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FAQs About Xenopus laevis, African Clawed Frogs, Systems

http://www.pipidae.net/

Smelly Xenopus Laevis 03/26/2008
Hi Crew, I have a question for you. I have searched everywhere but am unable to find specific guidelines on how much to feed my adult African Clawed Frog. Lot's of information on how often, etc. . I had cycled a ten gallon tank to move my little Dwarf frogs into and while out purchasing some Corydoras for another tank we found Robin. She is just beautiful, green with markings, the size of my fist. Sweet as a button, too. Eats from your hand and will even let you rub her head. My whole family loves her and everyone loves to watch her eat. We feed her every other night a diet consisting of blood worms, Krill, nightcrawlers and occasionally feeders (until I found out they are hard for her to digest). Lately I have taken to the night crawlers and krill as they are less messy. Usually I rotate what I feed her Mondays are Krill, Wednesdays bloodworms and so on). Here is my problem. After we had her a week and a half her tank started to smell foul. Like urine. I have been doing 20%-50% water changes every other day I have two other tanks I am cycling with 1 small Danio each, so I am doing water changes anyway). I started doing daily 80% water changes, with no improvement so I moved herewith her substrate, cave and other content) to a 20 gallon long tank. Again after a week her tank smells foul again. I use Prime as my water conditioner, pH is 7.8, KH is 180, GH is 150. Due to the move the tank is cycling again but with water changes I am keeping Ammonia under 1ppm(still toxic I know). The Nitrites are .5-1 and Nitrates are 20. I am worried I am over feeding her, but her belly looks just bulgy when we are done. I was concerned at first I wasn't feeding her enough. I feed her 3-4 cubes of frozen Krill or Bloodworms or 2 good sized Nightcrawlers. I watch her belly to decide how much is enough. So all that being said, any idea's on my odor problem? I wanted to get a male for her to hang out with but if one is stinking what will two be? I will not be able to continue these water changes endlessly. We love her very much my Pug is much consumed with jealousy), and I don't want to lose her, but really cannot tolerate a stinking tank in my Dining room! Nothing I have read ever read mentions an odor in association with them. My Dwarfs don't stink. Please could you help? Thanks so much ahead of time.
<Debbie, if the tank smells, it is GROSSLY under-filtered, overstocked, or over-fed. Possibly a combination of the three. Since you have ammonia and nitrite in the water (at critically dangerous levels, by the way) you really need to ramp up water changes and filtration. I'd be looking for a filter that provides not less than 4 times the volume of the tank in turnover per hour, and realistically at least 6 times. Undergravel filters work great with Xenopus frogs. Water changes should be 50% per week if filtration is adequate. Feeding can be reduced: these frogs honestly don't need very much food. I'd be feeding an adult Xenopus the equivalent of a small (5 cm) earthworm 2-3 times per week. Until you get water quality in hand, I'd stop feeding altogether.>
P.S. How many Hikari sinking wafers should I feed 3 Corydoras schwartzi nightly? I am feeding 3 and they eat them all overnight, but I am noticing algae buildup on tank that isn't in sun. Once or twice a week I throw in some (frozen) brine shrimp or blood worms. No other tanks have this issue so I figure maybe overfeeding? It is very hard not to overfeed. I am learning and getting much better.
<Are we talking about the small wafers about 10 mm across? One of those four nights per week is ample. Remember: fish are cold blooded. About 80% of all the food you eat goes into temperature control, since you're a warm blooded animal. Cold blooded animals need tiny amounts of food compared with warm blooded animals. A good rule of thumb is this: feed only as much as your fish can eat in 1-2 minutes, and ALWAYS remove uneaten food at once. A turkey baster is a great tool for this if you don't want to be messing about with nets and siphons. Fish that receive enough food will have a gently convex belly but shouldn't look fat or as if they have swallowed a bowling ball.>
Thanks again
Debbie
<Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Smelly Xenopus Laevis -03/27/08
Thanks for the quick reply Neale. So I am over feeding her-very much, it seems. She seems hungry all the time. I will quite feedings and cut back to 1/4 of what I currently feed when I resume feeding her. Can she eat Meal worms or wax worms?
<Small mealworms perhaps, but amphibians often find the larger ones too difficult to deal with because they can't chew their food. You may prefer to stick with (wet) frozen foods like bloodworms; half a cube of bloodworms per meal should be ample for an adult frog. There are also floating pellet foods on the market designed for feeding frogs. While not to be used as a staple, once a week these make a good adjunct to a balanced diet.>
The night crawlers I get are rather large. I do like to feed live foods as much as possible and I can get the others easily as well. And crickets of course-they kind freak me out. Suppose I could suck it up, though. I did forget to mention I have a penguin 150 on the tank with 2 cartridges in place. I used Bio-Spira at introduction to both tanks as well. I have been doing daily water changes with extra Prime for damage control. No other chemicals. She seems alert and happy-and hungry! All the time. We really are very attached to her so I will take extra care to correct my mistakes-quickly. Surely the over feeding is responsible for the toxins coming up in the tank even after water changes.
<Sounds likely.>
I will also cut back immediately on the Hikari pellets for my Cory cats as well. They are the round ones with the picture of the julii on the front. I will also make sure if I feed them brine shrimp or blood worms that I won't feed the pellets. These I am sure I do good with as I share one frozen piece among several tanks and have learned to be stingy from feeding my dwarfs. It doesn't take much. I am stingy with flake food as well (I only have the two Danios that eat that for now-they will be dinner after my tanks cycle). My Xenopus just seems so large that she must need a good amount to eat. Guess not.
<Indeed not. Many of us humans are overweight because we're terrible at knowing how much food our species needs to eat. We're even worse with animals!>
Thanks again so much and have a good night,
Debbie
<You're welcome, Neale.>

