African Dwarf Frog Question

[mtv8dmarine]

I now am at the point where I have my staples fish in the tank and am looking to include a few other community varieties. The dwarf frog is one and I'd like to purchase 3. However, considering I have light colored sand, my concern is keeping things as tidy as possible between my weekly cleanings. So my question is, are dwarf frogs big polluters?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jenste]

the african dwarf frogs are actually fairly tidy little critters

PLEASE do your research so you can easily and confidently identify the difference between african DWARF frogs and african CLAWED frogs - - they look very similar when young, and most LFS label frogs as "african frogs" or "african dwarf clawed frogs" - - this releases them from responsibility. not nice, but hence the saying "buyer beware".


go to the link on the bottom left of my signature for info about ADF vs ACF and about ADF care!


before you buy any, there are a few questions I would like to ask so I can make it as easy a transition as possible

1) how many gallons is your tank?
2) what are the dimensions of your tank?
3) what is your full stocking in the tank now?
4) what is the temperature of your tank?

 

[mtv8dmarine]

the african dwarf frogs are actually fairly tidy little critters

PLEASE do your research so you can easily and confidently identify the difference between african DWARF frogs and african CLAWED frogs - - they look very similar when young, and most LFS label frogs as "african frogs" or "african dwarf clawed frogs" - - this releases them from responsibility. not nice, but hence the saying "buyer beware".


go to the link on the bottom left of my signature for info about ADF vs ACF and about ADF care!


before you buy any, there are a few questions I would like to ask so I can make it as easy a transition as possible

1) how many gallons is your tank?
2) what are the dimensions of your tank?
3) what is your full stocking in the tank now?
4) what is the temperature of your tank?

Thanks. I do appreciate your concerns however I do know the differences between both and am a huge proponent of researching things BEFORE purchase...not after. My tank and its inhabitants as well as my QT are suitable for the african dwarf frog and the quantity I plan to purchase. I just wanted to make sure they weren't gross polluters as it's not a subject I've seen discussed in any pinned guide on here or around the net.

I have a 50 Gal(US) tank. It's 48"x18"x18". As the tank stands now I have 4 angels, 6 cories, and 7 platies. I know I will have to spot feed the frogs especially considering the cories will likely get any food the hits the bottom before the frogs can smell it. The tank is usually around 76 F depending on the warmth of the day and how chilly it gets at night.

I do plan on stocking with various rasboras at some point. Scissortail and galaxy are the types. Possibly a handful of cherry shrimp further down the line than that. My tank is a peaceful community tank with no aggressive inhabitants.

 

[Jenste]

Ok I didn't mean to come off as overwhelming but my main concern is depth....ideally no more than 12 inches...def not deeper than 16 inches....these frogs need to frequently swim to the surface to breathe and any deeper can become stressful and exhausting

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Ok I didn't mean to come off as overwhelming but my main concern is depth....ideally no more than 12 inches...def not deeper than 16 inches....these frogs need to frequently swim to the surface to breathe and any deeper can become stressful and exhausting

I have a humongous piece of driftwood in the tank that I'm quite sure they will find perfect for swims to the top.

 

[Jenste]

they will not remember to sit there everytime....

like i said....if your tank is more than 16 inches they WILL struggle, this can and probably will eventually kill them - - they will become so exhausted fighting for air they will drown...


I know the frogs are cute....but if your tank is not designed in a way that works for their needs...maybe you should consider that.


if you really want 3 ADF you could set up a little 5-10 gallon tank somewhere just for them

 

[mtv8dmarine]

A smaller thank it is then.

 

[Athena]

I agree with Jenste in that ADF's do struggle to swim upwards for air. I have kept ADFs for a few years now and I watched many times in the early days of them being in their current tank how they would begin their swim upwards, get halfway, run out of energy and float back down to the gravel. I had to lower my tank water level down from 16" to 14" to make life easier for them. It may not look as nice, but I couldn't bare to see them struggling.

The idea of the driftwood elevating them up probably would not work as I had a large centrepiece in their tank but they very rarely climbed up it and I found that once they had swum up for air, their descent was often so swift and clumsy that they would crash into anything beneath them, so I had to remove the centrepiece item and various rocks from the tank to give them as much chance of a soft landing as possible

But they are such fun little characters that adapting the tank to suit them really didn't bother me. I've been trying for ages to buy another couple of ADFs as I read they like to be in groups of 3 or more, but my LFS never has them in stock when I pop in. I shall keep trying, though.

I'm sure you won't regret setting up a smaller tank to keep some in. You could always add a few guppies with them so that the tank doesn't appear "empty" - ADFs do tend to spend a lot of time hidden away when they are not out on their daily ramble around the aquarium LOL.

Regards, Athena

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Thanks for all of your help and direction. I did pick up 3 ADFs. They are quite content in their new home. While they are still small I found my angels really liked the frozen bloodworms I gave to them instead of wasting and overfeeding the ADFs. In fact, even my corys enjoyed it which was unexpected.

Here's one that quickly found the fake cave and loves to prop itself in the window in studly fashion. =)