Dart Frogs
Very wet with tiny, sensitive inhabitants. High humidity.
Go with the Straightforward Choice for a simple cleanup crew or the Advanced Ecosystem suggestions to take your bioactive ecosystem to the next level!
Straightforward Choice: Springtails
Folsomia candida (Common White Springtail) - The time-tested standard and one of the best cleanup crew springtails. Very fast breeding and effective cleaners that spend much of their time below ground and will not disturb your frogs.
Advanced Ecosystem: Springtails
Include Pseudosinella violenta which are effective, surface active cleaners that double as a favorite food for dart frogs. Thalassaphorura encarpata, Arrhopalites caecus, Desoria trispinata etc. Folsomia candida may outcompete the others so avoid them when aiming to maximize biodiversity in this environment. See the full species information list for picking additional species.
Straightforward Choice: Isopods
Trichorhina tomentosa (Dwarf Whites) - The safest choice for tiny amphibeans. Fast breeding and effective cleaners that spend much of their time below ground and will not disturb your frogs.
Advanced Ecosystem: Isopods
Stick strictly to Trichorhina tomentosa or Trichoniscidae sp. (Dwarf Purples).
Quantity
Quantity of springtails and isopods required for a bioactive enclosures varies based on enclosure size and the amount of time the enclosure is establishing before adding the main inhabitants. As few as 100 springtails and 10 isopods per species could seed a 18x18x24in enclosure if it is set up well in advance and the cleanup crew is given fish food once or twice a week to help them grow in population. Dart frog enclosures should be given time to establish before adding the frogs so this is a viable option.
Crucial Information
Do not use larger species of isopods which may bother or harm the frogs. Pseudosinella violenta (Bylas Ant Springtails) can grow into massive populations in humid, detritus rich environments and may bother the frogs if they don't keep up with eating them. Make sure to check with dedicated dart frog hobby forums, websites, and business for the best information.
Additional Information
Dart frogs have very specific care requirements and today that usually means going with a fully bioactive enclosure. Be sure to diligently do your research before keeping dart frogs.