Ingested Pebbles in The Stomach, ACF sys., beh. 3/14/08
Hello,
I have adopted 2 African Clawed frogs last Winter. They are doing fine, except I noticed one of the frogs has ingested some of the pebbles on the bottom of the tank.
<Does happen...>
The other frog seems
to avoid ingestion . They are both eating well.
I noticed this belly full of pebbles months ago. At first I thought she was pregnant.
The other day I put them in the tub for some playtime & extra room as I cleaned out their tank. I saw that the frog with the pebbles had expelled some of them! Oh how great I thought.
Perhaps it is the extra exercise. I repeated this procedure of putting her in the tub , and again she expelled more pebbles. As I write this I have her in the tub, she has expelled another pebble.
Is this the only way to do this without taking her to a animal clinic. Can she live with the pebbles in her stomach if they are not expelled? She seems quite happy & otherwise healthy.
<Mmm, I'm concerned that the pellets might get "too far" down the digestive tract for expulsion... causing a gut blockage problem... I would not try a laxative, other measure>
Oh, I have since taken all the pebbles out and replaced them with much larger stones.
<Ah, good>
Thank you.
Having a new appreciation for frogs, Sherry

Invite a frog home for the holidays! Sys... 12/24/07
Hello,
<Hiya right back!>
I really hope you can help me out.
<We'll try>
A very generous friend of mine just gave me three red eared sliders, the aquarium, food, filters, all the trimmings.
<A nice friend!>
I've read a lot of information about these turtles on the internet, and I feel pretty comfortable caring for them.
<I'll also give you a link below just for more reference>
However, my ecology teacher begged me yesterday to take home her albino African clawed frog over winter break. She keeps her frog with two turtles at school, so I figured it would be okay to put Albie, as I began to call the frog, in with the turtles for the ten day break. I worry, however, that the bright heat lamps that the turtles need may hurt Albie's eyes, and that the rather noisy cascade type filter might be bothering his sensitive ears. Please supply me with peace of mind, and let me know if this living arrangement is okay for the frog and the turtles.
<It's nice to hear that you care enough to worry. Here are my initial concerns for Ablie 1) She needs a tight fitting top to keep her from deciding to go exploring 2) Unlike a turtle, a frog should have a hiding place where it can get out of sight and feel secure (it's called 'visual privacy') and if you can accomplish this it takes the worry out of the bright light issue with the turtles. 3) Lastly, and this is the big issue - just because Albie is kept with two other turtles doesn't mean that YOUR three turtles would look at Albie and think "Hey Scabber!!!! Look! Cuisses de Grenouille!">
<But there is good news. First, Albie and her brethren (African Clawed Frogs) are pretty hardy as frogs go and unless stepped on, run over or eaten Albie will make it through these 10 days just fine and return to class with a story to tell!>
I just can't take seeing Albie kept in the tiny carrying case my teacher supplied me with to bring him home for the entire duration of the break.
<My suggestion is that you split the difference -- Let Albie spend time in the aquarium when you are there to be a referee but put her somewhere else when you're not. I've rigged many a temporary home for all kinds of reptiles and amphibians from a cardboard box with a water bowl sitting on top of an ordinary heating pad set on 'low heat'>
Thank you for any help you can give me.
and have a great holiday. :)
<Thank you Amanda - may your wishes come true>
<http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm>

