# TheFrogRack's Frog Rack



## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Photo thread to update my frogs

My other thread specific to Super Blue Auratus
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/48513-super-blue-auratus.html

here are some blue truncs to get started


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

Beautiful!!! i love blue truncs. Are they shy?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

The tank is densely planted and has a pond along the front and I can see them anytime I look into the tank. They are not skittish and they will stay out in the open even when I open the tank lid. Similar to most auratus... not bold like a tinc, but I wouldn't call them shy.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I have 2.1 yellow truncatus


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## Nath514 (Jul 8, 2012)

Great shots! Love the one of the little guy calling.


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## varanoid (Jan 21, 2011)

I see frogs... but where's the rack? Come on out with it!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

El Cope auratus


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## soulis (Sep 7, 2012)

very cool pics and great looking frogs


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

more el cope auratus

my big fat calling male









female


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Here are my Turquoise and bronze auratus from the 2004 panamanian importation. My adults are F1 and I am producing a good number of F2 froglets



























I have even had a few froglets that appear to be melanistic!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

More Panama 04 turquoise and bronze.

The trio









Female #1









Female #2









Froglets


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

A nice shot of a super blue auratus female (melanistic)


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Some shots of a group of 6 adult capira auratus I recently acquired.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Blue trunc









Super blue


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## Tony83 (Nov 11, 2012)

frograck said:


> More Panama 04 turquoise and bronze.
> 
> 
> Female #2


Could you tell me the name of the vine in this photo?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

It is known as ficus sp. 'panama' and I have also seen it called ficus 'lance leaf.'

It is slow to get established and then grows slower than the common ficus pumilia.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Here is a pic of a male Green&White auratus F1 from sndf
He is still young, so the cream color should continue to lighten over time. 









Here are some F2 froglets.









Locality data is unknown. They are definitely Panamanian and were probably picked out of a large import based on phenotype. They certainly seem similar to, but not the same as, the camo auratus that have been in the hobby for a while. The camo auratus stay more brown than cream. My educated guess is that these come from an area near capira and are part of a variable population. my F2 froglets show some variablity.


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## cschub13 (Apr 27, 2011)

Gorgeous frogs, I love the green and whites.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Today was a snow day, so i got to stay home, play with my kids, and spend some extra time in the frogroom. 

here is another shot of a super blue auratus i posted earlier









from the top









and a different super blue









here are my two female Panama 04 Turquoise/bronze auratus wrestling. They get feisty every time one of them is ready to lay eggs, but otherwise they get along and are both healthy.









I recently bought two different groups of New River Tinc froglets so that in the future I can have an unrelated pair or two.









And here is a young female green and white auratus. Her colors are not as spectacular as the males, but she is still young and I'm sure there is a lot of variability in this morph.









Blue Truncatus hunting flies









I guess I have a thing for blue frogs...


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## goku (Nov 11, 2009)

really nice auratus man!! I had them for a lot of years and two years ago I changed a bit more to tincs, but i am kind of missing them, they where really active and strong frogs..watching your green and white makes me want to come back to the auratus side

greetings!


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## IEatBugs (May 15, 2012)

I dig the truncatus, good looking frogs. The second super blue has a really cool pattern, I like it a lot. Also, where did the new rivers come from? I am in need of a female.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I bought the new rivers from two dendrboard members who had ads for them in the classifieds during November. If you can wait that long, I'll let you now in a year if. Have a extra female from this group of 9.


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

frograck said:


> More Panama 04 turquoise and bronze.
> 
> The trio
> 
> ...


Whats that lush climber in the 1st 2 pix


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

frograck said:


> It is known as ficus sp. 'panama' and I have also seen it called ficus 'lance leaf.'
> 
> It is slow to get established and then grows slower than the common ficus pumilia.


Ficus 'panama'


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## IEatBugs (May 15, 2012)

frograck said:


> ...I'll let you now in a year...


Nope, I am not that patient


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

This is a 10 month old green and white auratus that has an amazing blue and brown swirl pattern on a tan/gray background. It will probably take a few years for the background color to lighten up to white, but this is such a cool frog!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

A nice D. Auratus 'capira.'


