Clawed Frog Bloated

[Felis]

Hi,

I realize that this thread is back to the main topic, but I still want to apologize for my second post here. That was unnecessarily aggresive and I´m not proud of it.

What kind of filter did you purchase? Normally, sand doesn´t cause any problems. Is it possible to put the intake of the filter in a higher position, so that it can´t suck in the sand that easily?

[rodsboys]

I will agree it does look like a ACF.
Moving it to the 5 g can be very easy.

I would start using some water from one of you other tanks to get the 5 Gal
started. It will have some of the bacteria to help get the cycle started.
and if you can get a small sachet of gravel from the same tank you got the water from
that would be great.
Does the 5 G have a filter?

I would also put a small fish in it like a tetra to help get it cycled.
then you can move it to your other tank.

you would move him like you would a fish.

This isn't sound advice, the kind of bacteria that establish the nitrogen cycle are not present in the water column and I would never recommend adding a fish or any other creature to a tank that will already be pushing the limits. This guy is striving hard to improve the condition and life style of his frog so lets not stear him in the wrong direction.

[rodsboys]

Best is a 10% solution of clorox and water. and rinse out with a mixture of over dosed de-chlorinator and tap water.
3X the normal dose for 1 gallon,

and then rinse with plain de Chlorinated water

let sit over night dry and see if you still smell any clorox
if there is any hard water stains a paper towel damped with white vinegar will do the trick
and that will kill just about any bug.

If this filter has been sitting dry for some time a simple rinse will suffice. No know fish diseases can survive total dryout.

[rodsboys]

Hi All,
Thank you for your feedback.
I have put aside about 3/4 of the 5gal tank of water and have an additional gallon set aside seperately that i can add as well. It has been sitting since late last night. I also bought a dechlorinator called Kordon NovAqua Plus Water Conditioner to remove the cloramines. I did not clean the tank with clorox which is my only concern. The fish that was housed in that tank died over a month ago and the tank was dry. Do we think that I should start over with clorox and wait for temp to return to room temperature again or would bacteria be dead already. It was only used for 2 days and no algae grew on it etc.

I did get some white and black sand for that tank instead of the "bite sized" gravel.
I already had the ammonia kit so I bought the Nitrate kit (nitrite kit was not there) and I am going to test the water tonight now that it has been 2 days and see what is happening in there before dumping that water.
I have to get some new filter media before using the filter but the increased water will hopefully help. Just worried he will not like the current since he isnt used to that.
Will keep you posted when I do the tests. He is still active and looking for food today.

Good news and great progress.

[rodsboys]

Well I was on a good track and ran to the store to get a new filter. However, when I put the filter on the tank, of course some sand goes into it and clogs it. Looks like I have to get another filter. Any recommends?

Put a sponge or filter bag over the intake. You can also use a piece of pantyhose to keep from sucking sand up. What filter did you go with?

[Louis Charles Bruckner]

Put a sponge or filter bag over the intake. You can also use a piece of pantyhose to keep from sucking sand up. What filter did you go with?

True that will protect the filter but won't solve the issue.
also what ever you put over the intake will get clogged as well in time.

The problem is the intake tube is too long.
I will bet that there are two segments and the intake guard.

I would take out one of the segments to shorten the intake tube.
So the intake is not so close to the sand.

and if there isn't a way to shorten the intake tube you can adjust the flow on the intake to a lower flow
and would set it to the lowest setting so the moving water doesn't stress out the frog.

[rob2000]

HI All
I got the whisper PF 10 for up to 10 gal so I can switch if needed to a 10 gal.
I haven't seen Frogee eat but I did give up on the small pellets and went for repto min because it is easier for him to see at the top. I put a small piece in last night and I dont see it today so I am hoping that he ate it. He is out and about today but still looks fat. The pet shop (on my second visit) recommended I put the Fluval Edge foam piece over the filter tip. Unfortunately it is at its shortest seting which means I have to cut the intake. I will try it at the longest level with the foam and see if it works without too much trouble, then I will try to cut if that doesnt work. I will try a few things. Tank is at 74degrees right now.
Found some live plants but wanted to do some research first. Some found are argentine sword, aqua fern, amazon sword, kyoto and compacta.. any thoughts on these?
Don't worry Felis, we are all ok now. I think a good lesson was learned for all of us so I am happy that it happend.

[rob2000]

I should also say, thank you all for your help. I am hoping this will really improve frogee's life with me and although we got off to a rough start, I am very happy that I was able to gather some great information.

I will keep updating until bloat decreases (hopefully). I may need some assistance in making sure the tank cycles properly.
I did not rinse his small housing cave on the last change to the 5gal so hopefully some good bacteria hung around.

[Felis]

Hi,

do you know anyone with a healthy, cycled tank? Then you could ask this person to give you some dirt from a matured filter to seed your tank with beneficial bacteria. However, this bacteria are aerobic and die off quickly, so the transport shouldn´t last longer than about one hour. You would still need to test the water in your frog´s new home, but this procedure greatly helps to shorten the cycling.

