# 55g Tank... Ideas



## ESPMike (Mar 23, 2005)

I have been considering doing something new with my 55 gallon tank in either reptiles/amphibians. Snakes are out of the question (my girlfriend would have a fit) but turtles or other amphibians would be great. I used to have fire bellied toads and newts in a 20 gallon and that was a really cool setup that lasted for years and really never got boring. With a 55 though I was thinking about doing something similar and I need some ideas of what I could do with it. Any ideas?


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## jiggy (Jun 27, 2004)

i always wanted to setup a dartfrog tank. but they r like $100 each and theres no guaranteed live arrival with amphibians.


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## ESPMike (Mar 23, 2005)

jiggy said:


> i always wanted to setup a dartfrog tank. but they r like $100 each and theres no guaranteed live arrival with amphibians.


Thatd be pretty cool, I can get them pretty cheap at my LFS too. But to do a full setup that gets really pricey, not looking for anything that expensive. I used to have Geckos too (same as the Geico commercial) but same thing, that gets to be expensive when you get into that stuff. REALLY cool displays though.


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

get a dragon or two dude... theyre requirments are pretty easily met...and... your girlyfriend will love it!


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

I would set up an Eastern Water Dragon (_Physignathus l. lesueurrii[/i] )

http://agamainternational.com/pages/waterdragon.html

Can not beat this one gang, and they are seriously underrepresented in collections, and Bert is the man for your source!_


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## ESPMike (Mar 23, 2005)

They look like really cool lizards CrocKeeper. I used to have a Chineese Water Dragon and he was awesome. That would be a definate possibiity but wouldnt a 55g be a bit small since they get up to 3'? I also have a 90 Im thinking about switching from my p's to a reptile so this might be a better possibility for that instead.

I was thinking about doing something with some small turtles/frogs/newts all in the 55g. Anyone know of any small turtles that stay pretty tiny that would work well for this?


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## ESPMike (Mar 23, 2005)

Wow im kinda hooked on the Eastern Water Dragons after doing some reading all of the sudden. They are apparently very easy to care for and have a great tolerance for extreme temperatures etc. Definately impressive looking lizards:










I also want a lizard I can handle like I could my old Chineese Water Dragon. Based on his pictures Im led to beleive that these can be handled safely too.


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

WOW is right !!! i dont know if ive ever seen these guys before? obviously not too common in the pet trade?...


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

There are hundreds of species available guys that people just do not know about....and the pet trade rarely gets things right..sad to say...bearded dragons and leopard geckos are two they did get right...but like these australian natives, there are soooo many things that are wonderful captives, and hardy, and reasonably priced......but hey that is why we have this sight...information, dialogue, and exposure to new information!!!!










If you want turtles look to spotted turtles, you could set up 1.2 or 3 in the 55 and successfully propagate them, but be aware you will pay heaftily for legal animals.

I f you want to set up frogs, I would do Dendrobates auratus, 3 males, 5 or 6 females, spend some time landscaping it perfectly and maybe get some brown anoles in there as well to occupy some vertical space as the frogs will stay to the bottom.


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## bjmarche (Jun 30, 2005)

If you're going with frogs, the best looking ones I've personally seen are :

Dendrobates Azureus









Dendrobates leucomelas









dendrobates mysteriosus


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## brutusbeefcake (Dec 8, 2004)

spiff- seems like your the pd frog man/? what do you feed those guys? how toxic is there poison and how do they get you with it? just dont know much abouit them other than their colors and poison...


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## ChilDawg (Apr 30, 2006)

In CBB specimens, there's no real danger from toxin as it is theorized that toxins are produced by some wild feed source.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Awesome pics spiff......but a caveat for those choosing them based on looks:

There are many species that are beautifull, but beauty is not the main factor in my recomending aratus(even though a metallic green and black frog is pretty awesome), as PDF's go, they are the perfect beginner frog as they are very forgiving in temperature fluctuation, diet errors, etc....I have terrilibis, pumilio, and tinctorius, all of which I think are some of the most spectacular frogs in the world...that said they are definately not beginner frogs(tincs could do well as a second) but terrilibis is nasty even as a c/bred and born specimen, contact with captives skin result in Numb areas....Danger will robinson Danger.....diet is fruit flies, and in the spring I feed aphids and thrips and the like....and pumilio well, talk about a pain in the ass....the tadpoles are egg eaters.....go figure why you don't see tons available...