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Some of my tanks.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

great looking frogs...and I notice that you have them on the substrate that you are selling...wonderful, versatile stuff...


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Here is my froglet-rack.

I researched quite a few shelving and container options to find two affordable options that fit together while maximizing space. I came up with..
http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Or...Id=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051#.UPcu77-9Kc0
And
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/storage/totes?productId=10026213&N=71235

I used exoterra 18" light fixtures because I had them laying around, but I think DIY gutter fixtures and CFLs would work great.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

A few of the 46 quart watertight totes from the container store. 

These are fruitfly proof because they come with a foam gasket!

They are about 12 gallons in volume, but the floor space is about 280 square inches. A standard 10 gallon glass tank has a footprint of 200 square inches. I usually raise 10 froglets up to as much as 10 months old in these containers.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I use substrate foam and ABG mix in the bottom. There is no drainage and no misters. I hand mist and am careful not to soak the substrate. 


















For ventilation I use a 1 inch hole saw, the halves of a stainless mesh tea ball, and gorilla glue, the white kind not the yellow (for aesthetics).


















Function, Simplicity, and Affordability!


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## frogcrazy (Nov 23, 2004)

The second pic on the first page the vine would you happen to know the name? Love the blue truncs!!!!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

frogcrazy said:


> The second pic on the first page the vine would you happen to know the name? Love the blue truncs!!!!


Epiprenum Cebu blue. PM me if you want to buy some cuttings.


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## Spaff (Jan 8, 2011)

So what do you have growing out in those totes?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Right now I have el cope, super blue, panama turquoise, and green/white auratus growing out. Along with new river Tinc's and some banded leucs.


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## stevendart14 (Feb 21, 2005)

Hey frograck looks as though I may not be getting any auratus anytime soon. As soon as the weather clear up im thinking I want a 20lot of those auratus. Nice looking setups by the way


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## Dendrobati (Jul 27, 2012)

Interesting setup. With the opaque plastic containers, I’m assuming that you can’t see the frogs and the frogs can’t see you. Have you noticed any behavioral changes with this isolated environment for the frogs? Have they become increasingly timid when you feed or otherwise have to access their environment?

The setup is not right for me, but I’m curious of any effects this may on behavior, positive or negative.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Those containers are only for froglet grow-outs. All my adults are in glass tanks right now. 

When I pull the plastic containers off the shelf, open them up, and drop flies in, the froglets come right out to eat. I don't think the setup is making them shy or timid. If anything, they feel secure which lends itself to boldness.


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

Back to your substrate material...how can you use it to "carve" or manipulate it for a base with the soil like ABG above it..and can you just plant things on the soil and not worry about the plant roots rotting or something? If you wanted to have a sort of water feature, how would you use that substrate foam?? Love the frogs, ....


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Hey Judy,
I do use the foam, with ABG mix directly over it and I allow plants to freely do their thing with no worry of roots rotting etc... The foam provides good air Cato the roots and substrate to avoid anaerobic conditions, and there is so much surface area in the foam for bacteria to take care of things like decomposition in a natural and balanced way.

The foam can be carved with a sharp serrated knife. I use a hot-wire cutter. I purchased an industrial one at a considerable expense. A home-made one for styrofoam does not get hot enough to cut the substrate foam. If anyone does go this route please do so with common-sense, caution, and good ventilation as it burns off some of the material as fumes. 

I don't have any water features personally, but I'm sure the substrate foam will work great because it drains fast and does not wick water, so managing the flow of water in the viv will be easier.


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## Reef_Haven (Jan 19, 2011)

Do you still have the melanistic auratus? It would be interesting to see an updated photo.


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## GINT (Nov 22, 2007)

How many el cope or blue auratus you have available and how much you asking? thanks


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I try to keep availability up to date at TheFrogRack - Home

I currently have 6 el cope availible that are 2 months ootw... I won't ship them until they are 3 months old... So early march.

I have about 2 dozen super blue auratus growing out. From 1-4 months ootw. Again, I'd only ship froglets that are 3 months old.


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## konton (Nov 17, 2010)

frograck said:


> For ventilation I use a 1 inch hole saw, the halves of a stainless mesh tea ball, and gorilla glue, the white kind not the yellow (for aesthetics).


