ADF Tadpoles     4/22/20
Hi Neale,
<Hanna,>
I am the worrywart who wrote to you about the lack of amplexus in my ADF couple, which was clearly unwarranted concern, as a week or two ago, they began doing exactly that.
<Yay!>
The male sings every night (and sometimes during the day too), and they are seen engaging in amplexus almost every single day.
<Do bear in mind this is exhausting for the female. If you have one, isolating the male for a few days in a breeding trap to allow her to recover and feed leisurely would be welcome.>
There have been many clutches of eggs, the majority of which unfertile, but two days ago, I found two tadpoles in their tank.
<Double yay!>
I had just previously completed a 50% water change, so I am guessing much of the tadpoles were lost as a result of this, but I wanted to save the two that I discovered left. They are currently in a floating container in the tank with their parents, and are two days (at my best guess) old. I know there is a huge ADF tadpole mortality rate (around 80%), but I would still like to try to keep these little guys alive!
<Understandable. Rearing baby amphibians (i.e., tadpoles) is mostly about feeding them and/or preventing cannibalisation, which is quite common in some species. In the case of ADFs, feeding is the main challenge.>
I do not have liquifry, will I need to purchase this?
<No. What you need are small live foods. Microworms, brine shrimps, Cyclops and Daphnia are the classic options. So long as you can get to a clean pond somewhere, collecting a starter culture of these shouldn't be too hard. Indeed, if you have a garden pond, you may well have enough to keep you
going! Brine shrimps and microworms can easily be reared at home, though you do need a few days to get them up and running.>
They are fairly active for being so fresh, and I put the tiniest pinch of fish food into their container in the hopes that perhaps they would be able to digest this is they were older than I suspected.
<They will almost certainly not eat flake or powder foods, since they really only snap at moving things.>
Would you be able to give me any advice, or direct me to a page on tadpole rearing for ADFs?
<Oh, definitely visit https://www.caudata.org and sign up to their forum.
You will get good advice from those folks!>
Thank you so much, and hope you are staying safe! Best, Hanna
<And likewise to you, too. Neale.>
Re: ADF Tadpoles
Hi Neale,As always thank you so much for the incredibly prompt response!
<Welcome.>
As luck would have it, I have a creek in my backyard, and on my back porch I actually have a few tanks full of spring peeper tadpoles. Per your instructions, I used an eyedropper and selected about 6-10 tiny micro-organisms that were swimming enthusiastically from these tanks (of creek water), but small enough for the ADF tadpoles to eat.
<Can't imagine why this wouldn't work, but oftentimes best to pretty much fill the tank with swimming plankton, since the tadpoles don't really forage so much as wait for food to swim into range. Some experimentation may be necessary, perhaps using a plastic dropper (like a disposable pipette) to place food items close to the tadpoles. I rear Axolotl fry periodically, and they need daphnia for the first few days at least, and after a week or two, seem to graduate onto frozen bloodworms without much
fuss. They are much bigger though, so I'd expect ADF tadpoles to need the plankton for much longer.>
I hope this is alright, as I have not yet had the chance to peruse the link you kindly sent me. If i continue this process every day for the tadpoles until they are big enough to consume other things, will this work?
<Should do. As with rearing any small newborns, the key is "small but often" meals. Fish breeders often feed 6-8 times a day, replacing a bit of the water each day as well, just to keep the conditions sweet..>
Thank you! Best,Hanna
<Most welcome.>

ADF Behavior, & repro. f'      3/29/20
Hello again Neale,
<Hello Hanna,>
I wrote to you perhaps around a week ago about my female ADF with cloudy eyes.
<Indeed.>
I followed your instructions, and she is almost entirely back to normal, and all tank mates are happy and healthy!
<Yay!>
However, perhaps I am making a problem out of nothing, but I had another concern I thought you would be best to ask you about.
<Sure.>
I've searched for any answers about this by scouring the internet but I did not find the information I was looking for. My ADFs are one male and one female, and as previously mentioned in another email I have had them for about 2 months. When I first got them from the pet store they were extremely small and underfed, so much so that they were almost translucent.
