Many questions about ACF and tadpole care... 9/13/08
Hello,
<Hi,>
I've been raising 7 ACF tadpoles for two weeks as of today, and just when I think I couldn't possibly have any more questions, another one pops up. Add to this that much of the information on the net is conflicting and I'm at something of a loss. After reading all the posts in your FAQ, it seems like you guys are going to be my best shot at some straight advice. (By the way I've NEVER owned any kind of aquarium before.)
<That's OK. By and large, keeping aquaria is easy if you do things precisely by the numbers. Where people go wrong is doing stuff before they've read up on things.>
So, here's hoping.
1) These tads came in a kit with VERY poor care instructions (they didn't even tell me what species they'd sent) so I'm fumbling some in the proper care department. They've always been, and still are, in a 1.5g container.
I was feeding once a day and skimming the uneaten food off the top about 2 hours after feeding.
<Very good. When raising any small animal, the golden rule is this: little but often. Tadpoles and larval fish have short alimentary canals, and after the first couple mouthfuls, anything else they eat is going to pass through pretty much undigested.>
I was doing 100% water changes daily, removing the tads (gently with a cup), rinsing the gravel, tank, plants etc.. and putting it all back with fresh de-chlorinated tap water.
<All sounds like a bit of waste of time really. Is this some sort of Science Shop kit? Every once in a while we get messages about these things, and the sad truth is that these kits are very much gimmicks, sold to people who have no idea about rearing frogs (or Triops, or Sea Monkeys, or whatever).>
I was advised by the FroggieFriends yahoo group that I wasn't feeding enough and to step it up to twice a day.
<In the wild they'd be eating more or less constantly, but tiny tiny meals. When rearing baby fish, I like to put clumps of Java Moss or algae in the tank. This traps food particles like a sponge, giving the baby animals someplace to graze. I can then add small amounts of food without worrying it's going to get lost in the tank or filter.>
I was further advised I was cleaning too much, to remove the substrate and fake plants, and add an air stone set on low. In addition I was told to stop skimming, but to use a turkey baster to get the yuck off the bottom and do about a 50% water change every day.
<All good calls, but a total waste of time in the big picture. Here's what you really need before wasting time/money on this. Start with a 10-20 gallon glass or plastic tank. Get an air pump and an air-powered sponge filter. The latter looks like a cylindrical block of sponge built onto a plastic U-shaped tube with some suckers. You stick it on the tank, connect to the air pump, and switch on. This will clean the water and also become a breeding ground for tiny animals (infusoria) that the tadpoles will gleefully eat. For the first week or two you'll want to do 25% water changes every day or two while the filter becomes mature, but after that weekly 25% water changes will be ample. The good news is that not only will this work fine for the tadpoles, it'll keep working for the frogs as well!>
So I started doing that, then tested the water for ammonia just to see what it was. Well it was 1ppm, so I promptly did a 100% water change. Today when I tested for ammonia it was about .50ppm so I did a 90% water change. About 3 hours later I tested again (I'm a freak about whether or not they're suffering) and it was between .25 and .50ppm.
<Now, the ammonia comes from decaying food and from the tadpoles themselves (which produce ammonia for the same reason we produce urine). A biological filter will handle this, and I refer you back to my sponge filter!>
So I turkey basted the bottom. Then, I noticed that, today, everyone developed a crook in their tail!!! What's that about? I know the tail will go away, but is this some indication that they're doomed already?
<Difficult to say; sometimes under poor conditions larval fish and frogs will develop deformities. But for now, hope for the best.>
Well, I'm sure they suffering, but I can't get a complete cycle because that would likely kill the little guys. But aquaticfrogs.tripod.com says one wants the tank not too dirty or too clean.
<This refers to the need for algae and infusoria for the tadpoles to feed on; again, my sponge filter will do the trick!>
So I'm at a loss as to what to do to get my little buddies to adulthood in one piece. All help will be appreciated.
2) I'm currently cycling a 55g tank into which they will eventually move, but have a few questions about this as well. First question is about filtration. I currently have an Aquaclear 70 waterfall filter on the tank.
The research I did indicated that most waterfall filters are fine for the frogs BUT.. I found out the frogs have motion sensors in their skin and water turbulence is VERY disturbing to them, so now I'm questioning the waterfall filter bit.
