# Ranitomeya fantastica tank



## Troh1916 (Aug 3, 2013)

I was reading up on the Ranitomeya fantastica and most say it is an advanced frog to keep, but what exactly makes it difficult to keep? I currently have a 18x18x24 exo terra tank, with a work in progress foam background. I will be filling it with bromeliads and vining plants. The waterfall needs to flow into the false bottom to get to the pump, so how should I go about that? I had an idea but more of the bottom would be taken up than I want, meaning the space the frog is in would be shorter. The only other thing I am confused is lighting. What kind of lighting does the fantastica need need?


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## CAPTAIN RON (Mar 29, 2010)

They are not that difficult to keep,but are rather shy,and extremely fast.They are also a bit pricey,but worth it! Led lighting,or t-5 fluorescent is good to grow the plants,the frogs do not really need much more than just ambient light.Skip the waterfall,they are not needed,and cause more problems than their worth! Good luck!


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## Tincman (Jan 18, 2013)

Fants can be a shy frog most of the time, but that can be said of many Ranitomeya like Benedicta ect.. (Especially until they get used to a new Viv) You want to provide hides as well as a complete bed of leaf litter for them to feel secure.. Ideally build some Film Canisters into the background also.. An 18 X 24 Exo is a large Viv(A trio would be hard top spot in there) & you may not get many good looks at the frogs until they are comfortable. That could be the only difficult part of keeping a shy thumb in a large Vivaria(especially for a keeper that doest know exactly how much to feed & may not yet have the eye for a stressed or frog losing weight act), you may not notice if for example you are not feeding enough & a lesser dominant frog is getting bullied or not eating as much with them if they hide a lot & are always under litter. Also if you don't have thumbnail experience you really can't appreciate how small the frogs are by comparison to Tincs & Auratus & so forth. If you are getting very young Fants you should have the Vivaria Seeded with Springtails before adding the frogs.. This will provide a constant food source which is very helpful considering the size of your tank, especially & the likelihood that the flies may not be eaten proportionally & you won't be able to monitor them with them hiding most of the time. Im not meaning to make them sound difficult, (they're not), but for the sake of providing any potentially helpful info Im writing this under the assumption that you have minimal experience with Ranitomeya or frogs in general? IM sure you will get more targeted advice within minutes from other members also. I feel when people say that certain Frogs are not for beginners or they're intermediate to keep, theyre are just cautioning hobbyists that have little experience with frogs & trying to steer them towards species like Auratus or Leucs that may be more suited for a beginner being that they get along better in groups & are usually visible in the Vivaria.. With all this being said I have heard of people having bold CV Fants & to be honest with you as long as you keep the frogs humid, don't let them get to warm & dust flies with Repashy Cal plus as an all in one supplement, you should be fine.. I find frogs to all be pretty easy once you have the basic essentials down & learn how to tailor each environment for the species inhabiting it. Oh I almost forgot. THe Waterfall is something I have gone away form over the years.. About 7 years ago I created a waterfall for a pair of tincs…THey did just fine with it, but as soon as the pump died the frogs bred & seemed to feel more comfortable.. It could just be a coincidence, but I feel that with stuff like that its more for us then the frogs.. Its really just my opinion & Im sure many guys have beautiful water features & frogs thriving.. I just wanted to share my experience with it with you. Good luck & post some pics of the Viv when you're done man!


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## Tincman (Jan 18, 2013)

CAPTAIN RON said:


> They are not that difficult to keep,but are rather shy,and extremely fast.They are also a bit pricey,but worth it! Led lighting,or t-5 fluorescent is good to grow the plants,the frogs do not really need much more than just ambient light.Skip the waterfall,they are not needed,and cause more problems than their worth! Good luck!


Yeah seriously they may be one of the fastest frogs Ive ever seen! Good that you mentioned this because if caution isn't exercised when putting them into a Viv they can hop out on you & go for a crack in your molding & be gone if you don't catch them quickly!


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## Troh1916 (Aug 3, 2013)

Thanks for the help guys! I now know to save the waterfall for when i am more experienced. You probably save me some headaches!


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## whitethumb (Feb 5, 2011)

my white bandeds are super bold, i see them all the time. my bennies are shy but i usually see one or two every day. it helps to have a feeding station so your frogs migrate there. my bennies are crazy fast but my white bandeds aren't so much.


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## rigel10 (Jun 1, 2012)

Fantasticas (Lowland or white banded) are definitely in my whishlist. But I know that they are quite shy, compared for example to imitator.
If they are your first frogs you may be disappointed because it can happen that you do not see hardly ever. It is better, as first frogs, frogs more bold.
I'll give you a personal example: I have several pums, among them I have Punta Clara, the fastest and the most shy of all my frogs. Rarely I see them.
If they were my first pums, for sure I would have been very disappointed and I would have had a different idea (perhaps misguided) of pums.
In conclusion: better, as first frogs, frogs bolder than fants.


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## Troh1916 (Aug 3, 2013)

I was actually thinking it over last night. I am not building a vivarium to look at plants! Ive heard imitators are booder. Is this correct?


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## Brian317 (Feb 11, 2011)

My copperhead Fantastica I see out daily, but they are FAST! Best reference I can come up with is popcorn popping, as they just jump and fling their little bodies around 

Imis are quite bold and think that would be a better first "thumbnail" frog for you in my eyes. Varadero, Tarapoto....even Variabilis would be a good option!


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

I think vanzolinii would make an equally good choice for first thumbnail


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

frogparty said:


> I think vanzolinii would make an equally good choice for first thumbnail





Brian317 said:


> My copperhead Fantastica I see out daily, but they are FAST! Best reference I can come up with is popcorn popping, as they just jump and fling their little bodies around \
> \
> Imis are quite bold and think that would be a better first "thumbnail" frog for you in my eyes. Varadero, Tarapoto....even Variabilis would be a good option!


Dang it! You guys beat me to it!

Vanzos are a personal favorite of mine and are very bold in my tanks. Its impossible to spook one of my females, she will just get more curious. Imitators are also a very good beginner thumb and I highly recommend them to anyone, beginner or expert. 

Variabilis is another great species that I just FINALLY picked up this morning. Mine are exceptionally bold and much prettier than I expected (I expected a lot). They have become an instant favorate of mine and they have only beed in my house for a few hours

Good luck!


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

I see all of my White Banded and Cainarachi fantastica, daily. I agree, they are fast, flighty, and easily disturbed, but that makes seeing them that much more enjoyable. My $.02, at least


EDIT: I believe the reason I see them all daily is because I use a lot of leaf litter (4-5"+) and have heavily planted vivs


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## CAPTAIN RON (Mar 29, 2010)

Yeah,my imitators are very bold/beautiful,and easy too keep.I would also suggest the Southern variablis for a bold/very colorful and easy too keep frog.
Good luck with your choice!


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