Considering adding a frog. Any suggestions?

itswoodie

itswoodie

AMMAGAD IMA NEWB
Jan 31, 2005
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Philadelphia
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Hey guys. Well my new 20 gal is up and running!

Current inhabitants are:
2 rosey barbs + 2 (white) tetras

I know I got a while to go before I can add anything else to the mix, but I was curious as to your opinions on FROGS.

At my LFS they had a few african frogs which were quite cheap and small. I didn't bother asking the employee what his thoughts on them were (they don't know much to begin with), so I figured I'd turn to you guys for help... :bowing:


So...any opinions, suggestions, tips on frogs?
I searched far and wide for some decent information on them, but came up at a loss... :thud:

Anything you guys/gals can provide would be greatly appreciated.

As always, thanks again!
 
African Dwarf Frogs are great! Be sure they're ADF's though and not African Clawed Frogs - look for webbing between their toes for ADF's. This site has an excellent ADF article written by Leopardess you should check out. It's in the Articles section and: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37172
 
It sounds like the ones you're looking at are the African Clawed frogs, and they are not appropriate for most communities. As adults, they'll be around 4-6 inches long (just the body, not the legs), and will happily eat any fish they can catch. Very cool in the right setup, but not good mixed with fish under about 4 inches, and I'd worry larger ones might injure the frog. I have mine by herself in a 20.
 
My ADF Experience

From what I have read from others and experienced I would say this: They are not good in big tanks. One problem is feeding them. I wound up overfeeding mine because the fish would go after the specialized frog food and eat it before he could. I have a 75 gallon tank and I could never keep food safe just for him. I lost my frog later on because he got his leg sucked into my powerfilter (bad design). I have heard that strong filters can also cause this problem.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40996
 
My experience with ADF's is limited to the past four weeks. I added two of them in with a couple silver mollies and a platy. The first day they just sat on the bottom motionless and didn't appear to eat anything. I was initially doubting my decision to add them. After a couple of days went by they really perked up and let their personality come out. They started eating flake/pellet tropical food well. The fun part has been watching them chase around through the live plants. They don't hurt anything else in the tank but they love to sneak up on my lone ghost shrimp and take a shot anyway. Lately they have been swallowing more air and floating more at the surface and swimming at mid-tank depths too. Lots of activity lately.

As long as your existing stock is compatible, I'd recommend them highly. My eight-year-old son loves them.
 
I believe they were the African Dwarf Frogs at the LFS.

If I do decide to get one, should I wait until my fish cycle is complete, or are they hardy enough to get one now? :confused:

Also, should I purchase just one, or buy them in pairs? :idea2:

Thanks again!
 
Defnitely wait until the cycle is over. Amphibians absorb things through their skin. In an uncycled tank, they'll be absorbing ammonia and nitrites. That's bad news for Senor and Senorita Frogito.
 
I've had a lot of short term success with albino clawed frogs (under a year), but from a variety of newbie issues (escape and malfunctioning heater), I can't speak long term.

They're fun to watch and I've never had a problem with other fish picking on them. I've had one in the past that would eat feeder fish, but will readily eat flakes and tubifex worms.

Don't know if dwarfs are different, but all possible escape routes need to be covered......they'll jump out and dehydrate/suffocate!
 
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