# egg laying sites ???



## Darren Meyer (May 22, 2004)

Where do your frogs deposit eggs?? I have talked with many different breeders to try to nail down prefered egg deposit sites , to possibly be able to say such and such lay eggs here or there but never in ..... So I believe that we as a group should work together and find out what works best . 
I have also learned that not all frogs of the same spiecies will lay in the same sort of spot . For example my imitators only lay in a upsidedown film container , while other keepers imitators lay on the glass or on a leaf that is almost vertical . Is half the fun trying to find what works best for your own frog , finding out what the individual frog prefers ? 

Here are a few examples of egg laying sites that I've found works for me .
TINCS : on a leaf and or in a coco hut w/ petri dish .
Fantasticus : film container that is horizontal or between two leafs 
Amazonicus :film container @ 45% angle with water filled up to the rim , broms 
Terribiles: same as tincs
Vents: same as Amazonicus 
Pumilio : on the end of leaf on broms 
Retics: in a film container placed on the ground on it's side 
Intermedius : same as imitators 

These are just a few of my findings along with what I've been told by others . What works for me dosen't work for others, so it makes me believe that it's up to the individual frogs preference. 
So what have you all found works best ? 
Have fun ..
Darren Meyer


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2004)

*Eg Laying Sights*

My Fantasticus both yellow and red headed lay 100% of the time in film canisters, which I lay on the ground. The females of both morphs always chase the males up the glass (20 highs) but always end up in the film canisters. I have never put any film canisters anywhere but on the ground of my terrariums for all species.
My Lamasi (which I no longer have..giant mistake) laid 100% of the time on the glass, always along the top edge of the tank, although film canisters were provided I never found eggs there. 
My Retics usually lay in the film canisters however I have found eggs in Bromiliads, usually hidden down far into the leaf. They have also laid in some hidden parts of some driftwood (but they usually do this when they have been drinking).
I had a nice group of Silverstonei at the Cincy Zoo for many years and they would lay in petri dishes but just as often in film canisters which always amazed me as the females were absolutely huge.
One thing I have learned in darts is that there are many ways that are right, whatever works for you and your frogs is the right way.


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

*My pumilio*

My pumilio roll a pothos leaf into a tube and lay in there.


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2004)

My imitator like to lay on a smooth surface and in a shaded area either on a plant leaf or on the glass but they always are hidden and not in any light.
My Costa Rican auratus like to lay under coconut huts but I did have my pair lay on a Pringles lid out in the open I had fed them waxworm larve on a day before,I watched the whole thing, very cool.
Mark W.


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## AlexanderStubbs (Feb 18, 2004)

My imitator lay in the film canisters (thanks Darren), my golden amazonicus lay in the brom axils along with the vents, the panguanas used to lay on the glass, but now they lay on an orchid and a small brom that fell over. The galacts and auratus lay under coco huts.

Alexander

laying site one
http://www.frognet.org/gallery/album53/panguanaeggs
http://www.frognet.org/gallery/album53/laying_site
laying site two
http://www.frognet.org/gallery/album53/panguanaegg1


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## geckguy (Mar 8, 2004)

My auratus lay under one of their two huts, my tincs lay in there hut, and my leucs lay in their hut too, although my friends leucs only like to lay on the broms in their tanks.


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## JWerner (Feb 17, 2004)

Imitator - 90+% of the time on the glass, rarely between leaves, once or 
twice in the film canister - 45ish degree angle

Fantasticus - Between two leaves and on fresh oak leaf litter on bottom of 
tank.

Vents - Film canister @ 45 ish degree angle

Bast. pumilio - eggs on leaves low/shaded spot in terrarium where higher 
humidity seems more constant. Tads deposited 
in 'larger', spacious brom - randomly distributed - 
front/back of terrarium - easy to watch development.

Green pumilio - Eggs in open on pothos or at tip of brom leaves. Both 
high and low in 18 gal terrarium. Tads deposited and 
reared in dense, multi-pup brom in hardest to 
observe/reach area.

