Grow-Out Tub Setup for Dart Frogs: From Froglet to Sub-Adult

So, you’ve got your eye on dart frogs—those colourful, toxic little bundles of energy. Maybe you’ve got tadpoles growing fast or froglets newly morphed out of the water. That’s where a grow-out tub comes in. It’s the bridge between being a bubble-headed swimmer and a confident land-hopper.

Getting this stage right is absolutely crucial. This is when young dart frogs are most vulnerable. Too wet? You’ll get infections. Too dry? You’ll get crispy frogs. No ventilation? Say hello to fungus. It’s a fine balance—but with the right setup, it’s dead easy.

What is a Grow-Out Tub?

It’s a temporary enclosure designed to raise froglets from their first few hops out of the water up to juvenile size—roughly 3–4 months depending on species. It’s not fancy, but it needs to be functional, bioactive-friendly, and safe.

Grow-Out Essentials

Humidity: Keep it steady at 80–100%. Mist lightly twice a day.
Ventilation: Too little and you’ll get mould. Too much and you’ll dry them out. That’s why our 3D printed enclosures have tuned venting.
Size: Around 20–30cm in footprint is ideal. Small enough to monitor, large enough to roam.
Visibility: For daily checks and peace of mind.

Recommended Enclosure

The 25x30x25cm Sliding Door Vivarium is our go-to. It’s escape-proof, ventilated in all the right places, and looks great on your frog rack.

Substrate and Microfauna

Don’t skip the cleanup crew. Even in a grow-out tub, springtails and isopods help manage waste. Use a thin layer of ABG mix or similar, top it with moss, bark chips, and leaf litter.

Enrichment and Hides

Give them things to climb and hide under. Bromeliad leaves (real or printed) work wonders. We even offer 3D printed egg-laying sites and mounts that double as hiding spots for young frogs.

Feeding Froglets

Small frogs = small meals. Your go-to feeders are melanogaster fruit flies, springtails, and occasionally micro crickets. Dust with calcium a few times a week and multivitamin once weekly.

Top Tips

Label tubs by hatch date
Group frogs by size, not age
Open lids daily for airflow—even with vented designs
Don’t overwater—aim for damp, not soggy

Raising dart frogs in the UK can be incredibly rewarding—and it starts with smart housing. Browse our 3D printed vivarium collection and get your froglets set up right from day one.

Frogfather

Frogfather is led by an experienced UK-based amphibian keeper, breeder, and vivarium designer with a proven track record in ethical dart frog care, mossy frog breeding, and rare isopod husbandry. Specialising in bioactive enclosures and DEFRA-compliant animal shipping, Frogfather shares expert guidance to help keepers create healthy, naturalistic habitats.

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Close-up of a cobalt dart frog sitting near a curtain hem on a wooden floor, with an open vivarium in the background — captured just after an escape in a UK frog room.

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