African Clawed Frogs, gen. care 8/30/07
Hello,
<Hi there>
I am writing with many, many questions. Last year, when I lived in a college dorm, I found myself really wanting a pet, but could not get one because of rules regarding aquariums at school. Next year, I'm moving to an apartment, and think that I am ready to start taking care of my first "solo" pet (my family had a dog when I was a kid, but this will be the first time I'm taking care of something on my own).
<Can lead to growth, reflection>
I was originally going to get a couple of low-maintenance fish because I wanted to ease myself into the caretaking business, but a friend of mine asked if I would like to take her two 3-year old African Clawed Frogs instead.
<Neat animals Xenopus...>
I've met these frogs and they are kept by her parents in pretty pitiful conditions (unfiltered, separate, very small tanks in which they can barely extend their legs fully, and they certainly can't swim around!, and they are only fed pellets). So I've decided to take them and give them a better life. However, I have to do this on a limited student budget. Additionally, school is in Chicago, but during the summer and on breaks, I live in L.A. with my family.

I've found some conflicting reports about the frogs online, so I'm going to say what my research has led me to thinking is the way to provide for the frogs that strikes a balance between proper care, cost, and time.
<You are wise here>
I would appreciate it if you could correct me where my information is wrong, or where I could save money, as well as where I shouldn't. Additionally, if I am being too extravagant in terms of maintenance, it would be great if you could let me know, because I am still a student, and thus, have limited amounts of time (and, as I said, money).
<Okay>
It seems like I should invest in a 20 gallon long tank, at a minimum (unless completely wrong, this will probably be the size I get, as it seems like the price goes up as the size goes up.
<Is a good size, shape>
if I can go down, that's great, but i am guessing it's not a good idea, as most estimate there should be 10 gallons/frog). Aquarium gravel depth should be 1 1/2 to 2 inches,
<I'd keep in shallow unless the grade is rather large... for ease of cleaning>
and water depth should be 6 to 12 inches, with plenty of air on top.
<Yes... among other things to prevent escape>
Plastic plants and a few good hiding places seem to be a good idea. A non-escapable, netted top seems to be a must. A light is not necessary. It is okay to keep these frogs together, but I probably shouldn't put any other fish in there unless I want the frogs to eat them.
<Correct>
A varied diet of bloodworms, shrimp, and worms (Tubifex or earth?) is good.
<Mmm, expensive, inconvenient, unnecessary and too much likelihood of pest and disease introduction... I'd settle on a bag of frutti de mar... mixed frozen seafood... defrost bits of this...>
Feeding them 3-4 times a week is good. I can use pellets occasionally, but not all the time, as they will probably be cheaper, but less nutritious than other food sources. Where can I get these kinds of food? Do I have to go through mail order, or will the local, independently owned pet store carry them? Any providers that are particularly good and not expensive?
<Again... I would get the mixed seafood from the supermarket>
This is my first time keeping an aquarium, so I'm a little hazy (pun!) on how to take care of the water. Here is what seems to be the case.
I need to treat the water before I put it in the tank with a dechlorinator (any brand in particular?).

I should have a filter that is not too loud, because ACFs have good hearing. Additionally, I should be testing the water with a testing kit to make sure ammonia, nitrate, and chlorine levels are, not just low, but at 0. pH should be around 7.4. (I assume the filter and a dechlorinator take care of these problems?).
<Likely so and your tap is likely close enough pH wise>
Temperature should be between 68-75, though I've seen you guys recommend raising the temperature up to 80. For a tank located in a heated apartment in Chicago, will that require a heater?
<Mmm, depends on your room/setting... if there's money available I would get/use a small submersible heater for sure>
A 10-15% water change every two weeks, or a 25-33% water change every month with a gravel vacuum is enough to keep the water clean. How often should I clean the tank itself (scrubbing the glass), and what should I clean it with?