I just wanted to tell you that your plastic tanks are an inspiration. I happen to be moving in the future so I thought I'd make a few of my own for when that happens. However I also found these for venting:



2" Round Open Screen Black Aluminum Louver with Insect Screen and 4 Aluminum Tabs (Priced Per Bag of 6). Item# 2" RSTBL-100 - VentMyHouse.com

I thought I'd share. I'm actually going to try something a little different, but these seems like the cheapest way to go and no need for the DIY look.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Here is a tank-raised green and white auratus froglet. The pair must have snuck a clutch by me.









And I just got a group of neurergus strauchii!


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## Toxic (Jul 9, 2012)

I just bought a ficus sp panama. I was wondering does is grow on the cork background? also where did you buy the cork?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Yes ficus sp. panama grows well on the cork tile. The clippings took months to establish, but once it decides to start putting on new growth it does really well. it's just about pushing the lid up in this tank










The cork tiles are here
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000HJB9OK


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I just bought my first house! It is a great place for my family and I. It has two large finished rooms in the basement and a third unfinished 350sq/ft room that I will make into a frog room!!!!!

Here are my frogs in the new house









Here is the soon-to-be frog room


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## Toxic (Jul 9, 2012)

wow nice! i would love to turn a baseman into a frog room, but i live in a flood zone :/


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

New package arrived today.









And settled upon a setup for the future frog room.









11'x15' room, insulated and heated for darts, and 9'x15' unheated storage area with a rack for newts and for cycling mantella. 

It won't be ready real soon because I agreed with my wife that I would first renovate the bathroom before starting on the frog room.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Gravid female blue truncatus. Fingers crossed for good eggs.









And a male


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## IEatBugs (May 15, 2012)

You might have to put me on the list for those!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

The frogs were particularly cooperative this morning while I stuck my iPhone into their vivs...

Super blue auratus

























Yellow truncatus

















Banded leucomelas. I think I have 5 big fat females, so if you want to sell or trade a male, please contact me! But at least they are photogenic!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

New River Tinc froglets at feeding time.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

This is a melanistic autatus froglet from my frogfarm line turquoise & bronze trio.









With flash









And a normal turquoise & bronze froglet


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Super blues waiting for flies this morning. 
In the morning, when they are hungry, they are very bold. In this pic, I opened the door and stuck the camera 3 inches from them. I net they were disappointed when I closed the door without adding flies.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Caught these two in the act on a bromeliad leaf. The male is actively fertilizing this minutes old clutch in this picture. I took it through the glass b/c I didn't want to inturrupt.


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## frogwatcher (May 9, 2013)

Great lookingg frogs. I like the fat little guy.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

video tour of TheFrogRack


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## frogwatcher (May 9, 2013)

I love your super blues there patterns are great.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Yay! My first blue truncatus froglet!


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Hey congrats. Those and superblues are at the top of my list once I find a job 

Oh how is this frog doing...









Curious what it looks like now?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Tough to get a shot of her this morning, but here she is. She has begun to lay eggs recently since I found a male for her. A dozen tadpoles in the water!


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

frograck said:


> Tough to get a shot of her this morning, but here she is. She has begun to lay eggs recently since I found a male for her. A dozen tadpoles in the water!


Cool, hopefully I'll be able to hit you or someone else up by the end of the year. 5 job interviews in the last 2 weeks, hopefully one pans out


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

One of my female super blues. There is an older picture of her in this thread, and now this one shows how the pattern had changed with age.









And here is one of my SNDF capira auratus froglets. I only got 11 froglets from my group this year. They are not as prolific as other morphs, and I havent figured out their breeding triggers. Other keepers have had similar experiences.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

frograck said:


> One of my female super blues. There is an older picture of her in this thread, and now this one shows how the pattern had changed with age.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

These green and white auratus have been laying eggs lately. Everything else in the frog room has stopped breeding. 

















Just a cruddy pic of golden auratus


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

frograck said:


> These green and white auratus have been laying eggs lately. Everything else in the frog room has stopped breeding.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those green/white are pretty cool. Are they some weird looking super blues or are they the green bronze morph, or another morph? Put me on the list!... Dang I wish my new job would start. I need frog money!

