Amano Shrimp And African Dwarf Frogs, What Else Can I Say

[Captain Retardo]

Hello, I have a 29 gallon that has:

6 "false julii" or three-lined cories (Corydoras Trilineatus)
2 Cherry Barbs
1 Bolivian Ram (soon to be two)
1 Dwarf/Honey Gourami
4 Kuhli Loaches
8 Harlequin Rasboras


Anyways, I was wondering if about 4 Amano (or maybe Cherry Red) shrimp, and 3 African Dwarf Frogs would do fine in the tank, would my fish bother them (I'm worried more about the Bolivian bullying them)?

 

[BiffMalawi]

I am not sure about the rams but the other fish will probably be ok with either the shrimp or the frogs. IME though both shrimp and frogs hide alot in community tanks. I had four ADFs in a tank with a few platys and minnows and rarely saw them. I recently moved them into a tank with just shrimp and snails and they are very active. The fish also compete for food with the ADFs as all fish seem to love blood worms.

 

[Captain Retardo]

Well my fish are kind of slow at finding food, even bloodworms! Hopefully though, I might get a 5 gallon and dedicate it to the shrimp and frogs....probably depending on how they do in my 29 gallon. My mom and dad really don't want me to setup another tank though.

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

My only worry is that ADFs are so small the the height of a 29 gallon tank seems like a long way for them to swim for a breath of air. Although I did have our ADF in the 29 gallon for a day and he didn't seem to mind

 

[Captain Retardo]

Well I got them today...at first when I put them in, my fish thought that they were food, but after 5 minutes, they realized the frogs werent food, luckily they didn't do much damage at all to the frogs. the frogs do have a little trouble getting to the top, but they can do it. they usually rest at the top for a couple of minutes afterward.

BTW- How long can they go without going to the top for air? It seems like they spend a whole lot of time underwater.

Also, they seem to go on their back a lot, I always think they are dead and freak out, I flip them over on their belly, but I think it stresses them out more, so I don't do it anymore. I have read that they lay on their back to rest, but I get worried because they seem to spend a lot of time on their back...

 

[Captain Retardo]

Uh oh! I found one of my ADF's dead! He was shedding his skin at the time so I think he is more sensitive in that state. Also I found another one that looks like its dead and is only holding onto strings of its life. It only moves when My kuhli loaches start to eat it alive. Although there is good news in the jumble of bad happenings though: My 2 other ADF's are doing perfectly fine, I think the reason why my fish nibbled on the other adfs is because they were very lethargic, and the fish thought that they were dead, my fish don't nibble on the active ADF's (although they are still very curious about them, and I see them thinking about nibbling them, but they turn and swim away instead)...Hopefully though, I might, just might, get a 3 gallon. I have enough money, but I can only get it if my dad approves .

Also, consequently, the ADF's that are dead and near death, are the ones that were laying on their back on the substrate....

Hopefully though this will all manage to fix itself, I love ADF's!

The problem fish (going from least problematic to most problematic):

Harlequin Rasboras: Never even thought about nibbling the ADF's
Cherry Barbs: Small incident in the beggining, but now is peaceful to the frogs and dosen't even go near them.
Bolivian Ram: Kind of Big incident when I relased the frogs, but now dosen't even think of nibbling the frogs at all!
Corydoras: Some small incidents here and there, mostly by accident, the big problem though is that they frequently bump into the ADF's
Gourami: Still likes taking a small nibble here and there at the lethargic ADF's
Kuhli Loaches: Actually eats the frog, its pretty sad though, because the frog tries to make him stop but the Frog is too weak in his state and the Kuhli just piles on top of him and keeps biting ...but he only goes after the frogs that look dead)

BTW- If I do get the 3 gallon, how often should I do water changes? It will only house 3 ADF's and about 2-3 Amano Shrimp (or Cherry Red Shrimp). Also for the 3 gallon I will probably using Seachem Prime for dechlorinator, Prime removes heavy metals, chlorine, chloramine, but also removes Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate.

 

[ImperfectFaerie]

oh no that sucks

My guess is it was a combinationg of stress and the fact that one of the ADFs was shedding its skin. We've kept ours with a coolia loack, black skirt tertas and glo-lite tetras with no problem.