They have grown immensely in the two months I have had them, almost doubling in size.
<Not bad at all!>
The male developed his subdermal glands, and the female has clearly began to develop her more rotund and pear-shaped body. I would wager a guess that they are around the ages of 5-6 months each but it's hard to say.
<Maybe, but hard to know, as you say.>
However, they have not shown any inclination towards amplexus with each other.
<May simply be too young, or even of different species (there are at least two in the trade) so not willing or able to sexually engage with one another. On top of this, these animals are largely nocturnal, so we really only see a bit of their behaviour in the tank when the lights are on.>
I contacted a few other ADF owners, who shared that their little guys started breeding almost right away and took to each other quickly and a very young age. Perhaps my frogs are simply still not ready, as I know the average age of sexual maturity for these guys is 9 months, but I was curious nonetheless.
<Often people hear the males singing first. Sounds like a squeaky door to me, but apparently female frogs love it!>
My two have never shown any inclination towards amplexus, and I wanted to make sure that this wasn't a sign that something was wrong.
<Unlikely.>
Do some ADFs simply never choose to breed with each other?
<Indeed, just as with people.>
Are mine still too young?
<Quite possibly.>
There is obviously no need for them to breed, but I know that amplexus is often a sign of a healthy and happy environment for ADFs, and I became worried that I was doing something wrong.
<I'd not worry about this. If they're feeding and active during the daylight hours, those are the two best signs.>
Thank you for all your helpful answers and care!
Best, Hanna
<Most welcome. Neale.>

Question about female ADF, repro.     9/2/19
Hello, I think my female African dwarf frog MAY have eggs. Are there any signs that she has eggs and if she is about to lay them,
<Gravid females will be noticeably plumper around the abdomen. But we aware that overeating and even Dropsy can look similar.>
what should I expect?
<Not much. African Dwarf Frogs routinely lay eggs in aquaria, but the tadpoles are tiny, and either get eaten by other animals in the tank (including the frogs) or fail to find enough to eat. If you want to breed
them, here's a good summary:
http://www.hylid.clara.co.uk/hymenochirus/breeding_hymenochirus.htm
The main challenge is ensuring you remove the eggs to a safe aquarium, and then once hatched, supply suitable microscopic food (called infusoria) for the first few days. If you've bred egg-laying fish with small fry, such as Bettas, you'll know the process, and it's pretty similar.>
Thank you for your help!
<Welcome. Neale.>

About African dwarf frogs and eggs; repro.      12/7/17
So my Male African dwarf must of just turned 9-12 months old and now it is mating with my 3 year old female.
<Cool!>
The have been mating for many days now.
<What happens. Sometimes you even hear the males croak.>
For awhile they only laid 4 eggs 2 were fertile but died. This morning I looked in my tank and there’s prob about 500 eggs are they all fertile if so how can you tell if they are?
<By looking, really the only approach is to wait and observe -- after a day or two, infertile eggs (or at least non-fertilised eggs) will go cloudy, and eventually rot. A good approach is to remove most of the eggs to something like a floating breeding trap, so you can see them more easily. Plastic turkey basters are great for this. As the days pass, remove any cloudy eggs. Methylene blue is the tried-and-trusted medication for preventing fungus spreading onto healthy eggs if you need to optimise your chances of getting big numbers of tadpoles. Cheers, Neale.>

African Dwarf Frog; beh., repro.      6/10/17
Hello! First of all, great site and great information.
<Thanks!>
I have 2 adfs in a 5 gallon filtered tank with 1 male Betta. Jet (the Betta) seems to be fine with them and they with him. We are still trying to determine the sex of each frog.
<Agreed, difficult to do, but you can find photos online. Males do tend to be smaller and more angular, while females are bigger and chubbier, and have a tail-like thing between their legs out of which the eggs emerge.>
The frogs were purchased together, and the pet store was a local mom and pop shop that had just received their shipment of adfs that morning. One adf is very active. Rarely hides, loves his reflection, loves to float, swim to Top but mostly hangs at bottom and be active. The other loves to be lazy, hide in its cave and be by itself but does come out sometimes. Note: they were separated for first night before placed together. They both seemed to be inactive and just adjusting.
