# Mantella Appreciation Thread - Who is keeping them and what species?



## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

While there is a core group of africandos on DB that frequently (or infrequently) post about their collections, breeding success, I'm always intrigued to learn about other folks that are maybe less focused on the genus as a whole, but are nonetheless successfully keeping/breeding mantellas. To that end, I thought it would prove an interesting exercise to inventory current DB members to see who is currently working with mantellas, the specific species, and whether or not you have had reproductive success with the species (insert chuckle here..). If possible, please also cite whether they are CB or WC. 

Here's to an interesting survey!

To start, I'm currently working with the following species:

Mantella laevigata WC and CB froglet (small breeding group - likely 4.2)

















Mantella pulchra WC (2.3 or 3.2)

















Mantella madagascariensis (assumed WC) (likely 2.2)

















Mantella aurantiaca CB (3 unsexed froglets)

















Mantella viridis WC (large group - 6.4 or so)









































Mantella crocea CB (5 unsexed froglets)


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

0.0.6 ebenaui juveniles here, Doug Peel line by way of Rich Terrell.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Nice.

I'll get into them someday. Too bad Devin doesn't post here anymore....


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## kawickstrom (Oct 3, 2008)

0.0.2 Mantella viridis, They are still juvenilles so no breeding. I got them captive bred.


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## Conman3880 (Jul 8, 2007)

1.0.1 laevigata here. Always calling, never breeding. Both WC.


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

I've been thinking of getting some Mantella pulchra this year. but that doesn't really do anything for your survey


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

Philsuma said:


> Nice.
> 
> I'll get into them someday. Too bad Devin doesn't post here anymore....


Is he still in Madagascar?


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Yes, heard from him this morning. Sounds like he is having a blast, despite the riots. Now back to the topic...


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

0.0.3 ebenaui, doug peel line from rich









3.2 viridis from rich, pepper line


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## moothefrog (May 16, 2008)

I have a probable 1.1 ebenaui- Mark Pepper, from Doug Peel.
I also have 0.0.2 juvies Doug Peel line, and 0.0.5 golden mantella tadpoles, Devin Edmonds line.
All are CB.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Lots of Doug Peel mantellas so far...great to see. Let's keep this going, esp. after the weekend DB freeze.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

M. ebenaui
M. madagascariensis
M. crocea


Later this season: M. milotympanum and either M. nigricans / M. expectata, or all three  depending on time, space, and money. lol


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

Stemcellular, you didn't post what (if any) luck you have had with breeding any of yours.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

So far just luck with breeding the laevigata (see my other post detailing egg to tad to froglet, link below) but I'm hopeful that I'll get the pulchra, viridis and madagascariensis to breed this spring...all are quite fat and coming out of winter cycling... .

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/br...aevigata-journal-egg-tadpole-newly-morph.html


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

Sweet link. I am sure it doesn't need to be said, but keep us aprised of the breeding efforts. Could you PM me with where you bought your Mantellas, I would like to get some.


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## *slddave* (Jun 2, 2006)

I no longer keep mantellas but Stephen Colbert gave a sort of shout out to them on a re-run today. He was talking about licking frogs to get high and had a picture of an aurantiaca in the top left corner of the screen. Wrong frog but cool.


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## chrism (Apr 11, 2007)

I'm in the UK, but have 2:2:100+ aurantiaca!

Sold lots, and giving a load to a local zoo.

After other types but dont seem to be available over here.


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Very cool, these are some species I have always wanted to try some mantellas. Maybe someday...


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

I'm sure one of us could hook you up, Kyle...


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## forestexotics (Nov 14, 2006)

2:0:0 M. baroni
1:0:3 M milotympanum milos are laying eggs, but no luck with getting ant fertile ones. 
M. Baroni








M.Milotympanum


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

m.pulchra no clear sign of sex on any yet might have a group of females or just juvis. They are more than likely WC

m.madagascariensis no clear sex yet got them the same time as the pulchra so probably WC too.

and I got 3 m.laevigata on the way to my house  
anyway here are just a few pics of each


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## insularexotics (May 3, 2005)

moothefrog said:


> I have a probable 1.1 ebenaui- Mark Pepper, from Doug Peel.
> I also have 0.0.2 juvies Doug Peel line, and 0.0.5 golden mantella tadpoles, Devin Edmonds line.
> All are CB.


I am almost positive that all of Devin's aurantiaca, like mine, are Ryan Mickaels' line out of CA. So to be consistent, they should be labelled as such.


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

flyangler18 said:


> 0.0.6 ebenaui juveniles here, Doug Peel line by way of Rich Terrell.


1.0.5 - I just heard some calling!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Nice! And they are only about a year old now, right? Or less? I think my crocea (Devin's line via Doug Peel) started calling earlier in the week as well and they are YOUNG.


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

stemcellular said:


> Nice! And they are only about a year old now, right? Or less?


I think they're a little less than a year old at this point, probably around 9-10 months OOW.


