African
dwarf frog, hlth., no data or reading ahead of writing
8/20/08
Hi- last fall my frog lost her front leg,
<?!>
it kind of curled up on her and then it was gone, leaving a pinkish stump.
<More to this...>
She adapted well to the loss of the leg, but now the other front leg has
done the same thing. We were hoping maybe it would grow back but neither
have. We would just like to know if you have ever seen this before and what
causes this. Thank you, Becca BTW she is 3 years old.
<... Legs are not "just lost"... something missing... in the system,
maintenance, water quality, nutrition, aggressive tankmates... You give no
data re these... Read: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dwfafdis.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: African
dwarf frog, killing 8/21/08
hello- I wasn't sure how detailed you wanted me to get. Okay, the frogs live
in a glass vase with a lid on it that holds a plant,
<... dismal... Totally inappropriate>
the water used is regular tap water that is aerated for at least 24 hours before
we replace 50% of the water once a week. They are fed frozen blood worms.
<Ditto>
Now, before you start thinking why are they living in a vase without filtration,
heat lamps etc., I would like you to know that these frogs are 3 years old, they
mate constantly and have laid eggs several times.
<Animals, plants for that matter will attempt to reproduce in extremis...
conditions that spell their doom... something about "survival of the species">
We have watched the eggs evolve to tadpole stage and have actually had 2
fully mature. The other frog is fine. So I don't think anything is wrong with
the way we are raising our frogs, in fact I think we got it right, and they are
actually quite spoiled, for frogs.
Is there anything I can put in the water to help her? Will the legs grow back?
Or do I need to start looking for a new frog?
Thank you in advance for any information you provide me.
<Please read where you were referred to... RMF>
Possible fungus/bacteria infection?
dwarf frog... Ridiculous lack of care 6/1/08
Hi -
<Hello>
I was given two dwarf frogs and had them in just a little 1 1/2 gallon tank.
<Too small to be stable... unhealthy>
No filter, heater etc.
<...>
This was the only thing I had to put them in and they seemed to do fine. I then
got a 29 gallon fish tank and after letting the tank cycle for about a month
with some Danios I put the frogs in. They were doing fine and then I gradually
added some more fish.
I have three Mollies and a few guppies. Surprisingly, one of the Mollies had
babies which I put in an isolation area inside the tank. They are doing fine.
I've lost a few fish along the way which I've attributed to it being a new tank,
etc. I've had my water tested at PetSmart several times and have been told that
it's fine. But one of my frogs eyes started looking cloudy and then he started
floating up at the top.
I put him back in the original 1 1/2 gallon tank to isolate him and noticed his
back foot has the white cottony/thready looking stuff on it. In talking with a
local pet store, they suggested using Fungus Clear (Nitrofurazone, Furazolidone,
potassium dichromate). So I put a little bit of that in there with him. He's not
floating at the top as much but the white stuff is still there and his eyes are
not normal. He also seems pretty weak. In looking at other sites, I see so much
conflicting information, some talk about adding salt, some say not to. For a
newbie like myself, I'd sure appreciate any information you can give me.
Thanks,
Lori
<Have just skipped down... Read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/hymenochirus.htm
the linked files. Bob Fenner>
Dwarf African Frog-Broken wrist?
4/30/08
Hi there
<Hello>
We have recently moved our DAF to a new tank. Before we moved I noticed that his
wrist was bent back on itself. It has been suggested that I will need to take
him to a vet and get it removed in case it goes gangrenous but I just don't know
of a vet that could/would do something that delicate.
Do you have any other potential diagnoses or cures?
<Mmm, no need to remove the limb... will either "cure" of its own accord, or be
of use as is. Bob Fenner>
|
Aquatic Frog Red Sore on Finger 4/19/08
Hi WWM,
Hello; I have an aquatic frog named Freddie who is almost a year old now. He is
in a 10 gallon tank and all readings are perfect. I maintain the tank once a
week. Freddie is eating well and swimming a lot. But, I noticed for over two
weeks now he has a red sore on his finger that will not go away. I started to
treat him with aquarium salt and Melafix. Please give advice if this is the
proper care. Thanks ahead of time, Jean
<Hello Jean. This is a secondary bacterial infection, likely caused by poor
water quality and/or physical damage. Melafix and salt are useless for treating
bacterial infections; both are primarily used as preventatives rather than
cures, and many of us here at WWM doubt their value even then. Instead, use a
suitable antibiotic or antibacterial medication safe for use with amphibians. A
pet store that specializes in reptiles and amphibians will be able to provide
such medication, as will a vet. Bear in mind that fish-safe medications (such as
eSHa 2000 and Maracyn) could harm the frog, so shouldn't be used before
confirming that they are safe. Red sores are likely caused by Aeromonas
bacteria, and untreated lead to Red Leg, a deadly disease. While dealing with
the infection, establish what caused the problem in the first place. Water
quality is usually the problem, but if you mix frogs with fish (something you
shouldn't do) the fish can attack the frog making it vulnerable to infections.
Cheers, Neale.>
Re: African dwarf frog
– 04/19/08
Yikes! Why does PetSmart give such crappy information!
<No idea. Not all branches give bad information or misleading sales pitches. But
some appear to do so.>
I'll keep Ferdinand where he is, and maybe I'll buy him a new froggie to visit
with.
<Sounds like a plan!>
I will also take my black skirts and tigers back to PetSmart and give them up
for adoption!
<These species are only problematic if you choose to keep them with slow or long
finned fish. Also tend to be "bad" when kept in too-small a group, i.e., less
than six. They're fine fish mixed with other barbs and tetras though.>
I'll add some angels or ghost shrimp instead.
<Hold out for Cherry Shrimps if you can -- although not so big as Ghost Shrimp,
they're nicer colours and happily breed in well-run aquaria. I have quite a
colony in 10 gallon tank, and they're more fun to watch than the fish!>
If I get rid of them, would it be safe then to add Ferdinand to the mix?
<Frogs are safe ONLY with completely peaceful, non-nippy fish. Angels would be a
bad choice. Shrimps should be fine, as are things like Corydoras and
surface-living things like Danios and Halfbeaks.>
Also, is there any way to keep Neons alive? I still have 2 of my original 8, and
I would love
to have about a dozen of them.
<Neons are plagued by a problem known as Neon Tetra Disease (or Pleistophora).
In a nutshell, if one gets sick and it dies in the tank, it will infect the
others. There is no cure except breaking the cycle by removing sick fish on
sight. Neons also need soft, acid water. They also need lower than normal
temperatures: around 22-24 C (that's about 72-75 F in old money). Kept at high
temperatures they just won't thrive. Because Neons are mass-produced to be cheap
rather than decent quality, you "get what you pay for" -- so anywhere you're
seeing Neons at a buck a throw, you have to ask yourself just how good are these
fish that they've managed to sell them at under 50% what they went for even a
few years ago. Oddly enough, Cardinals tend to be (in my experience) altogether
easier to keep, though they *definitely* need soft water to do well.>
Thanks for the great advice.