<Depends. Are these fully aquatic frogs or frogs that jump about on land? If the amphibious kind that spend only some time in the water, I'd not worry too much. But I'm assuming "ACF" are African Clawed Frogs, Xenopus laevis, a big, subtropical species that never ever leaves the water. These are very hardy and will be fine with whatever filter you prefer. They're standard lab animals.>
BUT I also read where one absolutely could NOT use ANY kind of under gravel filter for them because this would be like subjecting them to living with a jackhammer 24-7..
<Never heard of this. Undergravel filters are in fact very gentle, and widely used with delicate fish. I suspect this factoid was dreamed up by someone with much interest in frogs but little understanding of their actual biology. It is true frogs are sensitive to vibrations, as are fish, underwater is a hugely noisy place because sound carries so much better there than in air. So I'd worry much more about water quality than whether or not the tank was noisy.>
BUT then I read in your FAQ that under gravel filters are GREAT for these frogs. HELP!???
<I'd actually eschew undergravels for amphibian tanks. Instead I'd use a simple air-powered sponge filter or electric canister filter where possible, and use smooth sand for the substrate. Less likely to cause damage to their delicate skin.>
3) Food questions: Right now they're getting the powdered food that came with the kit. They seem to like it, everyone's growing and seemingly happy.
Is this food good for them all the way to the froglet stage?
<No idea; but personally I'd be expanding their diet as they grew to include things like live daphnia and frozen bloodworms. Dried food loses its vitamin content within a few weeks of opening, so "old" packages become steadily less useful as a sole food item.>
I've been advised that there should always be food in their tank at this stage because they're filter feeders.
<Most tadpoles feed on algae, though whether that makes them filter feeders is up for debate.>
On the one hand, that makes sense to me because it's not likely that there's no food in the water in the wild.
<Tadpoles invariably live in shallow water where there aren't fish. What they do when young is skim across solid objects, feeding on "aufwuchs", the combination of algae and tiny invertebrates. As they mature they tend to become more omnivorous, and at least some tadpole species become carnivorous, even cannibalistic. Before they turn into froglets they will be completely carnivorous, and as frogs feed entirely on smaller animals.>
On the other hand, food in the water all the time will cause more ammonia, which at some point will kill them won't it?
<Correct; which is why we moderate the food that goes in, and provide a filter to remove the ammonia produced.>
So where is the balance between over feeding and under feeding at the tadpole stage. At the froglet stage what do they get? Can pellets or tadpole bites be their staple at this point? Once they're adults, the information about what to feed them and how often is just as confusing.
<Xenopus laevis is carnivorous when mature. Being subtropical it has a lower metabolism than tropical frogs, and so doesn't need daily feedings. Earthworms are a particular favourite, but bloodworms and other frozen foods given to fish make ideal staples.>
You guys are definitely of the opinion that the food that comes in pellet form should NOT be their main source of nutrition. Others say that's fine. So if I don't feed them pellets as their main food, should I just be feeding them live things like brine shrimp and crickets?
<Neither brine shrimp nor crickets will be appropriate to this species. Adult brine shrimp are the fish equivalent of popcorn -- empty calories with no useful nutrition. Crickets will be too hard for them. Go visit your local aquarium shop and buy a blister pack of (wet) frozen bloodworms; these will do the job nicely.>
Why are frozen bloodworms okay, but freeze dried aren't?
<Freeze dried food is overpriced for what it is, and not all animals will take it. Aquatic animals sometimes get problems with constipation when fed freeze dried to excess. Wet frozen foods are the aquarium equivalent of sushi -- nutritious, popular, and clean.>
How often to feed them as adults is also confusing. Some say 3 or 4 times a week. Others say once or twice a week.
<Depends on the quantity. I always advocate "little but often". If you want to feed small daily meals, that's fine. Really, all that matters is that the ammonia is zero. Frogs (or fish) don't explode when they're overfed -- what happens is the excess food decays, and produces ammonia, and THAT poisons them. In tanks with generous filtration, overfeeding isn't really an issue, so you can play it by ear and see what it takes to keep your frogs gently rounded but not fat.>
I guess that would depend, though, on how much you're giving them at each feeding, right? So how much should I be feeding them as adults, and how often? Oh, and in the 55g tank I've put about a 1.5" layer of substrate down. They're small stones, not really gravel. Someone told me that I should clear a space in the corner, and put a small bowl or plate in it so the frogs could get the food from there. They said with the substrate in, they wouldn't be able to get to the bottom to feed. Apparently, this is something they like to do. Do you agree with this?