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## yellowspider13z (Mar 3, 2009)

3 female golden mantellas, all c/b, they're egg layers too! too bad i've got to sell them.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

(Rich, hope you are ok with me adding your post to this since it was the same question)

By insularexotics on Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:57 pm

OK Ray. I'll bite.
M.aurantiaca CB - breeding success 6 out of 7 years
M.pulchra WC - no breeding yet
M.milotympanum WC - few clutches of eggs, none good
M.baroni WC - no success yet
M.ebenaui CB - bred last year
M.nigricans WC - no breeding but just got them this Fall. selling them to another Board member
M.crocea CB - no breeding but just got them last summer

I think that is everyone (Mantella-wise)
Cheers!
Rich


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## gretchenellie (Aug 7, 2007)

i guess i finally get to contribute to this thread.

i got in 5 Mantella Milotympanum today. 

they are all set up in quarantine. so pictures to follow as soon as they are settled in.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I of course lost my entire mantella collection during the OK ice storm. auratanica,expecta, virdis, betselio, milos, maybe 1 or 2 im forgeting...my blushing all died when a brown out mid summer raised my home temp to nearly a hundred while i was at work(Trailors heat up fast) and they were on a top shelf while most of the other mantella were more at floor level, couple degrees difference between life and death ;( That %@#^ me off... and they were my favorites.

Anyone ever has or sees blushing being offered...PLEASE pm me


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Just acquired another adult group of WC laevigata for my breeding project for a grand total of 12 adults and one lone froglet.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I've got three tanks nearly completed on my rack-- now, I just need to snap some better photos. 
Female mads and ebenaui go into their tanks this week. Then, it's time to buy another exoterra for the crocea.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Nice! How many crocea froglets do you have at this point? Oh, and I wasn't losing it, my froglets are calling, albeit faintly and infrequently (usually just after lights out).


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I have nine crocea subadults. I haven't been around enough to listen for calling, but they're not in a permanent tank.

This time, I planted ferns and other stuff in my tanks, not all philodendron based. I did get riccia from the LFS, and I'm going to grow out the clumps so I can use it for dripwalls and along water edge.


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## porkchop48 (May 16, 2006)

My newest additions.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Very nice additions....making me miss mine even more, THANKS! 

But seriously good luck with them, and do remember me if you have any offspring


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Those expectata look great! Remember to keep them dry! Do you have any pics of their permanent setup? 

On another note, Devin Edmonds is back from Madagascar and has updated his Mantella site. 

Home page
Mantella Frogs

Its definitely worth visiting (or revisiting), especially the new photo gallery that is updated with a ton of shots from his recent trip to Madagascar (and some really gorgeous lime green crocea). 

Photo Gallery
http://www.amphibiancare.com/mantella/JALbum/


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

bad news Ray. Well, not really...

My DIY compact fluorescent fixture's endcaps are very loose and somewhat corroding. I barely nudged it today over my mantella rack, and it started to smoke and flicker a bit! 

It looks like I need to buy a new fixture, but I need to figure out how to mount the cheaper Nova Extreme T5 fixtures.


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

Yeah some nice new pics from Devin. I got my three laevigata btw and they are goin strong and eating the same way. Im rebuilding a pulchra tank so I will get some pics of all up soon....then ima rebuild my madagascariensis tank! someone stop this madness!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Logan, I hear ya. I already moved the decorative chair out of the study to make some more room.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I just checked out Devin's page, been awhile since i took a look....And wow i didnt know pulchra came in blue...those are pretty Rad.

I've been a little out of touch on mantella the last year or so, though i do keep an eye out on kingsnake. Does anyone know the import export status of the various mantella species? i've noticed that fewer species are coming in the last year, its like every year 1 or 2 species drop off the list and stop coming in. Are they being restricted or has wild stock been that depleted?


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

My understanding (and Devin, feel free to chime in and correct me) is that it all depends on the established quotas. In the last year I've seen the following species available as recent WC imports:

laevigata
madagascariensis
baroni
crocea
viridis
expectata
pulchra
nigricans 
ebenaui
milotympanum


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

going to trade shows a lot I notice mostly 
pulchra
madagascariensis
crocea
laevigata
and sometimes ebenaui 
thats just what I see the most of, it could be different outside of these chicagoland shows


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Some new pics:

Mantella laevigata

























































Mantella madagascariensis

































Mantella aurantiaca









































Mantella pulchra

































































Mantella viridis


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

GREAT shots!

That is one pink aurantiaca!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Pic of the day!


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

Very Nice man those little guys are coloring up nicely. I'm in the works of getting a new camera because I cracked the screen on mine so soon Ill put up all my guys.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Additional responses from sibling post on Amphibian forum:

http://www.amphibianforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=742


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Just checking in to see if anyone has had any good clutches so far this season. My viridis and mads have been calling up a storm and are putting on some serious weight but still nothing yet. That said, its still a little cool. I'm hopeful that I'll have an explosion of activity during the first series of warm days this spring.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I think I've heard the crocea call now. I've seen one of my male mads stake out a territory and chase away invaders, plus lots of calling. Females are nice and fat.

Ebenaui are much bolder and calling too.


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

Yeah, same as you guys. My viridis laid a clutch a little while ago when the temps were really warm for a few days, but they were no good. Now there's just lots of calling. Have not heard anything from the ebenaui though, perhaps they are still too young?


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

flyangler's ebenaui are calling. Yeah, I've noticed that my ebenaui will breed when temps are 76-80.


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

Go Jason!

What about JP? I heard he got some eggs from the pair you gave him, do you know if they are good or not?


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## moothefrog (May 16, 2008)

I got a few tads!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

moothefrog said:


> I got a few tads!