<Happy to help, Neale.>
Re: African dwarf frog
– 04/19/08
Yikes! Why does PetSmart give such crappy information!
<No idea. Not all branches give bad information or misleading sales pitches. But
some appear to do so.>
I'll keep Ferdinand where he is, and maybe I'll buy him a new froggie to visit
with.
<Sounds like a plan!>
I will also take my black skirts and tigers back to PetSmart and give them up
for adoption!
<These species are only problematic if you choose to keep them with slow or long
finned fish. Also tend to be "bad" when kept in too-small a group, i.e., less
than six. They're fine fish mixed with other barbs and tetras though.>
I'll add some angels or ghost shrimp instead.
<Hold out for Cherry Shrimps if you can -- although not so big as Ghost Shrimp,
they're nicer colours and happily breed in well-run aquaria. I have quite a
colony in 10 gallon tank, and they're more fun to watch than the fish!>
If I get rid of them, would it be safe then to add Ferdinand to the mix?
<Frogs are safe ONLY with completely peaceful, non-nippy fish. Angels would be a
bad choice. Shrimps should be fine, as are things like Corydoras and
surface-living things like Danios and Halfbeaks.>
Also, is there any way to keep Neons alive? I still have 2 of my original 8, and
I would love
to have about a dozen of them.
<Neons are plagued by a problem known as Neon Tetra Disease (or Pleistophora).
In a nutshell, if one gets sick and it dies in the tank, it will infect the
others. There is no cure except breaking the cycle by removing sick fish on
sight. Neons also need soft, acid water. They also need lower than normal
temperatures: around 22-24 C (that's about 72-75 F in old money). Kept at high
temperatures they just won't thrive. Because Neons are mass-produced to be cheap
rather than decent quality, you "get what you pay for" -- so anywhere you're
seeing Neons at a buck a throw, you have to ask yourself just how good are these
fish that they've managed to sell them at under 50% what they went for even a
few years ago. Oddly enough, Cardinals tend to be (in my experience) altogether
easier to keep, though they *definitely* need soft water to do well.>
Thanks for the great advice.
<Happy to help, Neale.>
|
African Dwarf Frog question,
hlth. 4/6/08
WWM Crew,
I love your site by the way, I am a new fish owner and I enjoy reading your site
and getting lots of really useful information. But here is the
issue. I have a decent size 5 gallon tank where I have just a single ADF named
Sal.
<Hmm... "decent" isn't really how I'd define 5 gallon tanks. The problem is that
they're very difficult to keep stable in terms of pH, water quality, etc. Even
for very small beasts, you're a lot better off with a 10 gallon tank unless
you're an expert fishkeeper.>
He seems to be fine, is always playing and floating towards the top of the tank.
I had him for about a month before I purchased a mystery
snail. About 3 days after I introduced the snail into the tank with the frog the
snail developed a fungus.
<Snails don't normally develop fungus. They're either alive or dead. Are you
sure this just wasn't algae on the shell?>
As soon as I recognized what it was the snail was immediately put into
isolation. After changing the water in the tank with the ADF and cleaning
everything. I've noticed that Sal has developed a single red bump under each of
his front arms its doesn't seem to be bothering him or anything, Im just trying
to figure out if he has something that I need to treat.
<Yes; find an amphibian-safe antibacterial or antibiotic. Your local reptile pet
store will be able to help here. Fish-grade medications may be safe, but often
aren't. Once bacterial infections get established, these little frogs die very
quickly.>
I don't want him getting sick and making his happy little life uncomfortable.
All the levels in the tank are fine, he doesn't have red leg or cloudy eyes or
any other symptoms. Any advice would be great or am I being overly paranoid?
Thanks.
Paranoid ADF lady
<Hope this helps. Neale.>
|
ADF floating and now with red
feet... new water, hlth. – 03/18/08
First, Thank you for being a superior source of information. I have read
about the ADF and diseases and found one that seems to match what
is going on, but I need to know what to do next . . .
My daughter (11 1/2 years old) has had her hex 5 tank for 2 1/2 years and has
done a pretty good job of keeping it clean and the 3 fish & 1
ADF frog cared for. Over this time she has lost three fish and one frog, but all
has been well for about 10 months. Until now . . .
Paige did a water and filter change last month
<Mmm, I'd do smaller, more frequent change-outs... 10-20% a week... with
treated, pre-stored water>
and the water again last week. On Friday I noticed that there seemed to be gunk
floating in the tank (like shedding skin and algae from scraping- this is not
normal for her tank) Then Sat. her ADF was floating at the top of the tank (also
not normal and not a Zen pose). I took him out, took a sample of the water to
the pet store and did a 1/2 exchange of the water.
<Careful here... It is dangerous to change too much of a system too soon with
amphibians... whatever is in their water, gets into their bodies... almost
immediately. Hence the statement above>
When I helped with the water exchange I found that the filter had not been
pushed all the way down and wasn't filtering properly. It's working now
and the pet store said that the water was "fine".
<Fine...>
We put the ADF in a 1/2 gallon bowl with a mix of old and new water until the
Sunday afternoon (if he died, I didn't want to leave him in the tank with the
other fish while we were gone a few hours). We put the frog back in the tank,
but this morning his hands and feet looked red.
<More evidence of "new water poisoning">
This afternoon his legs are red and he is floating at the bottom of the tank
up-side-down,
<Bad...>
but when we tap him with the net he moves around. I found a reference to "red
leg" that stated that red leg or foot is due to water quality - and lack there
of. But I didn't see what to do about it. Our situation seems fatal. What do you
suggest we do next? The pet suggested that we use Melafix.
<No... worthless... See WWM re>
What do you think? Thank
you for your help!
Joanie and Paige
<Really, only time, patience... I do hope your daughter's Hymenochirus
recovers... Do please read here re water changes:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwh2ochgs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Re: ADF floating and now with
red feet
Bob,
<Joanie, Paige>
Thank you for your speedy reply. I feel very badly that I could have made the
situation worse by putting too much new water into their
environment.
<Is a very common situation... Nowadays, our tap/source water is not very
"consistent"... and much of the treatment (e.g. sanitizer addition) is quite
toxic to aquatic life>
It looks like you were giving me another link about the Melafix or another med.
but it didn't show up on the email. Would you resend the link and/or give me
more insight on the medication issue for this situation?
<Do just peruse WWM through the term and our search tool here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/question_page.htm
reading the cached views... highlighted...>
By the way, the little frog is still at the bottom, but is moving occasionally
on his own.
Thanks again,
Joanie and Paige
<Am hoping for the best... Cheers, BobF>
|
Floating ADF, what treatment
options? Poor environment, no reading 3/17/08
Crew,
I bought 2 African Dwarf Frogs a week ago. I have them in an
unheated/unfiltered, but treated, 1 gallon tank.
