# how do you have so many vivs/frogs?



## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

I notice that many people on this DB have their signature as a list of the frogs they keep. Quite few list the names of a dozen or more species. What I want to know is where the heck do you people keep all these vivariums?? And how in the world can you afford to buy all these tanks and frogs and supplies?? Some day I'd like to keep this many frogs so if anyone has any pics of their setup of tanks for future reference thatd be great.


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## keekalmatter (Aug 9, 2008)

Well I only have one viv. hopefully two soon. Im going to hypothesize that a lot of those people breed the frogs and sell them to fund new setups. Alot of people dedicate rooms in their houses to vivs. I used keep reef aquariums and they are a lot more expensive than vivariums.


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## dwdragon (Aug 14, 2008)

Do a search on Frog room  Many people here especially those that have an extensive collection have an entire room (or basement) of their house dedicated to nothing but their frog tanks.


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## sports_doc (Nov 15, 2004)

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/members-frogs-vivariums/25391-frog-room-pic-update-3-1-08-a.html

If you do a search btw, I've found it best to do an advanced search and specify in text, or in title ect. Otherwise the search feature finds too much. 

Shawn


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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

I have about 30 vivs. Unfortunaetly I do not have a room just dedicated to them since I do not have a house yet but in my apartment they occupy the other half of our living space.Since this pic is from a month ago the top rack closets to the corner now has four more tanks on it.

I have kept herps and fish for nearly 15 years, but have only been keeping darts for 1 year. So my collection has grown from one viv a little over a year ago to what you see below. And yes finacially it does take a toll on your wallet.

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq64/ggazonas/FrickEstates_9_4.jpg
http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq64/ggazonas/FrickEstates_9_6.jpg


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

wow thanks! if i had rooms like some of these people i wouldnt leave them!


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

We nuts ask... how do you keep so few. 

My Frog Room

s


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Scott, that is awesome.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

ggazonas,

Looks great. However, I think you should definitely ditch the white shelf with the ornaments in favor of some more tanks.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

One thing I think you have to realize too is that many of these people like Scott and Shawn have spent years accumulating their collections. It isn't that they started the hobby last year and all of a sudden have these large collections. Think of it a bit like a car or a house. Most people would never be able to afford them if you were required to pay the amount all at once. Once you get it payed off though, especially with a house, you end up having something worth much more than the small parts you put into it. So a little here and there and before you know it, you have a lot more than a few.


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## skylsdale (Sep 16, 2007)

> It isn't that they started the hobby last year and all of a sudden have these large collections.


And those types of situations often end up in the Classifieds under titles like "Must sell collection!"


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## karl47 (Sep 3, 2008)

As my granddaughter and I got rid of the 4 vivs full of assorted tree frogs, I rebuilt them for PDFs which I've purchased a few at a time for over a year now. She would handle the tree frogs every now and then and misses not being able to do the same with the Darts but likes to watch them almost as much as I do. We spend a lot less money on FFF than we did on pinhead crickets for the tree frogs. I also converted several freshwater acuariums (75g & two 30 g's) into PDF vivariums.

Karl


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

Once you build the viv and qt. there isn't much to do but look at the frogs. It takes me about 30 seconds a day per tank to do feeding/misting/cleaning. Besides froglets none of my stuff needs to be fed every day and I have 20-30ish tanks. The viv making is what takes the longest, but thats what quarentine is for!


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Part of it is the ease of culturing fruit flies. Another part is because dart frogs generally take up less space compared to many tree frogs.

Also, you don't clean vivariums the same way as you need to with fish tanks-- there seems to be less maintenance involved.

However, once you start breeding animals, things can become more time consuming, at least for me.


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

I dont think I will breed my frogs, or keep their eggs that is. Id like to but I dont have the space or time and Id be worried I couldnt sell or get rid of the froglets and Id be stuck with too many! I also am scared to ship them because I wouldnt want them to die in the process, id feel terrible.


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## dwdragon (Aug 14, 2008)

kamazza said:


> I dont think I will breed my frogs, or keep their eggs that is. Id like to but I dont have the space or time and Id be worried I couldnt sell or get rid of the froglets and Id be stuck with too many! I also am scared to ship them because I wouldnt want them to die in the process, id feel terrible.


As odd as this may sound this way my concern as well but after much reading and talking to different hobbyists I found out that the frogs will breed if in the same tank but you won't get very many froglets unless you intervene and pull the eggs / tads out of the tank.

