Bloated Xenopus Laevis

[Seberous]

Hello,

I have an aquarium of 160 liters with 9 Xenopus Laevis, 3 Ancistrus, 1 Corydoras, 3 Kuhli. Some of my female Xenopus were much bloated. I think it's the disease that causes them to swell. How can I treat them? What should I do? I'm afraid they are dying ...Here are some videos I filmed to show you how they are bloated. Please, help me!



Mes Xenopus gonflées 1 - YouTube

Mes Xenopus gonflées 2 - YouTube

Mes Xenopus gonflées 3 - YouTube

Mes Xenopus gonflées 4 - YouTube

Mes Xenopus gonflées 5 - YouTube

Mes Xenopus gonflées 6 - YouTube

[Jenste]

In my opinion - you are overstocked.

If all of these frogs are showing bloating it is usually a clear sign that the water is very poor quality.
Do you filter?
How often do you do a water change, how much do you take out, how exactly do you do one, and how do you treat the water going back in?
What do you feed, how often and how much?

You should not house corydoras with ACF - they have very tiny spines on their fins and if an ACF goes to eat one it is a painful death for both creatures.

Start by setting up a quarantine tank - for this many frogs it should be at least a 20 gallon long and have no substrate.

Use another container, or in this case containers (one per frog) for salt baths.
Use Epsom salt, 1 teaspoon per one gallon of water, in the containers (NOT the quarantine tank!) for salt baths. Decholorinate the water like you would for their tank and leave them in the bath for about one hour. Then discard the bath water and return the frog to the quarantine tank. You will not see immediate results....this needs to be done for a couple of weeks.

This will hopefully help treat the soft bloat (there are two types of bloat and yours seem to have the soft bloat). In the meantime we need to figure out what caused it. If it was one frog it could be a kidney defect. Multiple frogs in the same tank indicate that there is a serious problem with their environment unfortunately.

[tgampper]

Sorry that your frogs are experiencing bloating. Fortunately, it is a soft bloat and fairly easy to treat. The frogs have a fair chance of recovery if the treatment is started now. Follow the instructions in Jenna's post and continue the treatment until the frogs return to normal. One good thing about clawed frogs is that they are salt-tolerant. Since several frogs are bloated, it is likely an environmental problem. Please give us a summary of your tank conditions and we will be happy to advise you so your frogs can have a long life. Thanks!

[Jenste]

Any update on your frogs?

[Seberous]

Hello,

I had computer problems, then I could not come on the forum. To treat my frogs, I wonder if I can quarantine in a 20 liter aquarium for their salt baths. Is it enough if I put 20 liters my frogs one after another (not all at once) to treat? Now, I removed my Corydoras. I feed them every two days, varying with Daphnia or Artemia nutrient jelly, small cooked shrimp and earthworms. I have a pump 1000 liters, and I change 50% water every two weeks.

Thank you very much.

[rodsboys]

9 Frogs is a ton in what is roughly a 42 gallon aquarium. What shape is it? Hex? I would remove the kuhlis too. They look like works. I am surprised they are not already eaten. I can't offer much advice on top of what was given. I am curious if you feed the daphnia frozen or thawed though. I can't see how they would get enough if thawed because it is so tiny and goes everywhere. I would avoid the cooked shrimp too. You should be feeding raw.

[Jenste]

Hello,

I had computer problems, then I could not come on the forum. To treat my frogs, I wonder if I can quarantine in a 20 liter aquarium for their salt baths. Is it enough if I put 20 liters my frogs one after another (not all at once) to treat? Now, I removed my Corydoras. I feed them every two days, varying with Daphnia or Artemia nutrient jelly, small cooked shrimp and earthworms. I have a pump 1000 liters, and I change 50% water every two weeks.

Thank you very much.

I would recommend Reptomin (found in the reptile aisle) and earthworms only and would not feed the rest.
As far as salt baths, the 20L is fine for them. Use clean water, dechlorinate it, for every gallon of water in the bath tank use 1/2 tsp of epsom salt. Each frog needs to sit for up to an hour and each frog needs it's own bath water - don't reuse between frogs.
Repeat once daily.


I am a little concerned as it has been 2 and 1/2 months since you originally posted regarding their bloat. Can you post some updated pictures/videos of their condition?

