Pairing:
When you are looking to breed dart frogs, the process should start with species such as Dendrobates tinctorius and its various morphs with a single male and single female. Frogs ideally should be a year old or older. Avoid having more than one mature female to avoid fighting which is a common problem with tinctorius. Some ranitomeya and oophaga pumilios can have a "small" breeding group. Males of breeding age will call signaling their willingness to breed. Tinctorius though have a low pitched call that is difficult to hear. Oophaga, Ranitomeya, Phyllobates, calls are very audible and can be heard from a good distance away. Larger oophaga can be heard several rooms away. They sing in short bursts that can span 15minutes at different intervals a day. Note that although "amplexus" is common frogs, it does not take place with dart frogs. As a male dart frog selects a egg laying site, it will move to a prominent location and call (or sing) for a female. If the female is interested she will come to him. The male will often do a light "petting" physical contact with its front hands. He will try to stimulate the female to lay eggs. Note, there is no grasping that is common in other frog species. Once she lays eggs, he will fertilize the eggs that have been laid.
If you overserve wrestling, grasping, frantic hopping around of two frogs this is a sign of aggression. Male calling may trigger female to female rivalries. Tinctorius females can fight to the death. Drowning has been observed in female territorial squabbles. Even if no direct physical injuries are observed, allowing such rivalries may still cause the loss of a frog. Stress and direct or indirect may impact the health of a rival. The ability to eat enough food may also be compromised. When you observe same sex fighting it is recommended to separate one of the rivals. Personally we generally recommend removing the weaker frog to better enable the stronger frog to pass on strong genes. Other males may counter call trying to buy the attention of the female as well.
Conditions:
To prepare the females for egg laying, increase the amount of food at each feeding. Increase t frequency and of water mistings. Encouraging breeding towards the beginning of Spring is most ideal especially following rainstorms. Note that you will want to have a few months of breeding then discourage breeding to allow frogs to regain weight and energy spent during the breeding season. This can include removal of breeding sites even removal of a mate for a few months till the next breeding season. Monthly provide supplemental vitamin A to help with egg development. For heavy egg layers vitamin A can be provided twice a month. *Note we are currently experimenting with weekly vitamin A supplementation. Note supplements such as Repashy Calcium plus has some vitamin A. You want to avoid excess vitamin A supplementation especially with really young frogs. Supplementation is the same as calcium supplementation, it’s a powder sprinkled on feeder insects that you then feed to your frogs.
Egg depositing sites:
For many frogs including tinctorius, leucomelas, auratus, phyllobates offer a egg depositing shelter such as a coconut hut with a petri dish base or other hides and Magnolia leaves or other smooth and glossy leaves.
For smaller frogs including oophaga and ranitomeya offer water carrying plants such as bromeliads or film cannisters deposited in the background, or suction cupped to the sides of the enclosure. (Note that oophaga frogs will need to care for tadpoles themselves. Oophaga females lay unfertile eggs in the water to feed their tadpoles. Do not remove eggs as most keepers will be unable to provide the nutritional needs of this species. An appropriate food source for oophaga tadpoles has not been found that is equal to oophaga eggs.)
Eggs:
For non-oophaga: Once you have a female deposit eggs in the vivarium you will want to wait several hours to even a full day to make sure that the male has fertilized the eggs. Thus, after a female deposits eggs, the male depositing sperm on the eggs, external of the female. Note that having multiple females in an enclosure runs the risk of a rival female destroying eggs. Also eggs left too long in a high traffic area does increase the risk of them being trampled.
Caring for eggs:
Many keepers remove eggs from a vivarium for species. Again for species other than oophaga (egg feeders). Removal of eggs increases the rate of success in most cases as opposed to leaving eggs in a vivarium to be cared for by its parents or even left alone by its parents..
Egg care Steps:
1) Remove the petri dish or other egg laying surface:
2) Rinse eggs lightly with a dropper or soft mist to remove debris and bacteria. Rinse the back of the surface and sides to flush away harmful microbes that are unseen. We recommend "rinsing" using "tadpole tea" for egg "maintenance". (see below for how to make this tea). Egg maintenance includes the initial rinse and daily egg hydrating via misting with tadpole tea. If left in the vivarium each day parents would keep the eggs from drying out by "wetting" eggs via secretions. Likewise daily you want to lighting mist the eggs as well using tadpole tea that you add to a spray bottle. Note that eggs should not be covered with water as they will suffocate. They need exposure to the air for respiration.
3) Place eggs in a covered container such as a covered Sterilite type plastic shoe box or lidded aquarium. Place paper towels covering the bottom of the container that will hold moisture. Wet the paper towels with tadpole tea. This will serve to keep a moist humid environment and help prevent eggs from drying out. Using the tea will help prevent mold growth or bacteria from fouling the eggs. Keep away from heat or constant airflow.
Water:
Note that as dart frogs are indigenous to tropical rain forests they are accustom to "pure water". This water does not have chemicals or the impurities that our municipal waters have. Pure water for us as keepers includes RO (reverse osmosis filtered water) or distilled water. RO filters can be store bought, distilled can be boiled at home or bought in bottles in a store. Since this water is so pure it lacks the mineral content needed for the healthy development of tadpoles, we recommend adding minerals back into the water. Commercial products such as Replenish or Equilibrium by SeaChem that will restore water quality.