Orange/Green pumilio - Eggs deposited in very dense pothos leaf 
clusters where humidity is higher. Never 
deposited tads in larger borm, preferred dense 
broms with more, smaller water holding areas.

Orange Amazonicus (?) - In Fireball hybrid brom - lower leaf bracts. Also 
in 45 degree angled film canister w/ suction cup 
attached on glass approx 4" from floor of 
terrarium.

Red Amazonicus - In Film canisters - 45degree angle- placed 3/4 high in 
18 gal tank.

Salvias tricolors - On leaves that are parallel to ground

Santa Isabel tricolors - On leaves that are parallel to ground and in 
45degree angled film canister pressed into floor of 
terrarium

E. zaparo - In film canister embedded in floor of terrarium at 45 degree 
angle.

D. lamasi - Standard - Between two leaves, on leaves perpendicular to 
ground and on glass.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2004)

Nice thread Darren:

imitator: used to be 100% on glass until I added white opaque film canisters turn 30 degree down facing. Now they only lay in those and ignore all the others.

vittatus: all over the place. When it was just plants they would lay on top of horizontal leaves and on top of big brom leaves that were around 0-20 degrees. When I added a coco hut with pringles lid and pothos leaf they would lay on the lid under the leaf. And now they have dug a burrow in the substrate and started laying in the back of this hole.

auratus c/r: lay mainly in coco huts with petri dish and pothos leaf

pumilio pc: have been laying on flat leaves, mid tank, open to the light.

opps... time will add more later tonight...


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## Darren Meyer (May 22, 2004)

Hey thanks for the replys ! I tryed this topic a few month ago and noone replyed . I believe that I dose help other who have tryed all sorts of things w/ no luck . I am having a hell of a time w/ my vents . Have never gotten them to breed. Mr. Werner told me to dry them out , remove all water supplys , broms , film containers ect... then after 3 weeks re-introduce laying sites and mist more . He says it works everytime eggs after 24 hours . I'm at week 2 , keep the old fingers crossed . Hve tryed everthing else . Everyone says vents are really easy , and they produce too much for them and the hard thing is to get them to stop. I wish !!! They are driving me nuts !! 
Thanks 
Darren


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## Homer (Feb 15, 2004)

My humble observations:

Vents: Mine prefer vertically placed film canisters over angled, but will also lay in a horizontal canister on the substrate. They also vastly prefer the milky clear film canisters over the black or brownish film canisters. I have had probably 60 eggs laid, and only 3 were not laid in the milky clear canister.

Leucs-- A lot of people I know have difficulty getting consistent breeding (apparently a lot of people don't have that problem, as well), but I have just recently had my first clutch laid in a petri dish under a coco hut.

Tincs--Will lay just about anywhere. Typically use petri dish under coco hut, but if unavailable, will burrow like the zapata previously mentioned (my New Rivers have a little burrow under the waterfall :? ), or will simply blow them all over. :roll: 

Just my experience.


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## Darren Meyer (May 22, 2004)

Hey thanks Mark I placed a film container on the ground last week in the Fantasticus tank . Eggs !!! Twice in 2 days ! I always placed them up in the middle of the tank w/ a peice of pothos inside , but it's not been working any more . Now on the bottom seems to be the prefered site. 
Thanks  
Darren


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## Ed Martin (Mar 25, 2004)

This is a good thread, sorry I missed it before.
Homer, it is funny how different some frogs are...... our Leucs lay eggs
everywhere in the enclosure, in the coco hut, in the leaf litter, on a
brom....... and all of them are fertilized, unfortunately this is my SLS
study pair

As far as others go:
terribillis in coco huts 
tincs in huts or on horizontal leaves that can support the weight of the
animals
Lots of other frogs exhibiting breeding behavior, but no eggs
Ed


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

*other frogs*

Slavias and Santa Isabels Tricolors - laid on pothos parallel to the ground as mentioned before. I didn't provide film canisters. The tanks were 20 gals 1/3 pond, 2 seriously overgrown with pothos land area. They usually laid in the open.

D. truncatus - Almost always in the coco hut provided on a petri dish w/ or w/o leaf. Once in a heavily leaf littered tank when not provided coco hut (they were in a holding tank while I redid their original tank). I had serious infertility issues though.