<Umm, this is the trouble... Need heated (they're tropical), filtered
environment... of larger (more stable) size>
Initially I also had 3 Ghost Shrimp, but those died within 24 hours (I think due
to the stress of extensive travel and adjustment, and probably due to the
cramped quarters of having 5 animals in a fairly small bowl). Their deaths, I
don't believe is related to this problem. As soon as the shrimp died they were
removed from the tank and they water was changed and re-treated. After about 5
days of having the frogs they started to act a bit strange. They started to just
float at the top of the bowl without any movement. They have also stopped eating
(they have been on a strict frozen brine shrimp diet in the store and in my
home). According to my research on this site and on others, it appears that they
do not have red leg, fin rot, extreme bloating, or a fungus related infection.
One site I research mentioned that there is a bacterial infection that can
afflict these frogs. The symptoms, floating at the surface and not eating. This
site did not give any treatment options.
I know there are certain types of salts and medicines that could possibly be
used to help, but I didn't want to use anything that would not treat this
problem. What treatments would you recommend? I really don't want to lose these
critters, but I fear that they may be a casualty of my novice status.
Please send me any advice you have that might remedy this problem. Thank you.
Dan
<Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/hymenochirus.htm
The linked files on the page. Bob Fenner>
African Dwarf Frogs -
Twitching, lethargic 3/2/08
Hi guys,
<Hello,>
Thanks to your wonderful site my husband and I have had 2-3 aquariums up and
running for several years with no problems at all in at least a year.
We have 2 adult African Dwarf Frogs that had lots of little froglets a few
months ago. We couldn't possibly keep them all (21 total) but were waiting for
them to grow up to be strong healthy frogs before selling them to our local Ma
and Pa fish store. They were in a tank that's way too small to support all of
them (5 gallons, but lots of the frogs are still very small), but we did
frequent water changes and kept a very close eye on all water parameters. The
tank was completely cycled, we'd never see any ammonia or nitrites, and the
water changes took care of nitrates fast.
We're moving and things have been hectic, the tank went a few days without a
partial water change and my husband tested the water - Ammonia had spiked off
the chart! The frogs were all on the bottom, lethargic, and a few of them were
lying on their backs and twitching. We immediately did a 50% water change and
retested. Ammonia was still WAY too high, so we waited a few hours and then did
another 75% change. Still too high, so we moved some fish around, completely
cleaned our 20 gallon tank and moved them into it last night.
<Doesn't sound promising. A good rule during times of chaos is to STOP feeding
livestock. Anyway, if you see an ammonia spike in an otherwise stable aquarium,
do check for overfeeding and/or dead livestock. It may be that one frog died,
decayed, and that was what overwhelmed the existing filter.>
This morning I checked on them and 5 out of 21 are on their backs twitching, the
rest are very lethargic, and a few of them have their legs twisted around their
other leg. It's not looking good... Water parameters are fine in this brand new
tank. We've added some gravel from our very old cycled tank to assist the cycle
in this new one and will be picking up some BioSpira when the pet store opens
later today.
<Hmm... gravel (unless part of an undergravel filter) doesn't do all that much
to speed up cycling, so don't rely on it. Much better to divide the media in the
existing filter into two, put one portion in the new filter, and then let things
recover. A mature filter can easily tolerate a 50% loss of media without any
serious water quality problems.>
Our frogs are our babies, we feel terrible that we let this happen to them.
We were planning on giving some of the babies to the LFS today but are terrified
that they'll just put them down since they look so bad. We'll keep them for as
long as we feel that we can do some good to help them.
<Good. Sometimes time helps. Additional aeration plus regular water changes will
also help.>
To further compound the problems, we MUST move their tank to our new place today
which is sure to traumatize them. Is there anything that we can do to help them
other than make sure that this new tank cycles fast, being vigilant to water
quality issues?
<Transporting the frogs, providing they are parceled out into spacious
containers, a few per container, shouldn't really cause major problems. Keeping
them warm and dark during transit will help, as will being quick. But compared
to ammonia spikes, simply being moved about for a couple hours is neither here
nor there.>
Thank you so much, you guys are great.
Heather
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
Deceased frog. 2/14/08
Dear Bob,
<Neale here today!>
About a year ago I decided I wanted a fish, so I went and bought two Jack
Dempseys. The employee at the big box pet store told me they would be fine in a
ten gallon tank.
<Nope; and indeed getting two JDs to share any sized tank is pushing your luck
unless they're a mated pair.>
Needless to say, I hadn't done my research and neither had he. After doing my
own research and learning more about them they're now in a 55 gallon tank with a
few other fish and seem to be doing fine, but my boyfriend and I wanted a
peaceful community tank as well.
<Doesn't everyone!>
I did some research on that and found that (hopefully this is all correct) an
ADF would be fine with some small Corys and a peaceful Gourami or two.
<Actually, no; I don't believe that frogs of any kind make particularly good
additions to aquaria. They are best kept alone, or possibly in tanks with
ultra-peaceful species that can be guaranteed to ignore them (say, Hatchetfish
or Kuhli loaches). Otherwise, frogs are too easily damaged, too sensitive to
poor water quality, too easily killed by fish medications, and too difficult to
feed properly. While some people manage to mix frogs and fish fine, the majority
don't.>
We set up a 30 gallon tank (about a foot deep) and had it running for a few days
before we went down to the specialty fish store that we now shop at. We bought
one ADF, three small panda Corys, and a honey dwarf Gourami. We brought them all
home and put them in together yesterday. The frog was extremely active. He swam
around a lot and seemed to be enjoying himself. They seemed fine when we went to
bed last night, but when we woke up this morning (gasp) my new frog friend was
dead!
<Not really surprised. Almost certainly killed by water quality problems.
Running a tank for a few days EMPTY does nothing at all to cycle it. Maturing a
tank depends on the bacteria getting established in the filter, and that
requires a source of ammonia for the bacteria to "eat". An empty tank is just a
big bucket of water, and there's nothing biological going on in there. You then
add a bunch of fish, the produce ammonia, and the ammonia stresses/kills the
livestock. Do read the WWM articles re: starting a new aquarium.>
The water has a strange cloudy quality to it. The fish are still alive, but the
frog was done for in less than 24 hours and I'm really not sure what happened.
We tested the PH again and it was fine.