How are your blue trunc froglets doing?


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## goof901 (Jan 9, 2012)

frograck said:


> These green and white auratus have been laying eggs lately. Everything else in the frog room has stopped breeding.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wait, golden auratus exist??!?!?!?! Since when?


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

goof901 said:


> Wait, golden auratus exist??!?!?!?! Since when?


Since recently

I believe Tesoros de Colombia works with them. I'm not sure if there have been any previous sources for them though...


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

FroggyKnight said:


> Since recently
> 
> I believe Tesoros de Colombia works with them. I'm not sure if there have been any previous sources for them though...


Actually Tesoros's yellow auratus are these (I think)...








Which I guess look kinda yellow sometimes in some light conditions, but the one in frograck's pic I believe is a golden auratus which sean stewart works with and has release in limited numbers for awhile.


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

Dendro Dave said:


> Actually Tesoros's yellow auratus are these...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ahhhh, that makes sense! I've heard how tesoros' auratus often appear different from what the name describes. I always get the golden and yellow morphs mixed up…

Thanks for the enlightenment


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

We don't know much about the origin of the green and whites. They are from Marcus at SNDF, were imported in 2009, and come from panama. It is not clear what morph they are or where in the wild they come from, although Marcus had told people that he believed they came from around Chagres National Park. My adults are F1 and not I have about a dozen F2 tadpoles in the water. 

The golden auratus are the ones that Sean Stewart sells. He got his from Frank Steinman (in Europe). Very little is known about the origin of this morph.


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## eos (Dec 6, 2008)

Not sure how I JUST stumbled upon this thread... but I'm glad I did. Great looking frogs.. never been a real fan of auratus, but you've got some lookers!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Good morning capira auratus. Climbing the walls first thing in the morning waiting for me to open the lid and dump in some flies.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Times 23.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Haven't posted pics of my yellow galacts and orange galacts

















Here are a few updated shots of a few of my super blue breeders

















A turquoise and bronze









My new river tincs are growing well, almost a year and a half old. 









A nice green and white auratus froglet from ieatbugs, to add to the others I have from SNDF.


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## Giga (Mar 31, 2011)

I vote more pics of the orange galacs!


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

That new river is stunning! I really enjoy the crisp defined pattern


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## Adam R (Jun 26, 2013)

your super blues look awesome, im in the process of building a tank so a pair right now


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

My helper


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Capira froglets waiting to be fed.


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## my4dogs (Feb 26, 2008)

Nice frogs...wish I had a collection like that.


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## nate_88 (Dec 3, 2013)

Definitely a lot of aurutus

King N8 88


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Yellow galacts finally move out of their grow out tub and into a 20g thanks to the $1 sale.


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## Toxic (Jul 9, 2012)

Nice viv! What would we do without that $1 sale?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Green and white auratus froglets a few days out of the water.

























These are the offspring if this male 








And this female


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)




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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Caudates are cool!









So to celebrate, I'm adding some more species of caudates to the frograck.

Cynops pyrrhogaster 'kanto'

























I think that these Japanese newts are the caudate equivalent to Costa Rican auratus. For two decades they were a wild collected mass import of cheap pet store amphibians that thousands of people must have bought, but once the imports dried up, they nearly disappeared. Nowadays, cynops orientalis from china has taken the role of cheap under appreciated imports. Thankfully for a handful of dedicated hobbyists, captive born pyrrhogaster 'kanto' are still around. And I plan to do my part with this new 1.2 group.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

This male is entering into breeding condition. He is developing a blueish sheen, a filament at the tip of his tail, he is chasing the girls around and tail fanning at them!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Decided to take my 9 new river tincs out of their grow out tubs to sex them and pair them up. They are 14 months old. I think I got 3 pairs and 3 extra males. 

Females?

























Males?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

This is an F1 young adult green and white auratus from Dustin Yates pair. I hope I have both sexes and that my group starts breeding this season. Like many auratus, the bronze color will continue to lighten for a few years.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Now that the New River tincs are settled in, I've got my first Tinc eggs. Looks like this girl was really ready to start laying!!! That's 12 fertile eggs, first try!