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## bjmarche (Jun 30, 2005)

Wow, you have a terriblis?
That's the most venemous of all Dart Frogs.
I'd like to see a picture if you've got one, I've never seen anyone with one.
I think the Azureus and Leucomelas are perfectly suited for beginners as well, not so much the mysteriosus.
I just feed mine Fruit Flies, and pinhead crickets.

Also, their venom comes from a type of ant that they naturally feed on, and since they don't feed on them in captivity, they lose most of their toxicity.
As for how they get you with their poison, they actually just secrete the poison from their back. So the only way you could be harmed by it, is if you ingested it, or if you handled the frog and had a cut on your hand.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Exact mechanisms for production of their toxins are unknown, it is as spiff stated earlierin the thread "theorized" that diet is the key...but the fact remains we do not know exactly how or why..sad isn't it, I mean we know more about space than we do most of our own earthly wonders.....

Financially the azureus, leucomelas and auratus are within 5 bucks of each other, and shortly I will be posting tadpoles and froglets for sale in the classifieds on auratus, and leucomelas, and azureus.

There are quite a few people and zoos ( sadly getting stock out of the zoos is almost impossible anymore) with terrilibis spiff, the main factor limiting their availability is that few people want to work with them, and they tend to command a hefty price tag for a little frog!
I will be posting pics asap. Since you are a keeper, start putting together some informative posts to help encourage others to keep these fascinating frogs, and to help the newbs!!!!









Here are some cool links and info...

Molecular systematics and phylogeography of Amazonian poison frogs of the genus Dendrobates

R. Symulaa, R. Schulteb and K. Summers, , a

a Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858, USA
b Instituto de Investigación de la Biología de las Cordilleras Orientales, Tarapoto, Peru

Received 2 January 2002; revised 12 July 2002. Available online 24 January 2003.

Abstract
The study of Amazonian biodiversity requires detailed knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships of closely related taxa distributed across Amazonia. The Amazonian poison frogs of the genus Dendrobates have undergone many taxonomic revisions, but the phylogenetic relationships within this group remain poorly understood. Most previous classifications were based on morphology and skin toxin analyses, with limited use of DNA sequence data. Using mtDNA sequence data from four gene regions (cytochrome b, cytochrome oxidase I, 16S rRNA, and 12S rRNA), we present a molecular phylogenetic analysis of the evolutionary relationships within a representative group of Amazonian Dendrobates. We use the resulting phylogenetic hypothesis to investigate different biogeographic hypotheses concerning genetic divergence and species diversity in Amazonia. The results of the analysis support the presence of ancient paleogeographic barriers to gene flow between eastern and western Amazonia, and indicate substantial genetic divergence between species found in the northern and southern regions of western Amazonia.

Corresponding author. Fax: 1-252-328-4178

http://library.thinkquest.org/C007974/2_2poi.htm?tqskip1=1
http://www.photovault.com/link/Animals/Amp...onDartFrog.html

http://www.trfic.msu.edu/rfrc/tour/dendrobates.html
http://zoltantakacs.com/zt/pw/re/album.php?idx=14
http://www.biologie.uni-ulm.de/cgi-bin/que...e=6&typ=ZOO


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## bjmarche (Jun 30, 2005)

Hey CrocKeeper, where do you live?
I'd gladly buy some of those tadpoles if we could get them here.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

TN and TX...As soon as I finish getting some turtles to Xenon....I will hook up with you on shipping info..or you can send me a message!


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## bjmarche (Jun 30, 2005)

Damn.
I'm in Newfoundland haha.
I'm pretty sure this is the farthest place from Texas in North America.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Shipping into Canada can be done, but requires you to have an import Permit for your country.....I am glad to see the diversity of our membership! Truly P-Fury is a global sight


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