From what I have found out from others there are many reasons for this that vary from frog to frog like with the larger ones the tads tend to canabalize each other and with the smaller ones the parents will sometimes take care of them sometimes not. Also when the parents are taking care of tads I guess it slows down their breeding to produce more eggs.

Just thought I'd throw that out there incase you have 1.1 of the same species / morph and would like to have them breed someday or cohabitate.

EDIT: Would like to make it clear that as far as I have been told or read the larger frogs do not take care of tads past transporting.


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

Scott said:


> We nuts


That's crocodile talk from "Pearls Before Swine" comics. I just shortened it to be more succinct.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

Hey now - we resemble that remark ...

s 


slaytonp said:


> That's crocodile talk from "Pearls Before Swine" comics. I just shortened it to be more succinct.


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## melissa68 (Feb 16, 2004)

Remark is pretty accurate though. It all starts with one frog and then other things in the house get displaced, including entire rooms . Just happens overtime.



Scott said:


> Hey now - we resemble that remark ...
> 
> s


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

It seems like this hobby is quite the addiction. I am becoming addicted myself.

About the breeding, if I do have any pairs, which I think my leucs might be, and I let them deal with thier tads, would it be unlikely for the froglets to survive? I would probably remove them and try to raise them if they made it to the tad stage or I would remove the eggs before they developed. Also I have the 2 leucs with a green and black auratus(getting along just fine, no signs of stress). Is it possible for the different species to produce young? Or will the eggs not fertilize? Or if there are young, will they be sterile?
Just curious...


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## dwdragon (Aug 14, 2008)

kamazza said:


> It seems like this hobby is quite the addiction. I am becoming addicted myself.
> 
> About the breeding, if I do have any pairs, which I think my leucs might be, and I let them deal with thier tads, would it be unlikely for the froglets to survive? I would probably remove them and try to raise them if they made it to the tad stage or I would remove the eggs before they developed. Also I have the 2 leucs with a green and black auratus(getting along just fine, no signs of stress). Is it possible for the different species to produce young? Or will the eggs not fertilize? Or if there are young, will they be sterile?
> Just curious...



Mixing is a very touchy subject. I don't know if leucs and auratus can produce offspring I do know that Ed just posted about an Auratus and Tinc mating as a way of sexing one of them but the eggs were flushed.

I know that some of the different darts can produce hybrid young so I wouldn't chance it. It's probably best to seperate them as the main concern with hybrids is having them get into the hobby.

I don't think leucs will take care of their tads after transport. From what I've read you would need to feed them but can raise them in the tank as long as there is enough semi-clean water and a way for them to crawl out when they morph.


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

This is what is called my "frog room" until my husband is done with his projects. Then I get the extra room in the basement for a real frog room. This is the downstairs guest bedroom. I spent so much time painting, sanding and staining the furniture to be my pretty, all foo-foo girly room...then I became addicted to dart frogs. I haven't even put the new handles on the drawers. I threw all that into the wind and made it my temporary dart room..now it is a mess. I just started in this hobby 8 months ago. 
















Candy


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

Very nice Candy!

About the mixing issue, I'm not trying to breed them period [I dont feel I am experienced enough nor do I want to breed them, I just want to enjoy them  ], so wouldnt it be okay to leave them together and just dispose of their eggs?


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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

stemcellular said:


> ggazonas,
> 
> Looks great. However, I think you should definitely ditch the white shelf with the ornaments in favor of some more tanks.


Yeah, not so sure how my gf will feel about that. I have a funny feeling she would not be happy. Especially since 1) that stuff is hers and 2)when I come home with more frogs she says "What do you need those for(frogs)" or "I thought you said you weren't getting anymore frogs"


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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

housevibe7 said:


> One thing I think you have to realize too is that many of these people like Scott and Shawn have spent years accumulating their collections. It isn't that they started the hobby last year and all of a sudden have these large collections. Think of it a bit like a car or a house. Most people would never be able to afford them if you were required to pay the amount all at once. Once you get it payed off though, especially with a house, you end up having something worth much more than the small parts you put into it. So a little here and there and before you know it, you have a lot more than a few.


However in some cases I became so addicted to the hobby that I have accumulated over 30 vivs and species in about a year. Finacially though it is taking a toll now, and the problem is slowing down. However I have had large collections of herps and fish for over 15 years so I have had the experience of keeping large quanties of animals.


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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

Scott said:


> We nuts ask... how do you keep so few.
> 
> My Frog Room
> 
> s


Very nice setup

Unfortunately I don't have a basement yet, but one day when I do hoepfully it will look soemthing like that.