Product recommendations would be great, especially if you know of something that is cheaper that doesn't sacrifice too much quality (especially if you know where I can get the tank for not too much money, since that seems to be the most important thing to buy). Do you know about how much it is going to cost to get this tank up and running? How about general maintenance once the tank is up?
<Likely a hundred dollars or so... and ten dollars a month or so for food, power...>
Assuming I keep the tank very clean, will it be smelly?
<Hopefully not>
This question is to know whether to keep the frogs in my bedroom or in the living room, where they might be more susceptible to my roommate and guests doing something (I'm still a college student, and am afraid that somehow things might get rowdy...I heard the frogs are skittish, and I don't want to scare them with loud music or TV, and I certainly don't want someone to break the tank or something like that...is that likely?).
<Mmm, depends on "friends"... Do check re how noisy the proposed filter will be... perhaps an in-tank power type will be best here...>
What about tank setup? Should I scrub the tank clean before I fill it? How?
<Posted on WWM... just no soap, detergent...>
Do I need to put a bacterial start in the water when I am first filling it up?
<Not likely... the frogs will bring their own>
Do I need to let the tank sit for a day or two before I move the frogs in?
<Yes I would>
When I leave for university breaks, will there be a problem if the frogs aren't fed for a bit?
<Mmm how long>
My breaks range from four days to 3 weeks. I am guessing the 3 weeks will be a problem, but four days probably won't.
<Correct>
Is there a way to give them staggered food, or will I need to find a frogsitter?
<The latter is a good idea... but barring this, an automated feeder to offer pellets will work>
I know that I will be taking the frogs for the next two years while I finish college, and hope that I can take them with me wherever I head after that. I know that the frogs will still have a home with the parents they are with right now when I go home for the summer, or after I am done with school. My hope is that after I get them a nice new habitat with filters, new food, etc., they will receive better care, because the family has just not spent the money on giving them the right environment. My concern here is whether or not it will be relatively easy to transport the aquarium back to the house (a 20 minute car ride) when I go home and come back for the summer, and indeed, if it will be possible, though not easy, to fly the frogs cross-country should I end up taking a job outside of Chicago when I graduate.
<Not impossible to take as carry on...>
My last questions are frog-specific. These two frogs have obviously not lived in the best of conditions. Will it shock their systems to just move them in together straight away?
<Mmm, not likely>
Should I acclimate them to their new surroundings, and if so, how?
<Move and place their existing, yes stinky, water with them... change this out weekly as stated above>
Should I move one frog in first, let him get used to the new place, then add the other frog? Or should I put them in together for a day, and then move them back to their old tanks for a day, before putting them in for good?
<I'd move both in all at once>
What about acclimating them to the new food they are going to eat?
<Almost never fussy eaters>
I am guessing since they are really made to eat what I am going to give them that there won't be any problems with changing their diet.
Thanks for reading an e-mail this long. I really want to make sure that these ACFs get the care they deserve, and wouldn't want to just take them without taking care of them.
Best,
Jessie
<You have read the FAQs files here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/afclawedfrgfaqs.htm
Above? Good to peruse. Bob Fenner>