My imis and imitator bred everywhere....but I'd usually find eggs on the glass, occassionally a plant. I had black film canisters on the ground they loved to bed down in, but not breed. Never tried the upside down film canister thing which is why they probibly bred everywhere 

Blue Jean pummies - I never saw eggs. My guess is in the leaf litter (had tons at the bottom) but there was no way I was going to go digging for them since distrubing them could make the parents ignore them. This was more of a case of "whats that little red thing hopping around..... OMG its a baby!"

As for my other darts..... they either never bred or I can't for the life of me think where I found eggs..... if I did. I tend to be the lazy "let the parents do the work and pick out the tads from the pond" type of person. This means two things... one, I never really knew my success rate (how many eggs were laid, were fertile, made it to 6 months etc.) and two..... I was ALWAYS chasing babies around when I never even knew there were eggs. This happened a LOT with the tricolors lol.


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## tikifrog (May 11, 2004)

I have had fantasticus, amazonicus, truncatus and blue jeans lay eggs in 1/2" and 3/4" (for the truncs) pvc (slipxslip) elbows. These are placed on the substrate slightly angled ,with the openings up, to accumulate a small amount of water in the bend.

John R.


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## snmreptiles (Feb 26, 2004)

I recently took some advice from this post. I read from a few people that for vents they fill up their film canisters all the way and get eggs in those. So I cleaned out my vents film canisters and filled them up. The ones with suction cups couldn't be filled all the way due to the holes for the suction cups. So they leaked out a bit, but the one one the floor I filled up to the top and rested it against the back wall so it stayed full. Well....the next morning I had eggs!!!!  They laid in the one on the floor! Thanks for the input everyone, it worked for me!!

-Shelley


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## Darren Meyer (May 22, 2004)

Well my Zaparo finally laid ! Gave them a number of places to lay , filmcontainers on the ground , cocohut w/ pitri dish, leaves, guess where they laid ? On cork bark !! The lumpiest, uneven, roughest spot in the whole tank! That's a new one for me :? . 
So now after all the imput (thanks) I now have concluded that you just need to find what your individual frog prefers. It dose help get the imput of others though , to help w/ getting on the right track. 
Happy egg hunting !!! 
Darren


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

*then what?*

I plan on trying the upside down film can with my imitators, who started laying eggs(none good yet) twice on glass, once in bromeliad, and twice with a single egg here and there. ?feeder eggs? maybee?
So you're imitators lay eggs in a film can then what? Take the film cans out and wait for them to hatch, then dump them out, or just add water?


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## dmartin72 (Oct 27, 2004)

Does that mean you fill up a film canister full of water? Wow! This a great thread, but very conflicting/confusing. I am going to experiment with several film cantister options. I am going to put them in different angles and use the black and clearish white ones. Hopefully, I will post what works for mine!

Oh by the way. I have a pair of imitators and a trio of vents that will be the subject.



snmreptiles said:


> I recently took some advice from this post. I read from a few people that for vents they fill up their film canisters all the way and get eggs in those. So I cleaned out my vents film canisters and filled them up. The ones with suction cups couldn't be filled all the way due to the holes for the suction cups. So they leaked out a bit, but the one one the floor I filled up to the top and rested it against the back wall so it stayed full. Well....the next morning I had eggs!!!!  They laid in the one on the floor! Thanks for the input everyone, it worked for me!!
> 
> -Shelley


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Well my imitators never laid in the upside down cans...but maybee I didn't give them enough time to get used to them. (I left them for about two weeks)
After I gave up on the upside down cans, I put them open side up, with the mouth tilted so it touched the cork background, behind some mini-spaths.
I checked them two days ago, and found two big clutches in one of the cans (the more secluded one), and none in the other.

