New to African Dwarf Frogs - a few questions...

[kmarie365]

Hello! A woman I know bought a little tiny tank with an ADF, bamboo, and rock for her daughter. The frog wouldn't stop it's mating call and so the girl didn't want the frog anymore. I gladly adopted it. Poor little guy looked miserable, so I did a little research on getting him some friends. Long story short, last weekend we purchased two more ADFs, a 5.5 gallon tank kit, and some frozen blood worms. They all seem to be getting along swimmingly. The original male and one of the new frogs wont stop mating. My kids think its hilarious. There is a filter off the back, no heater but it is 75 degrees - will probably get one as the weather gets colder. We treated the water for chlorine when we set up the tank. Here are my questions: FOOD: I cannot find a definitive answer on the feeding question. One place says feed them bloodworms daily, another says give them two pellets each twice a week. So how much for 3 frogs? If frozen bloodworms, is 1/2 a cube a few times a week enough or two much? Is there something a little less messy I can and should give them on other days? We are leaving town for 12 days and will have someone helping us feed the frogs in a few weeks and I want to be sure I have clear instructions for them. Also, Petco sold me shrimp pellets, but sounds like this is not good? They said tadpole bites were not good? I am so confused! Second question: WATER: one thing I read was that the water will cloud and clear a couple times as the bacteria sets up and not to mess with the water in the mean time. Something else I read said to change the water frequently. Which is best for a little tank with a new set up? The water is relatively clear and a bit hazy from time to time. My main concern is that there is a bit of a clear film on top of the water. Also, they dechlorinator I bought has measurements for 5 gallon and 10 gallon usage. If I am replacing 1-2 gallons, do I need to be really careful with the measurement of that stuff? I assume I need to treat all water going in? Thank you for any advice! I'm getting really attached to these little guys already and don't want them to get sick!!

[Mentat]

Hello and welcome to FF! I know few members here that use frog/tadpole pellets with their ADF as part of their diet. You can also feed small worms like black worms, small 1/4 in. crickets, large fruit flies, etc. Feed them enough food they will eat in one seating daily, do not overfeed since leftover food will reduce water quality.

In a tank without a filter (or with un-cycled filter) recommend 50% water change daily. If you do not have a filter, recommend a small foam sponge aquarium filter (Lee's and others make them) powered by a small aquarium pump. Do not get a power filter, ADFs do not like water movement and can actually drown in the presence of strong currents. Once filter is cycled (around a month) you can reduce water changes to 50% once a week.

For measuring the dechlorinator try to get a CC graduated eyedropper (got mine in the Seachem Prime bottle and holds 1 CC) or a graduated test tube (usually 10 CC's). A teaspoon has 5 CC's so it's easy to convert and measure the right amount. Good luck !

[kmarie365]

Thank you for the advice! Very helpful. I do have a filter that came with it- it seems to be weak enough they don't mind it at all.

[MitraC]

Bringing in new dwarf frogs can be risky due to the Chytrid fungus (symptoms will only show up 2-3 months after coming into contact. This is the only reason I have not bought any more african dwarf frogs to add to my established tank. In the next couple of weeks/months keep an eye out for some of the symptoms so you can treat it if necessary (very difficult to treat). Heres a very informative site regarding Chytrid Read this first! - a dwarf African frog site

I alternate between frozen (thawed) blood worms and brine shrimp via a turkey baster dangling it in front of their face. It is very difficult to master this, so it may not be the best method for your pet-sitters. Setting up a small plate and putting food there every time will make daily feeding a lot less frustrating. You can feed sinking tadpole/frog pellets to your ADF's. The difficult thing with these is getting the frogs to eat them, some frogs will eat these pellets and some won't.

As for your water, testing for ammonia/nitrite makes it easier and will help alleviate the worrying of water quality. Dwarf frogs are very sensitive to poor water conditions during the cycling process. I've never had a dwarf frog in an un-cycled tank but I'd say do partial water changes, 30-50% every 1-2 days for the next couple of weeks until ammonia and nitrite read 0 and nitrates are present.