<I wouldn't worry about variation in behaviour too much, provided all are feeding. Like humans, some frogs are shy, some are more outgoing.>
Once they were together in Betta tank, the active one came to life personality/behavior wise, the other stayed less active. The two do interact on occasion, and they do ear together. The Betta will swim at top and bottom. He will swim by them or peek and see what they are doing but doesn't aggress on them and they don't seem to interact with him either.
They will freeze him out or just keep doing what they are doing. All seems well.
<Indeed. Had a question about Bettas and frogs yesterday, and what I'll say is this: while they can work, and are a better combo than most frog/fish match-ups, it's still important to ensure the frogs can feed easily. Both Bettas and frogs dislike strong water currents and need warmth, so a gently-filtered, heated aquarium suits them both. On the other hand, the frogs are slower feeders, and because they're air breathers, they do need a clear run up to the surface or they'll drown. Bettas sometimes become hostile to them, so floating plants are useful for providing shade and shelter, making it easier for the frogs to clamber to the top, rest a while, and then slip down to the bottom without attracting too much attention. Indian Fern is a good choice for this.>
However , yesterday I noticed that the frog that is less active likes to hang out near top of tank, up near filter, with half his body out of water, half in water.
<Not unusual. Contrary to what many suppose, ADFs will bask at the surface, even half-clambering out on top of floating plants if they can.>
One leg balanced against filter, one in water. He seems to go there somewhat often. I found him a short bit ago actually hiding between heater and filter Cover, under the water then head out of water...but at top and head out of the water a lot none the less.
<They are air-breathers, and as I said before, need an easy way to get to the top and rest awhile. If the current is too strong, or the depth of the tank is too much, they'll find ways to "perch" closer to the surface. Bear in mind they're happiest where the water is no more than 20 cm/8 inches deep, and air-powered filtration is a much better bet than all but the smallest internal electric filters.>
As I work during the day I can't tell you how long he stayed/stays there but I saw him there this morning. He went to the bottom before I left and at some point in 12 hours went back up. I thought they stayed in water for long hours. Water test results from 6 in 1 test strips are listed below.
we test water with strips weekly as we have the Betta (he's high maintenance believe it or not) and he only seems to do well with water between 78 and 80). Water temp. as of this email is 78. we have an aquarium heater. we live in new England, our weather is bi polar to say the least so we decided to be prepared as this our first attempt at fish
parenthood.
<Understood.>
Right now due to filter I do water changes roughly every three to four weeks provided tests read ok but wonder if now that I have frogs (they only moved in a week ago) if I should change it more often. Water test results as of this email:
Nitrate: safe (20-40) Nitrite: 0 (none)
<All good.>
Total hardness: borderline (50-150) water stays on line...
<Fine.>
Total chlorine: 0 (none) Total alkalinity : 40-80 low to moderate PH: 7.4 to 7.8 (neutral to alkaline) - the color/line is very difficult to distinguish the cross over but its definitely on the line of the 7.2 to 7.8 range
<Fine.>
They are eating well too. Once I put the food in front of them they eat immediately. One on each side of cube. They go nuts for their food. We will worm on hand feeding later once I know frogs are OK on normal feeding schedule, and we get thru this bump. We also make sure that the Betta is in a breeding net so that they can eat in peace, the Betta can stay in his tank and then the Betta gets a treat as reward in hopes this will train him to get accustomed to this routine. Right now I use kabob sticks to put the tube flex worms On, hold in front of the frogs and they immediately eat. Its the only food they have eaten quickly and responded to at all. I feed them once every other day
<Provided they're feeding, and they're able to rest at the top of the tank in comfort, chances are your African Dwarf Frogs are fine. Warning signs of trouble include loss of weight (i.e., not getting enough to eat) and the
appearance of red or pink patches on the skin (bacterial infections).>
I'm sorry I could not provide more information but any thoughts or knowledge you have would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Sincerely
Victoria
<Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>

African dwarf frog help please        5/26/17 Hello, <Hello!> I've spent quite a few hours reading over your information and questions regarding African dwarf frogs, but nothing seems to be quite the answer I needed. I have three ADFs living in a 5.5 gallon aquarium with one Betta. It is filtered and heated to 80 degrees. <Sounds good.> Recently I caught my male "hugging" one of my females about 36 hour s ago. <Amplexus.> He held on for about 3 hours, and she laid 4 eggs (which were apparently not fertilized). <Quite possibly.> Ever since then, she has not eaten, and has a bump on her back, which is right above her tailbone, and is pointy in shape rather then round and soft. <The bump may well be a result of Amplexus. Post-mating, female frogs can/do become relatively inactive.> Until this morning her vulva appeared very swollen. For several hour after he let her go she would go upside down at the surface and hip thrust at the air, like she did when he was attached, but that behavior has stopped. The other two frogs and Betta seem to be doing fine, with ph at 7.6, no ammonia or nitrites. I feed a variety of frozen thawed bloodworms, Mysis, and brine shrimp, and I've no doubt they occasionally steal some Betta pellets. She is also hanging around the heater at the top of the aquarium much more then usual. I'm very worried about her. Since the issues I've done 3 50% water changes, and I use Prime each time. Any help would be greatly appreciated. <This is one of those times where "wait and see" is the best advice, in the short term anyways. Separating the female, for example in a floating breeding trap, isn't a bad idea, but keep the trap not-too-close to the heater or light otherwise there's a risk she'll overheat and suffocate. If she isn't perking up within the next day or two, write back and we'll think some more. Cheers, Neale.> Re: African dwarf frog help please     5/27/17 Thank you so much for your fast response! It's reassuring to know they can be inactive after Amplexus, and that I've got someone knowledgeable to give advice. I'll wait and see and hope she gets better soon. The male grabbed the other female right as I am writing this, but he let go quickly. I'd love to have some tadpoles, but not at the risk of my females lives. <Understood. Adding fluffy plants (whether real or fake) such as Java Moss can go a long way towards creating safe spaces for eggs and tadpoles. Surprisingly, people do sometimes find a few survive long enough to be removed (for example with a turkey baster) into a floating breeding trap, and raised in there. Breeding dwarf African frogs is done, and many reports are online for your perusal.> Thanks again! <Welcome. Neale.> Re: African dwarf frog help please     5/27/17 Thank you so much for your fast response! It's reassuring to know they can be inactive after Amplexus, and that I've got someone knowledgeable to give advice. I'll wait and see and hope she gets better soon. The male grabbed the other female right as I am writing this, but he let go quickly. I'd love to have some tadpoles, but not at the risk of my females lives. <Understood. Adding fluffy plants (whether real or fake) such as Java Moss can go a long way towards creating safe spaces for eggs and tadpoles. Surprisingly, people do sometimes find a few survive long enough to be removed (for example with a turkey baster) into a floating breeding trap, and raised in there. Breeding dwarf African frogs is done, and many reports are online for your perusal.> Thanks again! <Welcome. Neale.>

re: African dwarf frog help please     5/30/17 Hello, Thank you again for the advice and information. She finally started eating again, although her appetite isn't quite what it used to be, it seems to be improving daily. I am very grateful for what you guys do, good information is such a valuable resource and you offer it for free, saving countless lives. <Good to hear things are on the up, and thanks for the kind words. Cheers, Neale.>

African dwarf frog help      8/8/16
I have Googled and read for hours and cant find my answer anywhere so I thot I would ask.
<Fire away!>
I have 2 ADF I believe male and female he gets on her back often but she never swims around except what looks like her trying to get him off and usually last about 30 min.
