Adf, Possible Illness?

[nessar]

Well over the last 2 days I noticed that one of my ADFs wouldnt dart to the surface for air like the others, but rather take ages doing it, swimming a bit then stopping, then again. Sometimes he would swim at the tank sides, banging into them. I figured he was just being a bit lazy, as they all from time to time sit on top of the heater or filter which I assume is so they dont have to travel to get air.

But this morning I woke up to him floating on the surface, which has never happened before. When I took the lid off the tank he twitched a bit, so I put him in a little tub with a small amount of water, which has only about 2 inches of water in it, to make it easier to breathe. I put some moss for him to hide under, and the tub is floating in the tank now to keep it at the right temperature.

I dont know what, if anything, is wrong with this little guy.

One of his back feet looks damaged, the toes look shorter than the other, and the webbing looks a bit messy. He is shedding at the moment, I think they all are. His eyes also look a bit cloudy.

I may put him in my betta trap, which will have better water quality than the tub, as it has slits in it. Or should I just put him back into the main tank? Should I lower the water level in the main tank ? It is currently at 12 inches. It wouldnt make the tank overstocked, as it is very understocked.

I thought I would get more responses posting in this section than the emergency one. Thanks
oh and my water stats are fine.

 

[Curiosity101]

If it seems like he could be struggling to get the the surface (and as they have to breath air), I'd definitely transfer him to a betta trap and stick lots of cover in there for him to hide in. He definitely doesn't need to be dealing with ammonia issues if there is something wrong with him but putting him straight into the tank could be a problem.

Other than that I can't think of any good advice to give cause I'm not a frog expert. Hopefully someone can help you properly later.

 

[nessar]

Thanks, he is in the betta trap now and I have lowered the water level of the tank a bit so there is only 2 inches of water in the betta trap. He has 3 moss balls to hide under.

 

[nessar]

I forgot to mention that I've had them a month, ordered them online and when I got them one of the frogs was DOA, also with cloudy eyes. Not sure if that makes any difference.

 

[Jenste]

did the website give you any guestimation about how old the adf were? adf live only approx 5 years - - it is not unheard of web-ordering sites sending out aged frogs that were originally used for breeding and keeping younger ones for themselves...not very very common...but not unheard of.

i remember when one also arrived doa - - that could be an indication of just poor health in the shipment period.

just going to run over some of the basics of the tank
1. size in gallons/liters
2. substrate
3. temp
4. tank mates
5. diet - food and feeding schedule
6. has the frog been shedding its skin on a normal 1-2 week basis?
7. does his stomach look enlarged?
8. does his anus look inflamed, irritated, or at all red?

 

[nessar]

1. size: 60 litres, i think thats about 14-15 gallons
2. substrate - gravel, but looks too big for them to swallow it
3. temp : 27 degrees celsius, 81 fahrenheit
4. tank mates : 2 platys currently, will be 3 when the ill one is better, a couple of cherry shrimp, apple snails and ramshorn snails
5. diet - : a mix of frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp and 2 other foods im not sure of, comes in a variety pack. used to feed daily but changed to every other day this last week, as I had two fish that used to steal the food but they died recently, unknown cause possibly bacterial. They had a 5 day fast when I went away the Saturday before last.
6. has the frog been shedding its skin on a normal 1-2 week basis? not sure. I dont see them up close much. I think they did just after I got them, and he definately is now, the other two finished shedding a few days ago though I think.
7. does his stomach look enlarged? No stomach looks normal, but normally after feeding they are pretty round for a day.
8. does his anus look inflamed, irritated, or at all red? nope

I dont think they bred them there, it was just a wholesalers, although there's no telling how long they were there for, if there wasnt the demand. Theyre a small company.

The thing that worries me the most is that his eyes are cloudy. Checked the others and their eyes seem fine.

Would adding salt to the tank help?

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I went on google and types in "ADF cloudy eyes" it brought up lots of useful stuff (from the bit you can see) HOWEVER I can't access most of the links (I'm at work and have limited access).

One site did suggest a build up of ammonia; go on google and the first few that came up for me looked really useful.

Good Luck

 

[nessar]

I looked but it mostly seemed about dropsy or poor water conditions. Found another emergency forum with lots of questions about ADFs though, so posted there as well.

He's dead now I lowered the water to an inch when i woke up last night, as he didnt come up for air for ages, but he was dead this morning

The others seem fine but I dont know what to do. Done a 50% water change.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

I looked but it mostly seemed about dropsy or poor water conditions. Found another emergency forum with lots of questions about ADFs though, so posted there as well.

He's dead now I lowered the water to an inch when i woke up last night, as he didnt come up for air for ages, but he was dead this morning

The others seem fine but I dont know what to do. Done a 50% water change.

I'm sorry to hear he didn't make it. Just keep a close check on the others and see if there is any change in them

 

[nessar]

the others have started swimming slower, taking longer to get to the surface, which is what the dead one did before he was ill am going to lower the water a bit to 9 or 10 inches

 

[Jenste]

i am so so sorry! its never easy losing our little guys . . . i am afraid to say it but i think the stock overall may be poorly - - you have no way of knowing what conditions the little guys were kept in prior to shipping

 

[nessar]

Is there anything I can do to help them? it was so sudden with the last one I didnt have time to try anything.

 

[Night61]

honestly i would do a water change then a test. the frogs are not bloated which eliminates the ballooning.
sounds like its a bacterial infection.

Bacterial Infections - may have no physical symptoms. Frogs would appear lethargic, refusing to eat, and spend a great deal of time floating at the surface in one.
this is the link i found the info.
http/aquaticfrogs.tripod.com/id18.html

 

[Jenste]

well....was it dropsey, "bloat"?
lethargic, swelling in body and legs?
un[font="Arial][size="2"]fortunately, as far as I have read, there is no cure for ADF dropsey and it is most often fatal. Other frogs can contract this if they are in the same tank. Remove the infected frog and treat the other tank as well. I would treat with an antibacterial medicine along with aquarium salt. I suggest using Maroxy for treating sick frogs since it is safe for all invertebrates. Keeping the water very clean is also key to curing frogs.

this is a picture of a frog that died from dropsey/bloat

[/size][/font]

 

[nessar]

I dont think its dropsy, theres been no bloating.

I'm guessing it is the bacterial infection then. Is salt a good idea, I thought frogs were sensitive to it? and how much salt?

I cant get Maroxy here in the UK, not unless I import it from the States and then it will take weeks

I've been doing 30% water change daily. Should I do 50% daily instead?

They are still eating , should I start feeding them every day ? theyre never that interested the second day, but they do eat some usually.