Building a Vertical Tank

Supplies:

1. Two pieces of glass or acrylic

2. 100% silicon for glass or Weld-on #16 for acrylic

3. Hinge

4. Latch

5. Pull

Procedure

Task	Tips	Pictures
Measure the inside rim of the tank.	You want the measurement as close as possible to avoid gaps. Measure to the nearest 1/4 inch
Buy 2 sheets of 1/4 inch thick glass from your local glass shop. One sheet will be for the bottom of the door (I use 6" for the bottom piece)	Shop around for glass. The price of glass can vary greatly from shop to shop.
Place the tank in its desired final position and silicon where the black rim meets the tank at the bottom of the tank.
Place the tank into it normal horizontal position, silicon the smaller piece of glass into the rim of the tank	Use plenty of silicon to make sure there are no leaks.
Then place the other sheet of glass into the frame.
Silicon the hinge, latch, and pull in their desire locations.	A 10 gallon is only 10" wide, so use a 6" hinge for a 10 gallon tank. I have had as big as a 20" X 21" door on a 12" hinge.
Let the silicon dry for at least 48 hours.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Possible Solution(s)
Hinge/pull/latch is coming loose	Silicon is not a glue, but a sealer. It is meant to be used in open air as opposed to a glue. Allow 48+ hours to dry to get the best results.
Tank will not stay shut	Place a twist tie (from a loaf of bread) into the hole in the latch
Bottom piece of glass is leaking	Add more silicon to the seal.

Terrarium Construction

There are a few considerations that need to be thought through before construction begins. The first consideration is how big you want the enclosure to be. The rule of thumb is 1 frog per 5 gallons. While all froglets can be kept in groups, some species will fight if there is another frog of the same sex in the enclosure. Larger terrariums support more microfauna, provide more space and exercise for the frogs, and are much easier to work with.

Tank

The first item you need to get is the tank. Garage sales and EBAY are great places to look for larger tanks. Once you have the tank, you need to build a lid for the tank. If you are going to be making the tank a vertical (tipping the tank on it's side and making the tank opening the front of the tank) check out my How to make a vertical tank page.

Driftwood

The right driftwood makes the tank. Before I even picture the tank I'm going to build, I get the wood. The best wood for Poison Dart Frog Terrariums is Cypress, Burrows, or Grape Wood.

Cypress Driftwood - Smooth and holds up extremely well in very humid environments. This type of wood will even hold up as part of a water fall. It is also very light so it is easier to incorporate into the background.

Burrows (similar to Malaysian Driftwood) - This type of wood has tons of character with numerous grooves and a non-uniform color. This wood is the heaviest of the three, but can still be incorporated into the background of the terrarium.

Grape Wood - This type of wood has a lot of grooves like Kampas. This type of wood will be home to mold and fungus in your tank (don't be surprised if you get mushrooms on this type of wood). The molds/fungus are harmless to frogs.

Terrarium Backgrounds

There are tons of options for Terrarium Backgrounds. Although you don't NEED a background, it adds usable space to the terrarium, allows for more cover, and looks better than a tank without a background. The options for a terrarium background are:

Tree Fern Plaques - These plaques are 10" X 10" X 1". They are light weight and the woven tree fern twigs provide a great environment for epiphytes to grow their roots.

Handi-Foam - Handi-foam is like Great Stuff except that it is 100 times better. It is black so it blends in better, it cures in less time, and we know it is safe for frogs. Spray the foam on the background, use a rubber glove to mold it like you want it, press in driftwood, and then cover it in coir and lightly press it in. Let it sit for 24 hours and you are all set!

Coco Fiber Square - These coco fiber squares are 12" X 12" X 1", covered in latex, and come in brown or red. They are cheap, light, and long lasting (due to the latex coating). The fibers create a great place for plant roots to grow.

Drainage Layer

You will need drainage to keep your plants from drowning. Drainage is a necessary requirement for all Poison Dart Frog Terrariums. There are many options to accomplish this. All of these methods could be considered a "false bottom".

Egg crate and PVC fittings - This is the oldest method around. Cut a piece of egg crate (the light diffusing stuff sold at hardware stores) to fit in the bottom of the tank. I have found that pruning sheers work for this. Then lift the egg crate off the bottom of the tank using PVC fittings.

Hydroton False Bottom - Poor enough balls in your tank to give you a 1"-3" drainage layer. To figure out how much hydroton you need, use this formula:

Inches deep / height of the tank (in inches) = hydroton ratio

hydroton ratio X number of gallons = Gallons of hydroton needed

Gallons of hydroton needed X 4 = Liters of hydroton needed

To hide the sight of the false bottom, you can use black silicon and paint the bottom few inches of the tank.

