African Dwarf Frogs biting each other

[Brady_b88]

Hi all, I just recently purchased a 5 gallon tank and I have 2 molies and 2 African dwarf frogs in it. This is my first time ever keeping frogs and I’m not very experienced at it. I’ve had them for about a month now. I’ve been feeding them aquatic frog sinking pellets but have never observed them eating them. About once a week I will give them a small cube of frozen bloodworms and I will see them eating. I’ve never noticed them biting each other until today when I fed them some bloodworms. I took a couple of videos attached. I just want to know if this is normal or not or if I need to do something different with my frogs. Thanks!

Here are the videos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-7tPAQ_SrY5xPFXIFcWMDseYlNHYkdw2

 

[PheonixKingZ]

According to my knowledge, they aren’t aggressive eaters, unless the other fish are stealing their food.

I would say normal? Try feeding them in 2 different corners.

 

[Brady_b88]

According to my knowledge, they aren’t aggressive eaters, unless the other fish are stealing their food.

I would say normal? Try feeding them in 2 different corners.

Hey, thanks for the quick reply. If both of the frogs are together when I go to feed them. Do I just drop food in different corners?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Sorry I can't help with frogs, but please do some more research on mollies as well. Five gallons is far too small a tank for mollies, they get quite big, and won't live for long in such a small space. They also need very hard water.

@essjay has experience with frogs, I'm sure she can help you.

 

[Brady_b88]

Sorry I can't help with frogs, but please do some more research on mollies as well. Five gallons is far too small a tank for mollies, they get quite big, and won't live for long in such a small space. They also need very hard water.

@essjay has experience with frogs, I'm sure she can help you.

Thanks for the response. I’m thinking about upgrading to a 29 or 37 gal tank soon. I wish the PetSmart employee would have told me that before I spent $50 on an almost new tank I’m replacing. Anyways thanks so much. Do you have any tank suggestions that would be good for frogs?

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Thanks for the response. I’m thinking about upgrading to a 29 or 37 gal tank soon. I wish the PetSmart employee would have told me that before I spent $50 on an almost new tank I’m replacing. Anyways thanks so much. Do you have any tank suggestions that would be good for frogs?

I've never kept frogs I'm afraid so I can't help you there. I'm sure essay will be able to though.

Yep, I'm sorry you were misled, the hard lesson that everyone learns early in this hobby is never to trust the advice of a store employee, especially in the big box stores. Most don't know what they're talking about, don't have the time to give really good advice either, and need to follow a script and make a sale then move on. Always have to do your own research when it comes to fish. It can be an expensive and heart breaking lesson though! Not your fault you were misled, to anyone outside the hobby, it makes to ask the people in the stores, they should know how to care for the species they sell after all. But so often they don't and it all goes wrong, and makes too many people quit the hobby.

 

[Essjay]

I kept frogs some years ago and made a lot of mistakes with them. But I learned that frogs should not be kept with fish, so the mollies could be stressing them.
I did not witness anything like the behaviour in your videos and am not sure of the cause.

They also need specialist frog food rather than fish food, and like with fish bloodworms should only be fed once a week. The food I used was ZooMed Frog and Tadpole Food and HBH frog food is another recommended one.


Have you found the sticky on ADF's? it has some good information on them

African Dwarf Frogs

Here's a little guide I've written for a few forums that may be of use to you(it also has a couple of quotes from a fellow frog keeper) ; Common Name : African dwarf frog, congo frog; do not confuse this frog with the African clawed frogs(these will get much bigger and will eat small fish)...

www.fishforums.net

 

[utahfish]

Hey, thanks for the quick reply. If both of the frogs are together when I go to feed them. Do I just drop food in different corners?

African dwarf frogs are basically blind so they find their food by smell. The bite is incidental they think the movement is food. They will also eat their own and other frogs shedded skin to reclaim the nutrients in it. Also when feeding them frozen foods one wants to thaw the cube out in a little dish of tank water, frogs are susceptible to bloat. Having said that frogs belong in tanks with just other frogs. The fish especially mollies are way to aggressive feeder to be with frogs and will out compete frogs for food. Mollies also get way to large for a 5 gallon tank and also require water with far more mineral content than frogs want. On a side note african dwarf frogs are very social and belong in groups. In thevwild they live in huge groups with just a pair the already shy timid frog will be even more shy and timid. 5 gallons is a bit small for a pair of frogs and way to small for a group. About the only suitable fish for a 5 gallon is a betta or some snails and shrimp. Sorry the fish store should have told you but they dont care also frogs belong on sand they have a really difficult time getting food through the cracks of gravel and gravel also harbors bacteria in the cracks that can harm frogs that are always on bottom.