ACF, Pleco and small goldfish (feeders) 5/22/07
I have had 3 small goldfish in a nice 10 gallon tank for 2 years. I have a top fin 10 filter.
<To start with, a 10 gallon tank is too small for adult goldfish, and at some point the pollution they produce will start degrading their health.>
Algae started to grow in the tank, so we were told to buy a pleco.
<Algae is not eliminated by adding any animals. The reverse in fact: more fish = more nitrate in the water = faster rate of algae growth. The "add a catfish" idea is a myth and cannot scientifically work unless the catfish ate the algae in the aquarium and then went out the tank and into the outhouse to excrete all the ammonia there instead.>
We went to PetLand discounts, got the pleco (about 1 ½”) and next to that tank were the cutest frogs. I never realized there were
under water frogs, or knew anything about them, but my daughter wanted one, so we bought one.
<No offense, but buying animals you know nothing about is hardly sensible and sets a poor example to children, i.e., that animals are toys not responsibilities.>
Now we realize it is an African Clawed Frog. We bought these 5 days ago. We feed the fish blood worms, so we figured the frog would eat this too. Anyway, we woke up today, and all 3 of our fish are dead.
<Oh dear. Dare one ask if you'd done any water tests recently? Usually when fish die "all of a sudden" the issue is water quality, not disease. Besides, your 10 gallon tank is WAAAYYYYY overstocked and the little filter overwhelmed. A Plec can reach 30-45 cm depending on the species, and needs a tank at least 30 gallons and preferably 55 gallons in size. Your goldfish potentially reach 30 cm and the record is 60 cm, so again, BIG fish.>
The frog and the pleco seem to be doing fine.
<Probably because the loading in the tank has "crashed" down to a safe level where the aquarium and filter can cope.>
Do you think by introducing the frog and the pleco to the tank this killed our fish?
<Most likely, yes.>
I feel so bad.
<Don't feel bad, but do try and learn. Fish and frogs are animals, just like cats and dogs, and you wouldn't impulse purchase a dog, would you? So, look over the site and read the articles on goldfish and Plecs: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/gldfshsystems.htm and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/loricariids.htm .>
I am going to go out and buy 2 more frogs, and just keep the frogs and pleco in the tank, and not add fish. Is this what I should do?
<Sounds about right. There are two kinds of aquatic frog in the hobby, a dwarf species that gets around 5 cm long and the regular species that gets to around 15 cm long. Both are interesting, hardy animals, but do research their needs.>
Thank you,
Laura
<No problems. Good luck! Neale>

Re: ACF, Pleco and small goldfish (feeders) 5/22/07
Thank you for your quick response. This morning when I woke up, the pleco was also dead!
<Oh dear. I'm afraid to say that this isn't uncommon. It sounds as if your aquarium was simply overloaded with livestock, and adding the catfish and frog crashed the system, rendering it inhospitable to life. Please stop and read some basic fishkeeping stuff on this web site or in a book. The importance of maintaining a healthy filter cannot be overstated. Many newcomers to the hobby do things like clean the filter media under the tap/faucet, wiping out the "good" bacteria that clean the water. Also, there are things like dechlorinating the water before using it that matter a great deal. So before you buy anything else, read a little more so you feel comfortable. The basics of fishkeeping are extremely easy to master, but if you ignore them... disaster!>
So now I only have the little frog :(. I am afraid the frog is going to die too.
<I hope note. Please do a big water change now (50%) and another tomorrow (also 50%) to flush out all the "bad" water. Make sure you use dechlorinator. Add tiny amounts of food (don't feed at all for the next 48 hours). Leave things to stabilise after this, for a week or two, checking the water quality with your handy new nitrIte (not nitrAte) test kit. Better yet, buy some of those little dip-sticks that have pH, hardness, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate measurements built into them. Once you're happy the tank is stable, then you can start adding more critters.>
I am so upset that we introduced these to the tank. Should I still get a few more frogs, because I read that they are social and like to be in groups.
<Indeed so, but hold off buying more frogs until you are safe the tank is stable. You want perfect water quality for at least 2 weeks.>
I will also buy a water test kit.
<Very good! Frogs are fun in themselves, and mix well with "oddball" critters like apple snails and shrimps. You don't even need fish, and in a tank of 10 gallons, dwarf frogs, snails, and shrimps would be practical and easy to maintain.>
Thanks again for your response.
<No problems, and good luck. Neale>

Rope Fish Tank Size 9/15/06
Hello,
<Hi Ren, Pufferpunk here>
Just wondering, I have a rope fish (around 4 inches long, male) with two African clawed frogs (pretty small themselves at the moment, maybe 1 and a half inches) in a 20 gallon tank. I know the tank is gonna be small in the long run but they seem to be doing fine for the time being. I was just wondering, what size tank should I save up for?
<Since these are social animals, they are best displayed in multiple numbers together. I would keep at least two to a tank. That being said, I'd save for at least a 40 gallon tank. I'd keep the frogs in the 20g. They get large (around the size of your fist) & will eat anything they can fit into their huge mouths! ~PP>
Thanks a lot, Ren.
(P.S. He has dens/caves too)