Substrate

There are tons of options for a substrate. They are:

ABG Mix - The ABG mix was developed at the Atlanta Botanical Garden and is the Lexus of terrarium substrates. It is long lasting, holds moisture, and drains well. An all-around great choice.

Coir and Orchid bark - This is the simple and cheap method. Mix equal parts.

Sphagnum moss - This type of substrate holds a lot of moisture and inhibits the growth of molds. On occasion, the dried the moss will come back to life. Most of the time, however, it just gets covered in algae and appears to be alive.

Peat Brick - These blocks are a great choice. They are unlike the peat you can buy locally as they are a solid brick that can be cut to fit in your terrarium.

Terrarium Plants

Some froggers almost love the plants more than the frogs. You can go simple or you can hand-pick expensive plants. The plants become your filtration for the frog waste that will develop in the ecosystem. Live plants are a must for Dart Frog Terrariums. Josh's Frogs offers tons of plants that do well in Dart Frog Terrariums. All our plants are selected to grow in terrariums.

Terrarium Lighting

Picking the right lighting for your terrarium can mean the difference between lousy looking plants and vibrant, colorful, and healthy plants in your terrarium. Your lighting options are many. Here is a quick rundown.

T-12 - These are your standard fluorescent lighting fixtures. These lights will provide enough light for most easy plants, but will not allow your bromeliads to color up and your other plants to bloom. It works, but isn't a good choice for a display tank.

T-8 - These fluorescent bulbs have a 80 lumens per watt. They are more efficient and produce more light than T-12s. A good investment if you are doing a rack of tanks as it not only produces more light to help your plants, but it costs less to run.

T-5 - These are the best terrarium lights available. They are bright, create less heat than the CFs, and put out 90 lumens per watt. Their small size produces tons of light with little energy use. These lights are efficient enough to be used in racks and bright enough to be the top choice for display terrariums.

Once you choose the Lights you would like, your next choice is picking the right frogs!

Breeding Poison Dart Frogs

One of the joys of keeping Poison Dart Frogs is breeding them. I have taken what I have learned from other froggers and read many books and articles to develop my methodology for breeding Poison Dart Frogs. I tweaked this method based on what I observed as I have bred thousands of frogs over the years. The following is my methodology.

Getting Frogs to Breed

Sometimes I think this is the hardest part of the whole process. It begins when you buy froglets. I recommend that you ask tons of questions when you are purchasing your froglets. You want to make sure that the frogs are healthy and that they were not weak frogs that were allowed to live. Buy frogs from reputable breeder. When buying frogs, keep in mind that most species of frogs do not produce a 1:1 ratio of males to females. The ratio can be as much as 1:8 with some species. And either sex can be the majority depending on the species of frogs. So, I recommend that people buy at least 5 froglets if they plan on breeding. After the frogs have matured and can be sexed, a pair can be separated and the others sold or traded. This is also a great investment as sexed adult frogs can be worth as much as double what you paid for them as froglets.

Once you have a pair of frogs, you must setup a tank that is conducive for breeding. This includes:

• Heavily planted tank - Frogs feel more secure in more cover and have less interruptions.

• High Humidity - I do not have any vents on most of my breeding tanks. I want humidity as high as possible in those tanks.

• Breeding spots - Note that it is plural. I find that frogs breed better when there are more options. They know the best places to lay eggs that lead to the best chance for healthy frogs. You don't want to force them to breed in a mediocre spot. Breeding spots for larger frogs is a cocohut over a Petri dish and for smaller frogs, a film canister is the best option.

The next step is for you to induce breeding. In the wild, some of these frogs are seasonal breeders. While frogs will usually breed right after a storm, it is also possible to "trick" the frogs into thinking the wet season has arrived. There are many theories out there on how to do this. I have found a method that works pretty well. What I do it mist the tank once every other day for two weeks and follow that with two weeks of misting twice a day. I will also not feed as much during the light misting and more heavily during the higher misting frequency.

The best indicator of breeding success is the health of froglets. Froglets that are strong and healthy will be better breeders. Therefore, it is important that you acquire healthy froglets and continue the regiment of supplementing the frogs.