<The pH is irrelevant, and most inexperienced aquarists have no idea what it
actually means. For a new tank, you need *at minimum* a NITRITE test kit. This
gives you a measurement of how the second stage of the two-stage biological
filtration process is doing. Under normal circumstances a tropical tank takes 6
weeks to complete the cycling process. That's six weeks from when the first
ammonia source is added -- whether a few hardy fish (like Danios) or an
inorganic source (ammonia from a bottle). The pH is about the acidity of the
aquarium, and there is no such reading as "fine". A low pH (i.e., 6 to 7) is
good for Angelfish and tetras but bad for livebearers and Goldfish; conversely,
a high pH (i.e., 7.5 to 8) is essential for livebearers and Goldfish, but not
appreciated by soft water tetras and dwarf cichlids. Please do read the WWM
articles re: water chemistry to understand this topic.>
The temp is at 78. The light was on for about 4 hours yesterday. Any ideas?
<Lots, but mostly you need to sit down, read, and understand how an aquarium
works. In particular focus on water quality and water chemistry. Getting these
wrong surely account for 99.99999999% of aquarium fish (and frog!) deaths.>
Thanks in advance,
Shelley
<Cheers, Neale.>
Sick Tetraodon suvattii
Puffer 1/23/08
Hi,
<Hello, Pufferpunk here>
I have a Tetraodon suvattii and I have had him for 8 months now. Within the past
week his abdomen became swollen, he stopped eating and has become very
lethargic. He has also become very dark in color which is unusual for him and
only rests on the bottom of the tank. He has this habit of eating the pebbles in
the tank (it is mostly sand) he either spits them out or passes them; however he
has done neither in this case. I am not sure whether it could be constipation,
the pebbles or possible impaction (can they even become impacted?). Any theories
and solutions would help.
<We have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to
help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your
query, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for
you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if
appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do
not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard
numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, Plecos,
everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or
have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its
the little things that make all the difference.
We want to help and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a
diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster. Since these puffers are supposed to
live in sand substrate, there should be no reason they should get clogged up
with it. How deep is the sand? Do you mix it thoroughly every week, before water
changes? Have you observed the fish pooping? How did it look? I'd start treating
the tank with Epsom salt: 1tbsp/10g. Write back with responses to the questions
above & I'll see if I can assist your puffer further. ~PP>
Thanks for your time. - Ursula
African Dwarf Frog acting
strangely/manic... and non-heated, non-cycled Betta... systems 12/2/07
I purchased an African Dwarf Frog along with a male Betta about two weeks
ago.
<Mmm, these don't always get along>
These are my first aquatic pets I have had the pleasure of having, and I'm
already quite attached! I have done a lot of research but I am still learning...
Well today, I decided to do some water changes for the first time, having been a
little over a week since the frog and Betta were settled in. I originally was
planning to have them in the same tank, but after I placed them together my
Betta started to get aggressive, and then I learned that 1 gallon is too small
to keep two creatures together in.
<Yes>
So, for a while I had Robyn (my ADF) in my 1 gallon tank and Reno (Betta fish)
in a "Betta planter" that I bought. I felt bad for Reno because he didn't have
much water to swim around in (probably less than 1/2 gallon), so this weekend I
bought him a 1 gallon tank also. I did a 25% water change for Robyn's tank, and
introduced my Betta to his new tank.
<Mmm, both these animals are tropical... need steady, high temperature>
I am concerned because ever since the water change, Robyn has been swimming up
and down like crazy, and keeps pressing her nose up against the side of the
tank, it seems like she wants to escape.
<Maybe>
Is there something wrong with the water?
<Could be>
I made sure to buy it at Petco and it's called "Beta Water", but it says it's
suitable for frogs as well and has a neutral pH, etc.
<... am not so sure. What are the ingredients? I would change a good deal of
this water out for just dechloraminated tap>
Reno, on the other hand, is going crazy in his tank as well, and I think it's
because the plastic creates a mirror effect and he can see himself and thinks
it's another fish.
<Likely so>
Will seeing this constantly stress him out too much, or is it just normal for
him to swim around that much in a new tank?
<Likely will be okay in time... a few days>
What about Robyn? Before I did the partial water change she just liked to hang
out in the little cave I got her, and poke her head out occasionally. I am
really concerned, I don't want them to die :(
Also, as a note: The 1 gallon tanks I bought both come with an undergravel
filter and an air stone that has a little plastic tube around it (I guess to
minimize current?)? I have heard a ton of conflicting information on whether or
not this air pump is safe/good to use in my tank with my Betta or my ADF.
<Are fine... but... what re cycling?>
I would really like to use them because I like how they look and I think they
will keep the water cleaner, but I don't want to endanger my frog or make my
Betta unhappy.? Any suggestions?
Please help, and thank you!
-Valerie
<Yes... for you to read... Which you were directed to do before writing... Start
here for Bettas: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettasysart.htm
and the linked files above, particularly on Nitrogen Cycling... Bob Fenner>
Re: African Dwarf Frog acting
strangely/manic, Betta bubblenests 12/5/07
Dear Bob,
<Valerie>
Thank you so much for the prompt reply, sorry I couldn't get back sooner! (Final
Exams).? I have read a lot of the articles on your site, but I wasn't able to
find the specific link on nitrogen cycling... and I am still sort of confused on
what tank 'cycling' involves exactly, though I understand the general idea.?
<Yes... and I've seen your response further on, where you state you have read
re>
Reno the Betta seems much more like his normal self these past two days,
although he started spitting his food back out when I gave it to him, then re-
swallowing. It stayed down for a couple more minutes before he spit all of the
pellets back out. I watched a while and he eventually ate them and kept them
down. Not sure what that's about... I bought some frozen bloodworms today, am
going to try varying his diet with those, but I am confused as to how to serve
them and the portion amount?
<Just a few at a setting, defrosted... held near the surface to get his
attention>
My ADF freaked me out a lot yesterday because I saw transparent, filmy stuff
clinging to her underside, but after looking it up online it seems she was just
shedding her skin.
<Likely so>
In a few more minutes it was off completely so I didn't worry anymore about it.
She's learned to come to her food plate to eat, and is now eating consistently.
Her weird behavior also seems to have subsided, but her tank looks cloudy... I
am going to do another 25% water change today, even though I just did one on
Saturday.
If I turn on the air stones now (all of the sudden) will it alarm/stress my
animals?
<Should be fine to do so>
Should I perhaps move them to a separate tank, turn them on, and then
reintroduce them?
<Mmm, I'd leave all in place>
I want to get my undergravel filter system working, as I feel this will help
with the tank changes. I am leaving their lights on about 12 hours a day, in
order to keep the water warm enough, but I am going to get a thermometer
tomorrow so I can see what the temp actually is... I am afraid it is dropping
too much at night even though I keep my apartment around 75 degrees F.
Now the problem... today I just got home from school and I see my ADF is missing
his right foot entirely!?!? He still has his leg, with a stump.
<Happens... perhaps the Betta...>
I have no idea how this happened... he seems to be swimming alright without it
but I am so worried it will get infected.
<Possibly>
It doesn't look like there's anything on it right now but what are the
procedures I need to take in order to get him to grow it back? (I heard they can
do that..)?
