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Thread: ACF feeding help & ideas

  1. #1
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    Default ACF feeding help & ideas

    Hi again Guy's,

    Follow on post from previous need more help solely on diet and ideas please,

    Gizmo is 10yrld male although he looks half the size of others in same age group, apparently only been fed on frozen worm & shrimp
    which looks evident by the way he consumes his food, he never takes large mouth fulls but instead creates a vortex with his claws and picks
    of the floaters, if he see's a lump of BW he still does this behavior, I gave him waxworm ystday and although he put a quarter into his mouth
    he still tried to vortex with his claw's then spitting WW out! he's not interested in floating Raptor sticks even though they are broken small nor
    sinking sticks similar ingredient to raptor, also tried pacman powder rolled into balls then dropped and he just created an almighty cloud of food
    without even opening his mouth( guess he was looking for BW's)

    So brainwave idea! I used the BW's to crush into the Pacman food powder so the smell entice him to eat the healthier food, but he still did not consume
    the Pacman nor the small bits of worm coated with same! as a test I dropped fresh BW's opposite's side of tank and he picked them off using his vortex
    method. tried a small nightcrawler and he just was not interested* I think his mouth is unusually small the Waxworm looked to big for him to consume
    and yes he's defo an ACF and we were informed he was about 10yrld, I promise pics soon.

    Further to the above I found the shrimp/BW /fecal matter messy! I removed 80% of gravel keeping small corner for plants which are being boosted by nutriballs, toying with inserting his food to a small necked JAR 20 deg upright(but large enough ullage to turn) he can feed like a pig and keep the food contained the vortex he creates throws the food allover the place(even with filter off)

    Lastly am concerned about calcium and what I should do/ if you have idea's suggestions as above please share many thanks Craig.

    Update pics sorry poor Quality better next time tape measure body just over 2inch long 1 inch wide!!!!

    https://s20.postimg.org/eti4xxxf1/IMAG0300.jpg
    https://s20.postimg.org/k66zc2lbh/IMAG0297.jpg
    https://s20.postimg.org/a6c2w6a25/IMAG0305.jpg

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    Default Re: ACF feeding help & ideas

    Wow, it sure seems like you've tried everything! I applaud you though for trying to get him on a healthier diet.

    Honestly, I've been extremely lucky and have never had to deal with an Xenopus who refused to eat anything but blood worms and shrimp, so I might not be so helpful on this one. The only suggestion I can make is a little tough love. Refuse to feed him anything but nightcrawlers or other healthy live food, and hopefully he'll get so hungry that he'll eat it. Granted, though ACF's can go a few weeks without eating, I'm worried with his size and health, he can only go a few days. So definitely keep an eye on him, and if he becomes lethargic, feed him whatever he wants.

    And once he begins to eat nightcrawlers, he might go after Reptomin sticks too, and that's how he can get his calcium. So, to recap, only offer him nightcrawlers or any other live food high in nutrition unless he starts looking sick.

    Also, just as a side-note, I really encourage you to get rid of that gravel before he accidently swallows it and it creates an impaction in his body. Bare-bottom tanks or sand might be a better choice as it will help keep the mess to a minimum. With sand or a bare-bottom tank, you can see where the mess is and siphon it up every day or every couple of days.

    I really hope someone else can chime in and give you better ideas.
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    Default Re: ACF feeding help & ideas

    Hi Ken,
    Thanks for the reply much appreciated during stress time's
    Can confirm he just loves night crawlers gobbles them hes small 1inch 10 yrld male so am guessing 3 small worms a day!? I will skip feed days every other 3/4 days he's
    just so tiny/skinny for a 10yrld male plus keeps giving the hand hungry signals.

    Read reptocal is good to dust the feed with"due to calcium defiicency)" but there little info on how much/often? I dusted some live small nightcrawlers with same and it worked perfect!
    The night crawlers cannot swim to safe hiding place's with calcium coating they are heavy & froggy picks them off easy.
    I am now afraid of over dosing calcium is there anyone with info on same,

    last Q looks like he's going to be a 100% meateater any concerns of same please many thanks Craig

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    Default Re: ACF feeding help & ideas

