help with setup for red eye breeding tank?

[beth wallbank]

I was just wonding if anyone could give some suggestions or ideas for setting up a red eyed breeding tank or rain chamber?

[CONCEPT03]

i was talking to a local whites breeder and she told me the setup she used to get her dumpy's to breed was take all the substrate out fill the aquarium with about 2 or 3 inches of water and just put in 1 big rock for them to sit, if the same aplies to red eyes i dont know, just an idea

[DragnDrop]

I used a 65 gallon tank for the rain chamber so the tadpoles could grow up and morph there without having to move them around. It also served as the first home for the froglets until they were about a month old.

The simplest way is to use an empty tank, about 3-4 inches of water and a powerhead with a 'quick filter' attachment. Pump the water into a spraybar or the rigid wide diameter plastic airline tubing with dozens of tiny holes drilled all along the length and circumferance so that the water gently falls down at all angles like rain. I raised the spraybar near the top of the tank, just under the lid, and let the water fall onto pothos leaves. The frogs need lots of large leaved plants to lay the eggs on, otherwise they use the glass (which works, but is harder to deal with).

One thing most people don't know is that the females almost demand a choice in mates. That means a minimum of 2.1 frogs, though a small group of 4.3 worked best for me. It's a rare female who will mate if she doesn't get a choice in males, she almost has to be desparate to lay her eggs.

Also, don't be surprised if you don't get eggs the first time in the rain chamber. Leave them in for about 7-10 days. If there aren't any eggs by then, 'dry' them out for about 3-4 months simulating the hot dry season. During this time the females should produce eggs, which you can see as 'fat lumps' along their sides up to the armpits, and sometimes even around to the back.
The next time in the rain chamber they should breed as long as there's at least one extra male to pick and chose from.

Some people find the timing of the rain doesn't matter, some say it does. If afternoon rains (for 4-6 hours) don't do the trick, try raining over night. But it's got to rain for at least 4 hours, which is generally the minimum they'd get in the wild during the rainy season. My best luck was raining from noon to approx 5 or 6 pm, and a short shower from around 8 pm to midnight. The females would start looking for a suitable egg laying site (with the male riding on her back), and around dawn they'd get down to business.

You can see some fantastic pictures at Fantasy Frogs Life Cycle - Red-eyes breeding (http://www.geocities.com/fantasyfrogs/Leaf%20Frog%20Life%20Cycle.htm)

While you're at it, check out the other frog and gecko pictures - they're really great.
(not my site, wish I could take credit, it belongs to friends of mine)