogs, but the cobalts do put them to shame. You can't beat them when it comes to interacting with your pets. Give them a try...you'll be a believer.

[DonLisk]

No wonder nothing is getting done at work Cheri! LOL

've been watching my Dart all morning and where went the time, I'm almost late :-)

[bshmerlie]

No wonder nothing is getting done at work Cheri! LOL

've been watching my Dart all morning and where went the time, I'm almost late :-)

LOL.....Probably.. That's the only advantage of being the boss ...you can bring your frogs to work.