Nice! Take some pics!


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

Those pulchra are spectacular!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Some updated crocea pics - looks like I have 2.3, lots of calling and getting big!


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

Awesome flash marks on those Ray!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

The presumed female in the first pic is HUGE. I've been feeding everyone daily but haven't really seen the crocea in a month or so considering how the tank is overgrown. Well, I nearly fell over when I saw how huge she was. Hopefully F2 crocea soon enough!


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

Its always nice being reassured there is still frogs living in heavily planted tanks 
and put me on the list for F2's!


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

> Awesome flash marks on those Ray!


The power of naturose


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

yeah, but only used like once every six weeks or so. then again, you did use it when they were new froglets, right?


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I continue to use naturose on adult frogs, but I fed out naturose along with other food when they were tadpoles-- enough to make their poop turn red.

Now the question is-- where can one buy the stuff now? I know it was discontinued and replaced with a human grade type.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Update time!!!

So right now I have a bunch of calling (aurantiaca, crocea, laevigata, mads, viridis), a few severely gravid females and a few small clutches from one of my laevigata breeding groups. 

I know others must have some action going on.... let's hear about it!!!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Only cuz stem posted and bumped this thread... I'll share
Fat Golden female that has been ignoring two guys that call all day every day.









If your around for the first hour after the lights come on, you'll see the nigricans climbing all over the place. the rest of the day they hunker down in the leaves.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Some gorgeous ebenaui sp. (at least that is what I think they are). Seems like two different variations in the group of six.

1st group (2.2 or 3.1)









































































2nd group (looks like 1.1)

























Thoughts on the variation? Maybe I'm just seeing subtle differences.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Well im not up on all the changes to mantella lately but the first group looks like what used to be called "blushing" the second looks like what i have always known as betsileo....i had both before the ice storm. I dont know what the new names are and/or if they've been lumped into the same group or what though.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Thanks Dave.

My current understanding is that betsilio and ebenaui can only be distinguished by locale (and in this case via PCR testing). However, your guess is as good as mine. I initially thought blushing as well since I know someone with a nice group but their colors are more defined IMO. Either way, I may just keep the two groups separate for breeding since there is clearly a marked difference.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

If its the lady that aquired bills breeding group, then i believe mine were related and would resemble them closely....in looking at the pics again i noticed an x on the back of many of your "blushing", which i dont remember mine having, and your last "blushing" pic looks much more like what i was keeping with the more defined colors you mentioned....none of mine had the greenish tent i noticed in yours, nor the X on the back of the head. 

The reds were more red also All my "betselio" closely resembled yours in the last series of pics.... Anyways just throwing all that out there  Like i said totally not up on the mantella changes but if you have any luck with those "blushing" shoot me a pm, because they are close enough to what i had, and those were some of my favorite mantella ;(
Good luck with all of them, hope u have some breeding sucess...same hopes to all those keeping mantella, would love to see more CB offerings of them.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Ok, a short update on where things stand breeding wise:

Got a ton of aurantiaca tads in the water right now (approx. 60-80 but who is counting), a bunch of laevigata tads, some good nigrican eggs (!!!!!!) and really fat and calling viridis, ebenaui and madagascariensis. My pulchra are being complicated. 

Now, Doug, this is where you post about your legions of mad tads!


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Yeah, I'm building an army as we speak. Soon-- a new Death Star is in the works


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

So here is an interesting bit of knowledge; I wanted to test a breeding approach with the laevigata this season. In Heying's dissertation on sexual selection and breeding of wild mantella laevigata she posited that the only factor affecting reproductive rates was the presence/absence of a limiting resource, in this case, suitable water holes to deposit eggs. I believe this is similar to INIBICO's approach in harvesting tadpoles from existing wild populations (but could be mistaken). 

Last season I only included two potential breeding sites in my laevigata enclosure. Both were utilized, multiple times, by up to 3 tadpoles each at the same time. However, this season, and after adding a second breeding group in a separate enclosure, I decided to add upwards of 5-7 potential breeding sites per tank, significantly increasing the available resources. Well, after a few weeks of incessant calling and breeding activity, I conducted an assessment of each potential breeding site and am happy to report that each potential breeding site was utilized; in almost each case I found 1 tadpole and an excess feeder egg. In one larger breeding site, 3-4 tadpoles were viewed but this may be an anomaly. 

Either way, good model for increasing laevigata CB efforts, IMO.


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## flyangler18 (Oct 26, 2007)

A quick update: I'm fairly certain that my group of ebenaui is 2:3. Lots of calling, the occasional territorial spat, but no eggs deposited yet. 



I'd like to add a few more mantella species in upcoming months.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Nice! Keep them warm, wet and fat and you will have eggs in no time!

As for additional mantellas, by my count, and if we have no issues with sls/morph outs, we should have a good deal of CB aurantiaca, madagascariensis and laevigata by the fall, as well as some additional types, ie. nigricans, blushing, etc. Keep your fingers crossed!


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## donstr (Jun 21, 2007)

I've had these expectata for well over a year. They are F1. I was going to move them into a different tank and snapped a few quick pictures. This is the first time I've seen all three of them. In fact, I thought that I had lost one of them and was down to two. It would seem that I have a very heavy female and two skinny males. Let me know if you guys agree.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Yup, definitely looks like your presumed gender ratio. Are they from Brent's line? Good luck with them!