<Mmm, a possibility, but not likely>
Also, what might of caused this to happen? I am afraid his little plastic coral
reef may of caused him to catch his foot and tear it.. but the thing said it was
approved for aquariums and when I felt around the edges prior to buying none of
them seemed excessively sharp.
<What other life is present?>
Please let me know ASAP what treatment I should apply for Robyn, as many of the
different FAQ's prescribe different things and I am unsure where to start.
Thank you!
-Valerie
<No specific treatment is suggested... as your system is not established... this
will very likely cause more trouble than fix...>
P.S.? What does a Betta "bubblenest" look like?
<Like a floating mass of small bubbles...>
I Googled it without much success on an actual picture. His tank has a large
accumulation of bubbles all concentrated on one area on the side of the tank, I
was wondering if this was a bubblenest, or an indicator of some type of water
quality problem. it looks crystal clear the moment... I will try purchasing some
of those test stripes for nitrogen, ammonia, etc.. anyway if you could provide a
picture or a verbal description of what a bubblenest looks like, that would be
great, thanks!
<Do try to set some time aside to visit a local library and check to see if they
have books on Bettas... these will have photos... Bob Fenner>
Meds and Frogs – 11/20/07
My name is Banjo, I have 2 tanks. 1) 2 gallon with one male Betta (Mitch)
and his plant. I have had him for 1.5 years. He is right next door to the larger
tank so he gets to see and occasional girlfriend that swims by. 2) 10 gallon
with 7 small to med sized plants, 6 fancy guppies (2 males, 4 females), 2 female
Bettas (which do great with everyone including each other. I do put them in a
floating cup at feeding time so the frogs don't starve. What pigs!)
<Heee, good technique>
, 1 Albino Pleco, and 3 DAF's (I have now had for just under 2 months (I'm still
crossing my fingers, hoping that fungus doesn't show up). So far things have
been going great except for one thing (of course!). I noticed on my Betta's, a
light outline on the gills, two rows on each side. Everyone likes to rub against
the decorations pretty often (not obsessively but often enough to know they have
an itch they cant get rid of), and it seems like they are rubbing their gills.
On the guppies I cant see any other visible signs of disease besides flashing.
When I installed my heater, it was my first time working with a heater, so the
temp took a 10 degree jump in one day! Oops! I now have the hang of adjusting
the temp by only a few degrees at a time. I lost one guppy a few days later (the
one that was most pregnant), she then developed inflamed and red gills and hung
around in one spot, and her color was slightly cloudy on the front half of her
body. I put her to sleep. I figure I have a parasite, b/c of the itching and the
lines on the gills of the Bettas. It seems to only kill a fish if they are
stressed (i.e. being ready to give birth and then a 10 degree jump in temp). I'm
sure if left unattended it will eventually kill my fish one by one. Water
parameters are normal Ammonia and nitrites are 0 and nitrates hover between .05
and .15. I always treat and let tap water sit for at least 3 days before water
changes.
<Good>
My ph hovers between 7.7 and 8.0, is that ok?
<Mmm, a bit high... but not likely worth "fooling with"... Mainly an issue here
(with high pH) IF you have any ammonia or nitrite present. MUCH more toxic at
elevated pH>
and
my water is about as hard as it gets.
So here is my question. I have Jungle parasite clear. Ingredients: Praziquantel,
Diflubenzuron, Metronidazole, and Acriflavine. Is that safe for the frogs? Will
it stress them?
<Is "pretty" safe in terms of the first three, not much stress>
Unfortunately I don't have a QT tank at the moment, but I can put them in with
my Betta if I have to (It is only a 2gal).
<I would do this>
Are the parasites something that will bother the frogs?
<Am not so sure there are parasites present here... Could be residual stress
from the heater incident, or the high pH alone...>
I also have a total of 4 teaspoons of aquarium salt in there to help the fish.
<Not a good idea to expose the frogs to>
Will the frogs be ok with that?
<Not likely>
I have heard mixed opinions Also how does the stocking sound? Do you think I am
over-stocked?
<Getting there>
I will be getting a 20gal long within the next 5 months for everyone so I can
let some guppy fry make it to adult hood by adding more plants with more room.
For now all the guppy fry will be live food for everybody.
Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.
Banjo
<I would move the frogs now. Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Sick African Dwarf Frog - 10/07/2007
Hello Crew,
I have a sick African dwarf frog. I'm desperately looking online for his illness
but none of the other websites have as much information.
<Hmm... general advice: before worrying about what a disease is, think about the
causative factors. Nine times out of ten, it's water quality. So whip out your
Nitrite test kit, and see what the water quality is like. There should be zero
nitrite. If not, if there's even a trace of nitrite, that means water quality is
inadequate, and the basic cause of illness is the immune system of the frog
being compromised by the environment. Frogs (and amphibians in general) are
extremely sensitive to pollution, both in captivity and the wild. This is why
they're often considered "early warning" species for signs of damage to wild
habitats. It almost goes without saying that the last few decades have seen a
catastrophic decline in amphibian diversity and abundance, thanks to Man's
stupidity. But that same holds for your vivarium: if the frogs are sick, then
it's likely the aquarium conditions that need fixing.>
I have 2 African dwarf frogs in a 2 gallon octagonal tank.
<Tank too small. Two gallons is smaller than a bucket. Ten gallons would be
nearer the mark for this species.>
I have had these frogs for about a month and a half. I recently cleaned out the
whole tank (About a week and a half ago) because I read that you had to clean
the tank frequently online.
<Nope. You need to change the water frequently, yes, but cleaning the tank is
usually redundant in a properly maintained aquarium. Your basic maintenance
schedule is this: every weekend, take out 50% of the water, and replace with
new, dechlorinated water. If you live in an area where chloramine is used in the
water supply, treat the water with a dechlorinator that removes chloramine as
well. Most, but not all, do anyway. Finally, never, ever use "softened" water
from a domestic water softener.>
(Oops!) I took out a under-gravel air rock also because I also read that those
can lead to diseases.
<What are you reading? Obviously web sites. Please please please buy a book.
Books are edited for factual accuracy. Anyone can throw together a web site
saying anything they want. I could create one saying Dwarf Frogs like to live in
molten lava, should be fed marshmallows, and breed by shedding their toes, which
become new froglets. If I tried to write that for a book publisher, I'd lose my
contract and the editor would find someone else to write the book. Most of us
here at WWM write for books and magazines, so you can have confidence that what
we say is sound. But for the most part, treat stuff published online "cum grano
salis", as the Romans would say.>
I did so and the little froggies where very happy! Within two days, both of the
frogs got cloudy eyes.
<What a surprise. You removed the sole source of biological filtration, the
Undergravel filter. So after a couple days the ammonia had built up to toxic
levels. Ergo, the frogs got sick.>
I read online though, that this is because of skin shedding. I think they both
shed their skin because there was some loose film around the tank. And both of
the frogs' didn't have cloudy eyes anymore. For about 5 days though one of the
frogs has been staying at the top of the tank. I just thought he was lazy frog
that liked to hang out.
