Mini frog with my betta... Question

[Rava]

I have 1 female betta in a 2.5 gallon aquarium, with some fake plants. She's doing great in there and seems real happy. :) What I was wondering is... I really want a little frog (dwarf somethings?), and I was wondering if it would be possible to house it with my betta? I'm extremely fond of Vitara (my betta), and really don't want anything to happen to her... But I'm not sure I have room for another container for my froggie... So therein lies my dilemma. :) Advice please? Thanks!

[OrionGirl]

The dwarf frogs are frequently kept with bettas, and I don't recall many problems being posted. You'll likely need to monitor the tank closely for a week or two after adding the frog--small tanks tend to become unstable with even small changes.

Make sure if is a dwarf frog, as a regular size african clawed frogs will get much too large and threaten the betta.

[Rava]

Thanks! Do I need to worry about feeding time? My frog will be eating little pellets, similar to betta food. Will the fish's food hurt the frog, or vice versa? Is there anything else that may be a concern? I know sometimes the frogs nip at the tail fin of the bettas, but I'm not too concerned about that because Vitara (being a female) has very small fins. :) But is there anything else I should take into consideration?

Also, what's the best place to buy one of these dwarf frogs? I refuse to buy from our local pet shop because it's terrible, and I also refuse to buy from Petco. Are Petsmart's frogs generally pretty healthy if the Petsmart is good? Would aquarium stores (that sell fish) sell these, does anyone know? Thanks for all help!

[PumaWard]

For the most part, most fish stores also sell aquatic frogs... I don't think the food will hurt the frog or vice versa simply because so many people have success keeping the two together. :)

[Leopardess]

African Dwarf frogs are what you are referring to:) They are perfectly fine with bettas and will not cause any problems whatsoever:) Just make sure the hood is nice and tight, because they do jump.


Bettas and ADFs are commonly kept together, as they both do well in small, unfiltered tanks.

Just do make sure that you are, in fact, getting and ADF, and not an African Clawed frog. These are commonly sold as ADF's and you don't want one! They grow to 5 inches and have sharp claws that they will attack the fish with. If you see a frog that is albino, it is almost certainly a clawed frog.

If you want more info on the differences, I'd be glad to give it to you:)

ADFs will eat sinking shrimp pellets, and any freeze dried blood worms, flakes, or other foods that make their way to the bottom of the tank.

Btw, I've never heard of a frog nipping at any fish, regardless of the fin length, so don't worry about your betta:)


Do be warned, however, that the frogs are pretty boring. They don't move much, except to surface for air. But when they do...boy are they FAST! They are worth it though, just because they're so cool;)

[Leopardess]

This should help:) :http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/species/clawedordwarf.html

[Tetratastic]

As far as feeding goes, I have fed my frogs betta pellets when I couldn't find frog pellets, and I actually think they prefer them! I don't see the food being an issue at all.

And I don't find my dwarf frogs boring at all... in a lot of ways I find them more entertaining than fish!

[Rava]

Thanks everyone! That was most helpful! I bought "Frodo" today, and will be posting another thread asking how to introduce him to the tank, since I need to know rather quickly! I'm pretty sure I got an ADF, so cross your fingers that is indeed what he is! Hehe!

Also, he apparently has three front arms! Could this be from shedding his skin, or did he break one arm and grow another, or is he just a freak of a frog?! lol It's really wierd! Does anybody know what that could be?