The question I still have...What then?
I scooped these ones out with a spoon, but I think I would be better off just leaving them attached, and replacing with a fresh can.
To those having succes with hatch rates...What do you do, take them out, leave them in?
Take care,


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## JWerner (Feb 17, 2004)

I have used a few different methods to collect imitator eggs. When I first started, my imitators would lay on the glass. I enjoyed watching the development. Once the tad would get large enough, I would take it off the glass with a razor blade, cut the egg and rear it in a cup. Once winter arrived, I began to lose some eggs. The tads would form but then die off, never completely forming. This led me to take the eggs off the glass about 48hrs after being laid. I would then smear them on a leaf and house them in a small sterilite. I would then keep the sterilite inside another unoccupied tank to limit extreme temp fluxuation. I have also let the parents rear tads to a certain point. I know some on the board really enjoy doing this. There is more than one way to skin a cat...


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## Darren Meyer (May 22, 2004)

update . Well since Mark mentioned to place the film containers on the ground my fantasticus lay there all the time . I have a group of 6 do not know for sure the ratio but I do know that I have more than one female as the eggs laying are sometimes in two different places in the same day ! Another behavior that I've noticed is that they will breed as a group. All six will cram themselfs into a film container and lay upto 12-14 eggs at once , this is always in the film containers placed on the ground . Now for the bad part when I find more than 8 eggs in the same place they are almost all bad :evil: . I would break them up but every time I do they stop laying .
Zaparo have now started to lay good eggs also ,in film containers on the ground. I found 30-40 eggs in one and all were developing ,I decided to leave them alone (really wanted to see male running around w/ 30 tads on back!) unfortunatly they started to go bad so I pulled them and got 10 tads !! Will have to try again . 
Quinqs .Started to lay regulary in film containers placed under 1/2 rounds of cork bark every week and developing into the largest thumbnail tads that I've ever seen . 
Happy frogging . 
Darren Meyer


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## bgexotics (Feb 24, 2004)

Breaking away from the film canisters and thumbnail frogs... 

I have finally broken up my group of azureus and have a definate pair in one tank and what looks like 2 females (not 100% sure) in another. The pair like to hang out by the water under a rock and I have never seen them go anywhere near the coconut hut. I now only have one rock forming a ledge by the water and removed the other rocks. Should this entice them to check out the coconut hut? I haven't witnessed them breeding but they stay close to each other and it looks like I have seen a little back rubbing. I more used to having tree frogs breed.


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## booga (Sep 19, 2004)

I tried all the film canister tactics but the only place my vents would lay was one spot in a bromeliad (at first). I'm bringing this up because I found things that facinated me about them. First of all that they were so picky about where they deposited. Then after a while I noticed after removing the eggs how fast they would replace them with new eggs. Then after enough time I noticed them noticing me removing eggs. Thats when they moved to another brom and only in one particular leaf of that brom. They would switch back and forth (almost everytime) I assume to foil me. It was kind of interesting to see this behavior.


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## nburns (May 3, 2005)

My azereus have laid in their coco hut all but one time. I believe I was out of town and there was already a clutch or tads in the hut so they decided to lay somewhere else. This was the first and only time they did this though. And it doesn't matter if a have a petri dish in it or not they will still lay in there.


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## Darren Meyer (May 22, 2004)

I't been a while since I've re- visited this topic . Now that it's aproaching the main breeding season for my collection I thought that I'd share a few findings . 
Over the last year I've aquired quite a few more frogs :shock: 
And I've also revamped "most" of my husbandry procedures . One being adding fecals to the list of quaranteen screening. Used to be if they were eatting, pooping ,hopping for 2 months they recieved a new home . With now adding fecals and treatment to the list ,I know what if anything they harbor before they are introduced to the "breeding vivarium". 
Another thing that I had an idea on was only adding filmcontainers,breeding sites, when they frogs were sexually mature enough to breed . 
So far it's worked with great results . I recieved a great group of Orange amazonicus from Mr. Jon Werner . I followed all of the above . At almost 4 months after recieving them aprox age (9 months old) added filmcontainers and they laid the same day !
Standard Lamasi , Followed the same procedure . Just added film containers in the last week and they have now laid 2 times ! Aprox 9 months old also . 
So my idea is that if you introduce film containers at a later age ,do they take to them more readly ?Or is it that they are old enough and should be laying eggs anyway ?
But so far most all of the eggs laid by both are fertile and have not had to go through a bunch of bad eggs stage .
Thoughts .................................................  
Happy frogging all!
Darren Meyer


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

...So what are you getting at...keeping them from breeding for a while longer, you sort of skip the whole few months of bad clutches phase?
I had that thought also...perhaps just because an animal "can" mate...doesn't necessarily mean it's "ready"?