<Not "hanging out". These frogs are benthic animals that like to stay close to
the sand, preferably hidden among plants or leaf litter. When they rise to the
surface, it's a sure sign they aren't happy.>
He hasn't been eating from what I can see for these 5 days.
<Dying animals tend to lose interest in food.>
Then today when I looked at my frog, he was struggling to get to the surface and
his legs and feet didn't look right. I panicked and got him out into a holding
container immediately so my other frog wouldn't get sick. Here are his symptoms:
Floating at the top of the tank.
Not eating.
Listless.
His arms and legs seem to have muscle degeneration.
Both of his feet are curled.
He has a sore at the back of his head that is reddish pink.
What does he have??
<What these frogs have is a keeper who didn't research them beforehand. Pets are
100% dependent on you for survival, and that means any mistakes you make causes
them suffering. So, you need to go buy a book on African Dwarf Frogs. There are
many, many books on pet amphibians out there. In the meantime, buy a proper
aquarium and install a proper filtration system. The tank you have is too small
for a decent undergravel filter to work. An undergravel filter needs a depth of
about 5-8 cm gravel to work. A two-gallon tank will be a real squeeze with that
much gravel! Anyway, once they are transferred to an aquarium that has a chance
of keeping them alive, you can then treat using an anti-fungal/anti-finrot
remedy used for tropical fish. That might help cure the symptoms, though frankly
I suspect you have the dreaded "Red Leg" already in which case the frog will
die.>
And is it treatable?
<Don't bank on it, and certainly not without you providing them better living
quarters.>
Is my other ADF going to get it?
<Long term, no, not unless you change how you keep these poor animals that
totally depend on you.>
Thanks so much,
Sarah
<Please understand that loving your pets isn't enough if you don't spend the
time and money on their needs. Often, this means buying/borrowing a good book on
the subject before even getting the animals. Once you're up to speed in terms of
theory, practice becomes so much easier. These are basically hardy, easy to keep
animals, so once you fix things, you should be able to keep this species without
problems. Good luck, Neale>
|
ADF... hlth.
9/23/07
I had two African Dwarf Frogs in a tank with a Pleco and two Danios.
About two weeks ago one of the ADFs developed a white chalk-like ring on
its body near to where its right front leg connects
<Don't see this in your pic>
(the Pleco has had similar white chalky spots on its snout since I
inherited it about six months ago). Within a few days, it died. Soon
after, I noticed that the other ADF has developed a very red bump
between its right eye and snout. Its behavior is still normal. No trauma
that I'm aware of. Any idea what it could be?
<Mmm, something environmental perhaps... Your system, water look very
clean... perhaps too much so>
How should I treat it?
<What water quality tests do you have data for? What are your nitrate
readings?>
(It's a little hard to see, but I've attached a picture that shows the
red bump.) Any suggestions on the Pleco? Thanks for your help.
<What sort of filtration is employed here? Foods, feeding? You have read
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dwfafdis.htm
and the linked files above? Bob Fenner>
Re: ADF Health – 09/23/07
Bob,
<Jules>
Thanks so much for answering. Here is information on my water quality:
Nitrate: 40
<Way too high... needs to be reduced by at least half>
Nitrite: .5
<Deadly toxic... needs to be zip, zero, nada>
Hardness: 300
Chlorine: 0
KH: 300
pH: 8.4
Ammonia: 0
Temp: 82
I have had the two ADFs with one Pleco and two Danios in a five-gallon
tank with a filter pump with bio-wheel and an aerator. I inherited the
tank with the Pleco and Danios, and I obviously didn't do my research
(don't yell). I just recently found out that the Pleco needs a much
bigger tank, so I'm in the process of rehoming him. Meanwhile, I removed
the surviving ADF and put him back in his original 2-gallon non-filtered
bowl until I can figure out what's going on with him. I feed the ADF HBH
Frog and Tadpole bites (I know you don't like these, but he's really
always eaten them with no problems) -- about four to six pellets once a
day. He's now had the red spot on his head for a few days, and today I
noticed that it had a little white cottony piece sticking up from it. I
thought "fungus," but when he moved, the white part came off. I've never
seen a fungus, so I'm not sure that's really what it was. I have
Maracyn2 and Maroxy on hand if I need to use either of those. I did read
all the information I could find, but I can't seem to find anything like
the round red spot that he has. Is it possible that he received an
injury from the Pleco? I've never seen it be aggressive, and I also
didn't see the ADF sustain an injury, but the red spot does resemble an
open sore at this point. I've attached another picture (he has a piece
of food balanced on his head, so ignore that). I'd love to hear any
advice you have.
Thanks!!!
<Need to fix this environment... pronto. See WWM re NO3, NO2... BobF> |
|
.jpg) |
African dwarf frogs, hlth.
9/20/07
WE HAVE 2 ADF; ONE HAS SUDDENLY DEVELOPED WHAT LOOKS LIKE GROWTHS OR WARTS
ON HIS BACK AND ON HIS SIDE RIGHT BEHIND LEFT FRONT LEG. THEY ARE NOT COTTONY
LOOKING. ONE IS A CIRCLE, THE ONE ON HIS BACK IS A LONG OVAL ON THE RIGHT SIDE.
I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS EXTENSIVELY ON LINE AND IN THE LIBRARY AND FIND NOTHING.
PLEASE HELP?!
THANK YOU,
ANN JENNINGS
<Ann, please, next time type like regular people instead of all-capitals.
All-capitals is a pain to read, and messages written this get left in the in-box
because no-one wants to plough through them. OK, scolding over. Hymenochirus
spp. frogs are generally very hardy, but they are easily damaged allowing
secondary infections to develop, which is one (or many) reasons why they should
never be kept with fish. Similarly, if water quality isn't good the skin breaks
and infections set in. There are a number of possibilities here, and without a
photo it is impossible to say what's going on. But first check your water
quality and chemistry: you're aiming for around neutral pH, moderate hardness, a
temperature of about 25 C, and regular water changes (50% per week) to keep the
nitrates low. The tank must be filtered, and the nitrites and ammonia levels
must be zero. A shallow bed of soft sand, not gravel, is helpful because it
prevents scratched skin. And, as I said before, no fishes. Chances are the
infection is fungal, in which case a suitable amphibian-friendly anti-fungal
medication will do the trick. If it's something more serious, such as the
dreaded "Red Leg", then an antibiotic or anti-bacterial will be needed, and this
normally involves help from the vet. It has to be stressed that these sicknesses
don't come out of thin air, but follow directly from poor environmental
conditions. So while you need to cure the symptoms immediately, you also need to
do some detective work to establish what went wrong. Hope this helps, Neale>
African dwarf frogs – 09/19/07
I have a feeling you are going to tell me to get a dog... however can I
touch the frog at all?
