Description
45 × 45 × 60 cm Established Bioactive Vivarium with Powder Blue Dart Frogs
An established planted enclosure supplied with two well-grown Powder Blue Dendrobates tinctorius and the substrate, planting, microfauna and hardscape described here.
What “established” means
The enclosure has been built and allowed to run before sale so plants and microfauna have time to establish. We have removed the term “fully cycled” because a terrestrial planted vivarium does not have one universally defined, measurable cycling endpoint comparable to the way that term is often used for aquaria.
Included
- 45 × 45 × 60 cm tropical vivarium.
- Established substrate and drainage provision.
- Live tropical plants.
- Springtails and isopods.
- Natural hardscape and leaf litter.
- Two Powder Blue D. tinctorius.
Claims corrected
Microfauna and plants can contribute to decomposition and enclosure function, but they do not automatically “maintain natural biological balance” or guarantee a healthy environment. Environmental conditions still depend on ventilation, lighting, temperature, water input, plant growth and routine husbandry.
Automation
Automated misting, lighting and environmental monitoring can be useful tools. They still require checking and calibration and should not be treated as a replacement for direct observation of the frogs and enclosure.
Stocking note
This listing describes these animals in this particular established enclosure. It should not be used as a universal enclosure-size or social-housing recommendation for other D. tinctorius.
Bioactive System & Evidence Review
Last reviewed: 5 September 2026
A bioactive vivarium can use plants, leaf litter, microorganisms and detritivorous invertebrates to process some organic material, but it is not a closed or self-sustaining ecosystem. Microarthropods can contribute to decomposition, although the magnitude of that effect varies with the organisms, substrate, organic material and environmental conditions.
Frogfather therefore uses terms such as aged, established or matured to describe systems that have been running before sale. Those terms do not guarantee biological stability, eliminate routine maintenance or prove that a vivarium is immediately suitable for any species.
Evidence & further reading
- Kampichler & Bruckner – microarthropods and terrestrial decomposition
- St Claire et al. – husbandry and care of dendrobatid frogs