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## donstr (Jun 21, 2007)

Yeah, I got these from Brent. I'd like to add some different blood eventually.
Are there other captive bred expectata out there? I never could figure out how many had
been bred before.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Don't really think there are. Mark Pepper may have some this fall (as in past years) but generally, very few folks are breeding mantellas (I can list the names of the folks I know on both hands).


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

I can't get over how huge female Mantellas compare to the males. We have a female Viridis and she looks gigantic compared to the males.


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## Junito (Jun 20, 2009)

would a 10 gallon tank be suitable for mantellas. I've been doing alot of reading and I've read that groups of 6-8 would be fine. Is this true. any help is appreciated. thanks


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## gretchenellie (Aug 7, 2007)

I have a group of 3 and another group of 5 Mantella Milotympanum in 10 gallon tanks..

I have also kept Betsileo and Crocea in the same numbers in 10 gallons without issue.. 

I keep my tanks heavily planted and landscaped so that there is an abundance of hiding places.. 



although, a bigger tank is always appreciated.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

I would not keep more than 5 in a 10G and even then a larger tank is preferable.


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## Junito (Jun 20, 2009)

are you guys creating false bottoms with your mantella tanks too. Or is this something you do with PDF"'s only. Thanks for the info. it's greatly appreciated.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

technically you could keep them alive in a 10 gallon tank because they are not especially aggresive. But males need a certain amount of area to set up territories, call, and defend. this complex behavior amongst males is what I think really gets the gals going and results in healthy, happy, and reproductive mantella.

I have 6 goldens in a 15gallon tank and would not go smaller.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

> I would not keep more than 5 in a 10G and even then a larger tank is preferable.


I keep six blushings and six nigricans in ten gallon tanks. If I had more frogs, I would keep my expectata and ebenaui in that density too. I would not keep six laevigata in a ten gallon. With that said, mantella nigricans do like to climb. Mine get along fine in a ten gallon, but I think a 20H would be even better for them.

As Ed K. would say, it depends on the microhabitats within a tank. Leaf litter, broad leaf plants, sloping, etc. create a lot of visual barriers and add surface area and more hiding spots.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

About 20 aurantiaca oow as of today...with a bunch more to follow. Also have about a dozen laevigata tads ready to morph, some viridis and nigricans that are coming along swimmingly... also got a good clutch from my red aurantiaca...hopefully they will develop. Otherwise, all quiet on the mantella front.


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## Junito (Jun 20, 2009)

I know basically everyone on this site that has mantella's posted pics already. For someone like me who don't have any yet, can you guys just post some more please. I don't care how old the pic is just want to see more mantella's. I'm starting to get the fever lol. Thanks


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## gretchenellie (Aug 7, 2007)

Junito:

Amphibianforum.com is Dendro's sister site. 

there are quite a few pictures of various mantella species there, as well as different ank pictures.

Not sure if you have been there or not, so just threw that out there.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Junito said:


> I know basically everyone on this site that has mantella's posted pics already. For someone like me who don't have any yet, can you guys just post some more please. I don't care how old the pic is just want to see more mantella's. I'm starting to get the fever lol. Thanks


Have you seen Devin's photo gallery? Check it out... mantella.amphibiancare.com (use the photo gallery tab).

You can also see some cool mantella videos on youtube... check user stemcellsareawesome (shameless self-plug).


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## Junito (Jun 20, 2009)

thanks for the info. I check amphibianforum.com regularly and Devin's photo gallery is great. I can't wait to get some mantella's. thanks again


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

google images is your friend


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Mantella laevigata


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## Junito (Jun 20, 2009)

very nice laevigata what's your setup consist of.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

So last night I got a strange urge to clean up my viridis tank which is severely overgrown and mucky. In the past I've found a few tads in the water feature but they were small and weren't viable. Well, last night while giving the tank an overhaul (and removing about a 1lb of ficus) I lifted up a piece of moss covered cork in the dry section of the tank to find what appeared to be an older egg mass, yellowed by the substrate and while initially good, clearly needing some hydration. I pulled the clutch (which was really yellow but had not gone cloudy) put it on some spag in a dark container and left it in a warmer part of the house. Well, this morning I thought I would check to see if the eggs went bad overnight (which I totally expected) but alas, this is what I found instead:


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

very nice!! big clutch. Do you raise the tads communually or individually?


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Julio said:


> very nice!! big clutch. Do you raise the tads communually or individually?


Communally. Only ones I tend to raise individually are the laevigata since they can be pretty ravenous to smaller tads.


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

stemcellular said:


> Well, this morning I thought I would check to see if the eggs went bad overnight (which I totally expected) but alas, this is what I found instead:


Great job Ray! I wish you the best of luck with those little guys! If you have any froglets you need to get rid of I have that one lonely male I got in a trade . . .


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

melas said:


> Great job Ray! I wish you the best of luck with those little guys! If you have any froglets you need to get rid of I have that one lonely male I got in a trade . . .


Thanks, Matt. I've spoken to a few folks that have had success with them and apparently, they are rather hardy tads/froglets. So we shall see.... 

You def. have first dibs on any froglets that I get.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

A couple of Viridis


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

frogfreak said:


> A couple of Viridis


These from UE/Pepper, Glenn?