<No.>
maybe gently rub his/her belly or the top?
<No. For an amphibian, the skin is sort of like the lungs, because they breathe
through them. So, imagine how much fun it would be I decided to stick my fingers
up your nose and down your throat just to show I cared. Yuk. There is a very
real chance you petting a frog will damage its skin, partly through friction,
and partly through using too much force.>
Or should I just leave them alone and let them do their thing?
<Yes. Animals become *your* friend when you treat them well. Animals love
routine, so habituate your pets to seeing you at the same time, being fed at the
same time, being given food in the same corner of the tank. Eventually they will
learn that you are A Good Thing and will respond accordingly. Trying to force
things we like, such as being touched, onto animals that aren't tactile, like
frogs, is counter-productive. As far as the frog is concerned, you're a huge
predator that grabs hold of it.>
I'm asking because I think mine are so cute I always want to play with them.
<Resist the urge! There are some amphibians that learn to be hand fed (ideally
with tweezers or else wet fingers), and those you might consider getting. Tiger
Salamanders are a good example. But for the most part, amphibians are "look but
don't touch" pets. This largely holds for reptiles, too, though I've known
tortoises that liked sitting on people's feet to keep warm!>
Sorry for asking so many questions. And thanks for your help.
Claire
<Good luck with your pets, and keep asking questions! People go wrong when they
think they know it all -- there's plenty for everyone to learn about keeping
pets. Read, learn, and enjoy. Cheers, Neale>
Re: African dwarf frogs – 09/19/07
Thanks for replying!!! I'll tell him. I've decided to have a solely only
frog tank so I will probably be contacting you in the future.
Have a wonderful day
Claire
<Cool. Good luck with your pet(s). Cheers, Neale>
Fluke Tabs and African Dwarf
Frogs. 8/14/07
I have spent the last three days searching the Internet for any information
regarding fluke tabs and ADF's. I've mailed veterinarians, with no reply back.
You're my last hope! I would like to eradicate hydra in my frog aquarium by
using fluke tabs. I've discovered that fluke tabs are safe for turtles, most
fish and their fry, not safe for invertebrates and scaleless fish. But I can't
find a thing about whether or not they are safe for my frogs! So my question is:
Are Fluke Tabs, when used for eradicating Hydra, safe for my African Dwarf
Frogs?
<I vote not... Please peruse: http://www.google.com/search?q=use+of+organophosphates+and+amphibians&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7PCTA>
Sincerely,
Melissa
<I'd remove the ADFs during the use of organophosphates. Bob Fenner>
Re: Fluke Tabs and African
Dwarf Frogs. 8/15/07
Thank you so much for your reply! I wish your answer had been "fluke tabs
are perfectly safe for ADF's"! But at least now I know not to use it with them
in there.
Again, Thank you!
Melissa
<Ahh, from the Latin, small "sweetness", even "honeybee"... Shades of A.A.
Milne! Cheers, BobF>
Sick Frog Floating Around
7/28/07
Hello. I have a few tanks, and the one I am writing to you about is a 5
gallon filtered heated tank with a Betta, 3 ghost shrimp, and until recently, 2
dwarf females.
< Frogs?>
About two weeks ago, I saw one floating downward towards the bottom, nose first.
She landed on her back and stayed there. I scooped her out and placed her in a
one gallon heated tank with about 2 inches of water and enough gravel so she
could sit on it and still be immersed, but not have to reach to breathe.
I checked the water and found it to have nitrites, about 2 ppm. I did an
emergency 50% water change, then another 2 days later. I also added Amquel, and
the other occupants (including the other frog) seemed to do fine.
The sick frog (which I assumed was from the bad water) seemed to recover her
wits and ate a little, so I returned her to the tank, which now was nitrite
free.
She died a couple days later, after another floating spell.
Today, while doing a water change, the other frog did the same floating thing. I
have her in the hospital tank, set up much as the first one was. I use spring
water treated with a few drops of cycle.
Have you heard of this?
< The frogs have food in their gut that is not being properly digested. The
bacteria in their gut is breaking down the undigested food and causing gas
problems. This is why they float.>
Is there some treatment that I am not doing?
<I would recommend that you change their diet. Keep the water clean. Try a food
with softer body parts like worms.-Chuck>
any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks very much,
Cory
Re: Dwarf Frog Swimming Erratically 7/28/07
Chuck, thank you very much for the reply.
The frogs are skinny when this happens, and there is no bloating of any kind. Is
gas from bad food still a possibility?
< They could still have an internal infection that blocks them up.>
They eat live bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp.
< Forget the frozen brine and add well washed Tubifex/black worms instead. It is
OK if some get lost in the gravel because they will find them later.>
This morning, I found her floating on her back at the top of the hospital tank.
She is still alive, and I flipped her onto her stomach (and she did not seem to
want to leave my hand). She is half out of the water now, and every few minutes,
I drip some water on her back to make sure she isn't dehydrating. She does not
want to be in the water.
Two last questions:
I know nitrites are bad for fish, but your site says nitrates are worse for
frogs, is that correct?
< Nitrites are more toxic that nitrates, but nitrites are usually quickly
converted to nitrates by bacteria. Usually you have no nitrite readings and a
rather larger nitrate reading. Large nitrate readings usually lead to diseases.>
Also, do you recommend other foods than what I am
feeding?
< Once again, skip the frozen brine and add some live food to their diet.-Chuck>
Thanks again,
Cory
Filter blues, ADF... Sys., hlth.
6/13/07
Hi
<Ave.>
I bought an ADF a couple of weeks ago from the local Petsmart and named him
Lego.
<OK.>
I set up the tank, researched what he needed, took out the filter the tank
came with since it produced a tank wide strong current, bought some frog and
tadpole bites, and put in plants and a pot for him to hide in.
<You bought the frog before researching the pet? Not good.>
Everything seemed to be going good except I wasn't sure he was eating the
bites.
<No surprise there. These animals really aren't wild about dried foods.
Sure, they'll eat them eventually, but not with much enthusiasm, and in the
case of small animals like African Dwarf Frogs the damage through starvation
may well be done by then. Almost without exception, new reptiles and
amphibians (and oddball fish) do best given live or "wet" frozen foods
first. Once eating, wean them onto dry alternatives.>
After looking it up online, I went to the petstore and bought freeze dried
bloodworms.
<Never yet met an animal that ate freeze dried anything. I'm told some
people have good luck with them, but honestly, in 20+ years of fishkeeping
they've always been a waste of money in my experience.>
They floated which i read that ADF's don't go to the surface for food and
sure enough he didn't eat a single one.
<Quelle surprise.>
The pet store didn't have frozen any type of food, so I went back to the
bites. One day I did catch him eating some and after that the bites i put in
would disappear so I didn't worry to much about it.
