BOOK REVIEW
DENDROBATIDAE NEDERLAND

Steve Martin

As mentioned in the December issue of the newsletter, the DENDROBATIDAE NEDERLAND, a sister group in Holland, have published an entire year’s Newsletters in one journal, and what an interesting read it makes.

If anyone has problems in deciding which style or design to choose when building a suitable palidarium, you will be spoiled for choice if you can lay your hands on a copy of this publication. With at least six different working designs for vivaria, complete with diagrams, I defy anyone to say that they don’t have a place to start when it comes to building their own. The drawings are of a suitable quality, though several terms are still in Dutch. However, they are quite sufficient to enable most people to understand the basic techniques required to fabricate these vivaria. Decor and furnishings are dealt with in detail. There are several articles concerned with the planting of vivaria, to the point of going into detail about growing orchids in your tanks!

There are two very interesting articles that deal with the raising and rearing of tadpoles to metamorphosis. They are widely differing methods, which, it is claimed, produce young frogs free from spindle leg. If that in itself isn’t worth the ten quid (£10) that it costs for this book, then I don’t know what is. One method uses a tank with a mesh bottom, covered in a layer of sponge rubber. This is topped with moss that is suspended over another tank containing water. A heater and thermostat are set to a suitable temperature, the result of which produces a high humidity and warmth. As the author of the article says, "You want to see them grow".

The other method would at first appear rather haphazard. It recommends setting up a tank with a water-covered base area, with bits of land created from moss or bark. The two authors have tried this design for some period of time, and claim to raise fit and healthy animals. Well, "What are they doing?" I hear you muttering. OK, then. When they have a clutch of taddies, regardless of species, they place them into the water area and feed them a pinch of fish flake every other day until metamorphosis, when the froglets scramble out onto the land areas. The babies then join others waiting to be grown on, while more tadpoles take their place in the water. It would appear that no cannibalism has been detected amongst the tadpoles, and they survive on the natural biological food created by the lighting, algae and infusoria. They supplement this by eating the odd fruit fly that falls into the water, having been overlooked by their land-based relatives. I suppose that by adding a sprig of Tradescantia to the water, the nitrate levels should be kept to an absolute minimum. I have no proof yet that this all works, but I’ll certainly be giving it a try.

Add to all this the stunning photographs and line drawings, and you have a booklet which should be on the wanted list of everyone who wants to breed these animals.