<All sounds dandy. Xenopus laevis is really very easy to keep once metamorphosed, and I doubt that there's any single best way to keep them. I'd go with a bare tank with a sponge filter only because it'd be easy to clean. But feel free to improvise. Just make sure you can remove uneaten food and that there's adequate water circulation. Floating plants are good with this species, but I'd add some plants-on-bogwood too (Anubias, Java fern, Java moss).>
4) Separation: Tadpoles develop at different rates. I learned from your site that this is an evolutionary protection of the species kind of thing, in case the pond dries up, and a bunch of the more mature ones get eaten right away. (very interesting by the way) I've read that you should "separate tadpoles that are at different developmental stages". Does this mean I should separate big tadpoles from little tadpoles, or does it mean I should separate tadpoles from froglets?
<It's really about cannibalism; if the size differences aren't great, I'd not worry overmuch. If you want, put the smaller ones into a floating breeding trap or equivalent.>
5) Froglet stage: I've been told that once they're froglets and the tank is done cycling, they can go in the 55g tank. It seems like they will still be pretty small as froglets. Can they still be sucked into the filter at this stage? Because it would really stink to get them all the way to froglets only to lose them to the filter!
<A sponge filter will not "suck up" baby frogs.>
6) Cycling the tank: I've done my research about this as well and we've started a fishless cycle on the 55g tank using raw shrimp. We're testing for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate every day (as part of a science project for my 8 yr old.) We're getting a steady rise in ammonia, and expect to see nitrite sometime in the next week or so. No problems really except the STINK. My house smells REALLY funky!
<Too much shrimp! Too much shrimp! You only need a little!>
I've got a huge hepa-filter running next to the tank on TURBO speed. We can't find ammonia without surfactant in it. I've looked everywhere. We've decided to put new shrimp in every other day, and take old shrimp out the day after we put new shrimp in. Will that work or will it mess up the cycle? Do you guys have any suggestions on a less offensive way to do this? (We aren't going to cycle with live fish, it's just not an option for us.) Most of the information out there says that it'll be about 6 weeks for the tads to become froglets. This works out, because most of the information also says it'll also take about 6 weeks for the tank to fully cycle. However, if the tank is ready for life before the tads are froglets, we thought we'd put some mystery snails in the tank.
<I'd remove the shrimp, do a great big (90%) water change, and then add the Apple Snails. They'll keep the filter in good order.>
Well, actually we're planning on putting the snails in the tank regardless.
My question is, if the tank is cycled and we put in 3 or 4 mystery snails will that be enough of a bio-load to sustain the bacteria until the froglets can go into the tank?
<Yes.>
What I'm trying to avoid is a re-cycle once I add 5 to 7 froglets (assuming I can get them all to that stage). So if the tank is ready before the frogs are how can I KEEP the tank ready? Well, believe it or not, I think that's it. You said not to worry about the length of the email. ;-) Thanks. I really appreciate you all taking the time to help me and my
little buddies out.
Laura
<I hope his helps, Neale.>

Re: Many questions about ACF and tadpole care... 9/13/08
Neale and crew,
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer all of these questions! You guys are the best. I really appreciate it.
<You are most welcome, and we're glad to help! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Many questions about ACF and tadpole care... 9/13/08
Hello again,
I wonder if I could trouble you with a couple of follow up questions?
<Sure thing.>
1) I asked if the froglets would be big enough to put in the 55g tank without getting sucked into the filter. And Neale advised that they wouldn't get sucked into a sponge filter (one he advised me to get). I'm wondering, though, since he mentioned I should be ok with any kind of
filter, how the froglets will do with the Aquaclear 70 that's already running on the tank?
<I'm not wild about these "hang on the back" filters for a variety of reasons, not least of which are the fact the inlet and outlet are in the same part of the tank, and that they are designed to use "modules" the manufacturer locks you into buying rather than giving the option to choose whatever media you want. All this said, assuming that the froglets swim at least as strongly as a small fish, the Aquaclear shouldn't cause any problems.>
2) Apple snails and vegetation: Neale mentioned getting some floating plants, or "plants-on-bogwood too (Anubias, Java fern, Java moss)". I understand that the snails do well with vegetation, but I was under the impression that African Clawed Frogs (ACFs) would pretty much destroy any plant in the tank. Is this not so? Do I feed the snails something other than what I'm feeding the frogs? Is there anything special I need to do to make sure the frogs aren't hogging all the food? Can I get those plants at the local pet store? Will the fact that my aquarium is securely lidded cause any problems for the plants?