What to do with eggs

Sooner or later you will get eggs. Usually you will get a couple of clutches of eggs that will go bad and mold over. This is normal. Bad eggs will swell up and get cloudy. In developing eggs you can actually see the tadpole develop in the egg. When I get eggs, I take a paper towel, wet it, and place it in the bottom of a 24 oz Ziploc container. I then take the Petri dish and place it on the paper towel (I do not put the top of the Petri dish on Petri dish). I then add enough RO water to just touch eggs. If the eggs are laid on a film canister, I scrap out the eggs and put them in a Petri dish and add water so it just touches the eggs. Finally, I put the Ziploc lid on and mark the top with species of frog egg.

Tadpoles

The tadpole will fill the egg and assume a C position. When the tadpole's tail is straight again, you know it has hatched. It is now time to take the tadpole out of the petri dish. I use a turkey baster to get the tadpoles out. I place the tadpoles individually in tadpole cups. I add 1"-3" of Reverse Osmosis water and a small piece of Java Moss. After a couple of days, I fill the cup up entirely. If you do not have a Reverse Osmosis System, I recommend that you use some of the water treatment products.

I feed my tadpoles a variety of tadpole foods. I feed once a week and I NEVER do water changes.

Once the tadpole sprouts front legs, I pour out all of the water, get rid of the java moss, and add an inch or so of Reverse Osmosis water back into the cup. I then use a dixie cup to prop up the cup. This creates a sloped area where the frogs can climb out. When I see a frog completely out of the water, I move the froglet into a froglet tub.

Froglets

Froglets get put into tubs in pairs. The tubs are a 190 oz container with sphagnum moss, some terrarium plants, and a film cannister. I seed all tubs with springtails so the froglets can have a variety of food. I feed all froglets every other day.

Poison Dart Frog Caresheet

About Poison Dart Frogs

Poison dart frogs are frogs of the Dendrobates group. These frogs are extremely poisonous in the wild, but loose much of their toxicity when kept in captivity due to the change in their diet. In the wild, the frogs eat ants that eat poisonous plants, while in captivity they don't get to eat these ants. These frogs range in adult size from 2 and half inches to some that never get bigger than your thumbnail! These frogs can enjoy a long life (there are reports of these frogs living for over 20 years in captivity). As long as a few things are kept in mind when you are planning the acquisition of your new pets, Poison Dart Frogs make great pets.

Housing

Poison Dart Frogs should be housed in what is called a Naturalistic Terrarium. A Naturalistic Terrarium is an aquarium that has been designed to create a tiny ecosystem. In this ecosystem, there are plants, soil, and a drainage layer to keep the soil from becoming completely saturated. This ecosystem creates a balance in which the animals waste is used by the plants. This balance creates an environment where the maintenance involves adding food for the frogs and cutting plants out as they grow. No removal of waste and/or tank cleaning is necessary!

The rule of thumb is that you should house one frog per five gallons of tank space. More space is always better than less space. Giving your frogs as much space as possible leads to healthier frogs, bolder frogs (you'll see them more in a bigger tank), and allows you more options when designing the terrarium.

Temperature and Humidity

Before you get frogs, you need a Temperature and Humidity Probe. This tool is a necessity. High temperatures and low humidity can kill a frog quickly. Your humidity should stay above 80% all the time and your temps should stay between 70 and 85 degrees. This is best accomplished in an all glass aquarium with a glass lid. Screen lids will be unable to maintain the correct humidity in the majority of setups. For the vast majority of setups, no heater will be needed as the lighting will create enough heat to keep the terrarium slightly above room temperature.

Feeding

Poison Dart Frogs eat fruit flies, springtails, rice flour beetles, phoenix worms, and other small bugs. Before you get your frogs, you need to start culturing their food items so you get the hang of it. There is nothing worse than not having enough food to feed your frogs. You will want to dust your bugs with a multi-vitamin and calcium supplement every other feeding.

How secure is JoshsFrogs.com?

I just had a customer question whether my site was secure or not because they didn't have the padlock icon on the bottom of their browser, so I thought with holiday season coming, I would write up a little bit about security and how you know a page you are looking at is secure.

JoshsFrogs.com uses the highest security available on the web today. The sad part is that not all sites go to the lengths that we have here to make sure your information stays secure.

First off, the lock icon has moved on your browser (if you are using firefox or IE 7). Security info is now next to the address bar at the top of the screen and the lock is bigger now. You can also right click on the page to get security info by clicking on "View Page Info" in Firefox and "Properties" in IE 7.

Secondly, secure pages begin with https: instead of http:. If you are being asked to login, enter in your address or credit card info, make sure the page begins with https:.

Thirdly, I highly recommend opening up a browser and typing in an address instead of relying on a link in an email. Because they could be doing this:

paypal.com

If you are on a page asking you to login or give your payment info and you don't see the padlock and the page begins with http: instead of https:, then it is best to move on.