# 24x18x18 exo terra first dart frog terrarium



## slothbin (Apr 17, 2021)

hi all,

posted below are the pictures of my first ever attempted dart frog enclosure. I hope to get some feedback from the community. I did the custom background route, at least to the best of my ability. The plant selection was not ideal but I did the best I could as a first timer. I ended up putting in 5 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Citronella' 's in the enclosure. Almost all of the wood i used was Malaysian driftwood. The reason I'm posting is for some critical feedback. Is there anything I should have done different. Does anyone have any suggestions I could implement to improve the enclosure.

Thank you and much appreciated. I apologize I do not have step by step photos. This process to get to a finished(at least i think its finished) enclosure has been much more work than I could have imagined when i purchased the "complete dart frog kit". Thank you and please leave some feedback










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## slothbin (Apr 17, 2021)

I have not added much leaf litter. Is this a problem ?


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## SimonL (Aug 29, 2020)

Looks like it should grow in nicely. Replace the moss with lots of leaf litter. Moss is not good for frogs as it can hold too much moisture and ultimately cause foot rot. 

I also wonder if a 24” is a bit too small for 5 tincs. I think most people would house a couple or maybe 3 in there. 


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## SimonL (Aug 29, 2020)

Also it’s not clear how the substrate is setup?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

My recommendations:
Remove the moss on top of the substrate, replace with a thick layer of leaf litter

It's ALMOST NEVER recommended to keep _Dendrobates tinctorius_ in more than a pair, let alone keeping 5 in a tank this size.


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## slothbin (Apr 17, 2021)

Dang thank you guys for the feedback. I loved the look of the moss but if it can cause foot rot then i will have to remove it. So 5 tincs in that size tank is too many ?


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## slothbin (Apr 17, 2021)

Also could i put the leaf litter on top of the moss or should i just remove the moss completely ?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

slothbin said:


> Also could i put the leaf litter on top of the moss or should i just remove the moss completely ?


Remove the moss.


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## Vargoje3 (Oct 5, 2020)

I think you can keep 5 tincs as froglets, but as they get larger you will have to separate into 1.1 pairs or trade/sell your extras.


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## hansgruber7 (Mar 23, 2020)

Yes, I agree, replace moss with leaf litter and I think two frogs would be ideal for that space. Five is a lot. Otherwise, it looks nice.


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## slothbin (Apr 17, 2021)

The moss looks so nice i hae to take it all out. I thought moss was plentiful in the jungle ?


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## fishingguy12345 (Apr 7, 2019)

slothbin said:


> The moss looks so nice i hae to take it all out. I thought moss was plentiful in the jungle ?


Plentiful on logs, tree trunks, etc.... not so plentiful on the forest floor where the frogs inhabit.


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## slothbin (Apr 17, 2021)

Here is a shot of the build in the beginning stage.


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

Everything @ fishingguy12345 said.. 

Btw it should never be about how many frogs can fit a tank, but how you design a tank for a species of frogs that live up to 30 years when talen correct care for. You could easely pile up a 5 or even 100 frogs in a tank, but the result will always be the same..

In the longrong, Tinctorius can olny be kept succesfully in pairs or at max 2.1 since these are very territorial frogs at adult age. Normaly Tinctorius have about 3-10m² territory, which can never be recreated in captivity.. 

Moss is never a good substrate for any species of pdf.
To give you an idea of Tinctorius in situ :









In situ/in the wild videos and photos thread!


I'd like this thread to be a place where we can link to videos and pictures of Dendrobatids in their natural habitat. The more we study the environments to which our frogs are adapted, and their behaviors in those environments, the more able we are to provide those conditions in captivity...




www.dendroboard.com


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## slothbin (Apr 17, 2021)

hey guys trying to take all the great advice here. So i got some oak leaf litter and have done my best to get rid of the moss which is not on logs or branches, or anything of the like. I spread the oak leaf litter across the floor of the terrarium although i do have a layer of sphagnum moss under the leaf litter. My substrate layering is as follows. I completely followed the basics of josh's frogs guides. I have the clay false bottom, followed by a substrate barrier, then the ABG mix, followed by a layer of sphagnum as josh's frogs suggests. I am a complete beginner so please be kind. I thought... that 5 tincs would be okay based on the dart frog kit i purchased from josh's frogs. However from listening to others it appears 5 tincs is one too many. I decided to go to a reptile expo and hope that maybe there I can trade 2 or 3 tincs or maybe just give them away to someone. Not sure what to do at the moment. Here are a few shots with the removed moss and added leaf litter.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

slothbin said:


> I decided to go to a reptile expo and hope that maybe there I can trade 2 or 3 tincs


Many expos do not allow carry in animals. Check on that before you attend. Also, I don't know of any quality vendors who would even listen to trade offers from random people at a show, if that's what you had in mind.


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## thedudeabides (Mar 3, 2015)

It looked like your tincs are pretty young from the photos. As suggested above you can keep 5 in there while they are still froglets. I would advise against getting rid of them at this stage. I would wait until they can be sexed then move or trade the frogs so that you have a pair or a 2.1 trio. 

If you get rid of the frogs now you could end up with 2 or 3 females then you will have to further whittle down till you have a single frog. Keeping the 5 frogs until they can be sexed you will have a much better chance of getting a pair. That being said you will definitely have to keep an eye out for any aggression once they start to reach sexual maturity.


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