Pipa pipa toads

[Reggie]

Anyone experience with Pipa pipa toads ? Whats the easiest way to feed a group of 3.5 or so ? I was thinking probably going to the bait store and buying minnows . Do they like the PH of 5.5 or ? How important are dark tannins ? Any tips , advice and experience is much appreciated !

[tgampper]

Hi Reggie:

I have been keeping Pipa pipa for several years now. They are large frogs so 8 would fit nicely in a 55 gallon tank (or larger if you have the room). I generally allow a minimum of 5 gallons of water per frog. They should be kept at 80 degrees (F), so a heater is necessary; a constant temperature should be maintained during a 24-hour period. The don't need "blackwater", but lighting must be subdued. You will need an undergravel and bio-sponge filtration system as these frogs create alot of waste. About 10-20% water change per week should help. Make sure the fresh water temperature is close to the tank water temperature (a too great difference in temperature is stressful). I use regular tap water and condition it with Stress-Coat. I feed 3 times a week a variety of fish, earthworms and crustaceans. Clean up any leftover food after an hour. Feeding live fish can introduce diseases into your frog tank, so quarantine the fish a week before feeding. Pipa are really strange toads and an exciting experience to watch them reproduce. Captive bred frogs may be hard to find but well worth it. If you know the breeder, find out all about the frogs before purchasing - age, captive bred or wild caught, feeding regimen, how they were kept, sex, have they reproduced, if so, do the young go through a tadpole stage or direct development (toadlets)? There are different methods of reproduction within the genus Pipa. Keep a log or diary on your frogs, that way you can share your knowledge with others. If you have any questions on Pipa, please post them on the forum. There is a special forum devoted to Pipa, check out the Aquatic Clawed Frogs. Even though Pipa do not have claws, they are often grouped together with the African clawed frogs

Anyone experience with Pipa pipa toads ? Whats the easiest way to feed a group of 3.5 or so ? I was thinking probably going to the bait store and buying minnows . Do they like the PH of 5.5 or ? How important are dark tannins ? Any tips , advice and experience is much appreciated !

[Reggie]

Thanks for replying . 55 gallon seems abit small for 8 adults ? They are huge awesome beasts . I dont really want to use an underground filter . I was thinking of the canister filters that I used prior for my water turtles . I believe its for 200 gallon tanks . I would like to talk to other pipa pipa keepers as well . I'm not sure exactly how commonly or rarely these guys are seriously worked with . Thanks a million !

[tgampper]

Your right about the size of these frogs and 55 gallon for 8 frogs would be the bare minimum. Check out the photo album for pictures of the 2 pipas I currently have. I haven't used the canister filters, so I cannot comment on them. It's been my experience that pipas are hard to come by. One pipa of mine is a rescue and the other is from a reptile sale. There is a Google Group called XFROGS that might help you out with your pipas. Well, it sounds like you have an ambitious project going on. Good luck!

Thanks for replying . 55 gallon seems abit small for 8 adults ? They are huge awesome beasts . I dont really want to use an underground filter . I was thinking of the canister filters that I used prior for my water turtles . I believe its for 200 gallon tanks . I would like to talk to other pipa pipa keepers as well . I'm not sure exactly how commonly or rarely these guys are seriously worked with . Thanks a million !

[Reggie]

I will take a look at your albums now and I will check out that group as well . Pipa pipa toads aren't rare here in the states , they are seasonal . I think they come in by the loads in late summer mostly to dealers in Florida . I hope I can get the project going and successful . Perhaps I play the Lion King soundtrack and some nice candles so they will procreate , hahahaha ! I will keep you updated in the months to come .

[Kurt]

Pipa pipa are South American!