And a random shot of a green and white auratus froglet.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

frograck said:


> Now that the New River tincs are settled in, I've got my first Tinc eggs. Looks like this girl was really ready to start laying!!! That's 12 fertile eggs, first try!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Any luck with the Green and whites? ...your blue truncs breeding yet?

I finally got a job and in a few more paychecks should be able to afford some frogs so let me know if you have any of the above frogs and some superblues available


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Re: Blue truncs...
In 2013 the blue trunc group bred regularly but almost always gave me bad eggs. only a few clutches were good... I got 6 tads, which only resulted in 2 froglets, and one fo those guys was a runt that failed to thrive. That leaves me with just one little guy, he is 4 months ootw and going strong.

Re: superblues...
I currently have 17 3 month olds and 12 9 month olds.

Re: green & white
I have 12 froglets that are 2-3 month ootw, but I will be growing them up to 6 months before offering them for sale. I want to be sure they are big and strong before sending them out. I currently have 19 tads in the water, and get a clutch of 4-6 every week. 

I'll try to add more pics this week.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Some recent shot of super blue auratus froglets.

















Here is my lone blue trunc froglet. 








The adult group of 5 is still doing just fine. I hope 2014 is a better year for them. 
My whole frog room has been cooled for the season from November through February, and misting was cut back. Since March 1 I've warmed things up, misted daily, and have been feeding heavily. Everything is calling, and like the new river tincs, a few frogs have begun laying.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

frograck said:


> Some recent shot of super blue auratus froglets.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Rad... I'll be in touch when a couple more paychecks pile up. Still recovering from that long stint of unemployment. Feel free to PM me a reminder though in a few weeks or so


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I keep my juvenile neurergus kaiseri terrestrially in the frogroom. They are in simple setups with substrate, cork bark, and a water dish. Lately I've been feeding them a lot of lesser wax worms, and this guy is showing his fat belly. These are slim newts that really can't get 'fat' the way that our chubby dart frogs can when they are well fed.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

frograck said:


> Green and white auratus froglets a few days out of the water.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


And here are those froglets 4 months later... Packing them up to ship to their new home.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

This last frog has a wondeful pattern!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

yeah, that little reticulated guy is only a month old. I can't wait to see how that pattern develops!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I'm always happy to get a good photo of these green/whites. This male is the king of the coco hut and has been helping give a fertile clutch each week.









And I am just thrilled with these new additions!


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## whitethumb (Feb 5, 2011)

nice fire


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## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

Just stopping by and saying i love your set up! I am a college student so i do a lot of moving so i am thinking about housing my future darts in the same plastic tubs you have until i have the money and a permanent home for more than 8 months to get them some nice exos. I also keep Neurergus Kaiseri and was just wondering if you could maybe post a few pics of your newt tanks? How is your success with breeding them?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I haven't bred any newts yet, they are all still growing. Maybe in 2015. I'll try to get some setup pics ASAP.


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## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

Thx! I currently just have my 3 Neurergus Kaiseri in a 15 gallon with no substrate and just some big smooth river rocks, few fake plants, driftwood, and java moss. They are yr old when i got them in march and still not sure on the sexes. Do you keep yours aquatic or switch them to land during the summer?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

All my newts are young and terrestrial. I will eventually set them up aquatically. They are in ventilated plastic tubs with water dish, a plastic lid to put worms and waxworms on (they also get crickets) and cork bark hides. The neurergus are on fit bark and coco coir. The cynops and salamandra are on sphagnum and coir. The newts get fed 3 times a week. The salamandra just once or twice. 

Cynops ensicauda popei 









Neurergus kaiseri









Neurergus strauchi









S.s.terrestris red solling









S.s.terrestris yellow solling


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Any more action with the blue truncs? 

Oh and save me some super blue and white auratus, if I don't hit you up by the end of this month I should have more frog money in July


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

The blue truncatus are breeding and laying well again this year, but nearly all clutches are infertile or spoil after a few days of development. I think I'll order some fresh rephasy vitamin A+ as that has helped some of my other breeders with fertility issues. I do have 4 healthy tadpoles in the water.

