# Ranitomeya tadpole rearing sites?



## tangled (May 13, 2019)

I've been pulling eggs and rearing tadpoles but want to try letting the parents rear them. I'll need to modify their enclosure to have more bromeliads. I know film canisters can be used. Are there any other options I should provide? For those of you who do this, I'd love to see images of you enclosures to guage the size of bromeliads you use, how many deposition sites you use l, and how grown in with these plants or others your tanks are. 
Also, when flushing, are you heavily misting each deposition site with ounces of water to flush, or just misting a bit to add a bit of fresh water. I've tried finding other threads and even YouTube videos that might address this but haven't found it yet. Perhaps I'm using the wrong terms to search. So if I'm being redundant, which I'm certain I am, just point me in the right direction please.


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## bulbophyllum (Feb 6, 2012)

I use Neo Chiquita Linda. It stays small but holds enough water for the tadpoles.

I have a hand pump up strayer. I set it to stream and hit each bromeliad pretty well everyday when I think tadpoles are in there. I like to try to flush the water a bit.


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## tangled (May 13, 2019)

bulbophyllum said:


> I use Neo Chiquita Linda. It stays small but holds enough water for the tadpoles.
> 
> I have a hand pump up strayer. I set it to stream and hit each bromeliad pretty well everyday when I think tadpoles are in there. I like to try to flush the water a bit.


Do you think 60 seconds or 90 seconds on an automated misting system, once per day would be sufficient?
And looking for images of Neo Chiquita Linda it seems the leaf width is about 1.5 inches or maybe 2 inches tops? Pretty broad?


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## tangled (May 13, 2019)

Also, if I put film canisters in to collect water as deposition sites, do they need to be at an angle or vertical? Do I need to drill a hole some distance before the very top so that they have a space to hang out before leaving the container altogether? In my 32 oz cups, I've been leaving the tads/froglets in until they spend an entire day on the sidewall of the cup, out of the water. Is that space above the water necessary in the vivarium or will they just walk back to their cup and go for another swim if necessary?


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## bulbophyllum (Feb 6, 2012)

tangled said:


> And looking for images of Neo Chiquita Linda it seems the leaf width is about 1.5 inches or maybe 2 inches tops? Pretty broad?


It's a small plant. If grown under good light the whole bromeliad is only like 4" in diameter.


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## tangled (May 13, 2019)

bulbophyllum said:


> It's a small plant. If grown under good light the whole bromeliad is only like 4" in diameter.


Man! Google images was deceptive! 🤣


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## Tijl (Feb 28, 2019)

What Ranitomeya are we talking about since not all of them are facultative egg feeders?

With all my Oophaga, I never flush any of my bromeliads, but I would always encourage the use of larger bromeliads than N.Chiquita Linda or any other smaller bromeliads. They always prefer to rear their tadpoles in the bromeliads with largest or deepest axils.


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## tangled (May 13, 2019)

Tijl said:


> What Ranitomeya are we talking about since not all of them are facultative egg feeders?


Sirensis highland is my only facultative feeder but would like to get imitator and vanzolinii at some point.


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## Okapi (Oct 12, 2007)

Chiquita Linda is my favorite brom, it happens to be the only one that I currently have growing too. That said, I don't have any thumbnails at this time but if I did I would not use Chiquita Linda for them. When I did have a pair of imitators I offered Fireball, Olens and Chiquita Linda. They only used Olens for tadpole rearing as far as I could tell. So I think the frogs will always prefer the largest broms offered to them. I never flushed them either, I just made sure that they always had water in the axils.


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