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## Darren Meyer (May 22, 2004)

Dancing frogs said:


> ...So what are you getting at...keeping them from breeding for a while longer, you sort of skip the whole few months of bad clutches phase?
> I had that thought also...perhaps just because an animal "can" mate...doesn't necessarily mean it's "ready"?


Yes that is the idea


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## troy b (Mar 8, 2004)

hi,
this is interesting. i have about 6 film canisters in each pumilio cage, and i rarely find eggs in other places. my CR or my shepards will accasionally lay in a bromeliad. all of them use the film canisters. everyone that has posted so far has report leafletter, leafs, bromeliads etc with their pumilio. 
has anyone had problems with film canisters, and that is why they are not used? if so please let me know.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

What are the angles you have the pumilio canisters at? any with water? what are other available laying sites (other than the broms mentioned, like do you have leaf litter and what not)?

I've heard of pumilio using contianers to rear young in before and what not, don't remember about egg laying. My film canisters were always ground level (wasn't smart enough to do the suction cup thingy as is done now with the thumbs I have) and I honestly rarely saw eggs from any of the pumilio I worked with lol. Don't really know where they were laid.


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## troy b (Mar 8, 2004)

hi,
i have leaf litter, pothos, bromeliads, and they still lay in the film canisters.
the film canisters have no water, they are suction cupped at various levels, and are not at any angles or up right. i will take some pics and post them. right now i have CR and MC that have eggs in film canisters.


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## Alan (Jan 12, 2005)

My pumilio are laying in horizontal film containers suction cupped in the upper levels of the viv.

Alan


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## Darks!de (Nov 16, 2004)

I thought I would bring this back to the top and ask: When you say "filled film canisters", what kind of water do you fill them with?

Luke


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## dmartin72 (Oct 27, 2004)

This is such a great thread!


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

Definately! Any info for quinqs or shepherd island pumilio?


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## Filip (Jan 12, 2006)

Okay, similar experiences here...
-Standard Lamasi: i've also experienced that it's better to give the frogs time to grow up if you want to avoid a period of bad eggs.
-My Tricolors have changed the film-cannisters and the bromeliad-leaves for treeleaves-litter: all the clutches have to be searched on the ground now!!! Kind of pity, cos it was very interesting to see the male defending the eggs in the canister!
-Same story for my Pumilio Darkland. They layed on Bromelia-leaves at first, usually on the tip. But since I gave them the treeleaves-litter i haven't found any clutch! Last week, when chasing young froglets in the tank I found a clutch of 7 eggs between the dry leaves... So that's where they are dpositing their eggs now!
Grtz to all!
Filip


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## biocmp (Mar 7, 2006)

bump this thread, to see if anyone has revised their methods.


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## EDs Fly Meat (Apr 29, 2004)

So glad this topic has been revived. I have a trio of Alex Sens line Imitator. I got some eggs 3 clutches in one month a few weeks ago and now they have stopped. Nothing. Anything I can do bring back the eggs laying. They laid in an upside film container stuck to the glass about half way up. The tank is flooded, but I recently drained it. I am thinking that I need another flood to get them going again. Any other thoughts?
Dave


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## josh raysin (Nov 28, 2005)

vittatus - 12 clutches in 12 weeks, 11 in a film canister laying on the bottom and 1 time on a petri under a coco hut.
cobalts - petri dish under coco every other week
auratus blue & black - petri under a coco hut


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

ED's_Fly_Meat_Inc said:


> So glad this topic has been revived. I have a trio of Alex Sens line Imitator. I got some eggs 3 clutches in one month a few weeks ago and now they have stopped. Nothing. Anything I can do bring back the eggs laying. They laid in an upside film container stuck to the glass about half way up. The tank is flooded, but I recently drained it. I am thinking that I need another flood to get them going again. Any other thoughts?
> Dave


Have you tried singing to them?
After a while my imi got tired of me stealing their eggs, and started hiding them in the spath leaves, so I changed my strategy, and turned the cannisters upright at an angle (so the frogs can get in and out easy) with water in them for tad deposit locations...