Ill have some nice frogs for you Dave.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Moved my group of 4 into a new Viv today. They are 15 months old and I'm hoping they will start courting soon.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Green and white. 6-month old froglet.









Golden auratus


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## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

Hey just wondering how your newts and salamanders are doing? Was curious where you purchased yours?


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## Mohlerbear (Feb 20, 2014)

^^ me too! Love salamanders!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Drewbacca (Apr 5, 2014)

Those salamanders are stunning! Also, how are your new river doing? And do you have any of their offspring available?


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## goncalo (Jun 28, 2010)

Great collection by the way ! Can you show closer photos of the horizontal aquariums, size and what is housed inside ? I´m planing some terrarium like those i would like to see some ideas.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Here are my cynops phyrrogaster 'kanto' in their 20 gallon tank. Simple setup, no substrate, a cave hide, a ledge haul out, elodea, duckweed, and a spong filter. They eat earthworms, waxworms, bloodworms, and pellets.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Green/white auratus. Bad lighting in this shot, under light the cream color is lighter and the pattern is bright turquoise. 









Highland bronze









New river









Panama farm raised 2004 turquoise/bronze. Doing my part to keep this line going in the hobby. This line does not share blood with the Shrom or Nabors lines that are so common in the hobby.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Salamandra s. terrestris 'solling red and yellow'
I'm pretty proud of this salamandra tub I built. It is a large black plastic concrete mixing tub from lowes. Around the top perimeter I used aluminum L channel to create a lip, and then a 2-part hinged screen top nests securely. The mesh lid uses the typical aluminum screen window construction material. 
Inside is simply sphagnum, water bowl, cork. I plan to add leaf litter and a more forest mix oriented substrate. They eat earthworms, crickets, slugs, woodlice, and waxworms. The day that these deposit larvae will be the absolute pinnacle of my amphibian hobby.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Okay, dug into the green&white auratus tank and did the best I could to get photos.

































Also some mebalo

















And some of my breeder super blues

















Overgrown tank!


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

JAILBREAK!! That creeping fig seriously wants out of there, I guess it doesn't like it in there 

Do you have any frogs in there? I would be very careful of any fauna escaping (that flora has already done that) 

John


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## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

Love your salamanders they are amazing! Where did the red one come from? How are your kaiseri doing?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I got the red terrestris when I saw it pop up on faunaclassifieds a few months ago. 
The kaiseri are doing well. I'm building aquariums this week so that the kaiseri, strauchii, and cynops ensicauda can go aquatic. 



whiteblaze11 said:


> Love your salamanders they are amazing! Where did the red one come from? How are your kaiseri doing?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

The creeping fig is coming up through screen mesh. The tank is still secure for frogs. Although I wouldn't put it past creeping fig to co promise the structural integrity of a lid. 




FroggyKnight said:


> JAILBREAK!! That creeping fig seriously wants out of there, I guess it doesn't like it in there
> 
> Do you have any frogs in there? I would be very careful of any fauna escaping (that flora has already done that)
> 
> John


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I got a half decent pic of the golden auratus today, and then discovered their very first clutch of eggs!!!

















And one of only a handful of blue truncated froglets. These guys are sooo disappointing to keep because it's just one bad clutch after another. But I love Em anyway.


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

Those auratus are amazing! How often do you see them?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I see all my auratus Everytime I look into their tanks and especially at feeding time. My tanks are well planted with lots of cover to make them feel secure, fut not so dense that I can't see into the tanks. Some morphs are particularly shy, but those that I am currently keeping are not so.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Highland bronze auratus. 









Green & white auratus









Similar, but different.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

My strauchi are aquatic. I'll feed heavily for another month, and then move then into the cool room if the basement to start conditioning them to breed. Although the males have developed a blue sheen and I've seen them tail waving! 








Eating his shed skin.


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## susanjump (Nov 24, 2014)

frograck said:


> Here is a pic of a male Green&White auratus F1 from sndf
> He is still young, so the cream color should continue to lighten over time.
> 
> 
> ...


Loooove the one with the Big Banding. And, the F1's banding. the ones that look less reticulated.


