The Frograck Podcast

Poison Dart Frog Hobbyist Facebook Group

National Frog Fest March 22, 2026 Event

Keith Tanis FrogsNthings.com

Frograck.com

In this episode; Andy Baker, Keith Tanis, and Andrew Hill join me as guests for a Question and Answer Roundtable. We tackle 50 questions from the Poison Dart Frog Hobbyists Facebook page. Join us for this conversation that covers a wide variety of dart frog topics. You won't get bored.

Engage with the community on the Poison Dart Frog hobbyists Facebook Page.

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Takeaways

• Dart frog enthusiasts use a variety of methods to breed, feed, and maintain their dart frog vivariums.
• Heating dart frog vivariums in cold environments
• Dealing with roaches in a tank
• Washing plants
• Creating a waterfall in a vivarium
• Introducing a female to a pair of male dendrobates tincturus
• Quarantining new frogs before introducing them to an existing tank
• Setting up a storefront for poison dart frogs
• Raising tadpoles communally
• Maintaining humidity levels in vivariums
• The dart frog market is experiencing high demand and limited supply
• Leaf litter from live oak and magnolia trees
• Community engagement in frog hobbyist groups is valuable for sharing knowledge, experiences, and maintaining a positive and supportive environment.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introductions
• 05:25 Dealing with Mites in Springtail Cultures
• 13:14 Andrew Hill's Dart Frog Hobbyist Experience and Feeding Challenges
• 18:29 Sealing Spray Foam Backgrounds in Vivariums
• 25:20 Misting and Humidity Control in Dart Frog Vivariums
• 35:08 Dealing with Roaches in a Tank
• 47:45 Dealing with Ants in a Tank and Washing Plants
• 54:14 Creating a Waterfall in a Vivarium
• 01:09:02 Raising Tadpoles and Tank Setup
• 01:15:28 Feeding and Supplement Rotation
• 01:23:48 Tadpole Rearing and Parasite Concerns
• 01:33:03 Humidity Management in Vivariums
• 01:39:30 Humidity and Vivarium Health
• 01:45:22 Community Engagement and Hobbyist Groups

Shop at the Frog Hobby's Favorite Frog Shop: Frogdaddy.net

Alex Manke joins us with his reflection on 2025, challenges in the amphibian industry, the impact of short-form video content, content creation challenges, Frog Daddy's business stage and projects undertaken, plant propagation and product releases, leadership growth, and expo vending. The conversation covers the themes of transparency and community building, infrastructure and facility upgrades, and challenges related to disease management. Alex discusses the importance of transparency in the hobby, the upgrades made to the facility, and the challenges of managing disease outbreaks. These themes are explored in-depth, providing valuable insights into the world of frog breeding and the amphibian hobby.

Takeaways

• Terrarium hobby growth
• Challenges in the terrarium industry Transparency and community building
• Infrastructure and facility upgrades
• Challenges and disease management

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 06:01 Challenges of Content Creation and Market Growth
• 13:01 Frog Daddy's Business Stage and Projects Undertaken
• 21:01 Plant Propagation and Product Releases
• 27:54 Leadership Growth and Expo Vending
• 33:44 Building a Transparent Community
• 54:35 Looking Forward

The episode provides a comprehensive review of my personal amphibian keeping in 2025, covering the transition to a part-time job, the building and maintenance of a frog room, and the experience of selling newts and frogs as a hobby business. I share insights into the challenges and expenses involved in these activities, offering valuable information for amphibian enthusiasts. The conversation covers the construction of a basement frog room with insulated concrete walls and a PEX tubing heated floor, the use of solar hot water panels and a 1000-gallon hot water storage tank for heating purposes, the utilization of Baker's racks on wheels for enclosure management and maintenance, and the breeding and raising of various species of newts with varying degrees of success. The conversation covers a range of topics related to breeding and raising amphibians, financial constraints, challenges with specific species, water quality issues, sourcing and importing exotic species, and the importance of captive breeding and conservation. The host also discusses his goals for 2026 and plans for the Frog Rack podcast.

Takeaways

• Amphibian keeping as a part-time job
• Building and maintaining a frog room
• Selling newts and frogs as a hobby business Building a basement frog room with insulated concrete walls and a PEX tubing heated floor
• Use of solar hot water panels and a 1000-gallon hot water storage tank for heating purposes
• Utilizing Baker's racks on wheels for enclosure management and maintenance
• Breeding and raising various species of newts with varying degrees of success Breeding and raising newt species
• Challenges with breeding and raising amphibians
• Importance of captive breeding and conservation

Chapters

• 00:00 Selling Newts and Frogs as a Hobby Business
• 41:06 Basement Frog Room Construction
• 01:00:06 Baker's Racks for Enclosure Management
• 01:06:11 Breeding and Raising Newts
• 01:23:14 Breeding and Raising Newt Species
• 01:29:08 Water Quality and Well Issues
• 01:40:42 Challenges with Red-Eyed Tree Frogs and Other Species
• 01:54:09 Sourcing and Importing Japanese Tree Frogs and Miyako Toads
• 02:00:44 Goals for 2026 and Podcast Plans