[Seberous]

I give them Daphnias nutritious jelly. I can not remove the Khulis, because I have no other aquarium where they would be happy. For salt baths, I am afraid to disturb the frogs in bathing them many times. They will not like change many times in different aquarium.

Here are pictures of my bloated frogs currently :

[Maddymoo]

Four months later and you are only just starting treatment???? Those poor frogs, I think you should re-home them.


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[Jenste]

Do one, one-hour soak per frog every day. Improvements should be noticeable after a couple of weeks. For soft bloat, this is going to be a life long problem that will have flare ups. Do the baths until the swelling is noticeably relieved (2-3 weeks) and be vigilant about restarting treatment as soon as you notice swelling reoccurring.

[Seberous]

I made yesterday a bath for one hour with your advice. I have some questions :

Is it good to put three frogs at the same time in the bath or should I let them each separately a bath (bath separately is many time and many salt, because doing baths with three frogs at the same time is best for me)?

And do I have to change the water between each bath or can I keep the brine for several baths (because it's going to be expensive salt)? And if so, I keep it for how many baths?


Thank you very much for your help.

[Jenste]

One bath per frog and the bath water can only be used once.

Don't try and double doses to have two frogs together.... The salt doesn't "know" to divide evenly and you could really hurt your frogs.

Using bathwater over risks infection due to risk of bacteria forming, concentration or dilution of salt due to absorption / evaporation....

Just too many risks.

Epson salt is very cheap and the quantity you use per bath will make the container last a while.


Unfortunately, you wouldn't have had to do as long of a treatment if they had been treated earlier. Now their bloat is quite severe and needs longer treatment.

Can you post updated pictures of all the frogs?

[Seberous]

Currently, my Xenopus are always big. I would put pictures of when they will be less bloated.

What is the risk of a bath to my Xenopus same time ?

[Maddymoo]

What are you doing to your poor poor frogs???? Surely that is NOT the right thing to do, especially if you don't even know where to do it?!


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[Bolisnide]

Hi Seberous,
This has totally freaked me out. I could not believe that you would voluntarily lance your frog with a syringe under no supervision in order to cure your frog's bloat. So, I did just a little research and found that, yes, in fact this can be done in certain cases to help with the bloat, BUT ONLY BY A PROFESSIONAL VET!!!! AND ONLY IF THE VET THINKS IT MAY BE HELPFUL!!!
So please, take your frog to a vet ASAP! Your poor frog is suffering!

[Seberous]

I inquired in the web to puncture the frog, and they told me I could puncture in the legs. I would have NEVER done without being sure it was authorized. I do not have specialists near me, then the specialists away from my house cost a lot of money. I myself must puncture the frogs.

[Jenste]

Unless advised directly by a medical professional and instructed exactly how to do this, you should not stick needles into your frog. They are not water balloons - poking holes in them is not going to drain them of the excess fluid.

Also, repeatedly stabbing them with the same needle exposes them to a disgusting and disturbing amount of bacteria. Once the needle punctures skin, it is considered dirty, repuncturing with the same needle transmits bacteria from the surface of the skin into the body of the frog.

You are in a rush now due to the delay of treatment. These frogs do not need puncturing, they need salt baths. The salt dehydrates them slowly and safely - the salt bath water extracts "fresh" water from the skin of the frog. This is the safest method of treating your frog.

You risk killing your frog with the needle - you do not know the full anatomy of the frog and can easily puncture an organ, artery, blood vessel, vein...the list just goes on.

[Seberous]

I disinfect the syringe after each puncture to kill bacteria. I punctured the frog because she was dying, salt baths did not affect him doing! She would die if I did nothing! His condition has still not improved, and it becomes very worrisome because it must be at least three weeks she stopped eating. I tried to give him his favorite food, earthworms, or even beef steak, but she refuses to swallow anything. I do not know what to do ... If she has no strength to recover, she will die. Do you know what I can do? I despair.

For salt baths, can I leave my frogs in the salt more time? Because my big white frog will die if her condition did not improve. Leave the frogs more time in the salt is dangerous for frogs? Will they heal faster?

[Maddymoo]

I say if you are going to ask the advice of people on here who know what they are talking about and give up their time to try and help you, then you should follow the advice they give you, instead of looking elsewhere for conflicting advice!