    I have been keeping ACFs for almost 30 years. I feed mine exclusively Repto-Min because it is well-balanced and has the calcium and proteins the frog needs. There is no need to use any calcium and vitamin supplements. My feeding schedule is 3 times a week. I agree that it is not a good idea to have gravel as a substrate. I don't use any substrate and have flower pots for hides. My zoo includes 2 pair Xenopus, 4 FBT, an Axolotl and a Colorado river toad. Albino ACFs do not get as large as the "wild type." My female "wild type" is huge! One neat thing about ACFs is that both males and females call to each other. I have made sound graphs of their calls. You will really enjoy having these frogs.
    Terry Gampper
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    “If we can discover the meaning in the trilling of a frog, perhaps we may understand why it is for us not merely noise but a song of poetry and emotion.”
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    Default Re: ACF feeding help & ideas

    Thank's Terry @30 years they must be fun

    Can confirm all gravel been removed just keeping bare bottom, Regarding repto-min he's just not interested in them also tried 2 other types including Pac-man balls & a sinking ball for African claw frogs, The design of the tank might be an issue its 120L/26G but its Square and he will not spend a lot of time near the surface, I have ordered a floating island which can be height regulated so he can spend some time near the surface if required,
    I am toying with the idea of getting him a female friend but heard some bad stories where the males torment the females/ can males stay together!

    I think am going to have to stick with the night crawlers but I plan on feeding them repto-min and other good stuff, the worms are sourced via a breeding farm and very safe,
    I just need to learn how to de-poop them!

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    Default Re: ACF feeding help & ideas

    Be patient, you can convert them over to Repto-Min. Feed a little R-M with a nightcrawlers for a while. Then gradually reduce the worms while you increase the R-M. These frogs are unique in that they are scavengers as much as predators. Your aquarium should support 4 ACFs. I wouldn't worry much about the males bullying the females. Females grow larger and mature faster than the males. I have a alpha-female that had to be separated because she was bullying the males. Mostly, they get along pretty well. Having a floating island is an interesting idea. Let me know how it works out. In the wild, they often migrate from one pool to another when their home dries up. So they do travel on land for short distances. I haven't figured out how to de-poop worms, that's why I stay away from the big ones. You can feed the live or frozen/thawed bloodworms or blackworms. No freeze-dried worms! If nightcrawlers work for your frog, then go for it as long as there is a steady supply.

    Temperature is a big concern. These frogs like it on the cool side, around 20 degrees celsius (give or take a degree). If it's too hot, they will not thrive. Mine are kept a room temperature all year around. Those who keep other species, like Xenopus muelleri and X. tropicalis like it a little warmer. Enjoy your frogs!

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    Default Re: ACF feeding help & ideas

    Try ordering some sinking xenopus food from Xenopus Express. I have noticed that some frogs don't like going to the top to feed.

    Keep feeding night crawlers until you can get some sinking food.

    Keep a close eye on ammonia since you removed the gravel and with it some of the beneficial bacteria.

    Sorry for the late reply

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    Default Re: ACF feeding help & ideas

    Quote Originally Posted by craig121 View Post
    Thank's Terry @30 years they must be fun

    Can confirm all gravel been removed just keeping bare bottom, Regarding repto-min he's just not interested in them also tried 2 other types including Pac-man balls & a sinking ball for African claw frogs, The design of the tank might be an issue its 120L/26G but its Square and he will not spend a lot of time near the surface, I have ordered a floating island which can be height regulated so he can spend some time near the surface if required,
    I am toying with the idea of getting him a female friend but heard some bad stories where the males torment the females/ can males stay together!

    I think am going to have to stick with the night crawlers but I plan on feeding them repto-min and other good stuff, the worms are sourced via a breeding farm and very safe,
    I just need to learn how to de-poop them!
    If you're worried about the humus that nightcrawlers are packed in you can take a mason jar and put some damp paper towel in it and place a few worms inside. Keep the worms in a cool place for a day and most of the humus will work it's way out of the worms.

    Honestly I don't bother with this process anymore and my frogs have eaten nightcrawlers, red wrigglers, and reptomin for years now without a hitch. Humus is not 'poop' to my knowledge, it's just soil and organic matter.

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    Default Re: ACF feeding help & ideas

    Hey guy's
    Many thanks for the idea's especially with the nightcrawlers, The Mason jar defo give's some peace of mind @ this early stage he just love's Nightcrawlers will not eat anything else other than the frowned upon bloodworms,( so well fed nightcrawlers it will be )

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