The conversation covers a diverse range of topics related to the dart frog hobby, including the guest's background, involvement in the hobby, understanding of bioactivity, and the importance of sterilization and biosecurity. The guest's extensive knowledge of microbial ecosystems and the complexities of maintaining a healthy vivarium are highlighted throughout the discussion. The conversation covers the pitfalls of using outdoor organisms in vivariums, the concept and function of clay mineral baths, the science of clay and mineral supplementation, and the role of minerals in the forest floor. Key takeaways include the importance of biosecurity and the underutilized source of dermal supplementation in amphibian husbandry. The conversation delves into the intricacies of creating naturalistic vivariums, tissue culturing mosses and liverworts, amphibian-safe vivarium remineralizer, and the development of green fuel fruit fly media. Each topic highlights the complexity and attention to detail required in maintaining a healthy and natural environment for dart frogs and other amphibians.

Takeaways

• Diverse Background
• Bioactivity and Microbial Ecosystem
• Sterilization and Biosecurity Biosecurity is crucial
• Dermal supplementation is an underutilized source of supplementation Naturalistic vivariums require careful consideration of the natural environment, including leaf litter and microclimates.
• Tissue culturing mosses and liverworts requires extensive knowledge and experience to do properly.

Chapters

• 00:00 Sterilization and Biosecurity
• 50:12 Understanding Clay Mineral Baths
• 01:04:12 The Science of Clay and Mineral Supplementation
• 01:11:48 The Role of Minerals in the Forest Floor
• 01:23:30 Amphibian-Safe Vivarium Remineralizer
• 01:33:46 Green Fuel Fruit Fly Media

The conversation covers a diverse range of topics, including Chase's background, involvement in the frog hobby, personal journey with dart frogs, understanding bioactivity, and the concept of sterilization versus pasteurization. Chase's expertise in microbial ecosystems and biosecurity provides valuable insights into the complexities of maintaining a healthy vivarium environment. The conversation delves into the critical topic of biosecurity and the risks associated with collecting outdoor materials for vivariums. It also explores the concept of clay baths and mineral supplementation for amphibians, emphasizing the importance of understanding the composition of clay and its role in amphibian husbandry. The conversation delves into the creation of naturalistic vivariums for dart frogs, emphasizing the importance of replicating the natural environment of the frogs. It also explores the process of tissue culturing mosses for use in vivariums.

Takeaways

• Diverse Background
• Bioactivity and Microbial Ecosystem
• Sterilization vs. Pasteurization Biosecurity is crucial
• Understanding the composition of clay and its role in amphibian husbandry Naturalistic vivariums
• Tissue culturing mosses

Chapters

• 00:00 Sterilization and Biosecurity
• 50:12 Clay Bath and Mineral Supplementation
• 01:04:12 Understanding Clay Composition
• 01:12:52 Creating a Naturalistic Environment for Dart Frogs

Visit Houston Frogs website to learn more

Shop for products that Chase has developed at Frogdaddy.net

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Frograck Podcast. A milestone episode and a bucket list guest. Devin Edmonds joins the podcast to talk about his journey in herpetoculture, herpetology, in situ and ex situ conservation of mantella frogs, seeing mantella in the wild of Madagascar and more!

Follow Devin on Instagram

Learn more about recent work at Mitsinjo

Consider donating to Mitsinjo

Learn about the important work Devin is a part of at Amphibian Ark

Participate in the International Mantella Society Facebook group

And build your perfect frog enclosures with supplies from todays sponsor New England Herpetoculture

JJ The Frog Girl chats treefrog and dart frog breeding. listen to our conversation to get an idea about just what it takes for a hobbyist breeder to produce thousands of treefrogs, raise them to a healthy size, and get them into the hands of hobbyists.

Find JJ The Frog Girl on Facebook

Visit todays sponsor NEherp.net for all your terrarium needs including glass drill bits and bulkheads.

Billy from Creepers Herpetoculture sits down to discuss ethics in amphibian husbandry & welfare. Stick around until the end, as I bring up a topic that would be sure to stir the pot in a facebook group, but we can handle the nuance with your help, so join us in the comments on youtube.

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Shop with todays sponsor NEherp

Sean Twohy joins the Frograck Podcast to talk about his experience as a hobbyist breeder of firebelly newts, firebelly toads, and bumblebee toads as well as keeping emperor newts. We discuss the reality of breeding amphibians at the hobby level and moving the offspring into the amphibian marketplace.

Brutus from Socal Paws N Claws joins us for an episode of the Frograck Podcast. We have a great conversation about breeding newts, keeping reed frogs, raising strange treefrogs, maintaining uncommon species in the hobby, learning from mistakes, and more!

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