Phyllobates vitatus

[BarelyBreathing]

My husband picked up a trio of these at the recent Repticon. They are housed in a 50 gallon.

http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0610.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0612.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0613.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0615.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0617.jpg
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m611/SnakeShed/Reptils/_DSC0687.jpg

[SnakeyJay]

They look awesome... :)

[DragonsEye]

Cute little buggers. Is your hubby planning on putting more plants (fake or otherwise) in there?

[EmbraceCalamity]

Awww. Do they need such a huge enclosure though? I mean I'm sure it doesn't hurt. I'm just curious.

~Maggot

[DragonsEye]

EC, the various pdf's can be quite territorial (don't know about this specific type). With that in mind, a large enclosure with plenty of plants, logs, large rocks, etc. can be very beneficial -- allowing the animals to stake out their own territories and thus minimize confrontations and, in turn, stress. (Of course a well 'fleshed out' tank also minimizes stress of being "out in the open" with insufficient cover.)

[marvelfreak]

Man those are some wee little guys. Cute as heck thought.

[alessia55]

So itty bitty! Congrats on your new froggy friends

[BarelyBreathing]

Cute little buggers. Is your hubby planning on putting more plants (fake or otherwise) in there?

Yep, we got a ton today. We're going to take out the fake stuff and put in the new plants tomorrow.

Awww. Do they need such a huge enclosure though? I mean I'm sure it doesn't hurt. I'm just curious.

~Maggot

These guys are VERY active. Most people keep them in much smaller enclosures, but we thought it would be fun to give them more room. We got them specifically for the tank because of how active they are.

EC, the various pdf's can be quite territorial (don't know about this specific type). With that in mind, a large enclosure with plenty of plants, logs, large rocks, etc. can be very beneficial -- allowing the animals to stake out their own territories and thus minimize confrontations and, in turn, stress. (Of course a well 'fleshed out' tank also minimizes stress of being "out in the open" with insufficient cover.)

The vitatus do really well in groups, actually. They are one of the very few species that do.

[DragonsEye]

Yep, we got a ton today. We're going to take out the fake stuff and put in the new plants tomorrow.

Too bad you don't live closer ... I have a couple clusters of small growing broms (large compared to your froggies, but smaller growing than many of the broms) and some other terrarium plants I could have sold you on the cheap. :)

The vitatus do really well in groups, actually. They are one of the very few species that do.

That's cooll (And it's exceptions like that which kept me from making a carte blanch statement of "all". :D )

[BarelyBreathing]

Too bad you don't live closer ... I have a couple clusters of small growing broms (large compared to your froggies, but smaller growing than many of the broms) and some other terrarium plants I could have sold you on the cheap. :)



That's cooll (And it's exceptions like that which kept me from making a carte blanch statement of "all". :D )

I have had little luck with broms. I got one with the frogs and got a few new tips about caring for them, so we'll see. Do you have any tips for them?

[poison123]

by brom's are we talking bromeliad's?

[BarelyBreathing]

Yes, bromeliads.

[poison123]

ah ok im not good with them either they always rot on me. i was told it may be do to keeping the roots to moist.

[BarelyBreathing]

Yeah, I'm going to try with this one and see if it works.

[DragonsEye]

I have had little luck with broms. I got one with the frogs and got a few new tips about caring for them, so we'll see. Do you have any tips for them?

Really? Many are quite easy. Do you know which types you've had in the past?

Despite being potted, I've never bothered watering the "soil" of the two brom clusters I mentioned. (IME, watering the soil for many species rots them out.) Just try to make sure to put water in the central "cup" and leaf axils.

Some broms are terrestrials and those do require water reaching the roots but many are, like most orchids, adapted to live on tree branches or rocks. For those that are epiphytic, the roots main function is just to keep the plant fastened to its mount. The cups and leaf axils are where the epiphytic broms take in their water. Most do like pretty high light though many can survive with less than optimal lighting.

As with many epiphytes, water quality can make a difference. Tap water can be detrimental. In any event, I would NOT recommend using city water or well water to water your tank ... typically too high in minerals and additives like fluoride or chlorine. Use rain water or RO water.

I will try to get a pic or two of mine and post it here -- perhaps this weekend or next week.

by brom's are we talking bromeliad's?

Yes, indeed. :)

[BarelyBreathing]

That's probably exactly what I've been doing wrong. I've been planting them in the soil and keeping the soil moist. I use bottled water in my amphibian enclosures, so that's not a problem.