African Dward Frogs must be the dumbest bottom dwellers I've ever seen

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lateinningmagic

Call Me E-Man
Apr 14, 2009
711
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34
New York
ADFs normally will leave others alone unlike the ACFs. Please do not confuse the ADFs and ACFs. ACFs do not have webbed front feet and ADFs are not available with albinism trait which ACFs are often sold as.

Yeah, I was at my LFS couple of days ago to buy some neon tetras (put them in my 10g tank which will know be used as a Q/Hospital tannk) and they had albino african frogs (they didn't put the word "clawed" in there, probably too scary for kids), but they were obviously ACF and not ADF. They had some smaller and non-albinos in there, but I couldn't see webbing on their front feet, so I didn't buy em. Because as you said, ADF have both webbed front and hind legs.
 

DGalt

AC Members
Jun 1, 2008
703
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Connecticut
I've seen several examples of stores trying to sell the infant ACF (which are albino) as "albino African Dwarf Frogs." Either the store has no idea what they're talking about (which is probably the case, since I've seen this mostly at Wal-Mart and PetCo) or they're purposefully trying to trick people
 

CWO4GUNNER

USN/USCG 1974-2004 Weps
I buy most of my fish at the LFS on shipment day only, my last was a fat ADF to buddy the other one I have in my 60 tank. I agree that they seen far sighted and only see food from a couple inches away and will step right over it if it lands in front. I think that is why they do so well being fed with a big turkey baster they can see. As soon as they see it they come running or go to their feeding corner behind the plants and when they see the nozzle they start bite banging into it so you have to make sure you work the plunger so the worms (suspended in water) are hanging out the end of the nozzle. My fish will gang up on the turkey baster out in the open but I feed the ADFs behind plants as they wait in the corner on tip toes where they have leaned they have to go to get fed. If I have to and usually just 1 time a week to make sure they get gorged, they literally climb into my fish net to get deposited in the floating breeder where I feed them until they look like small pillows, then release them. This insures that they are catching up on meals even if they miss out when I’m gone. They are not dumb just have poor eyesight
 

marinkafuschia

AC Members
Oct 21, 2008
427
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Olympia, WA
My ADF mainly eats fallen blood worms, but some times he gets the earthworms I throw in the tank for my eel. A few times they have even played tug-o-war with worms, each having one end in their mouths and swimming like crazy. It’s ridiculously funny except that the eel normally wins by sheer strength. My ADF has now associated my eel with live worms because he can find them faster so my ADF is always resting within flipper's reach of the eel. They even share the same driftwood cave together.
 

Ianne

I lieks feesh
May 22, 2009
328
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Colorado
I find feeding mine at like 10pm at night i sometimes see him eat but otherwise idk
and he doesnt really like the ghost shrimp touching him so he spurts away other than that he hides
 

mel_20_20

AC Members
Sep 1, 2008
3,300
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Deep in the heart of texas
Mine find the bottom feeder wafers, veggie wafers, and snail jello fairly quickly, but I only have 2 Ottos, 1 Brochis, 1 Mystery snail, and 2 Ghost shrimp. The shrimp are the fastest things in my tank.

I have these long plant forceps that I use to feed bloodworms to my ADFs. They see the silver tip and come to it. They bump it frantically and finally grap the worm with their mouths. I'll keep a grip on the worms, for fun, and they will grap the blunt tip of the forceps with their hands, and push with their feet, tugging frantically. They are hysterical.
 

MackBlanch

AC Members
Jun 20, 2009
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I have two in my tank, I just break up a little tubiflex worms off into the filter and it sends it whirling around the current in the tank attracting the frogs. Just in case they have no luck with that, I put a small stash in the bottom of a decorative statue I have. Three days ago, one frog found it and tried to swallow the whole thing, and since the worms were still buoyant, it was dangling from the food, floating around mid tank.

:p it was pretty funny to see, but I'll put smaller portions in next time.
 

10897bev

Registered Member
Jun 27, 2009
2
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0
I can't tell you how many times I've laid food down in front of my 2 ADF and had them jump over it or kick it in the wrong direction.

I know they're practically blind, and hunt mainly by smell, but I seriously doubt these guys' ability to live in the wild.

just needed to vent after another frustrate ADF feeding experience (even with hand feeding probably about 50% of the food goes to the rest of the tank mates :swear:)
i dont think they r dumb
 

10897bev

Registered Member
Jun 27, 2009
2
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0
help

i am wondering what items you would need in order to keep2 adf's so if you know please email me the answer@ butterscotchandoreo(at)hotmail.com:help:
 
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Kuhlifan

AC Members
Mar 28, 2007
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Ohio
I have two adf's in a five gallon hex and I have no problem with feedings. The first month or two they were in there, they hid all the time. However, within a minute or two of food hitting the water, they would come creeping out to hunt down the pellets. It was fun to watch. Now that they are comfortable in the tank, they are out all day long. They swim around a lot, and they like to hang out, both on the substrate and at the the waterline and everywhere in between. They hang out on my plants a lot.

These have been pretty easy to keep. My first two attempts ended poorly. The first attempt died really quick, and since that tank was in my wife's kindergarten class, I don't know if it died or was killed by another fish. The replacements were put in a one gallon for a few weeks until I could set something up for them. They seemed to do well, and then both died within a day of each other.

I did some better research. These are much easier to keep. There is actually a pretty decent information on my frog pellet manufacturer's page, www.hbhpet.com
 
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