AVS Q&A with… Achint of monmouthfrogs

Oh, man! This week’s Q&A is Achint of monmouthfrogs I’ve been following him on Instagram for a long time, and I’ve always been impressed with the quality of his photos, plants, and poison frogs. I had the pleasure of meeting him and picking up a pair of Oophaga pumilio ‘Bastimentos’ from him at National Frog Fest in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Let’s get into it!

Let’s start off by going back in time when you first started working with cold-blooded critters.  Did you work with any other herps or other animals before focusing on poison frogs?  Give the readers a little frame of reference by talking about what led to where you are now.

My journey into herps really started with fishkeeping and aquariums.  I had aquariums from childhood all the way until a few years ago. At one point I had 20+ aquariums and bred freshwater fish such as barbs, medaka, guppies, and more. I started branching out into herps in college where I picked up some leopard geckos. I can’t remember what got me into frogs in the first place, but once I found out about the PDF hobby I was in. I searched online and decided to go with some thumbnails and a converted 10-gallon aquarium to vertical vivarium. I ended up with a pair of Chazutas from Garden State Frogs. Shortly after getting these reclusive Rantiomeya I wanted to get something more bold and settled on a group of orange terribilis. I really started leaning into frogs when I moved to Michigan. Coincidentally, it seems like the midwest is really an epicenter for dart frog hobbyists!

Tell me about your plant game.  Do you think you have a green thumb?  I absolutely love working with plants as much as poison frogs.  You?  I’m an aroid fanatic! What are some of your favorite plants?  

I’ve always been into all things leafy and green! I’m a long way from a pro-grower like some of the other hobbyists out there, but most of my plants do pretty well! I’ve had aquarium plants before any terrestrial plants but also kept houseplants pretty regularly throughout my life. Aroids are definitely my favorite, and I’m always looking for new cool plants to add to my collection. Right now I’m really digging Anthurium sp. Limon, a cool vining plant with some interesting leaves. Another one of my favorites is Philodendron cf. inaequilaterum "Paper Thin".

You’re a skilled photographer as well.  Has photography always been a passion?  

Apart from aquariums, photography has been my primary hobby ever since high school. I started by shooting portraiture and events to afford better gear and spiraled down the rabbit hole of semi-professional photography. I got into studio work organically through portrait shooting, however, I ended up taking a hiatus from photography for some time. It’s been great blending my passion for photography and my passion for animals. It really makes both hobbies more enjoyable, and I’m glad I am able to share it all through my instagram and website!

This is a tough one.  I know I probably couldn’t answer it, but what species/locale of poison frog is your favorite?

As tough as this is I gotta say Phyllobates terribilis. These were probably the first frogs I ever found out about through a National Geographic book or magazine when I was a child. I still remember a picture of an indigenous man pinning down a frog while tipping a dart with poison. These frogs are the boldest ones I have, they are great to photograph, and incredibly fun to watch eat. Nothing beats a large colorful frog! If I had to pick a second I would say small form redheads I picked up! Oophaga have the most interesting behavior out of all other dart frogs and are incredible to watch.

I like to get out in the field to study reptiles and amphibians in situ?  I’m a diehard herper.  Do you go field herping?  

Going field herping is something I really want to do more of! I used to go hiking and catch frogs in a local stream but have not done that in years. I would love to make a trip out to South America and see these frogs in situ. Definitely a future goal of mine!

What is your favorite aspect of our hobby?  

This hobby is so multi-faceted, it’s so rewarding building vivariums, documenting their progress, keeping frogs, observing their behavior, and raising tadpoles. Despite this, my favorite aspect is definitely the community. It has been amazing meeting so many cool people with similar interests. Everytime I meet a fellow frogger, there is an instant connection over our love of amphibians. I chat with people on instagram daily and have made some cool friends through the hobby. It’s also the best way to get new ideas, learn more about the frogs, and get inspired. Plus I love taking pictures of all of my friends’ cool frogs. The community aspect of the hobby is also the most important, and through this community we are able to support conservation and educate others.

What are some of your goals/aspirations with the hobby moving forward? 

I would love to continue to keep posting some amazing frogs on my Instagram and grow my blog, monmouthfrogs.com. I would also like to help new hobbyists get into keeping dart frogs by educating and inspiring them! Finally, I have a long list of people who I need to visit and take pictures of their collections so that is definitely a priority for me!

I’m going to ask everyone I interview to tell me who they would like for me to interview.  Who has really been influential in your journey with poison frogs, tropical plants, vivaria, and photography?  You can mention as many folks as you want.  

Jake’s Jungles (@jakesjungles) , Mike from Glass Box Tropicals, Troy Goldberg (@oofrogahistroyonica), Shareef (@abunchoftanks), Braxton of Frog House Tropics and Marco (@king_mog). There are too many to list lol 

A big thanks to Achint for doing this for me! Be sure to visit his website monmouthfrogs.com and his Instagram.