# Breeding D.Leucomelas



## Knighty (Jul 22, 2009)

I have a 40gal set up housing 3 leucs. I have worked with dendrobates before but have never attempted to breed them. I have bred A.Callidryas and B.Bombina and feel it is time to try darts.

The viv is maintained at 76 with a humidity of 85. Once i have gathered all the info i require i will be letting the humidity drop and stablise at 65 for a few weeks before raising it once again, to replicate the seasonal changes.

My questions are as follows.

1. I have 3 coco huts which i am going to place 2.5 inch diameter petri dishes under. Should these hold any water or should they just be damp?

2. Once the eggs are laid and the male has fertilised them, what temperature should i maintain these at? 

3. When do i transfer the tadpoles to the black water i will be raising them in? I will be using indivudual containers for each tadpole and all the containers will be housed together in a tank to keep them warm.

Any info or links to guides would be much appriciated.

Dave


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## JoshK (Jan 5, 2009)

I don't really do anything but feed and mist more often, they pretty much breed on their own.

I do keep the petri dishes moist by spraying water in them and I keep my eggs at room temp. ~77


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## JimO (May 14, 2010)

Put the petri dish in dry. They'll moisten the eggs. When you pull the eggs add a little of the water you will be keeping the tads in so that it touches the gel, but doesn't submerge them. I put the covered petri dishes in a larger plastic container with some eggcrate and water on the bottom to keep the humidity up.

The eggs will develop faster at higher temps (upper 70s), but this is associated with higher incidence of spindly leg syndrome. Ideally, keep the eggs in the low 70s. Cooler temperatures will delay development, but doesn't seem to have the same affect as higher temps, but it's best to keep them around 72-75 degrees F.

After about two weeks, depending on species, they will break out of the gel themselves. Some people assist them and others don't. If their tail is curled, then they still have some gel attached and they can die if they aren't freed. You know they've hatched and are free of the gel when their tails are straight as an arrow.

They won't move much for several days even if disturbed. I've had some that I was certain had died, but a couple of days later they were swimming around. There are a lot of care sheets on egg and tadpole care. Black Jungle put out a video series that is really good and it can be found on eHow.com. Try this link - Breeding Poisonous Dart Tadpoles: How To Care for Poison Dart Tadpoles | eHow.com

Good luck.


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## Knighty (Jul 22, 2009)

Thanks for the replies.

I have set up an incubator which is basicaly a false bottom with an aquatic heater that the eggs will be placed on. Once the eggs have hatched i have trays that will be filled with the black water and the water in the incubator will be raised to come half way up the trays so as to keep the water up to temp.

As for temps i have always gone for the slower growth when breeding, so as to get harder and larger froglets.

Dave


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