P.S.: I would recommend very robust plants such as Anubias sp. or Bolbitis heudelotii, and cheap, fast growing species (e.g. Ceratophyllum sp., Egeria sp., Lemna minor, Najas sp. etc. With floating plants, you don´t have problems with your frog displanting them ). Especially fast growing plants help to improve the water quality and provide hiding places for the frog. Thin-leafed plants are easily damaged by the frog´s claws and at least in my tank, they don´t do well. Personally I like Echinodorus very much, but they just don´t really work with my ACFs.

[rodsboys]

True that will protect the filter but won't solve the issue.
also what ever you put over the intake will get clogged as well in time.

The problem is the intake tube is too long.
I will bet that there are two segments and the intake guard.

I would take out one of the segments to shorten the intake tube.
So the intake is not so close to the sand.

and if there isn't a way to shorten the intake tube you can adjust the flow on the intake to a lower flow
and would set it to the lowest setting so the moving water doesn't stress out the frog.

How do you know what filter he has? Not all small tank filters have " tubes", so don' t try to quote and correct me because you don't like that I called you out earlier, and don't send me anymore of you PM's trying to convince me that you are a genius. I don't care what worked for you, and that you have had a couple of freshwater tanks over the last 20 years.
Our advice here needs to be kept to a set of standards that are fool proof, not people's proud opinions based on their so called "success".

[Louis Charles Bruckner]

At least I had the common courtesy to do it privately.

[rob2000]

Aww, lets all take a nice Sunday relaxation breath. Hope the weather is just as nice there as it is here or better!

Anyway, good news is that the foam thing seems to be working. The filter is up and running. Not sure if it is too strong of a current for him or not, he seems to be getting swept away a little and goes to the little silky plants I have in there for protection. I am thinking I might stop at the pet store (yet again) and pick up some more hiding places etc so he can move around some more without getting pushed around.
How active should a clawed frog really be? Usually he just comes to the front for food but now he seems to be moving around more. Is this ok?

[Felis]

Hi,

I bet it just enjoys the room it has now It also has to get used to the new tank. ACFs like to swim; as long as it does take a rest from time to time, it will be just fine.

You can also use simple terracotta pots (new ones without fertilizer residues) for the frog to hide in; you only have to make sure that there are no too-small holes so that the frog can´t get stuck.

[rob2000]

Well that would be great! I think I am going to also pick up an argentine sword or two to help him rest close to the top. For now I have to figure out how to close up the filter so he doesnt escape while I am out.
He is really active right now. I think I am going to be careful of how much food I give him so he doesnt get more bloated from fatness! How often should I feed?

Anyone have experience with those tubed plants at Petco. No one online seems to mention that they could have disease etc. Tube said "no snails". Should I be concerned?

[rob2000]

Anyone have experience with those Petco tubed plants? I did some research online and seems that they arent raised with snails. My main concern would be bacteria/parasites etc obviously.

[Felis]

Hm, about every two to three days is normally a good feeding regime for an adult frog. Yours is very small for its age, but I would try it like this. Just watch it carefully; you will soon find out the right amount.
I´m not sure if it will grow despite of it´s age or if the bloat will reduce (could be a permanent kidney damage amongst other possibilities), but there still is a good chance that it will have a good life with improved environmental conditions. High quality food might help as well.

As we don´t have Petco shops here, I can´t say anything about those plants. But many bacteria/ parasites will die off if you quarantine the plants in a bucket of water (with enough light and daily water changes) for 1-2 weeks before adding them to the tank.

[rob2000]

I bought the Repto min pellets so I will try every 2 days or so for now. His belly seems to be a little red from where the sand is touching him probably because his belly is too big and it is rubbing on the bottom more.. It is only in the spot that would hit the ground more due to bloating so hopefully that is all it is.

[Felis]

I never used Repto min pellets, but after all I´ve read they seem to make a very good staple.
Can you upload a picture from the red belly?

[Louis Charles Bruckner]

Anyone have experience with those Petco tubed plants? I did some research online and seems that they arent raised with snails. My main concern would be bacteria/parasites etc obviously.

I think that Petsmart also caries the same brand of plant.
To be totally honest I haven't had the greatest result as far as plant hardiness.

You might have better luck.
The plants are packaged with a hydro-gell and what looks like fertilizer
small white granules. I don't think they are perlite.
I would rinse the plants very well before planting in the tank.

The three plants in the front of the tank are plants I bought at petsmart (tubes)
and the two were bought at a local trusted pet shop.
At the same time and the plants were roughly the same size. 4 months ago.
The three plants haven't grown much and I started out with 5 (tube plants) and 2 died
so I am not impressed with that brand and way of selling plants.

[rob2000]

mmm interesting. Those two plants look really nice! Im only nervous because a lot of the shops put them in the same tank as other fish.
I do have a localish aquarium that I have had some luck with in Greenwich, CT for fish purchasing and they gave me some good advice with my goldfish tank when I went away on vacay. As long as the tube plants have no history of disease with them I could try it. The disease issue was my main concern.

I will try to get a picture of the red belly when he stands up. It is really just a little pink and I dont see anything on his legs or arms. It is literally just like a little faint pink rash on the lowest part of his belly that would touch the sand. I also added some smooth large rocks to the tank in hopes that it might help him move around a little smoother.