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2006)

Sure would be nice if someone compiled this info into an excel table or something-Valuable data.


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## jsagcincy (May 2, 2005)

Dave,

My imis were laying everywhere in a crowded tank except the film canisters. I added a film canister with water at a 45 degree angle about an inch below one that was upside down. They have been laying in the top one ever since.


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## Jordan B (Oct 8, 2004)

Can one of you mods sticky this please, it seems questions like this pop up alot and this thread has some great information. Thanks! 

Bastis: Eggs layed on the tips of broms leaves or on cryptanthus leaves. Tadpoles deposited in the biggest, best water holding brom in the tank. 

Tincs (Cobalts): Under a coco hut on a petri dish. 

Vents: Mainly the most full of water black film canister sitting straight upright on the substrate. When their favorite runs out of room other film canisters, jars, and occasionally bromeliads are used. Their first clutch was on a brom.


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

PM sent and I will see what I can do... Might be a few days.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

It's been a few days Kyle :wink:


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

Time to bump this old thread:

My imitator group has one confirmed male (I've observed a TON of calling), and I want to introduce some laying sites via film canisters. Has anyone documented color preference in canisters? I've got an even mix of opaque and black canisters so I'm curious to see which are utilized first.


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## JWerner (Feb 17, 2004)

I would like to add three more pieces of data to this list.

D. ventrimaculatus "Borja Ridge" - between two living leaves

D. fantasticus "lowland" between two magnolia leaves(leaf litter)

D. truncatus "yellow" in film canister and between living leaves


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## dragonfrog (Feb 16, 2006)

Sometime in the past, someone had posted on this thread that their Azureus laid in film canisters and all of us were in shock that they could fit in something so tiny. Well, here is a pic I found in the internet of just that!!










Talk about a contortionist act!!


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## reggorf (Oct 24, 2006)

I wanted to get this thread going again. It has a lot of good info in it. Here are my contributions.

cobalt, leucs, azureus, terribilis, & super blues - all lay under cocohuts in petri dishes. One time terribilis laid on a big leaf. Sometimes super blues lay in a baby food jar that is laid on the viv floor if eggs are already in the hut. Terribilis have two huts in the tank and usually alternate huts every clutch. The azureus have laid in film cups on the ground also.

pumilio-bastis and cayos-lay in horizontal film cups at all levels of the tank, some on the floor and some suction cupped to the glass. 

Bassleri-will lay under the hut in a petri dish, in film cups laying on the viv floor, and in the leaf litter under a slanted piece of cork bark.

Santa Isabels - laid on a brom leaf the first few clutches. Now only in horizontal film cups suctioned to the glass in the middle levels of the tank. 

imitator and intermedius - lay almost always in film cups horizontally suction cupped on the glass at all levels of the tank. Intermedius have laid in cups on the viv floor and once or twice on a brom leaf near the axil. 

Lamasi - lay in film cups up near the top of the tank slightly tilted with the opening upward so that a little water collects in the back of the film cup. 

All film cups are black except the imitator/intermedius and lamasi which have both white and black. They seem to go for the black first, but will lay in the white too. 

Anyone else have any suggestions/ideas that have worked for them. I hope to soon add red galacts to this list of where they like to lay.


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## reggorf (Oct 24, 2006)

dragonfrog said:


> Sometime in the past, someone had posted on this thread that their Azureus laid in film canisters and all of us were in shock that they could fit in something so tiny. Well, here is a pic I found in the internet of just that!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This is how one of my azureus pairs sleep every night. So funny.


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## ravengritz (Mar 2, 2009)

My vents only lay in the axles of bromeliads about a half inch above the water line. I've seen my lamasi lay on tank glass, bromeliad leaves and the top inside of film canisters angled into the substrate and filled with water.

No other breeders yet


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