<Well, OK, that's promising I suppose.>
After seeing on various websites that a whisper filter would be the best for
him, I went back to the store yesterday and picked one up. I installed the
pump and added some water to the tank that I already had prepared a while
ago so that the water level was high enough for the pump. When I first came
home from the store, Lego was laying on a leaf at the surface but he had
done this before so I didn't think twice about it. However, after putting in
the pump he started going up for air over and over again.
<This usually means the water quality has plummeted. Tell me, did you mature
the filter in any way before adding the frog? Are you measuring the nitrite
or ammonia levels? How much and how often are you performing water changes?
What about temperature? These are tropical animals, and need a heated tank.
If it's too cold, they're digestive enzymes won't work, and they'll starve
to death however much they eat.>
Then he would swim around and start all over. Sometimes he managed to stay
floating at the surface with no support.
<A dying frog...>
Worried, when he kept this up the rest of the evening, I turned off the
filter and went to bed. When I woke up this morning the poor thing had died
in the night.
<Again, quelle surprise.>
Did the new filter kill my frog?
<No.>
He did seem kind of skinny so did he starve to death?
<In part, yes. But also you almost certainly dumped too much food in hoping
to tempt him, but most wasn't eaten, rotted, raised the ammonia, and
poisoned the frog.>
Should I have gotten him a buddy for the tank?
<Definitely not. All you would have had is two dead frogs instead of one.>
(the tank is a little less then 3 gallons since I live in a dorm during the
school year)
<Three gallons!!!! That's a bucket, not an aquarium. To quote someone on a
forum I visit, don't put animals in this, cut some flowers and put them in
it instead. Much prettier, and they'll last longer.>
please help!
<I'm trying to help. But please understand this: looking after animals isn't
easy, and you absolutely have to "do it by the numbers" if you're coming to
this new. Go buy or borrow a book about keeping these frogs. There are lots
of them around. Sit, read, learn. Once you're up to speed on the theory,
reflect on what you might have done wrong. Having pets while you're at
college is great fun. I did, and in the end that experience is how I ended
up an aquarium writer. But sometimes time, money, and space just aren't
going to accommodate an animal in your life. So think carefully before
gambling on another animal's life.
I would love to have another frog but don't want to kill that one as well
<Provided you read and learn about these animals, certainly, there's no real
difficulty in keeping them as pets. And they are fun and fascinating
animals. But yes, you'll end up killing it if you try and "make it up as you
go along". Advice from most chain pet stores is either useless or downright
dangerous, so take anything the sales clerk says with a pinch (bucket) of
salt. Good books are priceless here. So please please please do some some
reading first.>
Jessica
<Good luck, Neale>
African dwarf frog - bloated belly
5/30/07
Hi - I have two ADF's in a 5 gallon tank with live plants and undergravel
filter. They share the tank with one Otocinclus. This morning I noticed one of
them floating on the top of the tank and having trouble diving. Her belly is
swollen, one side is dark and the other one looks gas filled. Her eyes are clear
and she looks alert - trying to dive down every now and then...but she just
floats back up.
The water parameters are normal - Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20 ppm, pH 6.4.
The water temperature is ca. 77 F
I feed them frozen bloodworms every second day, the last time yesterday night.
I tried to find information on WWM or on the net, but found nothing conclusive.
I does not look like that fully blown up frog you see with the dropsy pictures,
so I am thinking it may be constipation or something intestinal...in one
of your posts I think you recommended Epsom salt (???) but I thought salt
is not good for frogs.
Please help - my little froggy looks really uncomfortable Petra
< This condition is caused by bacteria breaking down the food in the frog's gut
and not the frogs natural acids in its stomach. In may be caused from too much
food or the food began to rot before the frog ate it. If it in the stomach the
frog can hopefully "burp" it out. If it is in the intestines then it may
be a little more difficult problem. In fish we would treat this with Metronidazole.
Clean the tank and add the medication as recommended on the package if things
look worse.-Chuck>
Frogs Jump Out Of Aquarium 5/18/07
Hello~ I was reading through your website and found SOME reassuring
answers, but I still wanted to write to you to make sure my frogs were okay:
I woke up this morning to find my African Dwarf Frogs' tank in the floor,
and my cat looming over the contents. I thought for sure the cat had eaten my
two frogs, but was shocked to find both of them a few feet away on the
carpet. I scooped them up as quickly as possible and put them in a bowl full
of bottled spring water. (this is what the pet store clerk told me to do).
My poor frogs were covered in carpet fuzz and cat hair, and I tried to get
as much of it off as I could. So my question to you is:
1. Is the cat hair/carpet fuzz going to hurt/infect my once sterile frog
environment?
< The fuzz will come off in time once the little frog rehydrates. Then you
can truly evaluate the trauma that he has endured.>
2. ALSO, I just noticed one of my frogs has a missing foot! Now I'm sure my
cat ate it! So, is he going to be alright? Should I worry about infection?
There are some cat hairs stuck in the wound that I have tried to carefully
pull out, but they are stuck. I'm scared of hurting the little guy. Should I
do anything at all?
<Keep the water very clean and watch for infection. This would include a
white cottony appearance on the wounds. Frogs really don't like dyes as
medicine, so if an infection does occur then I would try antibiotics like
Nitrofurazone.-Chuck>
Thanks in advance for you time. Allison
Re: Frogs Jump Out Of The Aquarium II 5/18/07
One other question-I still have the frogs in the bowl of spring water
while I'm cleaning the gavel and tank. The frog with no foot is desperately
trying to swim out of the bowl. (The other is just floating at the bottom.)
Well, the foot-less frog has made it to the edge of the bowl (out of the
water), many times, but he just sits there. Like he just wants air. But I
thought they only needed to come up for air only a second and only every now
and then. SO, should I let him sit there or put him back in the water?
(which is what I have been doing) Thanks again, Allison
< Your frogs may also have internal injuries that you are not aware of like
fractured ribs or a punctured lung. I would let them decide where they want
to be for now and see what happens.-Chuck>
ADF death 5/17/07
Hi there! I've been reading your website and have found it very helpful.
Recently, I bought a male Betta fish and what was labeled as an African Clawed
Frog (which, after doing some research, I'm pretty sure it was an African Dwarf
Frog).
<Ah, yes... VERY different>
Anyway, the two got along great and it was fun to see them play what appeared
to tag (the Betta never nipped at the frog, even when he got kicked in the face
by the frog).
<Mmmm>
About a month after we got them (just long enough for me to get attached), my
froggy died and I can't figure out why. I think it might be because we only fed
him/her bloodworms,
<Maybe>
but he wouldn't eat the flakes
<No...>
we tried to feed him, only the worms. I really want to get another frog,
because they're so darn cute, but I don't want to risk killing another one! Can
I feed them those little reptile sticks? Please help!
Cyndi
<Please read here:
