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FAQs About African Dwarf Frogs, Systems
Related Articles:
Keeping
African Clawed Frogs and African Dwarf Frogs
by Neale Monks,
African Dwarf Frogs,
Amphibians,
Turtles,
Related FAQs:
Dwarf African Frogs 1,
Dwarf African Frogs 2, ADF Identification,
ADF Behavior, ADF
Compatibility, ADF Selection,
ADF Feeding, ADF
Disease, ADF Reproduction, & FAQs on:
Amphibians 1,
Amphibians 2,
Frogs Other Than African and Clawed,
African Clawed Frogs,
Turtles, Amphibian Identification,
Amphibian Behavior,
Amphibian Compatibility,
Amphibian Selection,
Amphibian Systems,
Amphibian Feeding,
Amphibian Disease,
Amphibian Reproduction, |
Yes... they're tropical... need a heater.
And filtration... an absence of nitrogenous intermediates (no ammonia or
nitrite), little nitrate... And yes, they can/do "jump out" if
conditions allow it |
African Dwarf Frogs, sys. H2O qual. adjustment
10/5/09
Hi Again Guys,
I need you assistance again....this time I need to know what should be
done to an aquarium to make soft, acidic water acceptable for African
Dwarf frogs.
<Add Rift Valley cichlid salt mix to each bucket of water. Use at about
50% of the dosage that you'd use for Rift Valley cichlids; i.e., the
amount you'd use for 5 gallons with Malawian or Tanganyikan cichlids,
you'd use for 10 gallons with these frogs.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWsubwebindex/fwh2oquality.htm
You can buy Rift Valley salt mixes ready made, but it's cheaper to make
your own.>
I ask because I work at a pet store, and if a customer needs information
and I don't immediately know what the answer is, I research it and
email/call them back with the needed information. Today a customer
wanted
to know exactly what pH, KH, and temperature is the best for Dwarf
African Frogs.
<Around pH 7.5, 10+ degrees dH.>
I did read a couple of my own books, and they did have information on
these frogs but neither book went into specifics like this, just said
the frogs will thrive in a clean, warm fish tank. My next step is always
to visit
this website (THIS SITE IS THE BEST SITE for Aquariums I have ever seen,
frequently mention it to customers that ask were they can get
information when they need it and there is nobody to ask) and research
and while doing this in the Freshwater Livestock 2 I noticed the
following:
"Aquatic frogs are not fussy about water conditions provided soft,
acidic water is avoided. The ideal conditions are pH 7-8, 10-20 degrees
dH. Do not add salt to the water."
...oh, no, the water here is very, very soft, and acidic, it basically
is rainwater from a peat bog...I was going to advise this customer to
use the synthetic salt mix recipe under water chemistry, but then it
said no salt.
<Adding the salt (sodium chloride) as part of a Rift Valley salt mix is
fine. It's using tonic salt *instead* of raising the carbonate and
general hardness that causes problems, because sodium chloride doesn't
raise
general hardness, doesn't raise carbonate hardness, and doesn't raise
pH.
At best, it does nothing.>
As soon as I read this I also remembered that another employee of the
pet store had remarked to me that the dwarf underwater frogs didn't last
long in her tank.
<Oh dear.>
No doubt they didn't last long if soft, acidic water is to be avoided.
What should advise this customer to do now? Use pH fixer to set it at 7?
<No; "pH fixer" products are largely pointless. The frogs care about the
hardness of the water rather than the pH.>
Use some type of substrate that could be used to up the carbonate
hardness?
<Too fiddly.>
I am sorry to have to ask another question, but as this is for someone
else that is depending on me to keep her frogs happy and healthy I
really want to be positive that what I am telling her is correct and not
going to hurt her frogs. On the upside I knew enough not to let her
purchase a African Clawed Frog for her nice and peaceful aquarium that
will have African Dwarf Frogs and small gentle fish because it will get
bigger and will eat her other frogs and any fish it can catch and stuff
in its gullet (One of our albino African clawed frogs actually attempted
to grab and stuff a African Dwarf Frog into its mouth just after I
finished explaining the full grown size and predatory nature of the
African Clawed Frog. Both Frogs were the same size, so the attempt was
futile). I am also considering setting up a tank just for African Clawed
Frogs for myself, so this information will help me too. Thanks so much
for your help. If you need the exact water conditions I can test my
water for any parameter you need, me and the customer are using water
from the same source.
A Conscientious (but sometimes not immediately that helpful) pet shop
employee.
<Hope this helps, and thanks for writing. Cheers, Neale.>
ADF habitat – 08/11/09
Hi Wet Web Crew, Just a couple of questions on my FW ADF set up.
<Fire away, but do also see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/FrogsArtNeale.htm
>
I have a 20 g. long tank that houses 7 ADF's (3 recently added), 3
Corydoras, 2 adult mystery snails (3 youngsters that will be going to
the LFS's when they are big enough) and several cherry shrimp, oh yeah a
baby guppy that must have hid from me when I was trying to get them all
together for my LFS's.
<I see.>
I have sand, plenty of live plants, a moss ball and some large river
stones, 2 sponge filters, heater at 78F and miscellaneous hideout
places.
<A trifle warm. Corydoras generally don't like really warm water, so if
you can lower the temperature a degree or two, everyone will live longer
and happier lives.>
Everything has been going along great for about 8 months or so. Everyone
healthy and mating and laying eggs (the Cory's) so I know the water
quality is good (yes, I do test and also add Stability during water
changes).
<OK.>
My question is this, now that I recently added 3 new ADF's that are
still quite young after the proper qt period, I have stepped up my
feeding times until they have grown a bit.
<Good.>
One of my older ADF's (I call Chubbs as this accurately fits her) is
getting even fatter now with this new stepped up feeding. I usually skip
feeding about twice a week, sometimes 3 times depending if its a 50%
water change week or not.
<Wouldn't worry unduly about "plumpness" provided water quality remains
good. Female Hymenochirus frogs will fill out a little when gravid, and
that might an issue here. Alternatively, switching to foods the frogs
won't eat, like Hikari Algae Wafers, would allow the Corydoras and
snails to get their fill, without the frogs getting fat. Algae wafers
are, by the way, good staple foods for both Corydoras and Apple snails.>
I always feed heavier the night before I do the water change....Should I
keep up the regular daily feedings until the youngsters have grown and
hope Chubbs will get the weight off after I'm back to normal feedings or
should I separate her while the youngsters are feeding?
<If you want. Doubt it'll make much difference either way, to be
honest.>
One of the youngsters I bought I am surprised has survived ( I call
him/her Skeletor ). The LFS'S had these froggies housed with Neons so I
don't believe they were getting their food as they are such slow eaters.
<All too common, I'm afraid.>
Skeletor has put on some weight and has been one of my most lively frogs
however, I feel skipping a day of feeding would possibly lead to his
demise.
<Unlikely. If he's active, he's probably fine.>
I feed frozen foods only through a turkey baster.
<A good approach.>
Every feeding they are getting something new...blood worms, Tubifex
worms, brine shrimp etc...I even bought beef heart when my first little
guys were so young.
<A sensible balanced diet... very good.>
I keep that away from Chubbs though!! Ok, on to question two (or maybe
three). I'd like to upgrade to a bigger tank but the next bigger size I
can find around my area is 18" high. Would that be okay or would that be
a struggle for them to get to the top?
<Depends; if there are floating plants, then frogs will rest at the
surface, even basking under the lights sometimes. But broadly, yes,
these are animals of shallow pools, and tanks above 30 cm/12 inches in
depth has a risk of being too deep for them . This actually holds true
for Corydoras, which also need shallow water to feel comfortable. It may
well be the tank you have is just about perfect, so why worry about
upgrading?>
Thanks for your time.
Jill
<Cheers, Neale.>
Re: ADF habitat 8/19/09
Hi again Wet Web Crew,
I forwarded my message below for your reference sake but am not sure if
I should have. Anyway, my ADF "Skeletor" is putting on weight and eats
like a pig, starting to get some better color to him.
<Good>
I've read a lot of your suggestions and am thinking of trying live black
worms to feed my 6 adf's, they are usually fed frozen foods. I have read
elsewhere that parasites can come from these worms.
<Not so much for Amphibians as fishes>
Is there an optimal way to clean them prior to feeding to ensure my
frogs will not get any diseases?
<Just to pick out the "Black" worms rather than the Tubificids raised in
manure>
Do I have to cut them up so they don't choke the little guys?
<Not necessary>
Also, I came home from work yesterday to a dead frog. One of the newbies
laying on his/her back. I ensured he/she was really dead and took a good
look at him. Nothing unusual, no lesions of any sort, no redness about
his body, nothing other than he wasn't breathing. I tested my water,
everything good, all other creatures acting normal. I'm wondering if it
is possible I have too many floating plants?
<Mmm, probably not, or this would cause the demise of the rest>
Other than setting my heater to a lower temperature as suggested (now at
76F), nothing has been changed.
I might have filled the tank a tad too high after I did a quick suction
of old left over food and snail waste so I only have about an inch of
space from the water to the glass top. Other than doing a necropsy on
him, I know its only guesswork on your part but I'd still appreciate the
input. Thanks in advance.
<No input here>
I'm getting my 120 gallon salt water tank delivered this week and am
beyond excited....Even though I'll be staring at just live rock for
awhile.
I'm sure I'll be contacting you guys occasionally if I can't find the
answers.
Usually because I didn't look in the right spot.
<Ah yes. Bob Fenner>
Frog. Xenopus... hlth.? no info... Maybe asking Neale to
write survey/husbandry pieces re this species and Hymenochirus...
Hi I have a African Clawed Frog and it is currently laying on top of a
plastic plant breathing air... and not going and swimming in the water.
Yet instead just laying on the end of the plastic plant at the top of
the water for more than 5mins from what I can see. Is this a problem are
is it normal for them to sick their head out for minutes at a time while
holding on to a plant. Please get back to me. Thank You.
<Hello Shari. I need more information than this. For example, how big is
the aquarium? How warm is the water? What is the water quality like? To
summarise, you cannot keep Xenopus frogs in unfiltered bowls. They need
reasonably big aquaria (10 gallons upwards) and that aquarium needs a
filter and possibly a heater, depending on your local air temperature.
Water temperature should be a steady 18-22 C (about 68-72 F). The filter
should be running 24 hours a day, and you should be doing 25% water
changes each week. Because Xenopus are quite messy, the filter should be
reasonably robust; I'd recommend a filter with a turnover at least 4
times the volume of the tank per hour. Like a fish, you're looking for 0
ammonia and 0 nitrite. Water chemistry isn't critical provided water
quality is good. As with fish, use a good water conditioner to remove
chlorine and copper from
the tap water. Do not use water from a domestic water softener! Xenopus
are not heavy feeders, but they do need a varied diet, and plain pellets
are not acceptable as their only food. Use the pellets once or twice a
week, and then for the remaining meals use (wet, not freeze-dried)
bloodworms or small live foods such as earthworms. Xenopus do not need
to be fed every day, so skipping a day or two a week is fine. Xenopus
are not terribly active animals, and they do tend to be lazy, but they
should show interest in their food, especially if you've skipped a day's
feeding already. Do note than the "dwarf" African Clawed Frogs
(Hymenochirus spp.) are similar except they need tropical water
conditions (around 25 C/77 F) and can get
by with a bit less water (5 gallons being acceptable). Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Frog, sys. 4/27/09
Okay <sic> their in a 2 gallon small aquarium I don't have a filter
because I tried to use a power filter and they go crazy... I think its
because they have that lateral thing and it's like a jack hammer at
least that's what I read online...
<Where on Earth did you read this? It's garbage. The problem is you have
a TWO GALLON AQUARIUM and that's too small for [a] these frogs, and [b]
any electric filter I can think of. In an 8-10 gallon tank, a small
sponge or box filter attached to a small air pump should work just fine,
and create
enough flow for good water quality and happy frogs. I know, because I
have just such a tank, within which I breed shrimps and rear catfish
fry, far smaller animals than your frogs. So let's get real here, and
focus on the issues that matter, not stuff gleaned from dubious web
sites.>
even when I tries to keep the filter on despite their swimming crazily
it only cleaned the water for a day and the next day it was as dirty and
messy as before.
<Repeat after me: the aquarium is too darn small. What do you want me to
say here? There are no magic solutions, any more than I could come up
with a way to keep a blue whale in a bathtub.>
So would it be normal for them to maintain keeping their head out if the
water for over five minutes by standing on a plant.
<Not normal, no.>
And even when I look at them continue to keep their head out and look
back at me. So is this normal? Are is it that its to cold, are just not
big enough so they look with their head out of the water.
<The question of whether they're cold depends on the species. Are you
keeping Hymenochirus (which have webbed front and back feet) or Xenopus
(which have webbed back feet only). Hymenochirus are small (around 4-5
cm/1-2 inches) and tropical, so need water around the 25 C/77 F mark;
Xenopus get much bigger (well over 12 cm/5 inches) and are subtropical
and do fine around 20 C/68 F, which may be room temperature if you live
in a warm part of the world. So while you certainly need a heater in
their
aquarium, whether you set it to its lowest setting or a middle setting
will depend on which species you are keeping.>
Their fully aquatic yet need to breathe air I know but still to not be
afraid and put their head fully out of water is pretty weird and they
just started doing this yesterday and I have had them for about 4
months.
<Four months is nothing. Hymenochirus live for well over 5 years, and
Xenopus for 15 years. Of course, your specimens don't stand a chance of
living this sort of lifespan in an aquarium that's too small, not
filtered,
and unheated.>
What's happening? Please let me know. Thank you.
<Done my best. It's up to you to get your frogs the environment they
need:
space, filtration, heating. Cheers, 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- New 20
gallon Aquarium 2/29/08
Thank you ever so much for your reply.
<No problem.>
Although I am sad at the loss of my Guppies I must admit that froggy seems much
happier in his 'own' environment. Last night he came out and played all
night-first time I have seen that.
<Very good.>
I would like to say that I consider myself a responsible pet owner and do not
usually allow my children to sway my decisions based on what they want. If that
were the case I would have a house full of what I call rodents (shudder). And
since I am the primary care giver to any pets brought into this house, I do make
the ultimate decision of what comes in-which I consider my 2100SF house a nice
refuge for 1 dog and 1 cat, and now some aquariums. I will admit that my
purchase of the little hex tank kit was an unwise purchase bought for my
husbands' birthday on the misconception it would be easy to clean and less time
consuming than a bigger one. For any new hobbyists reading-that is not the case!
<Indeed.>
All that being said, I am now captivated by my little froggy and I must admit a
little intrigued at the idea of all the different balances it requires to keep
fish. I do plan to set up and manually cycle my 20 gallon tank before adding any
fish to it. I was aware of the inter-breeding capabilities of Endler's and
Guppies, I had actually planned (or hoped) to acquire males only. I have done
some reading since then and see while that may be easy to do with the Guppies it
may not be so easy with the Endler's.
<Not a big fan of tanks with just one sex of fish. Must be very frustrating for
the fish! I prefer environments where the fish can behave normally and actually
enjoy themselves, interacting with one another.>
Although I thought they usually ate there young unless removed form the tank?
<Depends. It's not a good idea to *assume* baby fish will survive in a community
because most will not, but some might, especially if the tank is big and has
lots of plants and other hiding places.>
I have decided against the Tetra's. The chemical make up of my water is hard.
With only aqua safe treatment my tank water has a GH of around 150, a KH of
between 120 and 180 and pH between 7.2 and 7.8.
<Sounds good for livebearers, Rainbowfish barbs, etc. Not so much for tetras and
Rasboras, though with care you could certainly keep some of those, too.>
This has remained constant through water changes over the last 5 weeks so I
think that is pretty much what it is. The nitrite and nitrate have obviously
changed. at first they were both low then the nitrite went up substantially
(this is when I lost my first Guppy) then came back down. Once again they did go
back up some but came back down after a water change. Now after losing my other
Guppy and doing a water change they are low with nitrite showing up at nearly 0
and nitrate at 20 or under.
<"Nearly" zero nitrite is like "nearly pregnant"; it's a quantum thing, and you
either have zero nitrite (in which case the tank is healthy) or you don't (in
which case fish are at risk). So wait for the zero nitrite before adding
anything else.>
the temperature in my tank stays between 79F-78F without a heater. I believe I
need a lower watt bulb because every time I turn on the lamp froggy heads for
cover after a while and the temp will start to rise.
<Possibly, though lower watt bulbs mean plants grow less well/not at all, and
when plants aren't growing, algae becomes a problem.>
I have the tank in my dining room that has a big patio door that we open the
curtains to in the day and close at night so even with out the lamp there is
definite transition from night to day and vice versa-without any direct
sunlight. We have a sun room adjacent to the dining room which lets in lots of
light but keeps direct light out of the house itself. I saw Froggy with a
slightly bulgy belly for the first time last night and I will continue to feed
him daily for a week or two to recover from the last month or two. I did add too
much last night I know, but it took me several attempts to get the blood worms
to the spot where he was so he would eat them and know they were in there. I am
sure he would have eventually found them but it made me feel better to see him
eat. I have frozen blood worms that are in little cubes. So as not to waste them
how much should I break off for him for a feeding? And how many times a day
should he be fed? once?
<One meal per day should be adequate, and in terms of numbers of worms, you're
going to have to watch this yourself, but I'd guess less than ten. Better to
feed multiple small meals than one big meal.>
Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it. I have 3 kids and it is hard
to get the time to do as much research as I want to do-in the time I want to. By
the way Neale, your comment about being watched by giant human keepers amused
me. I have a 2 and 3 year old right now and although they are not giant, I can't
remember the last time I had ANY privacy so I can definitely relate!
<Indeed. One of the surprises for many people in fishkeeping is this: the more
hiding places your provide, the more the fish come out and play. Forcing them
into the limelight only scares them, and they end up cowering in the corners.>
About my 20 gallon tank, which I read you all (sorry I am from the south so it
sounds right to me) approve for a beginner, What would be a good mix for it?
<Many many choices for a 20 gallon, but among the absolute best starter fish
would be Bronze Corydoras (pretty, schooling catfish), X-ray tetras (Pristella
maxillaris, also schooling fish and very hardy), zebra or pearl Danios (again,
schooling fish, very hard surface-living fish) and Lace Gouramis (Trichogaster
leeri, peaceful centrepiece fish that do well in pairs). A lot of "cheap" fish
widely sold to beginners are fin-nippers, disease-prone, short-lived or
otherwise not a good bet; do spend time reading up on fish *before* buying.
Aquarium shops can be good sources of information, but they often aren't, and
then you end up being stuck with something that causes problems one way or
another. If in doubt, e-mail WWM, and ask!>
As I said I would prefer smaller brighter active fish over bigger ones, as I
could get more of them in the tank.
<You will actually find you need a mix of everything. Danios are great for their
activity level and nice colours, and they also help everything settle in. But
they aren't very smart. Gouramis are bigger and slow moving, but they have
personality, and will come to the front of the tank and beg for food. Catfish
scoot about the bottom looking cute. You want to pick fish for the top, middle,
and bottom of the tank too, so the tank is busy but not cluttered.>
I do want a little bit of variety, though. Any suggestions on a good book I
could get online to read to get me started?
<Many good books out there. Almost anything on tropical fish from your local
bookstore or library should help. Look up the topic of "Community Fish". I
started with a book called "Fishkeeper's Guide to Community Fishes" by Dick
Mills but there are multiple more modern books out there. Also many articles
here on tetras, barbs, etc.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlivestkindex.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwlvstkind2.htmm
>
At this time I am strictly interested in fresh, harder water aquariums since I
think it best with the make up of my tap water. I don't think I am ready to have
to mess with so many different factors-or possibly water treatment products.
<I agree. Livebearers (but not Mollies) would be ideal, as would Rainbowfish and
hardy barbs. Some tetras, notably X-ray tetras, are also hard water tolerant.
Once acclimated, even things like Neons will do well in hard water, though they
perhaps do better kept otherwise. Do see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwhardness.htm
>
Thanks again so much this site is so full of information I could read all day,
if I was allowed too!
Debbie
<Good luck! Neale.>
African Dwarf Frogs- New 20 gallon
Aquarium? 2/29/08
Dear WWM (Neale),
Wow thanks so much for the in depth reply and all the great links and
info. You have given me just what I need to get started in the right
direction. I just realized last night at LFS about the different areas
fish swim in. That makes a big difference and a lot of since. Thanks for
the advice. I do know my LFS has a GH of 300! so whatever I choose will
be acclimatized to hard water.
<Yes, this is likely so, but some fish simply never do well in hard
water and are best avoided. The quality of farmed Neons for example is
pretty low anyway, and I have rarely heard of people keeping them alive
in hard water for more than a year or two. In soft water, they can last
as long as 4 years. So while there is some "wiggle room", do tend
towards livebearers, Rainbowfish, hardy barbs etc when you're working
with hard water. Your fishkeeping will be substantially easier.>
If anything will have to be acclimated to the softness of my water! I
have plenty of time to research and decide. I will set and cycle using
starters and cycle products and wait 4-6 weeks until I am sure my tank
is ready. At that time I will ask about introduction order and time if I
can't find it in my own research. Thanks so much again for the great
directional start.
<Happy to help.>
An update on my little frogs: at LFS I purchased a long 5 gallon kit
with a whisper filter. I also purchased 4 more frogs. I came home and
transferred them to a holding tank (just a little carrier) and I
Switched the entire system! Probably not recommended but it worked
fabulously! My froggies are playing and eating and floating just as
happy as can be. I am very content with it now. I will keep the other
one as a hospital only tank now (after I cycle it too). You are very
right about having plenty of hidey holes making them more willing to be
seen. They haven't acted one bit skittish since being introduced to the
new tank.
<See? No-one believes this until they try it. Forcing fish into the open
is like trying to force children to eat their vegetables: ultimately
counterproductive. You have to be cunning!>
This one has a florescent bulb so it doesn't seem to heat up the tank.
Again I am very pleased and thanks so much for the Info and advice. One
question. What are these moon lights i read about? Or night lighting?
<Moon-lights are things that light up tanks dimly, so that nocturnal
fish will swim about. They look really nice. If you aren't growing
plants, then you can easily use them instead of regular lights, and most
fish would prefer them anyway. Your little Frogs would naturally inhabit
almost pitch-black pools in forests that would receive very little
sunlight. But most folks use them alongside the regular lights,
switching off the regular lights for a couple hours in the evening to
create a "dusk" lighting level that encourages nocturnal fish to swim
about in view.>
Have a good day!
Debbie
<Likewise, and good luck, Neale.> |
|
ADF and algae...
algicides... 2/27/08
Dear Crew,
I have an 8.8 gal book shelf tank containing four African Dwarf Frogs
and two Otocinclus. Water temperature is set to 76 degrees. The tank is
far from direct sunlight and I use the hood light from about 7 a.m. to 9
p.m. I am having a constant problem with both brown algae and green,
floating algae. I added in the Otos to see if they could help keep the
brown algae down, but while they help some, they are not staying on top
of things and they seem to have no affect on the green. At least they do
get along with my froggies but to keep enough to handle all the brown
algae I might have to have so many Otos that they would be a real bother
to the frogs. About a month ago I did a routine of erythromycin for five
days and it cleared the green stuff very well, but ... it has come back
and I don't think putting anti-biotics in the tank on a regular basis is
a very good idea. Jungle has an algae treatment called "No More Algae."
The active ingredients are Diuron and a small bit of copper sulfate. The
package states to not use on invertebrates as do many aquarium
chemicals. I wrote the company, asking if it was safe to use with ADF's
and they have not replied. Thus I am turning to you. "Is it Ok to use
"No More Algae" in my African Dwarf Frog tank? Thanks so much for any
guidance you can give me. Mike
<Mike, even if the "No More Algae" product was non-toxic, you shouldn't
use it anyway. When algae dies, it rots. When it rots, it produces
ammonia. In any tank that is bad news; in an 8 gallon tank it's a
disaster! Next up, even if you kill the algae now, it'll be just as bad
in a month. Algae gets into the tank from the air or in water changes.
So you can't "sterilise" the system in any meaningful way. Algae is
caused by a complex of things, the most critical of which is this: lack
of fast-growing plants. Tanks with lots of healthy, fast-growing plants
under bright light don't have algae problems. Simple as that. So there's
your solution. Ensure the lighting above the tank is at least 1.5, and
ideally 2, watts per gallon, add some fast-growing plants (Cabomba,
Hygrophila, Vallisneria, etc) and then sit back. The plants will
eliminate the algae via allelopathy. No other solution works. None. Nix.
Nada. If you don't want to go that route, I'm afraid all that's left is
manually removing the algae with a wipe or scraper. Incidentally, adding
fish or snails has zero effect, because all the extra livestock does is
dump more ammonia and CO2 in the water, making the algae even more
happy! Cheers, Neale.>
Re: ADF and algae
2/27/08
Hi Neale,
Well, that settles that. I'll be in town tomorrow and I'll see if my LFS
has any of these. I suspect they do. Seems like a much better solution
than
doing any chemical thing. Thanks so much. I'll let you know how it works
out for me.
Mike
<Hi Mike. Fast-growing plants aren't difficult to obtain. Even floating
plants can work well. But the effect they have is dramatic once they're
growing. Does depend somewhat on the lighting though -- the plants have
to be growing well to stop the algae. If you want to do some reading,
look up "allelopathy" in aquaria; quite how, why plants stop algae isn't
known, but they do. Cheers, Neale.> |
African Dwarf Frogs...
Froggy, small sys. period 2/27/08
I have a 5 gallon hexagonal kit tank that I had 2 guppies and a African
Dwarf Frog that the sales girl at the pet store sold me because my 3 year old
wanted a "froggy".
<Please let me start by saying that buying animals for children as small as this
isn't a good idea. Buy animals if you want them, and sure, let small children
observe. But unless you're really willing to make this your hobby, it is simply
a waste of time (and often animal lives) buying pets for very small children.>
As I am sure you can guess, my uncycled 5 gallon tank has since lost my fish.
The first went about a week and a half after I populated it and the second
today. I have had the aquarium roughly a month. I have done a lot of
research/reading since then and have since purchased a 20 gallon kit tank. My
plan is to put fish in the 20 gallon tank and keep frogs in the five gallon tank
since I have fallen in love with "froggy" , who by the way got his first helping
of frozen bloodworms today after almost a month of the pellets they sold me at
the store. Can't say I ever saw froggy eat them but he has survived and
something was eating some of them. My nitrite, ammonia, ph, and all my water
parameters are right on as to what this web site suggests for froggy and he
seems to be adapting well to his tank this week-before this he hid most of the
time. I believe my fish were victims of over-feeding due to lack of knowledge. I
think the were eating froggy's food as well as their own. I would like to keep
as many Frogs (all African Dwarf Frogs) as possible without over crowding. I
also want to make sure I introduce them in a timely matter. My questions are
this. How many can I keep in this type of tank. I am sure the 1 frog to every
gallon of water rule just doesn't quite apply, due to the shape although I would
love to have a colony that large! Maybe I will switch to a square tank. How do
you cycle a tank for frogs? And lastly on frogs How many can I introduce at a
time and how far apart?
<Hymenochirus spp. frogs are not especially difficult to keep when alone, but
almost never succeed in the long term alongside fish. Sure, sometimes it works,
but usually it doesn't. The main problem is that Hymenochirus are shy, slow
feeders. They also need to eat quite a lot, and this causes problems with water
quality. Per meal, the frogs must be receiving sufficient food that their belly
swells out ever so slightly. Initially, you'll need to feed them daily to
recover condition from their time at the pet store, but subsequently you might
decide to skip feeding them every two or three days. Freeze-dried foods do not
seem to be good for them, so always use either live or wet frozen foods. I'd not
keep more than 3-4 specimens in a 5 gallon tank. I'd mature the tank by adding
filter media from another healthy aquarium; amphibians generally are sensitive
to poor water quality, which leads to things like the dreaded Red Leg.
Hymenochirus spp. generally work well in groups; introduce them all at once into
a fully matured aquarium. Do ensure there are plenty of hiding places, such as
caves and plastic plants.>
I also would like to cycle up my 20 gallon tank and have a decorative, colorful,
active tank to enjoy. Again without over crowding. I had thought about 3-4
Guppies, 6 Endlers, and 6 tetras-either neon or cardinal.
<I'd say no to all of this, at least as a combo. For a start, Endlers and
Guppies hybridise, and while you might not care very much, this is a problem if
you have to get rid of excess fry. What do you sell them as? Allowing
hybridisation in aquaria is simply a bad habit and not one to get into.
Secondly, tetras often (though not always, I'll admit) nip the fins of Fancy
Guppies. Thirdly, there are differences in water chemistry. Tetras want soft,
slightly acidic water; Guppies and Endlers want hard, basic water. Conditions
that suit the one will be stressful for the other, so you'll constantly be
having to deal with sickness. Much better to determine what your local water
chemistry is, and then choose fish accordingly. Please see the multiple articles
we have here about water chemistry for more info, or turn to any aquarium book
of your choice.>
I noticed some of you think tetras are difficult to take care of.
<Can be, many species being either sensitive to poor water quality, nippy
towards tankmates, or aggressive amongst themselves.>
Would this type of community work well?
<No.>
I think we would prefer quantity with color over size in our tank. Honestly I
had to search so hard to find the guppies (since it was just two and they hid)
in the 5 gallon, it seemed hardly worth the effort.
<Can seem this way, but always remember your job is to give a home to the fish
that the fish enjoy. If that means the fish are hidden half the time, so be it.
Would you want to be constantly watched by some gigantic human-keeper?>
I agree these little hex tanks are hard to take care of and I think my frogs
will do better in them.
<Those little Hexagon tanks are a gimmick, and no experienced aquarist would
recommend one over a traditional rectangular aquarium. The problems are
multiple, not least of which is the terrible surface area to volume ratio.
Though seemingly cheap, they're actually poor value because of how little they
actually "do".>
Thanks ahead of time for you advice and knowledge-Deb
<Cheers, 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.>
Betta and ADF, sys., RO water
use, 11/25/2007
Hello All,
Thanks in advance for the advice. Normally I am asking marine questions, but I
have a few probably very silly questions about a Betta tank. I have a six week
old, cycled, 3 gallon Eclipse tank with a male Betta and one African Dwarf Frog.
Parameters are Ammonia/Nitrite: 0, Nitrate: less than 20, pH: 6.0, and nearly
zero on DH and GH. The tank has live plants and a one inch gravel bottom. So,
the first question: I use RO/DI water instead of using a conditioner on tap
water. Is this okay or are my DH and GH readings too low from filtering out too
much?
<Always mix some tap water with the RO water; by itself, RO water isn't
acceptable for most fish. Aim for between 5-10 degrees dH. For a Betta, there's
absolutely no advantage to using RO water anyway, since these fish are very
adaptable and provided extremes are avoided couldn't care less about water
chemistry. Moderate hardness and neutral pH is probably the ideal.>
I had assumed the RO/DI was better, plus it is convenient since we have the unit
set up for the salt water tank, but now I am wondering.
<Very soft water causes problems with acidification and lack of stability.>
Second question: When I come into work in the morning, the tank is usually
around 77 degrees F. With the light on during the day, the temperature usually
creeps up to about 80 or 81. Is this too much fluctuation over a 24 hour period?
<It's fine for a Betta. Certainly "within the margin of error" for what a wild
Betta would be exposed to.>
Should I try and bump the heater up to keep is closer to 80 at night?
<No point if the fish is otherwise fine.>
Of course then it would still fluctuate up to 83 or 84 in the day then. Third
question: I have read your FAQs on ADF, but was still unsure about a few things.
I have only one, are they social and should be kept in multiples?
<I think they are better termed "sociable" rather than "social". They don't form
schools as such, but provided they aren't overcrowded you can keep several in a
tank and not have problems. A gallon of water per frog is often recommended, and
seems about right.>
I feed about 2 bloodworms (still need to get other "meaty" stuff, frog is new)
every 2 to 4 days. Should this be sufficient?
<Depends on the size of the frog, the quality of the bloodworms being used,
water temperature, and so on. Provided the belly is gently convex but not
bulging, you're fine. I'd be feeding this half a dozen bloodworms every day and
seeing how things go from there. If they get portly on this, skip a day or two
per week. If they look thin, I'd feed slightly more food, perhaps across two
meals per day. There's no hard-and-fast rule to how much to feed any animal; to
some extent you need to observe and react accordingly. Provided you don't give
the frogs so much they look like bowling balls with legs, then the issue isn't
overfeeding per se, but water quality.>
I know it is hard to say without seeing the frog, but does that sound like a
reasonable amount of food?
<A bit too little, too me.>
Any other advice is always appreciated! Thanks!
Michele
<Cheers, Neale.>
African dwarf frogs...
care/sys. – 09/14/07
Hello, My friend works at a fish store and has an ADF and he
said that he takes his frog out of the water for a less than ten
minutes every now and then. I have one too but I don't want to
hurt him in anyway. But at the same time I wouldn't mind hanging
out with him outside the water. Is that okay? or should I not
take him out at all and put the thought out of my mind?
thanks,
Claire
<Claire, your friend is completely wrong to remove his frog from
the water. No amphibian should ever be handled except where
absolutely essential because their skins are very sensitive and
easily damaged. This goes double for aquatic amphibians because
they have thinner skins than terrestrial amphibians as well as
less robust skeletons. So tell your friend to stop handling his
frog! If he wants something to cuddle, he should go buy a cat.
Cheers, Neale>
Proper Dwarf Aquatic Frog Habitat? –
09/05/07
I'd like to purchase some dwarf aquatic frogs and am in the very beginning
stages of setting up their home. Could you please tell me if I'm doing it
properly? I read conflicting advice online and the pet stores aren't always
helpful. I have purchased a 5 gallon aquarium with an under gravel filter. The
manager of the store told me to pile rocks on top of the filter to make sure
that flow isn't too strong. I've also purchased two artificial plants, 3 lily
pads, a piece of drift wood and a small terra cotta pot (for hiding inside) and
medium sized gravel. For food I have frog bites, blood worms and brine shrimp.
Would 3 frogs be too many for this size tank? Also, I've been reading about some
sort of fungus. Is there some medication I should add upon their arrival to
prevent illness? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Elyse Paul
<Hello Elyse. Assuming we're talking about Hymenochirus species here, then your
basic plan sounds good. A 5 gallon tank should be acceptable for three frogs,
though surface area matters more than depth, so be sure and choose a "long"
rather than "deep" shape. The flow of water through an undergravel filter is
very gentle and unlikely to harm your frogs. Provided the filter plate covers
the entire base of the tank, and the depth of gravel is not less than 5 cm in
depth, as it needs to be, you should be fine. I would personally go with a fine,
pea gravel when keeping things as small as these (looks more "in scale") but
that's a trivial issue. As for fungal infections, this shouldn't be a problem if
they are kept properly. Water changes as well as filtration are important; 50%
per week would not be out of line. Always use a dechlorinator. I'm not a fan of
treating animals "prophylactically" without veterinarian advice to do so. Good
water quality and the proper diet usually help animals deal with potential
problems without drugs. If you must use a medication, be sure and choose one
safe for use with frogs -- not all are. Cheers, Neale>
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>
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>
African dwarf frogs 8/24/05
Hi, have a question. I have searched your site & do not see a similar
problem. I have 2 ADF in a 2.5 gallon tank, with a filter
running. We first bought pellet food, then found out through research
online they should be fed frozen bloodworms.
<... and other meaty live, non-live foods>
Purchased those 3 days ago now, feeding them pea-sized amount every
other day (is this correct???)
<Best to look at their "tummies"...>
My main question is an odor.
<Interesting>
It's gotten milder/better since switching from pellets, but it still is
unpleasant. Had water checked at the petstore, they said water levels
are fine. Should we do a partial water change to see if there's
disintegrated pellet food causing odor?
<Yes... should do these change-outs weekly...>
Any other suggestions? My pet peeve is pet stores selling these
frogs with zero info on feeding, correct water levels, cleaning of tanks,
etc. Thanks for the help, Lisa
<Thank goodness for books, magazines, the Net... Bob Fenner>
Is a 30 Gal tank too deep for African Dwarf Frog? 2/14/07
Hi everyone, I LOVE your site and have learned much from reading the
cache of questions in it. However even after searching, I still have one
question in my mind about my African Dwarf Frogs.
<Okay>
I have a 30 Gallon standard Eclipse aquarium. It has 16 Neons, 2 Otos,
several live plants, and 3 African Dwarf Frogs. I know that it's hard to
keep all of these alive together but I have done it successfully in the past
in a long 20 gallon tank for about 4 years. I have an extra tank available
just in case those darn Neons come down with fin rot; which to my memory
they seem to do when the wind blows the wrong direction!
<Mmm, not so much in warm/er, acidic water>
However after reading many articles on the little froggies, I am wondering
if this set up is not good for them. A lot of people have smaller tanks for
their frogs, and there seems to be an opinion online that larger tanks will
cause the frogs too much stress trying to swim up to the top for air.
<Is a good question, consideration>
So, will my frogs be ok in a tank this deep?
<Yes, should be fine... some folks with more aggressive fishes might be a
concern (hence am glad you list the other livestock) as the frogs go up/down
for breaths>
its a standard rectangular 30 Gallon eclipse tank. they seem to be happy,
and swim up and down a lot. At times it seems they may be struggling against
the current from the filter, but whenever they need air they bolt up to the
top as if they were a bullet. So i have the impression that they are happy
and just playing in the water. Though, I just want to make sure that they
aren't struggling and waiting to the last moment to get their air as a
result. I would hate to think they are drowning while I think they are
enjoying themselves!
They don't spend any time floating on top, and they actively crawl around
the bottom and actively hunt for the brine shrimp I distribute on the bottom
in front of them with a never used in the kitchen turkey baster.
It seems to work well if I feed the other fish a little to distract them
when I feed the froggies.
In short: My frogs SEEM happy. They do swim around a lot. At times they
just sit, and once in a great while hide under the moss plant. Will a tank
that is about 15 inches high, with a mildly strong current from the bio
filter be ok for them?
Thanks for any information you provide.
David
<Think you're fine here. BobF>
Frog Legs for Dinner? Hymenochirus beh., sys. 2/22/07
Thanks again, Pufferpunk.
<No problem>
I'll return Jet this weekend so he can mix with his own kind. Now I have a
question about the frogs, Slim and Chance. They used to be so cute every
evening, swimming and playing and crashing into things. But lately they've
become reclusive and sluggish. I really don't think I feed them too much but
they aren't as eager for their food anymore, which is those delicious Frog and
Tadpole Bites. I've given them frozen bloodworms a time or two, but not many at
a time. I shook them (gently) out of their hidey holes tonight so I could
photograph them to show you how normal they look. Do you think the light is too
much for them?
It's just your standard 150W bulb.
<Not if you plan on boiling them for dinner. Sounds like an awful lot of light
for that tank. I would think a 60wt bulb would be enough to warm up a 5g
tank. What's the temp in there?>
At one time I had some floating plants in there, and that diffused the light
some. But I took all the live plants out and replaced them with fake because
the live ones were rotting and stinking up the water. What do you think? Am I
just being a worrier
(a general tendency of mine)?
<Probably too hot for even the plants. Check the temp--should be around
76-80. ~PP>
No Frog Legs for Dinner, After All 2/26/07
Not to worry about the frogs becoming dinner; the light bulb is only 15
watts. (I knew there was a 1 and a 5 in there.) And the water temp is a cool
70 degrees.
<Whew, no cooked froggies then! 150 wts would pack quite a wallop.>
Perhaps I could bump up the wattage on the bulb some to create more heat but
that's probably been the temperature they've been living in since I purchased
them last summer.
<Maybe a bit higher wattage would be best. They need to be warm, so they can
digest their food.>
Same goes for Flash, the betta, who seems to be quite content at that
temp. Puff too.
<all your pets need to be kept at around 80 degrees. Even the betta is a
tropical fish.>
I looked at some heaters the other day but I don't really know a lot about them
and the store help is usually not around or they don't seem to know much either.
<3wts/gallon or 25wts, if that's the smallest you can find.>
Actually, Slim and Chance are acting pretty normal right now, so maybe they were
just off their feed for a while. But thanks again for "being there" for me!
<Sure! ~PP>
"A Tale of Two Tanks" or "The Three Little Frogs" 8/25/06
I hope this finds you well. I'm having a very strange problem that I can't
seem to solve by research or common sense, so I'm turning to you for expert
advice! My son is delighted with his 3 African Dwarf Frogs who live by
themselves in a 5 gallon tank with a Whisper filter, no direct sunlight, no
gravel or sand, no live plants (artificial plants and decorations only).
<Mmm, would be better... happier, healthier with some gravel, plants...>
I've been able to manage to keep ammonia, nitrates and nitrites at zero - or
get them back to zero when there have been spikes- and the temp at a nice steady
78. pH levels test around 7.2. They eat a pinch of Hikari frozen bloodworms
purchased at our LFS every 3 days or so and seem to be happy and thriving. The
problem is a smelly, slimy, grayish white sludge that keeps emerging on the
water's surface despite everything I've tried so far (the water itself has
always remained clear when looking through the walls of the tank). In addition
to being disgusting, it's a safety concern since the frogs are surface
breathers. The first time it appeared, the tank was only 1 month old. My
attempts have included 1. skimming the sludge, doing water changes, cutting back
on the amount of worms being fed, and filter cartridge changes every week, 2.
putting the frogs into a holding tank while scrubbing and sanitizing the entire
tank and its contents, then waiting for the tank to cycle again, 3. repeating
step 2 when the sludge returned, but this time trying it without adding
bio-Spira (just trying to account for all possibilities), 4. when the slime
returned, putting the frogs into an entirely new tank, an Eclipse 2.5 gallon
with bio-wheel we had on hand, which was allowed to cycle as well and had
completely different plants and decorations, just in case. This worked OK for a
while but the temp was too hard to control in the smaller tank (ran too hot) and
the water was hard to keep clean because the bioload was too high and I had to
change the filter cartridge frequently as it kept getting clogged wi
th brown gunk. After two months, I thought it was time to put them back in
their 5 gallon again. This time I completely replaced the filter with a new
Whisper filter, just in case anything could have survived in the nooks and
crannies in the old one. I just reintroduced the frogs to their 5 gallon tank 4
days ago, fed them 2 days ago, and noted yesterday that the water's surface was
again gunking up and starting to smell! I skimmed off the slime, changed the
filter cartridge (it looked fine - but just in case) and did a 50% water
change. Ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites all read zero. This morning, the water
looked OK but I detected a bit of the smell. I'm planning to go out and
purchase a new package of frozen blood worms, since that's about the only thing
I haven't replaced so far.
Thanks for any thought you might have!
Dianne
<Some sort of "bio-film"... bacterial and likely protozoal population growth...
these can be (am thinking of you doing push-ups ala Duvall, saying "You talkin'
to me?") very persistent... I would try the "biological control route"... add a
few sprigs of some hardy "floating grass/plant"... e.g. Anacharis,
Myriophyllum... may take a few weeks to months... but should shift the
population to "something else". Bob Fenner>
Re: "A Tale of Two Tanks" or "The Three Little Frogs" 8/25/06
Thanks for your reply, Bob!
< Bob is away for a few, RichardB with you. >
I will try adding the plants, but wanted to double check something with
you. Since ADF's are surface breathers, is there any danger to adding a
floating plant?
< Not if you prune them accordingly. >
Or will a few sprigs not multiply very quickly?
< That depends on the species of plant you choose, the lighting, and the
quantity of nutrients avaliable for the plants to consume. Duckweed would
invariably take over the world, where wisteria or hornwort would be less
aggressive. Whatever plant you decide upon, try to keep at least half of the
surface available at all times. The idea of the floating plants is great, and
you may find the frogs hanging out in it! >
< Happy planting! RichardB >
Thanks,
Dianne
Frogs
The letter below was posted by me to you. I have been trying to follow what you
told me in your response. I was able to get another 10 gallon tank as I have no
place for a larger one. I was moving the Dwarf Frogs and one jumped out of the
tank and was on the floor for about 5 - 10 minutes. I am not exactly sure. I was
so upset and put him in the tank quickly when I found him and he seemed ok. Now
he has something of a red bulge coming out of his bottom. I've never seen this
before. Will he be ok? Also. The two long skinny algae eaters passed away. I
think the other Gold fish ate the small Rosey Red. The fish have been acting so
aggressive over the last two days. The Black Moor seemed to try to bite the Frog
and the frog lunged at the Black Moor and the today I saw the Black Moor with a
mark on his side. I do not know what is going on. The long skinny Algae eater
was acting crazy so I took him out and isolated him in a fish bowl over night
and he was swimming so fast and then about 20 minutes later he was dead. I
am moving the goldfish to a colder spot and putting the Frogs and Shrimp in the
warmer area. Do you think this will be ok? Thanks, any help will be appreciated.
I am new at this. I've only ever had goldfish. but I do love these frogs.
>>Hello Yolanda; Have you tested your water for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? I
am new to the crew, but Sabrina gave you some good advice, so I will try to
follow up on it. The fallen frog sounds like he has some internal injuries, you
will have to wait and see how he does. He may not make it if the injuries are
severe. I agree that all the animals should be separated, move the frogs away
from the goldfish, algae eaters too, and the shrimp and Rosy reds also. This is
quite the problem! I hope you are doing frequent partial water changes to keep
all the animals in good health. -Gwen<<
Dwarf African frogs Might Escape 4/27/06
Hello. Sadly, my son's 2 year-old Betta fish just died. He would like to
get two African dwarf frogs and use the same tank, which is a 3 gallon
Marineland Eclipse with bio wheel. I have completely sanitized the tank and
am in the process of cycling it in preparation for the frogs. I discovered,
however, that the filtration system won't function without the water coming
up to within an inch of the top rim (and anyway, if the water were lower,
the "waterfall' effect would disturb the frogs too much). My concern is
that ADFs jump. This tank has a nice tight lid, but will the frogs be able
to escape up into the lid if the water is that high? I don't want them to
fry themselves on the light if it's on. My other alternative is purchasing
a different filtration system, but is there one that is similar to the bio
wheel idea? Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
< Get some clear plastic wrap and stretch it over the top openings by the
filter. Add a few floating plants and the frogs should be happy and not try
and get out.-Chuck>
Dianne
"A Tale of Two Tanks" or "The Three Little Frogs" 8/25/06
I hope this finds you well. I'm having a very strange problem that I can't
seem to solve by research or common sense, so I'm turning to you for expert
advice! My son is delighted with his 3 African Dwarf Frogs who live by
themselves in a 5 gallon tank with a Whisper filter, no direct sunlight, no
gravel or sand, no live plants (artificial plants and decorations only).
<Mmm, would be better... happier, healthier with some gravel, plants...>
I've been able to manage to keep ammonia, nitrates and nitrites at zero - or
get them back to zero when there have been spikes- and the temp at a nice steady
78. pH levels test around 7.2. They eat a pinch of Hikari frozen bloodworms
purchased at our LFS every 3 days or so and seem to be happy and thriving. The
problem is a smelly, slimy, grayish white sludge that keeps emerging on the
water's surface despite everything I've tried so far (the water itself has
always remained clear when looking through the walls of the tank). In addition
to being disgusting, it's a safety concern since the frogs are surface
breathers. The first time it appeared, the tank was only 1 month old. My
attempts have included 1. skimming the sludge, doing water changes, cutting back
on the amount of worms being fed, and filter cartridge changes every week, 2.
putting the frogs into a holding tank while scrubbing and sanitizing the entire
tank and its contents, then waiting for the tank to cycle again, 3. repeating
step 2 when the sludge returned, but this time trying it without adding
bio-Spira (just trying to account for all possibilities), 4. when the slime
returned, putting the frogs into an entirely new tank, an Eclipse 2.5 gallon
with bio-wheel we had on hand, which was allowed to cycle as well and had
completely different plants and decorations, just in case. This worked OK for a
while but the temp was too hard to control in the smaller tank (ran too hot) and
the water was hard to keep clean because the bioload was too high and I had to
change the filter cartridge frequently as it kept getting clogged with brown
gunk. After two months, I thought it was time to put them back in their 5
gallon again. This time I completely replaced the filter with a new Whisper
filter, just in case anything could have survived in the nooks and crannies in
the old one. I just reintroduced the frogs to their 5 gallon tank 4 days ago,
fed them 2 days ago, and noted yesterday that the water's surface was again
gunking up and starting to smell! I skimmed off the slime, changed the filter
cartridge (it looked fine - but just in case) and did a 50% water
change. Ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites all read zero. This morning, the water
looked OK but I detected a bit of the smell. I'm planning to go out and
purchase a new package of frozen blood worms, since that's about the only thing
I haven't replaced so far.
Thanks for any thought you might have!
Dianne
<Some sort of "bio-film"... bacterial and likely protozoal population growth...
these can be (am thinking of you doing push-ups ala Duvall, saying "You talkin'
to me?") very persistent... I would try the "biological control route"... add a
few sprigs of some hardy "floating grass/plant"... e.g. Anacharis,
Myriophyllum... may take a few weeks to months... but should shift the
population to "something else". Bob Fenner>
Re: "A Tale of Two Tanks" or "The Three Little Frogs" 8/25/06
Thanks for your reply, Bob!
< Bob is away for a few, RichardB with you. >
I will try adding the plants, but wanted to double check something with
you. Since ADF's are surface breathers, is there any danger to adding a
floating plant?
< Not if you prune them accordingly. >
Or will a few sprigs not multiply very quickly?
< That depends on the species of plant you choose, the lighting, and the
quantity of nutrients avaliable for the plants to consume. Duckweed would
invariably take over the world, where wisteria or hornwort would be less
aggressive. Whatever plant you decide upon, try to keep at least half of the
surface available at all times. The idea of the floating plants is great, and
you may find the frogs hanging out in it! >
< Happy planting! RichardB >
Thanks,
Dianne
Temperature for ADFs/Betta 1/30/07
<Hi Betty>
Thanks so much for your prompt response!
<No problem.>
I'm so glad I found your web site so I could finally get some much needed
information. I've read a lot of the letters on your site and I agree that pet
stores don't give you much info on dwarf frogs. They have books on all kinds of
fish, but I've never seen a book only about dwarf frogs. And that's a real
shame since they make such nice pets.
<But there are lots of websites: http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/mypets/dwarfs.html
http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Dwarf_African_Frog
http://home.earthlink.net/~ecotank/id22.html
http://www.petplace.com/reptiles/choosing-an-african-dwarf-frog/page1.aspx
http://www.hv3.7h.com/dwarffrogs.html
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dwfaffrogfaqs.htm >
Don't worry, Pufferpunk -- I'm not going to put anything else in the frog
tank. I've learned my lesson.
<Glad to hear that!>
And it's funny that you should say that the Neons are difficult fish to keep,
because the pet store guy told me they are considered "beginner fish." But I
found out otherwise and I won't be getting any more of those. I dearly love my
frogs and my Betta, even though I still think he looks lonely. But no more pals
for him either.
<Good>
I do have one more question about water temperature. I have a thermometer in
the frog tank and it's reading about 68 degrees. I haven't taken the temp in
the Betta tank but I imagine it's the same, since they're in the same
room. Should I get an aquarium heater for the frogs and/or the Betta and if so,
what temperature would you recommend?
<Check the above sites for temps for your frogs. Bettas are tropical fish which
means 78-82 degrees. It will probably be difficult to find a thermometer that
will keep a bowl like that stable. Maybe you could put a light over it or even
better, give him the 5g & get a 10g for the frogs to have lots of swimming
room. You could put plants & other fun things in there for them to check
out! ~PP> |
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