African dwarf frogs 8/24/05
Hi, have a question.     I have searched your site & do not see a similar problem.      I have 2 ADF in a 2.5 gallon tank, with a filter running.      We first bought pellet food, then found out through research online they should be fed frozen bloodworms.
<... and other meaty live, non-live foods>
    Purchased those 3 days ago now, feeding them pea-sized amount every other day (is this correct???)
<Best to look at their "tummies"...>
     My main question is an odor.
<Interesting>
   It's gotten milder/better since switching from pellets, but it still is unpleasant.     Had water checked at the petstore, they said water levels are fine.      Should we do a partial water change to see if there's disintegrated pellet food causing odor?  
<Yes... should do these change-outs weekly...>
    Any other suggestions?      My pet peeve is pet stores selling these frogs with zero info on feeding, correct water levels, cleaning of tanks, etc.      Thanks for the help, Lisa
<Thank goodness for books, magazines, the Net... Bob Fenner>

Dwarf African Frogs Don't Eat  - 02/22/07
I'm worried about my two African Dwarf Frogs and appreciate any help.   The tank is a 2.5 gallon, with rocks and two small ornaments, all levels check out ok, temp is right on. One of the frogs has a big tummy, he eats everything and always seems hungry.  We have curtailed his diet and waiting for his tummy to shrink before indulging him more.  The other frog doesn't seem to want to eat. He is much skinnier and it didn't appear as though he was eating at all, so we put in him a little holding tank in the same tank to monitor if he eats.  It's been at least a week under observation and he has eaten.  The contrast in behavior worries me, is this sort of thing normal? Thanks for any help!
< Only feed your frogs if they are moving and in search of food. Too many times frogs are over fed and the food rots in their stomach and causes gas and other digestive problems. Offer them a washed small earthworm. make sure it is alive and wiggling. If they don't eat that then they are not going to eat. Keep the tank clean and increase the water temp to 80 F and see if that makes any difference.-Chuck>

Frog Legs for Dinner?  Hymenochirus beh., sys. 2/22/07
Thanks again, Pufferpunk.  
<No problem>
I'll return Jet this weekend so he can mix with his own kind.  Now I have a question about the frogs, Slim and Chance. They used to be so cute every evening, swimming and playing and crashing into things.  But lately they've become reclusive and sluggish.  I really don't think I feed them too much but they aren't as eager for their food anymore, which is those delicious Frog and Tadpole Bites.  I've given them frozen bloodworms a time or two, but not many at a time.  I shook them (gently) out of their hidey holes tonight so I could photograph them to show you how normal they look.  Do you think the light is too much for them?
It's just your standard 150W bulb.  
<Not if you plan on boiling them for dinner.  Sounds like an awful lot of light for that tank.  I would think a 60wt bulb would be enough to warm up a 5g tank.  What's the temp in there?>
At one time I had some floating plants in there, and that diffused the light some.  But I took all the live plants out and replaced them with fake because the live ones were rotting and stinking up the water.  What do you think?  Am I just being a worrier
(a general tendency of mine)?
<Probably too hot for even the plants.  Check the temp--should be around 76-80.  ~PP>

Is a 30 Gal tank too deep for African Dwarf Frog?   2/14/07
Hi everyone, I LOVE your site and have learned much from reading the cache of questions in it. However even after searching, I still have one question in my mind about my African Dwarf Frogs.
<Okay>
I have a 30 Gallon standard Eclipse aquarium.  It has 16 Neons, 2 Otos, several live plants, and 3 African Dwarf Frogs.  I know that it's hard to keep all of these alive together but I have done it successfully in the past in a long 20 gallon tank for about 4 years.  I have an extra tank available just in case those darn Neons come down with fin rot; which to my memory they seem to do when the wind blows the wrong direction!
<Mmm, not so much in warm/er, acidic water>
However after reading many articles on the little froggies, I am wondering if this set up is not good for them.  A lot of people have smaller tanks for their frogs, and there seems to be an opinion  online that larger tanks will cause the frogs too much stress trying to swim up to the top for air.
<Is a good question, consideration>
So, will my frogs be ok in a tank this deep?
<Yes, should be fine... some folks with more aggressive fishes might be a concern (hence am glad you list the other livestock) as the frogs go up/down for breaths>
its a standard rectangular 30 Gallon eclipse tank. they seem to be happy, and swim up and down a lot. At times it seems they may be struggling against the current from the filter, but whenever they need air they bolt up to the top as if they were a bullet.  So i have the impression that they are happy and just playing in the water.  Though, I just want to make sure that they aren't struggling and waiting to the last moment to get their air as a result. I would hate to think they are drowning while I think they are enjoying themselves!
They don't spend any time floating on top, and they actively crawl around the bottom and actively hunt for the brine shrimp I distribute on the bottom in front of them with a never used in the kitchen turkey baster.
It seems to work well if I feed the other fish a little to distract them when I feed the froggies.
In short:  My frogs SEEM happy. They do swim around a lot. At times they just sit, and once in a great while hide under the moss plant.  Will a tank that is about 15 inches high, with a mildly strong current from the bio filter be ok for them?
Thanks for any information you provide.
David
<Think you're fine here. BobF>

