# Dart frogs and carnivorous plants



## asid61

Will I be able to keep some carnivorous plants with my frogs? I will have two nepenthes, one with small pitchers (bicalcarata), one with medium pitchers, a bunch of small sundews, and a cephalotus. I might add a heliamphora later if I am certain it can handle the conditions.
The tank is a 44 gallon pentagon/corner tank, which is big enough for leucs or azureus.


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## Betta132

I've never tried it, but I'd stay away from the sundews. They'd probably stick to the frogs. A small pitcher plant would probably work, but I've heard of frogs squeezing into them and getting stuck, so it'd need to be pretty small. I don't know what the other two are.


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## chuckpowell

Most of those plants won't do well in a terrarium - the named ones. Nepenthes bicalcarata likes it warmer than most of us keep our tanks and gets huge. I've had them with inch thick stems and over two meters tall, Cephalotus wants seasonal variation and cool winters, Heliamphora wants it cooler with bright lights to do its best. The only carnivorous plant that does well in tanks is Utricularia and some of those are absolutely fantastic. 

Best,

Chuck



asid61 said:


> Will I be able to keep some carnivorous plants with my frogs? I will have two nepenthes, one with small pitchers (bicalcarata), one with medium pitchers, a bunch of small sundews, and a cephalotus. I might add a heliamphora later if I am certain it can handle the conditions.
> The tank is a 44 gallon pentagon/corner tank, which is big enough for leucs or azureus.


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## skanderson

i have a few butterworts, sundews, nepenthes, and utrics in my viv. they are growing in sphagnum moss and appear to be doing well. the sundews have been in for about 5 months and one is now in bud. i have never seen a frog, and i have alot in the viv, touch one of the carnivorous plants. i would find it extremely hard to believe that a healthy adult frog could get stuck in the small sundews that i have. bright lights are definately a must to keep good color. i dont doubt that many of the nepenthes will outgrow most vivs mine have been in for 6 months and have had slow growth that is very managable in a large viv like mine. i plan on trying one of the warmer tolerant heliamphoras to see how it will do. keep us informed of what you do and how it works out.


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## DaveRego

This is the sticky in the plant section about carnivorous plants:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/17044-carnivorous-plants-dendrobates-vivarium-guide.html


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## brinkerh420

I think some Sundews might work such as Drosera Capensis because they can stand the frogs plowing them, but I would NOT suggest putting them near the feeding area. Tropical Utricularia definitely do amazing, but Heliamphora needs cool nights, and the only nepenthes in my opinion that would work would be Nepenthes Ampullaria because of it's smaller size, although you would need to cut it back frequently, and you would have to hope that the Nepenthes Ampullaria made basals instead of vining.

In conclusion, Sundews might get trampled, Heliamphoras need cool nights, and Cephalotus aren't very good, they have seasonal preferences (although I have seen some vivs with amazing cephs in them), and only a handful of Nepenthes would work.


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## frogparty

I want to know why peoe think N ampullaria is small. It gets well over a meter wide and can get vines well over 2 meters long. I wonder if people giving this advice have ever grown it past the initial basal rosette stage. Also with Nepenthes the tissue clone plants tend to grow maddeningly slowl for the first year or two, and are extremely sensitive. Get seedlings, they will grow much more quickly. 

The most vivarium appropriate carnivorous plants are epiphytic Utricularia species and terrestrial as well if you have a boggy area near a pond


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## gabnepenthes

In my opinion some good carnivorous plants to keep with dart frogs would be Mexican butterworts, large sundews, tropical bladderworts, and some small nepenthes like N. bellii. I would not recommend any temperate carnivores, heliamphora, cephalotus, small sundews, or large nepenthes.


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## PanicButton

I keep highland and lowland nepenthes in my tanks with my frogs. Along with drosera, utricularia, aldrovanda, sarracenia, Butterworts, and a few other minors. Honestly the climate conditions were the biggest hurdle but the tank has its own air and water cooling systems, radion led lighting, and a sizable automated misting system. Active fresh air circulation is crucial. The nepenthes thrive in these conditions and catch tons of insects. Sundews and Butterworts do pretty well but get no or very little food so don't grow very fast. Bladderwort do great. Corkscrew plants also but aren't visible above the sphagnum. American pitcher plants do okay, not amazing but the frogs love hiding in between dense groups of them. Flytraps grow just about quick enough to replace whats dying back, they dont thrive. I wouldn't be concerned about the frogs being eaten, I've got large pitchers and thumbs. The water in them stays about 1/2" deep and thick with bugs being digested. It's not acid, it takes weeks of stewing for small bugs to digest, they just kinda rot and gooify. Plus the frogs have no trouble climbing the sides and actually seem to enjoy hanging out in them during the night.. here's a r. Ventrimaculata in a medium n. Alata.


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## Bontix77

chuckpowell said:


> Most of those plants won't do well in a terrarium - the named ones. Nepenthes bicalcarata likes it warmer than most of us keep our tanks and gets huge. I've had them with inch thick stems and over two meters tall, Cephalotus wants seasonal variation and cool winters, Heliamphora wants it cooler with bright lights to do its best. The only carnivorous plant that does well in tanks is Utricularia and some of those are absolutely fantastic.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Chuck


About utricularia i was concerned it end up eating all my springtails....any experience?


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