<It could easily be she doesn't want to mate. Do listen out for the quiet croaking these frogs make when mating. That's often a good sign that the male is serious about reproduction. As for the female, you may see her swell up with eggs and then almost overnight seem like all that body mass has gone. In reality though what tends to happen is African Dwarf Frogs mate freely, but the eggs are lost to the filter or the tadpoles fail to thrive through lack of food. In other words, you can reasonably expect mixed sex groups to be laying eggs, the tricky part is finding the eggs and removing them for careful rearing. The tadpoles are small, need suitably small foods, and run the risk of being consumed by other frogs (or fish) in the aquarium with them.>
She never goes to the top is this considered mating. I have never seen eggs and wasn't sure if she is just not mature yet or what was going on with them?
<African Dwarf Frogs are usually sold at more-or-less adult sizes, so assuming they're eating well and putting on weight, you can assume they'll reproduce within months if not weeks of introduction if environmental conditions are appropriate.>
Will she deffinatly swim to surface to lay the eggs if so why had she not layer any eggs or moved to the surface?
<"Definitely" is a bit adamant for this sort of question! While some frogs do like to bask at the surface, others do not. Spawning normally happens among floating plants or bushy plants (such as Java moss) at the bottom.>
How do I know when she has reached maturity? Thank u for your time.
<Hope this helps, Neale.>

Raising eggs of dwarf African aquatic frogs      11/25/15
Hello there!
<Hello Sheena,>
I have a pair of frogs who seem to be doing great. They always mate after I have done a water change. For the first time that I have seen, some eggs were produced! I noticed one yesterday, attached to the 'moss ball'.
<Yes.>
I quickly took an old beta container that my beta
<Betta, rhymes with "better", not "beater".>
had come from the store in, and filled it with water right from the tank.
In went the moss ball and egg. In went 2 pellets of ZooMed brand; Aquatic frog & tadpole food.
It has been sitting under a lamp since 9:30 last evening, maintaining a temperature of 78-80. This morning I am noticing a lot of squirming going on inside that egg, and a definite form of a tadpole! Wow, that thing is super tiny!
<Correct.>
So, upon further investigation, I found another egg in my frog tank! Into the incubation tank it went as well. But, do they lay eggs in batches or singular? Do they lay eggs multiple days in a row?
<Usually singly or in small groups. Not the big clumps we associated with many pond-dwelling frogs in the temperate zone. When they hatch you'll be presented with tiny tadpoles that need very small live foods (infusoria) or, with luck, egg-layer fish foods (Liquifry for example). Do note these pollute the tank quickly, and you need to feed "often but in small amounts"
as with baby fish, 4-6 meals per day, removing uneaten food, and keeping water quality good. Very challenging without proper filtration!>
I do not have a filter system, or a heater in my frog tank.
<Really does need warmth at least, and some gentle filtration (air powered sponge for example) will be essential unless you're doing daily water changes. Let me direct you to some reading to save me typing everything out again:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/hymenochirus.htm
Various links at top, including for care and reproduction.>
I change the tank once a month. This involves removing approx. 1-1 1/2 cups of water (in which my frogs are housed).
<Doesn't sound enough to me.>
I then dump all water, vigorously rub the inside out of the tanks walls clean with my hands, rinse the gravel several times, and then refill tank with tap water which to touch is slightly warmer than the water with the frogs.
<Please do read the above linked articles.>
In goes a teaspoon or so of Betta bowl plus water conditioner, the frogs and old water. So far everything has been great, and the frogs seem happy and healthy. But do I need to be stricter with the incubation bowls water changes?