Frogs hopping mad about ammonia 7/30/05
I currently have a twenty-nine gallon tank with three African clawed frogs.
I keep about twenty-five gallons so they don't jump out.
<Good idea>
 My problem is my ammonia is through the roof.
<Toxic...>
I switched to a canister filter about a month ago. It is keeping the water remarkably clear. I have in the media baskets the foam filters, pre filter (inert ceramic rings,) a carbon bag, an ammonia remover bag, and the media growing rings. I had been doing one third water changes every week, now I am doing two thirds. I am also switching the media every two weeks.
<Shouldn't switch...>
Two of the four sponges, carbon, and ammonia. I am staggering these out, so I don't disturb the beneficial bacteria. I expected an ammonia spike with the initial set up (the tank is about six weeks old,) but it seems I can't stabilize the tank. When I had a hang on the tank filter, my ammonia was close to nil.
<Should have left the hang-on on during this transition to the canister... or used both even better>
 Granted the water was nasty
(ACF's are pretty gross little beasts,) but I didn't have this problem at the time. I have no live plants in the tank and I have about twenty-five pounds of sand. I am currently using ammo-lock to make sure my frogs aren't harmed. I have also monitored their eating habits and they are eating what I feed them. There is very little food left after they eat. The frogs don't seem to be suffering any ill effects at all. The ghost shrimp that I put in (as a snack and to help clean are literality jumping out of the tank
when I put them in. Any suggestions for me?
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

African Clawed Frog- 10/27/03
Hello to some very helpful folks!
<Hi there, Pufferpunk here>
I have been reading a lot of your postings and FAQ's to learn as much as possible about my newly acquired singing/smiling African clawed frog.
<they are forever smiling, aren't' they!>
I got him from a friend that got him as a "grow-a-frog" in 1996 for her kids.
<He's 8 years old? He must be pretty large!>
He has lived most of his life in a big fish bowl with gravel. I now have him in a 10 gallon tank.

Just about everything I have read on the net and your forum says to be very careful what you put in the tank.
<I'm pretty sure that means tankmates. These frogs will eat anything they can fit in their mouth. I thought I was safe keeping mine w/Cory catfish. I figured they'd never eat them. I came home to find one stuck in my frog's mouth w/the spiky fins pointing in a direction that wouldn't let me remove the fish without killing either the fish or the frog. The frog got a thick white milky film over it's entire body. It died the next day ={> I would love to have a hiding place and some pretty bigger rocks or tunnels for him to enjoy. Maybe a plant or two.
<Expect any plants to get uprooted. You could float a few. They love caves.>
Heating or boiling beach rocks seems to be no-no!

What about glass objects?
<Bad idea. Nothing sharp that could cut the frog.>
Also, in one area of your site, it says to feed him 2-3x per week. He has always been fed every day and has only eaten frog pellets. Those things are so small... how many at a time?
<Mine love crickets, krill (frozen or freeze-dried) & worms. Even my young ones eat every 2-3 days>
There also seems to be some debate about filters. What do you think?
<Mine live in the water section of a river tank. I think a good HOB filter, probably the same kind you use for the turtles would work.>
I have only had him a week, but he now comes up to the top of the water and seems to be smelling me. My hands are clean, is this ok that I touch his head?
(<It's probably ok to touch them a little. You could certainly hand feed them! As w/any aquatic creatures, make sure you wash your hands w/antibacterial soap after touching them, to prevent from getting salmonella.>
I know their skin is very sensitive to chemicals and such. As you can see, I have plenty of questions about this little fella. I also have 4 assorted turtles----my life has gone aquatic!
<I have 8 assorted box turtles that live in an outdoor habitat in the summer & a big kiddie pool in the winter. A softshell, African sideneck & Asian leaf turtle in a 55g river tank. I also have another 55g river tank w/assorted frogs & a dwarf African bullfrog living w/the aquatic turtles.>
Thank you so much for ANY info you can give me!
Joan
<Your very welcome--Pufferpunk>

Bugs 'n' a frog
I noticed these really weird white insect things in my African clawed frog's bowl.
<The regular, enormous clawed frog, or the dwarf frog?>
They're almost as small as pieces of dust, are sort of oval shaped, and only stay on the sides of the bowl. When I looked at it really close, they were coating the whole walls of the bowl, so it looked like white dust!
<These sound perhaps like water fleas (Daphnia).>
I decided to clean its bowl out right away. I even put this water purification stuff in there for amphibians and fish,
<Dechlorinator?>
but they still came back in about 2 weeks. And there were still a whole bunch of them. what should I do?
<Chances are, these little critters are mostly harmless, and are probably feeding on leftover food for your frog. Please try very hard not to overfeed, or you'll likely never be rid of these critters. As you reduce feeding, they'll probably die out and go away. Also do keep on top of keeping your frog's home clean. Please look over this information: http://www.pipidae.net/ .>

