# Natural Dart Frog Enclosure



## Krenshaw22 (Apr 21, 2011)

Hey my name is Brian and I'm just now venturing into the amphibian area. I have have exsperiance with coral reef setups and freshwater plants if the background of providing nutrients to the soil and lighting requirements for the plants. I was wondering if anyone can help me lay out a 20 gallon long natural dart frog enclose step by step and other people can use this process also.
1) the false bottom- what do I need to do for a nice functional one.
2) the great stuff and silicone background- use for tank depth and hold driftwood and potted plants.
3) tank subtrate- what do I need to do after I lay the screen on top of the gravel.
4) humidity control- should I envest with a Mister or just spray a mist of water every few days
5) tank lid- I have a nice wood canopy for my old saltwater set up on this tank. What can I do to make it frog and tropical weather prove or should I go with glass.
6) plants- what will best go with setup and I would like one bromiliad and one orchid if possible.
7) lighting- would a power compact be too much and should I just stick with regular flourescent lighting.
8) frogs-I've narrowed my list down to three species of frogs. Dendrobates leucomeas, blue and black Dendrobates auratus, and finally green and black Dendrobates auratus. Which would you prefer for my setup.
I hope someone can help me out. I'm so exhausted from all the research. Thanks guys brian


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## motydesign (Feb 27, 2011)

Krenshaw22 said:


> 1) the false bottom- what do I need to do for a nice functional one.  view the costruction threads, find at lowes called egg crete or light difuser, topped with either fiberglass screen or weedblock
> 2) the great stuff and silicone background- use for tank depth and hold driftwood and potted plants.whats the question? yes thats the materials
> 
> 3) tank subtrate- what do I need to do after I lay the screen on top of the gravel.you mean gravel ontop of screen? then search ABG mix and a leaf litter of some sort
> ...


the lecs will be the winner for you as they are a more social creature and most wont suggest over a 2.1 population in your tank of the other two


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## freaky_tah (Jan 21, 2009)

First off, welcome to the board.  
Yes, there is a lot of reasearch to be done when starting a tank (just like reef tanks I'm sure), but I don't know how many people have the time to walk you through step by step. There are literally hundreds of construction journals available on this forum and you will find that pretty much every question you have has already been answered multiple times. 

Just use the search function.

I can answer a few for you. Don't use gravel for a false bottom. Use egg crate or hydroton. Tons of info on both here.

Buy a hand mister. There is no need for a mist system if you only have one tank. Plus they're expensive.

Use an all glass top (you can make it yourself), with a screen portion for ventilation. Grimm has an excellent tutorial for this on here. (search "living hinge")

There are tons of bromeliad threads in the plant section, choose the ones you like.


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## PeanutbuttER (Jan 1, 2011)

You should check out Azureus too. They're another great frog to start with


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## Krenshaw22 (Apr 21, 2011)

Thanks for the help freaky_tah and motydesign and thanks for the welcome I will be searching more.


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## erlese (Jun 11, 2008)

Hi Brian.

I have been in the Hobby for about 3 years ( March 2008) but recently jumped in ( physically like you.

my experience for beginners is this!! 

False bottom Should be covered with either Weed Blocker ( weed Blocker is BETTER or Screen ( like the ones they use for doors. You can find them at home depot. I find that that a false bottom works so much better if you are deciding on a water feature!!!) 

( depending on the size of the tank) You need 1 " tall PVC piping underneath to provide support ( because the floor of the false bottom will bend on account of too much weight if you do not) ** make sure you notch the bottom of the PVC pipe ( to allow a small opening ) so water can escape so the water inside doesnt stay stale

I think a Mister is way over rated ( if your just going with a 20 Gallon tank) Long. I would make sure to get a glass top to cover the entire top area ( to keep the humidity in )

the frogs you chose are perfect for beginners!!!

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU GO TO aaafrogs HE WILL HOOK YOU UP!!! he has customs lighting for 20 gallons... EVERYTHING!!!! tell him David Recommended you !!! 

Seriously!!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

You may also want to research fruit fly proofing... that is unless you like the escapees walking everywhere. As a substrate clay is also a good option. 

Ed


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