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## susanjump (Nov 24, 2014)

frograck said:


> Today was a snow day, so i got to stay home, play with my kids, and spend some extra time in the frogroom.
> 
> here is another shot of a super blue auratus i posted earlier
> 
> ...


Pretty Girl


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## susanjump (Nov 24, 2014)

frograck said:


> This is a 10 month old green and white auratus that has an amazing blue and brown swirl pattern on a tan/gray background. It will probably take a few years for the background color to lighten up to white, but this is such a cool frog!


He's gorgeous!


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## susanjump (Nov 24, 2014)

frograck said:


> I use substrate foam and ABG mix in the bottom. There is no drainage and no misters. I hand mist and am careful not to soak the substrate.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Do Springtails fare pretty well with this system?
I would think they would do alright especially as it matures.


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## ChrisAZ (Sep 6, 2012)

frograck said:


> I use substrate foam and ABG mix in the bottom. There is no drainage and no misters. I hand mist and am careful not to soak the substrate.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm considering using some of your ideas and have some questions. Exactly what kind of foam is this, how thick is it and where can it be purchased? Also, how thick of a layer of ABG are you using? Would you do anything differently?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Substrate Foam - TheFrogRack Has all the details about the foam. You can find some on eBay cut to be used as fish tank filters. I no longer stock the sizes cut to fit vivariums. 

I wouldn't/don't do anything differently. This is still my ideal substrate setup. I personally use very little ABG mix, but that is because I don't use many terrestrial plants. I view the substrate as a living biological sponge to take care of frog poop and for microfarad to live in. I do use plenty of leaf litter for the frogs sake.


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## susanjump (Nov 24, 2014)

I'm getting close to finishing my 20L using this foam method. Although I did opt to use the coarse PPI with a 30 ppi in the center section simply because I did not have more of the coarse on hand.

Using NE Herps guide on the planting.

Waiting for my springtails to show signs of life. Fruit flies producing and throwing them away. 

The cork bark on the background is drying as we speak, need to fill in tomorrow.

ordered no seeum screen and another diamond hole saw, a 2" one for the vent screens.

Need to have a piece of glass cut to replace the plastic filler that came with the glass lid. 

That's about it.

I did add a bulkhead drain I was unable to find a 1/4" one and saw for it. I did see mist king's but, did not like it.

Many Thanks to Frog Rack for his love of auratus & his patience with me

Looking forward to the shipment when the time is right.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Been a while since I dumped pics here...


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## topher (Oct 9, 2013)

Awesome collection there.. Those golden auratus are seriously cool looking frogs! Congrats on eggs!


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## whiteblaze11 (May 23, 2010)

Was wondering how your collection of Newts and Salamanders are doing?


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

The Neurergus Strauchii and Cynops pyrhogaster 'kanto' bred this year and I'm raising larvae. the others are just enjoying all the worms I can find in my garden.

I have golden auratus froglets and tadpoles, as well as lots of green and white tadpoles. My golden mantella are clearly graviud with lots of eggs... any day now!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

I've sold a bunch of these... But photo dump anyway...


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)




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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Golden auratus froglet!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)




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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

I love it! Your collection is inspirational


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Here are a few recent pictures... I'll be downsizing big time in 2016. Down to just 2 tanks of frogs and two types of caudates. I'm building an off-grid house and starting a farm on a large acerage we bought here in Maine. For now I have very little time for the frogs since I'm spending all my free time working on the land. And once the house is built I won't have a frog room.


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

Being an auratus fan, I always get excited to see you've updated here. Sad to see your collection go, but your new life adventure sounds really amazing. I wish you the best.


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## in2Diy (Dec 15, 2014)

frograck said:


> Here are a few recent pictures... I'll be downsizing big time in 2016. Down to just 2 tanks of frogs and two types of caudates. I'm building an off-grid house and starting a farm on a large acerage we bought here in Maine. For now I have very little time for the frogs since I'm spending all my free time working on the land. And once the house is built I won't have a frog room.


Need that last little guy in my life haha

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Get them while you can, federal newt and salamander van goes into effect January 28! That guy is neurergus strauchii


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