ADF: Lower jaw issues.

[njnolan1]

looks like it might be fungal, id say talk to someone at the pet store and look into getting anti-fungal treatment if they also agree. it would be good to isolate him too while being treated in case something happens and to prevent the spread to others.I had an adf die from a fungal infection and it was so hard to watch. I would also suggest a water change in the main tank and treat that water too to be safe. again double check with someone else but thats exactly what it looks like to me, good luck and i hope your little one does ok

Thanks! Not sure if it's fungal. It hasn't changed at all in the past couple of days. I'm not sure what medicine to use either as I know some fungal treatments are terrible for them. I'll have to do more research.

Thanks! Sorry about your little adf :/

[Felis]

Hi,

that doesn´t look fungal to me. How do you keep the frogs (tank size, filtration, water quality, temp, feeding regime etc.)? Are there any changes in behaviour? Could be normal pigmentation.

[njnolan1]

Hi,

that doesn´t look fungal to me. How do you keep the frogs (tank size, filtration, water quality, temp, feeding regime etc.)? Are there any changes in behaviour? Could be normal pigmentation.

Seeing how it hasn't progressed at all in the past few days I'm thinking it has to do with rubbing its face on the plastic. They were going nuts for a week and I couldn't figure it out. Until I realized they calm right down when I turn the over head lights off.

I was using salt too but I've read that will kill plants so I stopped with salt. I've added melafix because it's supposed to help with injuries, which is what I've concluded this to be (for now, unless it regresses to something worse) but who knows if it actually does anything.

The tank is small, I got them as a gift about a year ago in a medium KK. They did totally fine in there. I cleaned the water once a week. In my ignorance I decided to add fish too. Well, the fish don't do as well with fluctuating water conditions so I bought a 2.5 gallon betta bow. It has live plants (3 anubias nana, one moss ball) and a prefilter. No heater as of right now. I live in NC and the temperature in the water hasn't dropped below 72, it's usually around 74. In the warmer months (which are quickly approaching) the temperature is close to 78-80 F. I will get a heater for next winter but I've had trouble finding one with a thermostat for such a small tank. I do want to try Marina's small heater though. It's preset to 78.

I feed them usually every third day unless they look skinny then I'll do it every other day. I feed them Hikari brine shrimp and blood worms. I don't use pellets because they fall apart, the frogs barely eat any of it and then the water gets disgusting. With the exception of the last water test the water has been testing wonderfully. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and <10 nitrates. I use a combination of prime and stress zyme for weekly 20% water changes. The last test showed a small amount of ammonia but I figured out what I was doing wrong. Over feeding the little fish I have in there. I assumed the frogs were eating the leftover food but when I did a gravel vac (which I do every water change) there was a ton of debri in the gravel. Yes, I have fish in there too. Three Endler guppies. Three frogs and three endler guppies in a 2.5 gallon tank. May God strike me down for animal cruelty... (that's for you pet care hero's out there :P ).

I do plan on upgrading eventually but I don't have the money or room right now for a larger tank. Plus I'm afraid the move may end up killing my fish do to the stress. They're happy as clams. I didn't know livebearers school but these guys are almost always together!

Thanks!

[Felis]

Hi,

ok, most of the products you´re using aren´t available in Europe, so I don´t have own experiences. Generally, it´s always better to first fix the environmental conditions than to add any "cures" to the water. Melafix is based on tea tree oil, isn´t it? I think that might rather irritate the frogs´skin than to do anything good. The test results are fine as long as you get the ammonia problem under control (both ammonia and nitrites are also highly toxic to frogs, so you aim for zero readings).
Hymenochirus is a tropical genus, so adding a small heater to prevent temperature swings is a good idea. A small sponge filter (low current) will help to maintain a good water quality. Changing about 25% of the water weekly is a good practice, altough in very small tanks, bigger changes might be necessary.
As for the food: wet frozen or live food is preferable over dry foods. You could try to offer more variety as well, eg black mosquito larvae, glassworms, artemia, tubifex, chopped earthworms (very healthy!), Daphnia, Cyclops). Every two or three days is fine as long as the frogs don´t get skinny (as you already know).
ADFs do best in species-only tanks, but if you´re able to upgrade the tank (at least 5 gallons, better 10), the frogs probably will get along with the Endlers as long as they get enough food.
You seem to be very concerned about your pets, so don´t blame yourself. I have to admit that it´s strange for me to read about vertebrates being kept in tanks that small (would be forbidden in Germany), but it seems to be really hard to distinguish "good" from "bad" information on tank size and maintainance in America (and I don´t want to offend someone).

Good luck,
Julia

[Miss Blue]

if it hasnt changed in the last few days then youre right, it prob isnt fungal,when my little guy succummed to his agressive fungal infection it was pretty obvious and there was definite progression over time. he may have just injured himself especially if the tank is small, just my opinion but yes def do your research and i would even ask someone at a pet store which i have done in the past as they may also have some input. regardless i wish you luck!

[njnolan1]

Thanks! I really wish I could upgrade to a bigger tank.

[njnolan1]

Thanks for the help and tips. So what's the minimum tank size in Germany for fish or frogs?

[mpmistr]

I always advise friends who get fish tanks to always start with 20 gallons minimum or don't bother. There's just very very few species that can thrive in anything less. I don't get why people get fish bowls and 2.5 gallon tanks they're just not adequate for any species in the hobby...