African Dwarf Frogs

[captaincaveman9]

I was thinking about getting an african dwarf frog for a 10 gal tank, but I'm not sure of the requirements for them or if they even do well in a smaller tank.

[fballguy]

A 10 gallon is great for a dwarf frog. They can even be put in tanks down to 2 gallons. Its actually bigger tanks you have to be careful with. If a tank is too tall they can't make it to the surface for air and drown. A 10 gallon is good though.

[dizzykylie]

A 10 gallon is great for a dwarf frog. They can even be put in tanks down to 2 gallons. Its actually bigger tanks you have to be careful with. If a tank is too tall they can't make it to the surface for air and drown. A 10 gallon is good though.


I learned that the hard way. I have a 37 gallon tall and my little guy lasted about 2 weeks and then died. I being a total noob had no idea. :(

[captaincaveman9]

are there any special needs the frogs need? special diet and such?

[$eaba$$]

Feed him frozen blood worms or frozen BBS(baby brine shrimp) or live BBS or live tubifex worms. Make sure you get the food to him because they usually won't chase for it themselves. Other than that, not much no.

[fishcatch22]

make sure you don't have any aggressive feeders like platies in the tank, as they will outcompete the slow frogs for food.

[blue_soda025]

I have to use chopsticks to directly feed my ADF's or the betta would eat all the bloodworms before it even reaches the bottom. They really have poor eyesight and hunt for food by smell, not sight.

[Cory Lover]

Hi,

When I was just starting out, I had one in a gallon bowl, no heat(we live in Canada and it can get pretty cold), no filter, and just fed a couple frog pellets a day! It lived for five years(two years in the bowl, three years in a 33 gallon). Very hardy!

Cory Lover

[tetramoon13]

make sure you don't have any aggressive feeders like platies in the tank, as they will outcompete the slow frogs for food.


Exactly...this is the problem I had. I used to have an adf in a 10g. with a couple platies, which would always eat the food. I started hand feeding the frog with a pair of tweezers, which got to be a pain after awhile, so now he is in his own 5g. with a couple of otos. I thaw the worms or brine shrimp, suck them up in a turkey baster, then deposit the food in a small clamshell wedged into the substrate.

[hondamx]

I would definatly get some. I love my ADFs. What i did is I cut a little slit on the end of a straw and place a freezed-dried bloodworm(or frozen) in the slit and just put it right in front of their face that way I know they're eating enough.

[momar]

A 10gal is good for about 8 ADFs. they are best kept in groups so they can interact. I'd get at least 2.

Food-wise, IME these frogs eat a lot (more than you'd think for their size). I feed them frozen food (bloodworm, mysis, black midge larvae, artemia, and occassionally krill). However they will also take bottom-feeder pellets.

In terms of feeding them, unlike fish they will not leap on the food straight away. Fish will learn to recognise you and be ready to feed because they can see you. ADFs hunt by smell so this won't happen. IME if you feed enough frozen food so there's too much for the fish to get all of it (ie some ends up on the tank bottom), the ADFs will quickly find it. Once they have found it, they will often defend it from the fish and get their fair share. However, you must be careful not to overfeed in this way.

Overall, ADFs are hardy and adaptable. They are naturally found in still water but can easily cope with a moderate flow rate. Their temperature range is about 20-28C.

[lili]

hi,

i have a 10 gallon with live snails and worms. i plan to add 2 dwarf gouramis in about a month or so. the temperature ranges from 74 to 78F.

will ADFs thrive in such an arrangment? if there is a in-house population of worms, will the frogs be able to eat or will they still need special attention? will they be compatible with gouramis? do they eat snails? (i have small ramshorn snails, and maybe apple snails)

thanks!

lily

[kellymarie1081]

i have had mine for about 2 months now in my 20gl and he's doing just fine. i don't over feed my fish and he's been living well off the little bit that makes it to the gravel.

[kjr928]

I have to use chopsticks to directly feed my ADF's or the betta would eat all the bloodworms before it even reaches the bottom. They really have poor eyesight and hunt for food by smell, not sight.

I'm just curious - I don't understand how a frog can hunt by smell underwater. They breathe air, so how is this possible? Can someone explain?

[DaisyTattoo]

The water moves thru their nasal passages just as air would when it does, it carries the scent with it.

[kjr928]

The water moves thru their nasal passages just as air would when it does, it carries the scent with it.
Thanks

[Da Loach]

I have had ADFs since I started aquariuming about three years ago. Unfortunately, though, my last one, who was doing just fine otherwise, died when I reversed the flow of my AquaClear powerhead and his leg got stuck in the intake. :-/ He drowned. I HATED MYSELF.

Be careful about crevices and siphons and intakes and whatnot. The flow wasn't that strong it's just that he liked to hang out where he could get a grip on something and he just got stuck.

I have loaches, tetras and and algae eaters. The large algae eater seemed pretty competitive with the little frog until I outnumbered him with clown loaches. That seemed to put him in his place. :-)

[captaincaveman9]

WOW talk about resurecting the dead LOL i havn't looked at this in a long time

[Fishy_Fun]

[QUOTE]I would definatly get some. I love my ADFs. What i did is I cut a little slit on the end of a straw and place a freezed-dried bloodworm(or frozen) in the slit and just put it right in front of their face that way I know they're eating enough.
/QUOTE] Great idea i was trying to figure out myself how to feed them.