<Yes; do read some more. This approach won't work indefinitely. These are tropical animals and need appropriate care. Unfortunately they're often sold in the same way as Bettas, as being viable pets for unheated, unfiltered bowls. They aren't, any more than Bettas are, and both will die sooner rather than later when kept in unfiltered, room-temperature water of too-small volume. Cheers, Neale.>

African Dwarf Frog Tank Slime & Mating         11/19/15 Hi. First of all, thank you for keeping so much information on this website. I am new to fish and aquatic frog keeping, and the information I have found on this site has been tremendously helpful. <Thanks for the kind words.> I have 4 African dwarf frogs (1 male and 3 females) in a 3.5 gallon tank. I realize this tank is too small, and I plan to move them to a 10 gallon tank once that tank is cycled. <Cool.> My male is in a frisky mood quite often, so he spends a lot of time mating (or attempting to mate) with the females. <What they do, when well kept. So promising.> Sometimes this mating results in eggs and other goo resting in random spots in the tank, but often a white, dusty yet slimy looking film is left behind on the plants and the heater. I have attached pictures of it to this email. I know that eggs that don't hatch can turn into fungus, <Yes.> so it is important to remove them from the tank, and I try my best to do so with a turkey baster. <Less important the bigger the tank, but in a small aquarium, yes indeed, well worth doing.> Regardless, it seems like I can't get rid of this slimy white film. I am able to wash it off of the plastic plants, but it comes back within 24 hours. <Likely bacterial; common in small tanks with less the optimal water quality. Specifically: sluggish water movement, medium to high nitrate levels, and insufficient filtration. Bacteria grow on surfaces with lots of organic matter. Bacteria grow ridiculously quickly where conditions suit them.> Even the mystery snail in the tank has this film on its shell. So my questions are: Is this film a byproduct of mating or something else? Is this film coating my tank because the filter is not working properly? <Some combination of these. Uneaten food, faeces, decaying eggs... all excellent resources for bacteria. Stronger filtration will remove, bigger volumes will dilute.> Should I keep up my efforts to remove it from the tank or should I leave it alone even though it looks nasty? <Generally harmless in itself, but the conditions that promote them aren't ideal.> I know that it isn't good to remove beneficial bacteria from the tank, but I can't tell if this is beneficial or harmful slime. If this film is a fungus, mold, or algae, how do I get rid of it? Thank you for your time! <Suspect switching up to an 8 or 10 gallon tank will see your problems melt away, assuming adequate filtration. Cheers, Neale.>

ADF Strange mating behavior      8/22/13
I have two ADF's in a 2.5gallon heated, filtered tank. I have had them since May.
They both sing
<?! Are these Hymenochirus? Males do hum/buzz to attract females; but are rarely heard by aquarists>
every night and have what appear to be white pimples in their armpits, which led me to believe they were both males.
For about a week the have been "mating" constantly but for short periods of time. There have been no eggs as a result. a couple of nights ago I saw them "mating" and the "female" seemed to be doing all she could to remove the other frog. I left them alone because I figured she would dislodge him as she usually seems to. When I awoke that next morning, they had not eaten any of the food from their bowl (this is weird for them). Last night the same thing happened and when I woke up, one pellet out of 4 was gone (so SOMEONE ate) and they are STILL attached (they usually seemed to always detach during the day which gave me peace of mind that the "female" could get some rest).
Should I leave this alone or should I do something?
<I'd leave alone>
I'm still pretty sure both of the frogs are male, there has been no eggs and they both sang like crazy until lately :( . I'm afraid the "female" is eating but stressed and I'm afraid the horny male is simply not eating (and also not going to the surface enough, it seems like only the "female" gets her snout out of the water.  Advice please!! :(
Thanks
Beth
<Mmm, I'd ask that you peruse our postings re the genus/species:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/hymenochirus.htm
the linked files above; and keep us posted re your observations, speculations. Bob Fenner>
Follow up from Aug 22 question; ADF repro. f'     1/6/14
Hi. I sent in a question about my African Dwarf Frogs that wouldn't stop mating. They have since stopped and have gone back to only. "Mating" for short periods of time. They spend every evening buzzing and will buzz at each other in weird short buzzes when it seems they are trying to mount each other at the same time (it looks like a face off, Lol !) I have upgraded to a 10gallon tank and added one more frog (3 total ) He joined right in the mating and buzzing.  It is a male as far as I can see and I still have seen no eggs  ( which leads me  to believe I have only males) but tons of mating behaviour. So in conclusion after constant mating for a few days (and freaking me right out!) both frogs came away alive and healthy and are still with me 5 months later.
Thanks !!
Beth
<Glad all worked out well in the end. Sounds as if they're happy little frogs. Thanks for the update! Cheers, Neale.>