Aquatic Frogs

[Saedcantas]

I've read a lot of different things in these ACF threads.. I have 1 female ACF, in a 10g. No plants, filters or anything. Eats everything it can fit in its mouth. It eats guppys, floating turtle reptile pellet things, dead fish. I had a cory catfish that got trapped in a tube in my 10g tank with the bubbler and it died, dropped it in, and she ate it in a few seconds, not picky at all. Clean the tank once a month or so and its fine. Heck I had 2 large goldfish in there once, she tried at them a few times, but not really doesn't even care won't go for them.
Neat frogs I gotta say, can't wait to see how she does with some larger native fish.

Sadly this is a prime example of how, many animals can withstand even the most hostile of conditions and poor treatment and still survive.

Surely all pet owners should aim to keep animals that are thriving rather than living in sub-lethal conditions?

 

[tiggsy]

Hi there I've just been reading through this topic as up until a few days ago our tank had 3 acf's.Now they are nowhere to be seen.Not in their usual hiding places and after looking not hiding in the filter (where one went for a couple of weeks when we first got them).We recently brought 2 new clown loaches after one passed away after a filter accident when the TV chap came and turned off the pumps!They are around 5-6cm in length and slightly larger than little orange as I call him.Anyway last week I noticed the loaches and frogs had munched on one of the mollies.At the time only 2 of the frogs came forward for their feed which isn't unusual.Anyway I'm just wondering what the possibilites of the loaches eating the frogs or if they have just found a really good hiding place

 

[looby loo]

Very Good info Inchworm! I have two African clawed frogs. One is about the size of my palm and the other is just a hair bigger! When I bought them they were labeled as Dwarf Frogs, but once they started growing and have not stoped I kinda figured they were labeled wrong. They also almost completey wiped out my community tank. They ate most of my Mollies, Platties and Swordtails. I had thought about trading them in or giving them away, but I cant do it! They have grown on me I guess! I love to watch them swim. Now in their tanks with them are some New Guinea Rainbows, Red Tail Shark, Pleco, and some other various bigger fish that people have given me.

I had the same experiance but now they live seperate from the fish. Do ACF sing? if so when because I have never heard mine sing.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

Couple of interesting facts (or maybe not) from my time as a zoologist...

Xenopus laevis... I worked in the 'animal house' of the the Middlesex Hospital in 1965, and they were still using these frogs for pregnancy tests even then! I kept several for almost 20 years, fed on almost nothing but earthworms...

Hymenochirus species... Bought 18 of 'em from Palmer's Pet store in Camden Town (c. 1959.) 1/3d each... Mum let me sign away my birthday and Christmas presents for over 3 years to get the whole lot...
There were at least four/five different unidentified species – once they matured – but the zoo (at the time) had all Hymenochirus down as an annual frog that laid eggs, and died out when its African puddle dried up!
A few years down the line, they said: “Please let us know how long your frogs live – we have no idea..”

The very last of my frogs died in 1997 (aged 38 years) Not a bad result, and a world record for an 'annual' species of frog.)

Do not ever believe that the common earthworm is an unworthy food source – they go down a bleedin' treat, so they do..!

 

[fishafanatic]

hi, i am interested in getting adf but i also want to get some corys and ghost shrimp. will there be an issue or is it ok? please any advice will be appreciated!

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

My collection of 18 comprised probably 5 species (they were just called Hymenochirus sp. in those days, as no one knew anything about them. There were several different sizes when they reached old age – one inch to almost 2 ½ inches (nose to vent).
Corys would be safe with all of them – ghost shrimp perhaps not with the larger ones. But I have never seen any of the larger ones on offer in a LPS since those early days...

 

[fishafanatic]

actually a few days ago i saw some "extra large" albino cories. They were probably 2.5 inches to maybe 3 inches. i didn't ask about them do...do they really grow so large?

 

[Sunny_Bee]

This is a great thread, I really love these little frogs. The comments about them surviving deplorable conditions, sadly, are correct. I got my frog when I was 8 years old, she lived in a fish bowl for the first year or so, then for a looonnng time in an unfiltered 'critter keeper'

I'm 26 now and she's at least 18 years old and going strong. She lives in her own 20 gallon tank with silk plants and river stones. I feed her reptomin sticks and bloodworms. She's not very good at finding her food, I typically have to tap the water with my finger until she swims over and finds the food floating there (and bites my fingers too )

 

[snakequeen]

I have got 4 Albino AFC's but when i bought them they didnt tell me they ate fish.
I thought i was going loopy cos my guppys seemed to just dissappear untill i saw a tail sticking out of one of the frogs mouths lol.
Needless to say they are now in their own tank and the rest of my fish are happily in their tank not being eaten.
Mine are all about 2 inches long now, they were tiny when i got them about 6 weeks ago.
How old do they have to be before you can sex them?

 

[sketchypete]

i have a female who i about 10 inches and i keep her with a male albino frog and a polypterus

 

[4pebbles2]

This is about albino frogs. Can they see? When i feed my fish ( frozen blood worms) the frogs
with their hands moving to and from their mouths but they dont get any food. A worm can be
sitting right beside them and they will never find it. Just wondering. Ive started putting them
into a baby fish container that floats in the tank and feed them there but its a pain in the butt.

 

[Smokescreen]

Someone asked about when ACF's sing. I have one male, and he serenades me quite often. XD Mostly at night, but he'll sing during the day, too. I don't really know how to describe the sound. When I first heard it, I thought it was a train going by and rattling something. Only the males sing, and mind didn't start singing until he started getting his black mating pads on his hands. Up until then, I was sure he was a female!

 

[fishing for info]

I have a male and female pair of african dwarf frogs. They have grown about double as fat as they were when I bought them. But Unfortunately I can't really get to sleep at the moment because i think they are in season so the male, Pierre, sings even louder and really really often to his beautiful female, Paris. I was a beginner with these guys and didn't know how to sex them. I was quite lucky really and I am currently looking after this weeks spawn that have hatched and they are tadpoles now. All going well.

 

[frogluver]

I really want to get an ADF to put in my 10 gallon community tank. What do you feed them? Is there any special care they'll need apart from the other fish?

I feed my ADF Hikari Sinking Carnivore food. There isn't really any special care they'll need apart from the other fish, however they do require plants and caves to hide in. I find that when keeping ADF with fish, the fish will sometimes eat the frog's food before they can find it. I feed my ADF with a turkey baster, they quickly learn to take the food out of it.

Here's a good link:

 

[Jenste]

I'm not sure if I should buy a friend for Pinky (many months ago he DID have a pal called The Brain - however, The Brain hogged all of the food and over-ate himself to an early demise.)

If I buy a friend for him, I might end up with the same feeding problems as before, and also I'd have to buy a small frog cos I don't know of anywhere that sells ones mid-size, as Pinky is now. The main problem is that Pinky is at the size where I can't tell if he'd welcome a new little frog, or attempt to eat it...


Also, I've applied for a job at my local garden centre's aquatics section! Tropical, marine and Coldwater tanks here! Joy!

When (of IF) I'm there, first thing I'm gonna do is request permission to move the "Golden Toads" into their own tank, re-label them as "Albino African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus Laevis)" and display some detailed info about the frogs, so that people know how to care for them properly and exactly what they're buying into.

If you already have a frog that is more than a couple inches of body length, adding a smaller frog would be disastrous! ACFs will cannibalize...if the smaller frog can fit in Pinky's mouth....it will become dinner! for this reason ACFs and ADFs can never be housed together....as the ACF grows it will eat the smaller ADFs

this site should help you with any questions you have
http/aquaticfrogs.tripod.com/index.html