Also, I dont' know why but i've never seen our ADF on it's back of even partially lathargic (even the first couple hours we had him). Maybe part of the problem is that they have to travel so far for air? I'm still kinda afraid to move our ADF permanantly over to the 29 gallon because of this.

 

[Captain Retardo]

How often do you see them go to the top for air?

The two active ones i have seen go to the top, they get halfway, take a second long break in the middle then go the top. then they rest at the top for 3 seconds, and come back down. I have never seen the lethargic ones go to the top though...

Also, i got these guys from Petsmart, so they weren't exactly the least stress-free frogs...

On a side-note: How big do these guys get? (BTW- I am sure they are ADF's not ACF's, they are spotted, have webbed front feet, and have eyes on the side of their head)

 

[Captain Retardo]

Ummm, just wondering: I really like Triops, and since they are really easy to raise, cheap, and very cool, I was wondering if I could put some Triops into the aquarium also? Would they pose a threat to shrimp or frogs? They would be adult triops.

 

[BiffMalawi]

I too have never seen my ADFs lay on their backs, maybe you just got a couple of bad ones.

How high is the 29g tank? My 10g is 12" high and my frogs rocket to the top and back with ease. I almost never see them do it though, I always thought they some other way of breathing cause if they don't they can sure hold their breath a long time.

Don't know about the triops, frogs would probably try to eat small ones.

 

[Captain Retardo]

I guess I did get some bad frogs...the two good ones never went on their back...

The 29 gallon is 16" or 18" high, whatever the standard is for 29 gals. My active frogs are now getting less shy and they go to the top pretty easily (sometimes it makes it harder for them because they sometimes rub against the glass while they go to the top!)

Some bad news again, but its getting better: The fish that really didn't get a nibble of the frogs are now the problem fish, the problem fish from yesterday don't nibble the frogs at all, the harlequins (who haven't tried the frog yet) are now taking a nibble of him when he goes to the top to breathe, and the Cherry Barbs (who haven't really nibbled him at all) are starting to nibble him. Luckily though, after only 30 minutes of watching this happening, it seems like the Cherry Barbs and Harlequins are starting to leave him alone (Hopefully!), and if this is the case, then the frogs will be unbothered!

BTW- Another one of my frogs is shedding his skin. He looks really healthy though.

 

[jayjay]

I'm thinking of putting a mix of shrimp and ADF's in a 12"x8"x8" 3.5g, will be 2 ADF's and 4 shrimp.

I agree the ones on there back, that's not normal, seem like 'bad' frogs. My old frogs have never done it anyway.

 

[Captain Retardo]

Would it be okay if I put the ADF's in a breeding net (that thing that hangs on the side of the tank and is for fry) so I can keep them safe from the Barbs, while trying to get a 3 gallon.

The Harlequins have stopped nipping the frogs, but my Male Cherry Barbs has a very big taste for frog...

So now, all my fish are nice to the frog except the Cherry Barbs, I hope they will soon learn to leave the frogs alone.

 

[Captain Retardo]

I put both frogs in the Net Breeder, with some fake floating plants for cover, they are still scared of the fish though...Is there anything I can put in there to calm them down? They won't even eat frozen bloodworm...

 

[three-fingers]

Ummm, just wondering: I really like Triops, and since they are really easy to raise, cheap, and very cool, I was wondering if I could put some Triops into the aquarium also? Would they pose a threat to shrimp or frogs? They would be adult triops.

I'm a bit slow at answering this topic considering it contains the word 'triops', i dont usually miss anything to do with triops .

Anyway, triops are 100% fine with shrimp and even very small fish in my experience. Triops have a reputation for cannibalism, but this only ever occurs in the small tanks you get with kits because the triops can get hungry in those situations if fed according to the instructions. If your tank has plants in it, your pretty much guaranteed they wont go hungry if you ever forget to feed them. Triops like to eat pretty much the same as fish would.

The frogs i have no experience with, but will most likely be fine. My triops wouldn't even eat a dead fish when there was better food like catfish pellets around .