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

stemcellular said:


> These from UE/Pepper, Glenn?


These guys are from UE. There are two WC in that viv. They're a bit brighter in colour.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

frogfreak said:


> These guys are from UE. There are two WC in that viv. They're a bit brighter in colour.


cool. trying supplementing with cyclopeedze, it will make them shine!


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

stemcellular said:


> cool. trying supplementing with cyclopeedze, it will make them shine!


Was ist das??? cyclopeedze


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

CYCLOP-EEZE®: Product Info

I supplement tads with it which keeps CB froglets from being dull colored.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Uh, so you're not dusting crickets I take it.

EDIT: I just read that again and that sounded...well...not to bright!

What I meant was do you dust with anything to brighten them up?


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

frogfreak said:


> Uh, so you're not dusting crickets I take it.
> 
> EDIT: I just read that again and that sounded...well...not to bright!
> 
> What I meant was do you dust with anything to brighten them up?


Naturose works well.


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

Thank you and one of the sponsors has it. 

By the way...our fat female isn't so fat anymore

Egghunt


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

seriously, thats how it goes. g'luck!


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

congrats stem. hopefully you'll have as much luck with those viridis tads as with the other frogs this season.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

thanks! hopefully, looks like about 30-35 tads this clutch.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Some pics of my golden mantella froglets from this evening...


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

stemcellular said:


> So last night I got a strange urge to clean up my viridis tank which is severely overgrown and mucky. In the past I've found a few tads in the water feature but they were small and weren't viable. Well, last night while giving the tank an overhaul (and removing about a 1lb of ficus) I lifted up a piece of moss covered cork in the dry section of the tank to find what appeared to be an older egg mass, yellowed by the substrate and while initially good, clearly needing some hydration. I pulled the clutch (which was really yellow but had not gone cloudy) put it on some spag in a dark container and left it in a warmer part of the house. Well, this morning I thought I would check to see if the eggs went bad overnight (which I totally expected) but alas, this is what I found instead:



Well, I really can't believe it but the first of these guys climbed oow this morning (AFTER ONLY 5 weeks, eggs pulled on August 11). So far ZERO sls and all look to be in good form....


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## gretchenellie (Aug 7, 2007)

Congrats with all your luck, Ray!

but, we need pics!!!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

gretchenellie said:


> Congrats with all your luck, Ray!
> 
> but, we need pics!!!


Thanks! Aren't the easiest to get pics of but here's an attempt:


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

pretty awsome man what they feeding on right now


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Logqan said:


> pretty awsome man what they feeding on right now


lots, and lots and lots of spring, grain lice, silver bugs, mites, etc. I've actually burned through like 6 springtail cultures and had to buy more...


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

stemcellular said:


> Thanks! Aren't the easiest to get pics of but here's an attempt:


Some pics of my dominant M.viridis male...hopefully these guys will color up as brightly as the WC adults.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Just an update on the viridis; have about 40 or so oow at this point with a few more in the water. Some pics below. They started chowing down on melanos tonight for the first time.


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## HunterB (Apr 28, 2009)

I guess i gotta put my name on this thread now too
i finally got some mantella, a probable pair of expectata. ive heard the male call everyday but the "female" is shy as he11

well both are really but im lucky if i ever see her

if u have any available, please please PM me haha im getting so used to saying that


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

Mantella pulchra 
pulchra call









Crocea eggs, all the infertile ones were on the top
crocea tadpole video, 2 weeks in the water









One of the semi-new ebenaui (very squished)


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Nice job, Ray and Emily! 

If the madagascariensis froglets would stay still, I would take a picture!


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## porkchop48 (May 16, 2006)

Couple more that I got last week. 

I would really like to add a few more. I only have a small 1.1.1 trio.

One male calls constantly and the one suspected female is getting fatter by the day


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Finally took some pics of the M. nigricans. Found a nice clutch tonight from them that looks good. Also found a clutch from the M. ebenaui/blushing, sp. that also looks to be good! Pretty awesome evening.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

awesome! keep us updated about the nigricans, not too much info about breeding habits or tsdpole development out there.


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## gretchenellie (Aug 7, 2007)

mantella milotympanum surprise. 









YAY!









sort of blurry, sorry.









My confirmed female


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Do I see and hear fireworks going off?


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Great surprise!


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## spottedcircus (Sep 17, 2009)

I really like the madagascar mantellas. Where is a good place to find some? i can tell from reading that they are harder to come by than some darts it seems. I want to take half of a 55gal tank and make it for some mantellas, and these guys are just so bright colored and beautiful. Can anyone point me in the right direction?


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

spottedcircus said:


> I really like the madagascar mantellas. Where is a good place to find some? i can tell from reading that they are harder to come by than some darts it seems. I want to take half of a 55gal tank and make it for some mantellas, and these guys are just so bright colored and beautiful. Can anyone point me in the right direction?


There are plenty of mantellas for sale now, they just aren't captive bred unfortunately. There's some cb madagascariensis available now for a good price, but historically this species has been pretty difficult to breed successfully because of SLS. 

Which specie(s) are you looking to get?


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## spottedcircus (Sep 17, 2009)

otis07 said:


> There are plenty of mantellas for sale now, they just aren't captive bred unfortunately. There's some cb madagascariensis available now for a good price, but historically this species has been pretty difficult to breed successfully because of SLS.
> 
> Which specie(s) are you looking to get?



