# pumilio keeper advice for mantella breeder...



## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

So far, I have not had any problems with any mantellas once they morph out without spindly leg syndrome. 

However: 

I have finally successfully morphed Mantella madagascariensis without spindly leg, but now I'm having issues keeping the froglets alive. Last season, I had only four mads morph out, but those four froglets are now subadults. Only one seems to have any case of spindly leg, but it appears mild and the frog is getting around fine. 

The main problem I'm having is feeding the newly metamorphosized froglets. Unfortunately, my springtail culture crashed by the time I discovered froglets and even with springtails, it hasn't been enough to feed the 50 or so froglets that morphed out at once. I lost half of them. I established new springtail cultures but it will take a month or so before they're ready. 

I have noticed that even with springtails, some froglets appear not to thrive. I notice arms developing problems, and the froglets splay out as if they're suffering from vitamin / mineral deficiencies. I have been reading that pumilio keepers have similar situations.

I do have a UVB bulb, and would like to use it. I have no idea how my froglets from last season survived, and an earlier batch of mads (that I had to give away to buyers of blushing expectata because of too many mouths to feed) was growing okay and started to take flies. 

I have read that pumilio breeders use calcium gluconate and UVB. Could I use ARS instead of gluconate? It would be too difficult to dose individually 40-50 froglets. Could I mist the froglet colony once a week instead with the solution or water it down?

Another option I have is to take out my ebenaui and place the mad froglets directly into the vivarium, since it is loaded with tropical springtails I got long ago from black jungle. I used to culture this speceis long ago and it did fine, but for some reason now, none of the springtails survive in cultures I have made when I took it from the vivariums.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

setting up a nice large 40 breeder for future froglets taht is well established will help, the main reason is there is tons of microfauna with established tanks, that is why the pumilio froglets do better in the parent's tank as oppose to pulling the froglets when they morph


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

i agree with julio, with pumilio it has to do with the amount of microfauna available in the tank, though i have a feeling it has something to do with variety as well.

the UVB and calcium gluconate reports that ive read dont offer any evidence, to me, that they help more that frogs reared w/o these, and the fact that many pumilio breeders suffice w/o them say something about that. its just too hard to differentiate between an almost unnoticable change in the tank conditions, such as a boom in microfauna, perhaps not introduced by the keeper (this happens quite often, i get random springtails, mites, isopods, etc that were not introduced by me directly), and the effect that the UVB or gluconate has.

james


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## elscotto (Mar 1, 2005)

With many of the froglet mortality issues associated with pumilio, the metamorphs shows signs of developmental problems as they morph out of the water. This suggests that there is a problem with the adult female feeder (e.g., nutritional deficiency) , which may be passed on to the offspring through the egg clutches, or the feeder eggs she provides. Many of the issues are fixed by providing a different/better diet for the parents. As James said, a lot of folks have excellent survival of pumilio metamorphs, either left in the parents tank or otherwise, without UVB addition or calcium gluconate treatments.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

elscotto said:


> With many of the froglet mortality issues associated with pumilio, the metamorphs shows signs of developmental problems as they morph out of the water. This suggests that there is a problem with the adult female feeder (e.g., nutritional deficiency) , which may be passed on to the offspring through the egg clutches, or the feeder eggs she provides. Many of the issues are fixed by providing a different/better diet for the parents. As James said, a lot of folks have excellent survival of pumilio metamorphs, either left in the parents tank or otherwise, without UVB addition or calcium gluconate treatments.


CORRECT, There was a ASN news letter that Oz sent out this past Winter that stated the same thing how a lot of froglets were found to have Hypo Vitaminosis


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