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Dart frogs or newts?
- Thread starter cornking4
- Start date
- Messages
- 1,055
Fish Tank -
A 55 gal has a lot more potential as a fish tank than youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve seemed to get out of it. As Rrcooj described, Cichlids are much more interesting than your typical community fish. IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve had as much as 1,500 gallons of freshwater tanks up and running at once and not less than 300 gallons for the last 10~12 yearsÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦
I prefer the South & Central Americans. A 55 gal will not be an Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?idealÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ home for many of the bigger species that hit (or exceed) 10~12Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?ÂÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦ But there are many species that stay a bit smaller that would work well. It takes little to no effort to breed many species and I can speak from first hand experience that Tegus enjoy eating young Cichlids.
Newts -
IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve kept Firebellie newts at room temperature a few times as a kid. They never did well. IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve looked rather extensively for a Newt that could coexist with some of my more docile fish. But the upper 70 *F ~ lower 80*F temps they need were to warm for anything I could find.
Salamanders -
In general Salamanders are more terrestrial and Newts are more aquatic. So they would need more of a Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?VivariumÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ as opposed to a Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?TerrariumÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢. IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve put less effort into educating myself on the terrestrial option than I have the aquatic options, but I have looked at Salamanders a few times and have not come across anything that thrives in warmer (80Ã?¢ââ??‰â??¢ish) temperatures. Central America seems full of frogs but doesnÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t have much of a variety of 4 legged amphibiansÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦
Dart Frogs -
IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢m the type to do ample research or education on a critter before acquiring it. So IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve yet to keep Dart Frogs but IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve been avidly reading about them for 6 months or so. I am at the tail end of building a fairly elaborate system of Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?VivariumsÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ (50 & 75 gal plumbed together with a linked water feature).
They have completely captured my attention and seem like wonderful little creatures to keep. Springtails will easily colonize in a tank no work is needed to add them to the menu once they are in the tank. Fruit flies are cheap and easy to maintain as a breeding colony. They have a wingless variety so you donÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t have to worry about escapees flying around the house. IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve bred crickets previously and will do my best to avoid doing so ever again. They are loud, dirty and stinky and I donÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t appreciate any one of those qualities. So Pineheads will be purchased as a rare treat. There are a few types of worms they can also eat which are easily colonized, but most worms arenÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t the best staple diet for amphibians.
Temperatures for Dart Frogs are commonly suggested to be in the mid to upper 70s with low 80s being acceptable but not ideal. But if you check the actual temperatures in the regions they come from (Central America), youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ll find day time highs in the middle to upper 90Ã?¢ââ??‰â??¢s are quite common. Dart Frogs are known to require very high humidity, so just ensure your humidity is as close to 100% as possible. My suspicion is that if the humidity is kept high enough the temps you are suggesting will not be a problem.
Reptiles -
Of course there are dozens of options for reptiles in this tank as well. I have a friend that breeds geckos and he divides 55 gal tanks in half keeping a breeding pair on one side and their offspring on the other.
A 55 gal has a lot more potential as a fish tank than youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve seemed to get out of it. As Rrcooj described, Cichlids are much more interesting than your typical community fish. IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve had as much as 1,500 gallons of freshwater tanks up and running at once and not less than 300 gallons for the last 10~12 yearsÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦
I prefer the South & Central Americans. A 55 gal will not be an Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?idealÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ home for many of the bigger species that hit (or exceed) 10~12Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?ÂÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦ But there are many species that stay a bit smaller that would work well. It takes little to no effort to breed many species and I can speak from first hand experience that Tegus enjoy eating young Cichlids.
Newts -
IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve kept Firebellie newts at room temperature a few times as a kid. They never did well. IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve looked rather extensively for a Newt that could coexist with some of my more docile fish. But the upper 70 *F ~ lower 80*F temps they need were to warm for anything I could find.
Salamanders -
In general Salamanders are more terrestrial and Newts are more aquatic. So they would need more of a Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?VivariumÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ as opposed to a Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?TerrariumÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢. IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve put less effort into educating myself on the terrestrial option than I have the aquatic options, but I have looked at Salamanders a few times and have not come across anything that thrives in warmer (80Ã?¢ââ??‰â??¢ish) temperatures. Central America seems full of frogs but doesnÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t have much of a variety of 4 legged amphibiansÃ?¢ââ??¬Ã?¦
Dart Frogs -
IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢m the type to do ample research or education on a critter before acquiring it. So IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve yet to keep Dart Frogs but IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve been avidly reading about them for 6 months or so. I am at the tail end of building a fairly elaborate system of Ã?¢ââ??¬Ã?Å?VivariumsÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ (50 & 75 gal plumbed together with a linked water feature).
They have completely captured my attention and seem like wonderful little creatures to keep. Springtails will easily colonize in a tank no work is needed to add them to the menu once they are in the tank. Fruit flies are cheap and easy to maintain as a breeding colony. They have a wingless variety so you donÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t have to worry about escapees flying around the house. IÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ve bred crickets previously and will do my best to avoid doing so ever again. They are loud, dirty and stinky and I donÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t appreciate any one of those qualities. So Pineheads will be purchased as a rare treat. There are a few types of worms they can also eat which are easily colonized, but most worms arenÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢t the best staple diet for amphibians.
Temperatures for Dart Frogs are commonly suggested to be in the mid to upper 70s with low 80s being acceptable but not ideal. But if you check the actual temperatures in the regions they come from (Central America), youÃ?¢ââ??‰â??¢ll find day time highs in the middle to upper 90Ã?¢ââ??‰â??¢s are quite common. Dart Frogs are known to require very high humidity, so just ensure your humidity is as close to 100% as possible. My suspicion is that if the humidity is kept high enough the temps you are suggesting will not be a problem.
Reptiles -
Of course there are dozens of options for reptiles in this tank as well. I have a friend that breeds geckos and he divides 55 gal tanks in half keeping a breeding pair on one side and their offspring on the other.
Thanks for the info everyone, I think I've pretty much got it narrowed down to either a dart frog viv or an exotic lizard setup. If I did do a lizard, I think I'd do sandfish because I'm looking for a really unique display animal. Any other ideas for weird/interesting small lizard species?