I'd like to get some madagascariensis to start off with.. my frog collection is growing pretty fast, so I better make sure that they do ok first, before I fill the other half. I was thinking that maybe 6 would work in that half of a tank? I'm not super concerned about breeding I like them becuase they are beautiful first, and if they happen to breed then great, if not I'm not going to cry over it. Are there any good online sources for CB mantellas? I'm in Indiana and I'm guessing that there aren't any here..


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Madagascariensis are a difficult species to breed. I recommend that you start with crocea or aurantiaca first, if you want a highlander. Avoid nigricans and baroni as they are difficult to breed and nigricans are touchy frogs in general.

6 mantellas are fine in a ten gallon with plenty of leaf litter. I don't recommend beginners starting with the biggest tank they can find because it makes it difficult to collect eggs and monitor individual frogs.


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## frograck (May 1, 2005)

Thought I'd share some aurantiaca froglet pics.
My group of 4.2 from insular exotics that I acquired in 2007 produced their first clutches this summer, and they got it right first try! These guys were some of the first out of the water in July.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Ok, here we go, a ton of new Mantella pics:

First three pics are viridis froglets. Interestingly, they have been throwing brown and yellow/green in the same large clutch. 

Next pic is a trio of CB laevigata followed by some pics of an expectata trio.

Next three are pulchra followed by some madagascariensis.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

And some absolutely gorgeous milos. wow.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)




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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

Soon to have (in about 1 and half mos) a group of 7 bernhardii


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

Haha - well if that's the case then add the 10 baroni I'm getting in that same 1.5 months!


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## Otis (Apr 16, 2006)

Great pics Ray/John.

Progression...
9/15 









9/17









10/1









10/16

















11/10









11/14









11/21


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

Great documentation Emily!!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Just found two giant clutches in the aurantiaca tank... and now have nearly 100 2-3 week old tads swimming about. Suppose it starts all over again! Whjoo Who!


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

stemcellular said:


> Just found two giant clutches in the aurantiaca tank... and now have nearly 100 2-3 week old tads swimming about. Suppose it starts all over again! Whjoo Who!


NICE! Congrats!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

My most recent clutch of golden mantella tads started coming oow this morning... 3 down, 100+ or so to go. ekk!


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

stemcellular said:


> My most recent clutch of golden mantella tads started coming oow this morning... 3 down, 100+ or so to go. ekk!


Dang they don't waste any time! Good luck


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Well, I actually counted them all while sorting them last night. Turns out I was overestimating how many I have in the water.... only about 90.


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

10% margine of error is not all that bad.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Haha, yeah, remember that small crack you noticed on the side of the 10G tad tank...well I went to siphon the tank and it spread. Had to do an emergency evac of the tads but at least it provided a good excuse to count and sort them by gosner stage. Took about 2 hrs but sorted everyone properly and got an accurate count.


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## spottedcircus (Sep 17, 2009)

I'm so jealous. I can't wait to get my Baroni's I hope I can find some goldens later on in the season though


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

If you need a replacement used 10 when you come to get springs you are welcome to one.


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## wesly2007 (Jul 6, 2007)

i have been researching dart frogs for some time and i have built terrariums for frogs before but im thinking about getting mantellas. can you give me a good reference for the care of them and where can i buy a pair once i do do the research?

im looking at Mantellidae Expectata


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

Mantella Frogs


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## wesly2007 (Jul 6, 2007)

good place to buy them?


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## insularexotics (May 3, 2005)

You often see CB listed on this board or DB's sister board amphibianforum.com. Myself and others that have posted in this thread have frogs available now. WC are seasonally available. If you have limited frog experience, I would strongly recommend starting with CB, especially ebenaui.
Cheers!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

insularexotics said:


> You often see CB listed on this board or DB's sister board amphibianforum.com. Myself and others that have posted in this thread have frogs available now. WC are seasonally available. If you have limited frog experience, I would strongly recommend starting with CB, especially ebenaui.
> Cheers!


Or Mantella viridis!


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## spottedcircus (Sep 17, 2009)

I have finally finished my tank for my M Baroni that are supposed to be coming in with the big shipment. It is a 40G Long breeder tank. So far I have 8 baroni coming, but am wondering if I could put 10 in? what do you more experienced keepers think? Thanks


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

You could probably add a few more but the goal is to have a higher ratio of males than females.

Also, you should add much more leaf litter. Piles of leaf litter is essential to successful husbandry of Mantella.


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## spottedcircus (Sep 17, 2009)

More leaf litter.. Not a problem. I assumed I need more but all I have are huge Leaves so I need to crumble them up a bit.. I can't wait to get my mantellas they will be a lot of fun to watch!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

stemcellular said:


> Some gorgeous ebenaui sp. (at least that is what I think they are). Seems like two different variations in the group of six.
> 
> 1st group (2.2 or 3.1)
> 
> ...


WhooWho! Finally have some good tads from these guys!!!


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## spottedcircus (Sep 17, 2009)

I'm considering taking the 40gl long breeder tank that I had set up for my mantellas and using it for some P Bicolors instead.
I picked up a 24x18x24 exo for $40 yesterday and was wondering if that would be large enough for my 8 Baroni? I could make a simpler set up and move the tank easier to a cooler area this summer if needed. Would a tank of this size work for the 8 of them?
Thanks!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

first good golden mantella clutch of the season!! who whoo!