<My experience of Apple snails is that they eat most plants, so I'd experiment with a few plants first to see how things go. Java fern should be a good starting point, being ignored by most things, supposedly because its toxic. Java moss and Anubias sometimes get damaged by grazing animals, so I'd buy one of each and see how they did before stocking up on them. I can't imagine your frogs doing any harm to these plants -- they are tough enough for use with cichlids and catfish!>
3) Regarding cycling my tank, Neale said, "<I'd remove the shrimp, do a great big (90%) water change, and then add the Apple Snails. They'll keep the filter in good order.>" Does he mean to do that now, or once the tank is finished cycling? As of today, we're at 3ppm ammonia, 0 nitrItes and 0 nitrAtes. It's only been 6 days.
<I'd do this now. The snails should be fine in a 55 gallon tank, particularly if you took care to ensure the ammonia stayed below 1 ppm. The reason it's so high is the excessive amount of rotting shrimp! With the snails on their own, it should drop to almost nothing. Add a pinch of flake food every couple of days, and the snails will produce the ammonia from that.>
If he means we should change to the snails now, won't the ammonia spike hurt the little guys? I think he might have made this suggestion because I was complaining about the smell using
raw shrimp. He said we had too much shrimp in the tank but we only have one in there, except when we're going to change out the really gross one for a fresh one. Then, there are two in the tank together for about 16-24 hours. But if we can cycle with snails and they're somehow impervious to the pain and damage the ammonia spike causes other aquatic life, then I'll do that.
<It's not that the snails are impervious to ammonia, but that they'll produce so little in the context of a 55 gallon tank that the level won't be high enough to cause harm. I'd be surprised if three or four Apple snails in a 55 gallon tank raised the ammonia to even 0.25 mg/l.>
Just one last follow up question on this subject. Neale said (and I'm not doubting him) that 3 or 4 Apple Snails would be enough of a bio load to maintain a bacteria colony large enough to prevent a re-cycle once the froglets are added. There will be 5-7 froglets (I hope). Will the re-cycle be prevented because the froglets will be small at the time of their addition?
<I'm assuming the froglets will be quite small, Neon-tetra sized. This being so, yes, the filter will be plenty mature for them. Let's say the Apple snails are on their own for a month; that will cycle the biological filter, meaning that once you add the froglets from the tank their in now to the 55 gallon system, all the filter has to do is "step up" the amount of biological filtration. Filters do this incredibly quickly (remember, bacteria can double their numbers in 20 minutes). The tricky bit with filters is going from zero to mature. That takes a few weeks. Going from a mature filter adapted to a few fish to a mature filter adapted to a few more fish is easy. All you need to do is take care not to overfeed, and then to check the nitrite for a couple of days after adding the livestock just to make sure everything is fine.>
Thanks, AGAIN, for the help.
Laura
<Cheers, Neale.>

Xenopus Breeding and Care   6/10/08
Hello,
<Hi there>
I have 4 ACF's that are at least 1 year old. I have 2 males and 2 females. One of the females is a little bit older and quite a bit bigger than the other. Although the males have attached themselves to the females in the past, they have not laid eggs until this weekend. The big female laid approx. 1000 eggs Saturday and at least 80% were eaten. This morning (Monday), the same male and female were "at it" again, and she was laying more eggs. My question to you is twofold. First, what should we do with the eggs to care for them properly? Should we move them to a separate tank?
<Yes, this is best>
Should we net them off in the parent tank? Second, do we need to separate the males from the females now that they are mature?
<If you don't want them to reproduce... more, yes>
Will it kill the females to mate too often or too much?
<There is speculation that their lifetimes are shortened by too much/reproduction>
(I cannot seem to find a lot of information regarding the breeding of Xenopus and how to care for the eggs/tadpoles)
Thank you very much for your help.
Rachel
<Mmmm, please search with the terms: Xenopus laevis reproduction, culture, care... There are thousands of citations. This species has been used in many scientific experiments over decades time. Bob Fenner>