Tadpole tea
In a water bottle or other water storage container add purified water (reverse osmosis water aka "RO" or distilled water) and re-mineralized that water as indicated above. Then add Indian almond leaves to that water. The more leaves that you add the richer the tannin level will be. Commercial almond leaf extracts such as "Black water" can also be used when diluted appropriately. Tadpole tea has the benefit of acting as a natural antifungal and antibacterial agent. Many eggs left on their own may mold or have mold spread to them from an adjacent egg that wasn't fertilized and spoiled. Some people use diluted methylene blue as well as an antimicrobial agent in-lieu of Tadpole tea in the tadpole maintenance phase.
Tadpole development:
Over the course of several weeks to a month the eggs will develop into tadpoles. As this time approaches remove any eggs that fail to develop to prevent molding and contaminating healthy eggs. Add drops of tadpole tea around eggs that have a soon to hatch tadpole. Again, avoid covering eggs with water. Once eggs break free of their gelatinous egg they will move into the adjacent water drops. At this time, you may move tadpoles into individual partially filled 36ounce cups or a communal aquarium. Note that some species such as tinctorius are cannibalistic. Having a large aquarium and ample vegetation, and almond leaves will reduce the risk of loss due to cannibalism.
Tadpole containers:
Deli cups:
You can use a 36oz deli cup for each tadpole for individual rearing. Initially fill the container with ¼ of tadpole tea. Add some java moss to help with water quality and provide edible plant material. Also add an Indian almond leaf. We also recommend adding a few calcium granules (oyster shell) to add mineral content and hardness "GH" to the water. Every few days add a pellet of food. Same day using a water pipette or dropper remove uneaten food. Food that spoils will foul the water and affect the mortality of the tadpole. Likewise remove any tadpole droppings that are visible. After the first week add another quarter cup of water to the container. Repeat till the cup is full. If the water appears murky or otherwise after one months’ time do a 1/3cup water change to help maintain water quality.
Tadpole Food:
You have multiple food options available. The goal is to give a balanced diet including protein and vitamins for proper development. Commercial products are available. Be careful of mixes that you create into a gel such as "Soilent green". Although nutritious can foul the water quickly. Fluval Bugbites, tadpole pellets from Houston Frogs, or other companies are core choices. You and roll pellets in chlorella and spirulina. Live foods such as larva, dead flies, cut worms are also valuable feeders. Always provide a plant such as java moss or similar that help to filter the water and provide and additional edible material. Always provide Indian Almond leaves, Cattapa. This helps to maintain a soft water, provide tannins and also readily consumed by tadpoles.
Water hygiene:
Water quality is key for dart frogs. In the wild tadpole deposit sites are often replenished with fresh rainwater. (Note tropical forest rainwater has a low TDS (total dissolved solids) rating. Rainwater in municipalities has a high TDS rating. Air pollutants will be present in rainwater. City rain water also tends to be acidic. Thus avoid using rainwater and well water for tadpoles. Plan for weekly water changes or running a charcoal based water filter. Clean water is needed for raising health dart frog tadpoles. Note, the frequency of water changes and providing freshwater is different than say raising fish and the notion of water cycling. In say a bromeliad in the wild, its water is flushed from ammonia, nitrates, nitrites. Thus same holds true for your tadpole cups. Frequent water changes prevents ammonia buildup, negating the need for nitrogen fixing bacteria to maintain your water quality.
Tadpole development:
After up to several months the tadpole will develop will first develop its back legs. Several weeks later it will develop its front legs. During this time its gills will slowly be replaced by functioning lungs. As the front legs become visible and approaching final development length it is time to reduce the water level and provide easy access to land. Since tadpoles lose the ability to respirate from gills in the water it will need to breathe air from its newly developed lungs. Tadpoles left too long in water may drown at this point in time. As the front legs are developed the tail will be absorbed. Loss of the tail will drastically affect its ability to swim. Deli cups used for rearing should be tilted to 45degrees to allow a tadpole to walk out of water easily when its ready. If you use reading aquariums they should have platforms to emerge from the water safely. At this time prior to emerging from the water feeding can be stopped. As the froglet will not readily eat as it will get nutrient value from tail absorption.
Froglets:
As the tadpole leaves the water for land it is now referred to as a froglet (little frog). You should have its enclosure seeded with springtails. These small arthropods are a basic cleanup crew member for vivariums. When you are planning on raising tadpoles you should look to have several cultures of springtails available to keep a healthy supply in your froglets enclosure.
For the first few months you should look to have a small setup for froglets. Small enclosures let you easily monitor the health and progress of your froglet. It is easier to maintain a higher density of springtails in a smaller area as well. A froglet setup is typically called a "grow out bin". You want a drainage layer at the bottom to hold water. This can be aquarium/ pond foam. Then layer the surface with leaf litter. Throw in a few plant cuttings. Mist daily. Note that small setups are more at risk to temperature variances. Ideally you want steady temperatures from 64-78F. Avoid areas that are exposed to drafts and sunlight.
As weeks go by and size increases you can start offering melanogaster fruit flies. Dont over feed to start as that can stress them out. Make sure to use an amphibian supplement such as Repashy calcium plus at each feeding. Frog here froglets will get larger and sturdier. Avoid placing small froglets with larger frogs/ their parents as larger frogs can outcompete smaller and more frail frogs.
From here you can look to raise as you would older frogs and look to place in a fully planted vivarium.