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## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

kamazza said:


> Very nice Candy!
> 
> About the mixing issue, I'm not trying to breed them period [I dont feel I am experienced enough nor do I want to breed them, I just want to enjoy them  ], so wouldnt it be okay to leave them together and just dispose of their eggs?


there are other issues besides breeding and hybryds. there are also agressiveness issues where one type of frog can be "bullied" by the other and result in death due to stress and starvation. its really best just to keep them separate. its better to set up 2 smaller vivs and have less inhabitants in each than to set up one huge one and mix them. and it doesnt realy cost that much more.


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## kamazza (Sep 2, 2008)

The frogs actually get along great. They even rest in the same brom together side by side.


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## heyduke (Sep 19, 2006)

as they become sexually mature that could change pretty rapidly...so keep an eye out for agression.

another tip keep your plants as house plants and take cuttings from them. youll have nice house plants and a good source for new vivs

sean


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

No no no ...

Not Ed - he wouldn't do that.

EDs (as in Flymeant) - he did that.

s


dwdragon said:


> Mixing is a very touchy subject. I don't know if leucs and auratus can produce offspring I do know that Ed just posted about an Auratus and Tinc mating as a way of sexing one of them but the eggs were flushed.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

ggazonas said:


> Yeah, not so sure how my gf will feel about that. I have a funny feeling she would not be happy. Especially since 1) that stuff is hers and 2)when I come home with more frogs she says "What do you need those for(frogs)" or "I thought you said you weren't getting anymore frogs"


Wow, my wife says the same thing, almost verbatim. It must be a hardwired response.


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## Deathkitten (Oct 20, 2008)

stemcellular said:


> Wow, my wife says the same thing, almost verbatim. It must be a hardwired response.


hahaha I guess so. My mom gives me crap for having herps in the house all the time. Mostly because "it's not lady like" for a girl to be keeping "those kinds of animals". lol I'd like to see her face the day I get a red tailed boa


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

You mean like frogs toe tapping?!?

s


stemcellular said:


> Wow, my wife says the same thing, almost verbatim. It must be a hardwired response.


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## divingne1 (Mar 21, 2008)

Deathkitten said:


> hahaha I guess so. My mom gives me crap for having herps in the house all the time. Mostly because "it's not lady like" for a girl to be keeping "those kinds of animals". lol I'd like to see her face the day I get a red tailed boa


My mom and dad are pretty cool when it comes to the frogs. They always want to watch the frogs eat when they are here. They even gave me some money to go towards my most recent frog purchase. When I was a little girl, my dad gave my sister and I this cage type thing that we kept toads in. Every day we would catch the toads and put them in this cage thing and late at night after we went to bed, my dad would go outside and let them go. 
Candy


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## dwdragon (Aug 14, 2008)

Scott said:


> No no no ...
> 
> Not Ed - he wouldn't do that.
> 
> ...


Sorry for not making that distinction.

And people wonder why I prefer screen names.... Not to many people with dwdragon but god knows how many Ed and Scott there are.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

sometimes I wonder if it's best to get into frogs BEFORE you start dating-- so the potential mate becomes accustomed to seeing tanks everywhere.

Initially, my mom complained that I had too much. But now, when I say I passed on a good deal, she frowns upon me and says "well, you'll probably never get another chance."

You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.

But one thing I wish people would do is slow down and work with one animal at a time-- I'd rather see people with large groups of the same frogs than many pairs of different species.

Basically, if you spread yourself too thin-- a number of problems start to develop. There's a lot of people pulling out of the hobby now too. The economy's effects are showing.


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## karl47 (Sep 3, 2008)

My wife would be the first to accuse me of overdoing my pet hobbies! I've had 13 FW fish tanks going when I was breeding, raising and selling Angelfish to a half dozen pets stores, 50-100 at a wack (for $.50 each).
Ditto on the spousal comments above! I've got 16 darts, mostly Arautus, now and 7 planted vivs, but only one 50g FW , one 30g tall treefrog viv and one 10g Red-eared slider turtle tank. It's a good thing we have a large basement or my granddaughter, Paige, and I would be getting daily complaints about fruitflies on the loose or water on the hardwood floors. Neither of us can keep our hands out of the vivs and are always doing something to "make improvements" (otherwise known as maintenance). I can think of alot worse/more expensive hobbies (as I remind her,all the time).
Hooked on Darts,
Karl


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