Science, frogs, and ORP
Dear Dr. Fenner,
<Anthony Calfo here for WWM while our friend Bob is away on a Red Sea trip... a charmed life he leads!>
I am a molecular biologist working in Boston. I saw your article on-line and was hoping you could help me with a bit of advice. I study frog embryogenesis, and for this purpose, keep a facility of 300 frogs (Xenopus laevis, the African clawed frog). These frogs lay eggs which my lab experiments on. Anyways, for about a year and a half we have had excellent luck with our facility, but now we're having a problem and I wonder if you have any advice for me, since I'm not the kind of biologist that knows much about water and husbandry issues, unfortunately. Briefly, what I have is this. City water (horrible, and full of chloramine and other nasty stuff) goes into a facility on the roof of my institute which puts it through a sand pre-filter, then over a carbon bed, and then through reverse osmosis. It then comes down to my facility (through pipes of questionable quality) and is cleaned again by a smaller point-of-use water polisher (de-ionized etc.). It is fed into a large plastic holding tank, where we add the right amount of artificial sea-salt, adjust the pH, and take measurements. From this holding tank, about half of the water is taken each day to perform a 10% exchange of the water in the actual tanks where the frogs live. They live in a flow-through system of about 20 tanks, plus a number of filters (including a bio-filter for the urea, carbon filters, a UV bulb to kill bacteria, etc.). The parameters in the tank (and thus in the system as a whole) are supposed to be: pH = 6.7 to 7.0, salt = 1800 microS. When everything was going fine, our ORP was always about 240-290. Recently we experienced a crash - a few frogs which succumbed to opportunistic infections which the vet said was due to stress. At the same time, we noticed the pH being consistently low in the holding tank,
<hmm... and 6.7 is low enough with regard for the dynamics of culturing this amphibian and most any aquatic organism (higher levels of dissolved organics, weakly buffered purified water that you are using, natural inclination for pH to fall, etc)>
so we had the small water purifier system checked out and found out that the company which is supposed to service it had screwed up and it was in horrible shape. They've since supposedly replaced everything and fixed it, but we still have a problem: the ORP will not go above 200.
<interesting...>
They claim that the ORP is meaningless
<wow... I would strongly disagree as it pertains to aquarium husbandry/aquariology. ORP is significant and quite indicative of overall trends in water quality. Although we may not need to target any one specific set point, a consistently low range is indicative of a flaw in the system as you suspect>
and I don't know enough to argue with them, but I do know one thing: when things were going well, it was consistently higher, and the change makes me concerned that something is still wrong.
<agreed... as a measure of ReDox potential, these low ORP readings are indicative of so-called "lower" water quality... at least as they relate to live aquatics and sensitivity to oxidative/reductive potentials. However, the solution to this problem may be as simple as better aeration. Do experiment. Other common solutions to raise ORP may harm the frogs unfortunately (iodine and potassium permanganate primarily). Else it may be a compositional flaw with the source water>
Most importantly, this problem is as measured in the *holding tank* - so it is isolated from all the complexities of the frog habitat. The only thing which goes into the holding tank is: supposedly pure (17 MegOhm) water from the purifier, and the salt which we've been using all along. We had the water tested, and they didn't find anything unusual. So, here's the million dollar question: do you have any idea what could be responsible for the low ORP in water which just came out of the purifier? What sort of problem with the water cleaners, salt, etc. could be responsible for this change?
Thank you very much in advance for any help you can give me.
<do consider if any aspect of aeration or aspiration of source water through this filter may have been tempered with the cleaning/changes in purification. It really could be that simple. But if 6-12 hours of vigorous aeration does not markedly improve ORP, lets look harder at the water composition. At that point, try perhaps filtering the water through a chemically absorptive media like Poly Bio Marine's "Poly Filter pad". The product changes colors to reveal concentrations of conspicuous impurities. After some passes... lets test the sample again to see if that moves the ORP.>
Sincerely, Mike Levin
<best regards, Anthony>

