African Dwarf Frogs -
Twitching, lethargic 3/2/08
Hi guys,
<Hello,>
Thanks to your wonderful site my husband and I have had 2-3 aquariums up and
running for several years with no problems at all in at least a year.
We have 2 adult African Dwarf Frogs that had lots of little froglets a few
months ago. We couldn't possibly keep them all (21 total) but were waiting for
them to grow up to be strong healthy frogs before selling them to our local Ma
and Pa fish store. They were in a tank that's way too small to support all of
them (5 gallons, but lots of the frogs are still very small), but we did
frequent water changes and kept a very close eye on all water parameters. The
tank was completely cycled, we'd never see any ammonia or nitrites, and the
water changes took care of nitrates fast.
We're moving and things have been hectic, the tank went a few days without a
partial water change and my husband tested the water - Ammonia had spiked off
the chart! The frogs were all on the bottom, lethargic, and a few of them were
lying on their backs and twitching. We immediately did a 50% water change and
retested. Ammonia was still WAY too high, so we waited a few hours and then did
another 75% change. Still too high, so we moved some fish around, completely
cleaned our 20 gallon tank and moved them into it last night.
<Doesn't sound promising. A good rule during times of chaos is to STOP feeding
livestock. Anyway, if you see an ammonia spike in an otherwise stable aquarium,
do check for overfeeding and/or dead livestock. It may be that one frog died,
decayed, and that was what overwhelmed the existing filter.>
This morning I checked on them and 5 out of 21 are on their backs twitching, the
rest are very lethargic, and a few of them have their legs twisted around their
other leg. It's not looking good... Water parameters are fine in this brand new
tank. We've added some gravel from our very old cycled tank to assist the cycle
in this new one and will be picking up some BioSpira when the pet store opens
later today.
<Hmm... gravel (unless part of an undergravel filter) doesn't do all that much
to speed up cycling, so don't rely on it. Much better to divide the media in the
existing filter into two, put one portion in the new filter, and then let things
recover. A mature filter can easily tolerate a 50% loss of media without any
serious water quality problems.>
Our frogs are our babies, we feel terrible that we let this happen to them.
We were planning on giving some of the babies to the LFS today but are terrified
that they'll just put them down since they look so bad. We'll keep them for as
long as we feel that we can do some good to help them.
<Good. Sometimes time helps. Additional aeration plus regular water changes will
also help.>
To further compound the problems, we MUST move their tank to our new place today
which is sure to traumatize them. Is there anything that we can do to help them
other than make sure that this new tank cycles fast, being vigilant to water
quality issues?
<Transporting the frogs, providing they are parceled out into spacious
containers, a few per container, shouldn't really cause major problems. Keeping
them warm and dark during transit will help, as will being quick. But compared
to ammonia spikes, simply being moved about for a couple hours is neither here
nor there.>
Thank you so much, you guys are great.
Heather
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
African Dwarf Frog acting
strangely/manic... and non-heated, non-cycled Betta... systems 12/2/07
I purchased an African Dwarf Frog along with a male Betta about two weeks
ago.
<Mmm, these don't always get along>
These are my first aquatic pets I have had the pleasure of having, and I'm
already quite attached! I have done a lot of research but I am still learning...
Well today, I decided to do some water changes for the first time, having been a
little over a week since the frog and Betta were settled in. I originally was
planning to have them in the same tank, but after I placed them together my
Betta started to get aggressive, and then I learned that 1 gallon is too small
to keep two creatures together in.
<Yes>
So, for a while I had Robyn (my ADF) in my 1 gallon tank and Reno (Betta fish)
in a "Betta planter" that I bought. I felt bad for Reno because he didn't have
much water to swim around in (probably less than 1/2 gallon), so this weekend I
bought him a 1 gallon tank also. I did a 25% water change for Robyn's tank, and
introduced my Betta to his new tank.
<Mmm, both these animals are tropical... need steady, high temperature>
I am concerned because ever since the water change, Robyn has been swimming up
and down like crazy, and keeps pressing her nose up against the side of the
tank, it seems like she wants to escape.
<Maybe>
Is there something wrong with the water?
<Could be>
I made sure to buy it at Petco and it's called "Beta Water", but it says it's
suitable for frogs as well and has a neutral pH, etc.
<... am not so sure. What are the ingredients? I would change a good deal of
this water out for just dechloraminated tap>
Reno, on the other hand, is going crazy in his tank as well, and I think it's
because the plastic creates a mirror effect and he can see himself and thinks
it's another fish.
<Likely so>
Will seeing this constantly stress him out too much, or is it just normal for
him to swim around that much in a new tank?
<Likely will be okay in time... a few days>
What about Robyn? Before I did the partial water change she just liked to hang
out in the little cave I got her, and poke her head out occasionally. I am
really concerned, I don't want them to die :(
Also, as a note: The 1 gallon tanks I bought both come with an undergravel
filter and an air stone that has a little plastic tube around it (I guess to
minimize current?)? I have heard a ton of conflicting information on whether or
not this air pump is safe/good to use in my tank with my Betta or my ADF.
<Are fine... but... what re cycling?>
I would really like to use them because I like how they look and I think they
will keep the water cleaner, but I don't want to endanger my frog or make my
Betta unhappy.? Any suggestions?
Please help, and thank you!
-Valerie
<Yes... for you to read... Which you were directed to do before writing... Start
here for Bettas: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettasysart.htm
and the linked files above, particularly on Nitrogen Cycling... Bob Fenner>
A behavior question, ADFs
-11/14/07
Hello,
We have a tank with 4 Dwarf African frogs...so far they are doing great.
But they do something that makes my son anxious because he thinks they are
hurting one another. Basically, what we see is that one will clamp on to another
one and squeeze for long periods of time. What do you think??
Thanks,
Melanie
<Probably fine. Frogs naturally cling to one another when spawning. It's called
"amplexus". The male holds on tight, and as the female lays her egg, he sheds
his sperm over them, fertilising them. In the wild, you'll see huge clumps of
frogs, all except one being males, with the poor female in the middle of the
bundle. Provided the frogs are otherwise happy and healthy, I wouldn't worry
about it. Cheers, Neale.>
Dwarf Frog, floating on back... – 03/17/07
I have 2 dwarf frogs that are about 4 years old. Today, I went to feed them
and one of them was floating on it's back. I flipped him back over and he has
been floating at the top since, occasionally ending belly up again. I have moved
him out of the tank so he is separate from the other. I have read that they
usually sink to the bottom of the tank when they die.
<Mmm, no... depends on cause, how long they've been dead...>
There is definitely something wrong. Could it be a disease, or is it his time to
go?
Any advice would be great!
<Perhaps just a bit of trapped gas... I would not give up hope here. Try other
foods... bloodworms, blackworms... Bob Fenner>