African Dwarf Frog TADPOLES!!!  Need help...pretty please?? - 02/09/2007
Hey there ya’ll,
<Christa>
    My name is Christa, and I have a total of three (3) ADF’s…two (2) in one tank all by themselves (And Fishy Furniture of course) and the other one is in our 20 gallon tank with a few fish and a pleco.  The reason for my request for information is this…
    It was time for a partial water change in Waldo and Newbie’s tank. (the two ADF’s that live together)  I know that I have a male and a female, because I have seen them mate before.  However…I got these two little cuties when they were the size of a small peanut, and since the males do not reach sexual maturity until after the 6 month mark, I didn’t have any tadpoles that produced from their frolicking.  
    Well…later on that night, after I did the water change, I noticed they were mating.  I didn’t really pay it any mind, since there has been no ‘luck’ in the past.  (Boy was I wrong!!)  The next morning when I woke, I walked downstairs to turn all the tanks on and feed everyone, and low-and-behold, there were hundreds of little eggs throughout the floating grasses at the top of the water and clinging to all sides of the hexagon-shaped tank.
<Neat>
    I discussed maybe raising them, with my boyfriend. (who is more the nature-type than myself… just being honest.  I’m a City-Girl.)  He asked me a very good question… “What in the world did I intend to do with all the baby frogs?”  So, I spoke with a local Fish and Supply store here in our neighborhood and asked if they would be interested in taking them off my hands (most of them anyways… I would like to keep a few) when they are a little older and much to my surprise, he said he would love too.
<Oh yes... are good sellers>
So the journey has begun!!  Yeah!!  I can’t wait to watch this.  I’ve never seen anything like this before.  Again…’City Girl’.
   So the little-guy’s have hatched, and are swimming around with itty-bitty tails.  It only took about 3 days!!  I have received many ideas as to what to feed them, such as lightly steamed zucchini, lightly crumpled lettuce that has been sitting in room temp water for 4-6 days, someone even said regular old fish flakes.  
<Mmm, yes... and perhaps a bit of "cultured" algae... "Nori, Kombu"... from Asian food stores or the area in your food stores...>
I am open for anymore suggestions.  I also understand that they need fresh water and just how important this is to their survival.
<A good idea to make quite frequent small change-outs... ten percent every few days...>
    To The Point
    Your web site has been rather helpful in raising my ADF’s.  However, I can’t seem to get an answer to a few questions I have on raising these teeny-tiny tadpoles.  And I mean Teeny-Tiny!!  I have these little fellas (tadpoles) in a 2.5 gallon hexagon shaped tank with a filter that suctions from the bottom, and there’s a clear cylinder in the back with bubbles that rise from the bottom.  I really don’t know what kind of filtration systems it is called, so I tried my best to describe it.  My questions are these…
<Best to use a "sponge" or foam filter here... See Eheim or Jungle Laboratories sites re...>
1.       Should I turn the filter off?  They are going for one heck-of-a roller coaster ride when they are swept around by the rising bubbles.
<Yes... I would switch to the filtration method mentioned above... or an "open" (top off) box filter with just Dacron filter media...>
2.       How often should I feed them?  You can’t really tell with their tummies.  They don’t have any yet.
<Daily... I would keep food present most all the time>
3.       How warm should I have the temperature set at?  It is at 78 degrees right now.
<This is fine... put the term "Hymenochirus culture" in your search tools...>
4.       Should I leave the light on all night?  Someone told me that they thrive on the micro-organisms that grow in the water and this promotes the growth?  True or False??
<Mmm... do need, use "infusoria" but I would turn the light off regularly>
5.       What should I really be feeding them?  The suggestions I’ve gotten sound a little weird.
<See, weed through the above search...>
6.   How often do I need to do a partial water change for these little guys?
<Often... as stated above>
So, that’s about it.  Thanks for keeping this web site up and operational.  It has been a great source of valuable and extremely hard to find elsewhere information.
   New Tadpole Mommy
   Manassas, VA
<I do wish we had more on this species, the whole Order, much MUCH for other groups... In time... And congratulations on your efforts. Bob Fenner>