Science, Frogs, and ORP
Hi Anthony, Thanks for getting back to me.
<Steven Pro in this morning with the follow-up.>
>> wow... I would strongly disagree as it pertains to aquarium husbandry/aquariology. ORP is significant and quite indicative of overall trends in water quality. Although we may not need to target any one specific set point, a consistently low range is indicative of a flaw in the system as you suspect.
<That's kind of what I figured...
>> do consider if any aspect of aeration or aspiration of source water through this filter may have been tempered with the cleaning/changes in purification. It really could be that simple. But if 6-12 hours of vigorous aeration does not markedly improve ORP, lets look harder at the water composition. At that point, try perhaps filtering the water through a chemically absorptive media like Poly Bio Marine's "Poly Filter pad". The product changes colors to reveal concentrations of conspicuous impurities. After some passes... lets test the sample again to see if that moves the ORP.<<
interesting - I'll try it. Can extra aeration hurt anything (like the frogs, for example)?
<No, will be fine if not beneficial. But in particular, test a sample of your processed water for ORP. Then aerate it for 6-12 hours in a separate vessel (no frogs or anything). Then retest for a change.>
Cheers, Mike
<Good luck, Steven Pro>

African Clawed Frogs 5/23/06
Hi,
<Hi Anthony, Pufferpunk here.>
Two quick questions:
* At what temperature should the albino: Xenopus laevis (African Clawed Frog) be kept?
<68-75(F) degrees is good.>
* Would it be ok to keep three Albino frogs (6") and three common Plecos (6", 5", and 3") in a 36 gallon tank, with gravel, rocks and a decent sized filter?
<Your subject line said dwarf frogs but yours are definitely not dwarves! I wouldn't keep an adult ACF in anything less than 15g each. A 55g would be nice for 3. They really like to swim. They have huge appetites & foul the water quickly. I would do 90% weekly water changes on them. Plecos are big poop machines & the common one grows to 18", certainly too large for even a 55g. Here's a great site for your frogs: http://members.aol.com/sirchin/afc.htm Good luck with them! ~PP>
Thanks for your help!
Anthony

Frog Tank With High Ammonia 1/31/06
Hi, I am hoping that you can shed some light on what is going on in our tank.
We have had this 10 gallon tank set up with 2 baby albino ACFs (African Clawed Frogs) for over a month and it was cycled before we added frogs.
They are still very small frogs and we plan on a bigger tank once they grow a little. Anyway, something disrupted the biological filtration system. I am not sure exactly what happened. We raised the temp slightly (approx 2 degrees F) which I know will effect it slightly. The only other thing I can think of is that one of the frogs was extremely constipated and was extremely compacted with food. She finally passed it about three days ago. Two days ago when I tested for ammonia with a newly purchased test kit because I had been using strips and have learned they aren't all that accurate. The ammonia was around 1.0 ppm. I immediately prepared some tap water for a 50% water change. Within six hours of the water change the ammonia was back up to the same levels. I tested the tap water and another smaller tank (that I have been using drinking water in -instead of tap) to make sure the test kit was
working and both came back zero. I did another 50% water change yesterday and the same thing happened. I tried using some Ammo-Lock out of
desperation and tested again after an hour. It made absolutely no difference in the ammonia reading. Perhaps that batch of Ammo-Lock is bad
or outdated. But, I still don't get why the ammonia level is rising so fast after a water change. We are using a whisper filter that goes up to 20
gallons. Also the other readings are pH 7.2, Nitrate 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, GH about 75 ppm, KH about 120 ppm. Water prep is letting the tap water sit
overnight or for several hours and adding 2 drops pH down per gallon (tap water is off the chart alkaline for my pH testing kit before adding the pH
down and very hard) and Aquasafe per directions. Any suggestions? Probably the Ammo-Lock wasn't the best idea since we need it to recycle but I was desperate. Should I continue doing a 50% water change everyday. It doesn't seem to be helping much. I would be interested to see if the level would get above 1.0ppm if I let it go but I won't put the little froggies at risk.
Thank you so much!! Christi
< Go to Marineland.com and go to Dr Tim's Library. Read the article titled "The First 30 Days." The will give you some background on cycling terms so you can determine if your tank is indeed truly cycled. If not add Bio-Spira from Marineland to get the tank cycled now.-Chuck>

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