[leighasnana]

They'll also hunt for food at night so lights out is a good time to put in food.

My sister keeps african dwarf and african clawed frogs (not together) and she says they sing. I guess it's mating behaviour. She first noticed it in her bedroom when all was quiet couldn't figure out what this noise was and followed it to the frog's tank.

[PuppyFluffer]

I've read that they make a clicking noise when interested in mating. There is a good article here on AC about them if you click the "Articles" link at the very top of any page.

We have one and so far it's been good. I think I will add another for some interatction. I don't want it to be lonely, if such a thing can happen.

I am a bit confused about quantity of food to feed one. I have frozen bloodworms. Will one frog eat an entire cube? I've not wanted to have a lot of waste so I've been conservative but I am just not sure how much is enough verses too much.

I also have live black worms and it eats them right up!

[david13latham]

I have a dwarf african frog in my 20g long tank. I like him a lot. Although...Soon he is going to get some friends and go into a 10g because i am getting rid of the 20g long ( actually just moving to guest bedroom and using for backup) I plan to get it planted with 4-6 dwarf frogs and 6-10 cherry shrimp.

They are quite interesting. Mine has been in my 20g long for about 2 months now and i don't hand feed him and you can see my fish below. He does quite well and is entertaining to watch him fly up to the surface and then fly back down in a jiffy.

I do overfeed a bit just because of that, also why i am taking him out and placing him into a 10g so there will be less over feeding. I do 25-50% water changes a week and vacum out every water change, but i like a crystal clear tank:)

[azul]

-"I've read that they make a clicking noise when interested in mating. There is a good article here on AC about them if you click the "Articles" link at the very top of any page."-

They sing during Spring but mostly during Summer. It sounds like a combination of a cricket and a small pond frog. I've had one for over a year now. At first I kept him in a small tank, but he always hid and never sang. Then I moved him to my establishe 29 gallons and he's doing great! I lived in the Southwest US, and just the other day it got warm outside (about 85 degrees Fahrenheit) It was like he knew it because he started singing. Love it when he sings. I want to get a second one but I don't want any babies, and I have a hard time deciding if it is male or female.

[sycobait]

Hey everybody
I was recently at a friends house and I noticed that he had 2 ADF in his basement (which is pretty cold and dark) and he had only about an inch and a half of water, as well as no shelter or planting in a 20 gallon tank. He said that he feed them and changed the water at least semi regularly, and that his sister had left them there when she moved out. I felt so bad that the little guys had no water or plants to swim in and asked if he would just give them to me. He agreed no problem.

So I got them home and gave the tank a military scrub down, (was very careful not to leave any cleaning material in the tank) And I gave them medium sized smooth river rock for bedding as well as some plants to hide in. While cleaning I quickly discovered that if the water had ever been changed it had not been in some time and I'm not sure if the rock bedding had EVER been changed. The condition of the tank was absolutely horrific!!!!! (I had to scrape contents of the tank out with a puddy knife)

Although my friend has no idea how old the ADF's are he said they had to be at least 6-8 years old. One of the frogs took very well to the new tank, he will swim around and regularly eat, and is an overall healthy looking frog. The second frog however is quite smaller than the other (and I'm almost positive that it is the female of the 2) It has been 2 days since the tank remodel and ever since the second frog spends the MAJORITY of the time laying in the bottom corner of the tank behind a plant. It moves so rarely that I have wondered if it was still living a couple times and had to poke it to get it to move at all.
(although the frog will often FREAK OUT!!! when I turn a light on in the morning, but will immediately return to the corner)

So basically I'm just wondering if this VERY lethargic behavior is common for ADF's. The frog seemed to swim significantly more when it was in the filthy water. I'm horrified that the frogs have lived to even see a good home I would hate for it not to make it now.

Oh I might mention that right before I changed the water the frogs where shedding A TON!! it was all over the tank - I had to change the water 2 out of the 3 days that I had them before the tank remodel. ??normal??

-Seemingly Healthy Frog -

1. http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/s... (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/sycobait/IMAG0245.jpg)

2. http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/s... (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/sycobait/IMAG0246.jpg)


- ?sick? frog -

1. http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/s... (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/sycobait/IMAG0241.jpg)

2. http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/s... (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/sycobait/IMAG0250.jpg)

3. http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/s... (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/sycobait/IMAG0252.jpg)

4. http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/s... (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/sycobait/IMAG0251.jpg)


- The New Tank Setup (is this okay) -

1. http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/s... (http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f197/sycobait/IMAG0248.jpg)


I want to believe by the "healthy" frog that it is a male because he croaks alot - and the sicker looking one is a female because its always so silent. Could anybody tell me by looking at the photos? And if it is male and female the male is ALWAYS mounting the female ALL-THE-TIME!!! are they the same breed, because they look nothing alike - and to be honest they dont look much like any ADF photos ive seen on the web.

I hope the pictures help. Any opinions and suggestions will be GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thank you for taking the time to read and reply.