POISON DART FROGS
COLOUR WUNDER?
No, but a very interesting frog which I has learnt to love.
I have bought him rather by chance on the spring fair in Hamm in 2008. I discovered him there on the stand of Woulter Olthof (Peruvian-Frogimport). My interest was actually rather more to A. bassleri orange head from which I had ordered a couple from Woulter to myself. Until that time I had no experiences with Ameerega kinds and anyhow hang on this optically insignificant, but still interesting frog. Briefly I decided, as I do now more often on stock exchanges, I acquired a pair for me, payed a high up price to Woulter, like for all other of his frogs. But there were wasn’t any more of them, on any other place around.
I put the pair in the close covered 50th tank and was of good hope, because the animals were already adult. Both were frequent to be seen and only a little bit shy on the first 14 days. Then I could examine them regularly in the terrarium. They settled down fast and already after 2 weeks I could hear calling the male. The call is a very quick sequence very of Up and Down noice and changed after a short time in constant pattern, which resembles to the call of H. azureiventris very much. It was unclear to me, where they would place her clutches. Also in my literature I could find only a little about that. So I offered different spawn possibilities like spawn cone, film tins and Petri dish with covered half a coconut. In spite of the calling male I could discover no clutch during 3 months. So I decided to postbuy one more female. I wus alreday in contact to Woulter, because the especially for me reserved couple A. bassleri orange head turned out as 2 males. Though he made sure of me, that its 100% a couple A. bassleri, because he would have found already a clutch ot them!, but I could hear both animals calling clearly and also see. I put the tip that females also could call, here simply without any comment. Up to this date I was actually persuaded, of the quality of the animals and from the knowledge of Woulter. But when I should receive, in addition, 1.1 Ameerega trivittatus (green back) then with the next purchase of 0.1 bassleri and 0.1 my new entries and these also turned out as 2 males, it was final enough of the jokes. Besides, I had expressly pointed out to the fact that I am ready to pay the price of 250€ but only for a 100% pair. But well, I had paid once again richly teaching money.
Now back on the real subject: On using the 2nd female it takes me other 4 months the first clutch, which I discovered on a bromelia leaf. The film tins were also visited regularly, but were not accepted to the filing. The cluchtes enclose between 16-22 eggs, are almost white at the beginning and change to black with the days goes by. However, the clutch takes whith nearly 3 weeks very long, to get out the tadepoles. Partly I had to give some help. The clutches were transferred in Petri dish with some water level (1-2 mm). There were only a few failures. Meanwhile I grow up all tadepoles in the aquarium. With the single breeding I had above the problem that the tadepoles slip out of the mug and almost perished thus. So I had to reduce the water level about 1 cm to handle the problem. As a feed they greedliy accepted Spirulina above all. Generally has struck me that the tadepoles hung all the time on the surface and sucked off them formally. Whether this is to be led back on oxygen starvation, I cannot exclude, however, also in the aquarium with fan they show this behaviour. The tadepoles are very activ and have a long tail which in adition points out to the fact, that they well manage fluent water or currents. The development up to the land way lasts about 8-9 weeks. In spite of good feed and the best water quality the offsprings are really small to compare by the size of Reticulatus. The tadepoles are coloured spotted browm during the complete development and only with the land way the get there adult colouring. They lie with pleasure on sheets of the water plants near the surface. The lateral stripes and the shoulder spots are recognizable only after the entire resorption of the tail. The young animals grow again on moving in the terrarium astonishingly fast and double her size within about 14 days. Springtails are irreplaceable to the breeding.
For the end a few more remarks to the terrarium. The tank is close covered like already described on the beginning and light drops only a little in the washbasin. This get’s probably good to the animals, because they show no big shyness. I can see them regularly on the bromelias which they also use as a sleeping place and cuddle up then formally to them. The team of there 3 has appeared very well on each other. Thus I can find in the distance of 14-21 days a clutch either in a horizontal film tin on the ground or on a bromelia sheet. At the moment A. hahneli are the most productive frogs in my tanks now.
Result:
I have never regretted this spontaneous purchase and can recommend these animals suitable as well very long-lasting, as well as able for beginners. I could well imagine that they are good even as a second trimming in a bigger tank. Who may have frogs one melodic call and not even to loudly, is exactly right here. As feed they are taken everything greedily what is offered. Even bigger crickers pose no problem. The frogs have an high power demand like H. azureiventris and therefor they should be fed enough. Ameerega hahneli was described in the past sometimes as a Dendrobates, Epidobates, Phyllobates and now as an Ameerega. One looked at him even as a colour variation from A. pictus. However, an enrichment is he par excellence.
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