galactonotus prices on

Galactonotus, known as splashback poison frogs or galacs (galacts) for short, originate from Brazil lowland rainforests, south of the Amazon river.  Information for galacs can be found under Adelphobates or Dendrobates galactonotus, but it isn't easy to find.  

Not a super common frog in the Canadian dart frog community and more of an intermediate frog to care for because of challenges with breeding.  They are a gorgeous frog. They were first brought to the US in the 1990's. There were a lot of breeding issues when they were newly imported but supplementation improvements and understanding of their needs has increased their captive health and reproduction.

Galacs usually have fully black undersides and fully or partially black legs and a colour "splashed" on their backs, although there are solid oranges as well.  There are different colours (red, orange, moonlight, blue etc) and got their name based on the amount of colour they had in the import group they came in with (eg. 70% orange, 75% orange, 95% orange, solid orange). The amount of colour the offspring have, may no longer fit into the percentage of colour they are named for, but they keep that classification because that was the import group they came from. Our orange galacs are "75% Orange".

Males and females aren't always possible to sex.  Sometimes the female may be slightly larger and wider but often both sexes are pretty similar in size. The males may have larger toe pads, the females may have a cleave in their chest. They generally are difficult to sex before they are actually calling or breeding. Their call is a long soft buzz.

Galactonotus tend to breed better in groups and eventually work out a pecking order, but they should be watched until they are established in case they need to be separated. Extra breeding sites should be provided. They are seasonal breeders and require a dry season followed by a wet season to trigger their breeding behaviour.

Eggs are white and look infertile at first but will develop later.  Usually 5-10 eggs are in a clutch and hatch 10-14 days after the clutch is laid. Egg and tadpole care is basically the same as tinctorius.

Galacs can be more reclusive. I find our Red galacs are shier and tend to try to group together at the top of the vivarium. I've made sure they have shelves and hides at the top of the viv. They come down for eating or breeding. Our Orange galacs spend most of their time on the ground and are bolder. Having extra shelter (extra plants, roots, caves etc.) allows for them to feel more secure and come out more frequently.  When galacs are stressed they tend to climb. They will use the full terrarium width and height.

Humidity should be kept over 70%. Temperature should be kept between 20 - 26.6 C (68 - 80 F), but ideally 22-25C, with the temperature dropping a few degrees at night. They can tolerate cooler temperatures for a short amount of time (18+ C), but they are heat sensitive and will die fairly quickly if overheated. Make sure there is a source of water for them if the temperature is getting too high, using fans at the vents, and turning out the lights all help cool off the vivarium. If necessary, toss in some ice packs to help drop the temperature. Power outages and broken air conditioners can prove fatal for dart frogs.

In summary, galactonotus are beautiful frogs. They breed better in groups but need to be monitored until they establish a pecking order. They are harder to sex until they are actually breeding. In all cases, the larger the tank, the happier the frogs.