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

stemcellular said:


> first good golden mantella clutch of the season!! who whoo!


useless post without a picture . . . 

j/k . . . congrats!


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## david.cravens (Apr 20, 2010)

Was just directed to this site from talk to the frog. 
I have 

0.0.3 Pulchra
1.1.3 Betsileo/Eb
1.1 Virdis
1.0.3 Laevigata
1.0.5 Expectata
0.0.4 Baroni
1.0 Crocea

Would love to get more of these guys or Nigricans, Black Ears and Goldens.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

welcome. I should have CB nigricans and aurantiaca available in a few months.


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## david.cravens (Apr 20, 2010)

Awesome so what do I need to do to get on that waiting list? lol


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

just shoot me a PM in a few months and remind me. I doubt there will be any interest in the nigricans as folks only seem to want the goldens, sadly.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

david.cravens said:


> Was just directed to this site from talk to the frog.
> I have
> 
> 0.0.3 Pulchra
> ...


Have you had any success breeding any of the above sp? If not, you might want to try adding a few more of each. While I've been able to breed in smaller groups (nigricans is a 2.1) larger groups always do much better, esp. when male heavy.


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## david.cravens (Apr 20, 2010)

stemcellular said:


> Have you had any success breeding any of the above sp? If not, you might want to try adding a few more of each. While I've been able to breed in smaller groups (nigricans is a 2.1) larger groups always do much better, esp. when male heavy.


Yea I know male heavy is better I've just had problems acquiring decent specimens in the past, a lot of these were larger groups that I had high initial losses with. Needless to say if the guy I got them from had them for more than a day there was a good chance they wouldn't make it.. Really sucks now that I look back onto it which is why I'm starting to look for actual breeders that might take care of their stock instead of dealing with death dealers.


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## sahona (Jan 10, 2010)

stemcellular said:


> just shoot me a PM in a few months and remind me. I doubt there will be any interest in the nigricans as folks only seem to want the goldens, sadly.


too sad you are on another continent...i would be VERY interested in nigricans. I doubt there are any specimens at this point of time in germany. You got eggs already?
Beside that, there seems to be little interest in Mantellas in Europe. No matter what species.

Sebastian


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## Jason (Oct 14, 2004)

How is everyone's recent imports doing?


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I found a madagascariensis froglet this morning =)


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Has anyone had any luck with what used to be called "blushing" mantella? I know they have been reclassified or something, I forget all the details as its been along time since I looked into it.

I used to have a group before I got my thermostat that keeps my place at a constant temp range and a very hot day possibly in conjunction with a brown out...(not sure I wasnt home at the time killed them). All I know is I came home and the ac was running but the house was way way to hot. 

But ya was just curious if these are still around...loved them. I know bill sold his group to someone but I lost track of them after that, and wasnt sure if anyone else ever had success.


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

Nice grats Doug


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

> Has anyone had any luck with what used to be called "blushing" mantella? I know they have been reclassified or something, I forget all the details as its been along time since I looked into it.


Me 

Check back with me in the fall. I have F2 subadults but they're reserved for someone. I have plenty of tadpoles though. I talked to Franco Andreone, a prominent mantella researcher, and he said they are a morph of expectata, likely from the Isalo Massif region. 

Oh, and I found a crocea clutch this morning


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Nice! congrats Doug!


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

I need to get a picture of my army of pulchra. They're out quite a bit! 

One of these days I'm going to have to figure out how to use the video feature on my camera so I can tape the expectata calling and wrastlin'


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

you should take a pic of your army of pulchra doug. I would like to see that, also what number of frogs constitutes an army?


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Army is a term used to signify a group of frogs. Now, how many frogs equal a group? That's a question for the Google.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Rain_Frog said:


> Me
> 
> Check back with me in the fall. I have F2 subadults but they're reserved for someone. I have plenty of tadpoles though. I talked to Franco Andreone, a prominent mantella researcher, and he said they are a morph of expectata, likely from the Isalo Massif region.
> 
> Oh, and I found a crocea clutch this morning


Awsome!...will do!, got any recent pics?


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

found five madagascariensis froglets today, and transferred them to a shoebox with wet paper towel


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

Doug, congrats, but we need piscs!!


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

yes very nice Doug. I knew a group of frogs was an army I was just asking how many frogs are in Doug's pulchra army.


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

Twelve, Logan.


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

Just wanted to say my first mantella laevigata F1 has hopped out of the water and is looking good pics to follow


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

nicely done, Logan.


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

Thanks Ray, you helped pave the way


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## DVent (Oct 15, 2009)

Any new updates?! I would sure love to read more about these amazing frogs!!! I think after taking the time to read this intire 19 page thread that I have found my next projects!! I can't belive more people don't raise these awesome little frogs!!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Time to revive this thread. I have lots going on in the frogroom. Ebenaui and laevigata froglets oow, aurantiaca and viridis in the water, bernhardi eggs, and just picked up some aff. expectata (bad phone photos below). 






































What about you?


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

I don't have any great news but my female pulchra are looking heavy and my males call all the time now. I think its just a matter of time before I find eggs myself. Just curious Ray how much ventilation do you give your mantellas during breeding cycling?


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Some are totally covered, others have the standard vents. Really about msting freq ime


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## Logqan (Sep 24, 2008)

Thanks Ray,
Mine are standard vented right now and I was considering switching to full cover to push them forward a little more. I will start misting them as often as I can as well. On a side note that doesn't include mantella, just found some leuc eggs about 5 mins ago. Maybe the pulchra will follow.
Logan


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Some better photos after a few weeks in qt. Love the variability.














































Obligatory venter shot


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## SutorS (Feb 20, 2011)

beautiful pictures above. Anyone involved in or know of any good threads on Mantella or Malagasy frog conservation? Cant seem to find much


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## Rain_Frog (Apr 27, 2004)

how many times are you going to post the same pictures


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Just washed 50 tadpoles into the water!!!


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

Sweet shots ray! What are u shooting with?


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## Mantellaprince20 (Aug 25, 2004)

stemcellular said:


> Just washed 50 tadpoles into the water!!!


Not cool ray.... you really know how to bring out the jealousy in me! Put my name on a bunch of those tads  Can you post a full viv shot for the bernhardi?


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Julio said:


> Sweet shots ray! What are u shooting with?


Thanks man. The wife got me an Olympus DSLR. It's quite fun!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Mantellaprince20 said:


> Not cool ray.... you really know how to bring out the jealousy in me! Put my name on a bunch of those tads  Can you post a full viv shot for the bernhardi?


Here you go, Ed.


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## josh_r (Feb 4, 2005)

Wow! That's great Ray!!! Super excited for you! Put my name on the list for tads too  

Do you have pics of he tads?? How are you raising them?? 

Thanks for sharing your success!!

Josh


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## snake5891 (Dec 10, 2009)

Please add me to the list of people wanting mantella sp. as well! I'll take any species except ebenaui, already have plenty of those.

I'm also local to you and a fellow NEFG member.


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## mantellaman (Mar 25, 2011)

I'll go next... I'm keeping baroni[2], ebenaui[3], expectata[5](standard), laevigata[7], madagascariensis[2] and pulchra[6]. They will be fully cycled this spring and I'm currently building a new set up for four of them. I'm focusing on laevigata, expectata and pulchra but since I've only had eggs from my madys' I'm not leaving them out. thanks to new information I should have luck.

And btw my jaw dropped when I saw those bernhardi stemcellular!


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

thanks, the bernhardi are really an incredible species.

At this point, I'm keeping groups of the following:

aurantiaca
milotympanum
viridis
expectata
crocea
nigricans
laevigata
bernhardi
aff. expectata (ie. blushing)

A few years back I produced a good number of laevigata. the following year I produced over 100 aurantiaca. the year after that I produced over 100 viridis. last year I produced about 60 ebenaui. this season, I'm aiming to get the bernhardi and the milotympanum going. Here's to a good season.


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## oneshot (Mar 5, 2010)

I've only got ebenaui and nigricans, but really, really have fallen in love with mantella. I will be getting more as time/money/space allow...


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)




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## jkooiman (May 2, 2010)

Just curious, it seems M. milotympanum keepers don't have much success with breeding? Is there any discussion about this? Or is this a legitimate question? Thanks! JVK


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

I dont think so. Just arent as many around vs. other species. I thinks most folks just underestimate what it takes to raise tads and offspring.


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

jkooiman said:


> Just curious, it seems M. milotympanum keepers don't have much success with breeding? Is there any discussion about this? Or is this a legitimate question? Thanks! JVK


I haven't bred any other mantella species yet except for millos, so I can't compare how "difficult" they are to others, but I have observed some things with the last batch I had and I'm hoping to try some better techniques to get more froglets from future clutches. Considering all of the other cool Mantellas he's bred, something tells me that Ray will do well with his and we'll see quite a few more little milos around soon 
Bryan


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

Thanks. I know another person that just bred a good number of them so there should be a good amount of CB around at some point in the future.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

stemcellular said:


> Just washed 50 tadpoles into the water!!!
> 
> First one just climbed oow! Less than 2 months in the water with temps in high 60s.


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## boabab95 (Nov 5, 2009)

Just got a group of 2.0.1[probable male] Pulchra...


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## Golden State Mantellas (Mar 12, 2011)

Beautiful, M pulchra is one of my favorites.


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## d.crockett (May 27, 2009)

Not really a stellar example of my photography skills, but I thought I would toss up a few pics of my new additions. This group of crocea came from Understory a few weeks ago. They have a lot more green than my others, although the pics don't show it. I have to also express my appreciation to Jake (SmackoftheGods) for helping me get them here.




























One of my laevigata was out while I was taking pictures, so I grabbed a shot of it too. I never get good pics of these guys.


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## corgijuju (Feb 26, 2012)

3.2 Baroni mixed WC and CB(supposedly) Calling constantly...still playing with season changes to see if I have any luck!


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## tclipse (Sep 19, 2009)

Bumping this thread, would love to see more of these guys.


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## stemcellular (Jun 26, 2008)

I have a bunch of aff. expectata blushing coming oow at the moment!


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## orchidsnfrogs (Oct 19, 2019)

stemcellular said:


> I have a bunch of aff. expectata blushing coming oow at the moment!


 bumping! I’ll be Interested in baroni or madagascariensis this spring!


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