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Thread: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

  1. #1
    lbecktell
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    Question New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Hi there!

    I am the proud caretaker of a 1 year old male ACF named Michigan J. Frog. He came to me from Grow-a-frog and I used to keep him in one of their provided enclosures until I knew better. From some reading on the internet, I quickly upgraded Michigan to a 20 gallon tank. For about 8 months, he lived in the tank without a filter and I performed frequent, near-100% water changes because his tank would become so filthy. The bottom of his tank was bare. I finally saved up enough money to upgrade his tank, and this is what he has now as of last night...

    -20 gallon tank
    -large river rock substrate (between 1"-1.5")
    -piece of mopani driftwood
    -Various anubias species
    -Fluval 306 canister filter
    -A mug and an open "clamshell" to hide in and under

    Now for my questions--please bear with my lack of experience, I don't have a good aquarium store catering to amphibian owners nearby, and I just want to do right by my little friend--I bow to your expertise and your advice.

    Since yesterday, I noticed he is much darker in color than he typically is. Is this normal?

    He's also hanging out at the bottom of his tank a lot more than usual. Usually he hangs right near the top. Should I be worried?

    I am having trouble dropping his food nuggets in such a way that he can reach them or grab them. They mostly fall between the rocks and I am concerned he won't be able to get any, ever. He previously would use his little hands to scoop them up from the tank base when they fell in front of him. He is kind of a shy guy and never really took to swimming up to meet me for food. I am concerned he is not getting enough nutrition and I really didn't stop to think this might be a problem with this substrate..

    Finally, the 306 is working great and it's very quiet, but will it generate too much motion in the water for him? Should I get a spray bar?


    Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post!

    Lili B

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  3. #2
    lbecktell
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Anyone?

  4. #3
    Doug
    Guest

    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Quote Originally Posted by lbecktell View Post
    Anyone?
    Xenopus do change color, darker is generally a better sign than lighter. Lighter can mean the frog is sick-- sometimes. Sink a large, wide clay saucer into the gravel to put food. This is the best method to feed xenopus and hymenochirus in my experience. I wouldn't worry about the frog spending more time on the bottom. Sometimes a sick frog will spend MORE time near the top too, but it depends.

    One last thing: clawed frogs should be kept 76 degrees or below. Too warm of water can make xenopus more susceptible to bacterial infection.

    Xenopus were my first frogs I ever kept but from experience, they are more susceptible to bacterial infections because they are touchy about water temperature and quality.

  5. #4
    lbecktell
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Quote Originally Posted by Doug View Post
    Xenopus do change color, darker is generally a better sign than lighter. Lighter can mean the frog is sick-- sometimes. Sink a large, wide clay saucer into the gravel to put food. This is the best method to feed xenopus and hymenochirus in my experience. I wouldn't worry about the frog spending more time on the bottom. Sometimes a sick frog will spend MORE time near the top too, but it depends.

    One last thing: clawed frogs should be kept 76 degrees or below. Too warm of water can make xenopus more susceptible to bacterial infection.

    Xenopus were my first frogs I ever kept but from experience, they are more susceptible to bacterial infections because they are touchy about water temperature and quality.

    Thank you so much!!!

    I purchased two terra-cotta dishes for him. And recently went onto xenopus.com and purchased some sinking frog food which he may enjoy more than his grow-a-frog food, as well as some earthworm pellets and freeze-dried bloodworms.

    Should I be adding a preventative anti-bacterial enzyme (like Lymnozyme) to his water to ward off any infection?

  6. #5
    Doug
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Quote Originally Posted by lbecktell View Post
    Thank you so much!!!

    I purchased two terra-cotta dishes for him. And recently went onto xenopus.com and purchased some sinking frog food which he may enjoy more than his grow-a-frog food, as well as some earthworm pellets and freeze-dried bloodworms.

    Should I be adding a preventative anti-bacterial enzyme (like Lymnozyme) to his water to ward off any infection?
    I wouldn't do that. Bacteria are notorious for developing resistance to antibiotics. Just make sure to watch the temperature in the summer time. I don't recommend freeze dried bloodworms to pipid frogs. There have been reports of dwarf frogs getting bacterial infections / bloating from freeze dried worms. Use frozen worms that you can thaw in a cup.

    Use sinking frog food as the staple, and supplement with crickets, worms, and pieces of lean beef, chicken or fish. Gelatin based food works well too, but it can be messy. I used to feed Silurana tropicalis a gelatin based food that I made myself.

    If you plan to get more types of frogs-- something that many new frog keepers are unaware of-- always keep anything that comes in contact with Xenopus separate. Xenopus are carriers of chytrid which is lethal to many other frogs including dwarf frogs.

  7. #6
    CJP32
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Sounds like a nice upgrade for your frog. I'm pretty new to keeping them but I can say I had river rock in the tank when they were small. It was nearly impossible to clean without removing or moving it around quite a bit. Now I have natural play sand and it's much easier to maintain. Looks nice too.

  8. #7
    lbecktell
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    I wish I'd talked to you guys before upgrading! He loves the river rock but again, hard to keep clean. Would getting some shrimps help a bit? And maybe a battery powered gravel vacuum?

  9. #8
    Moderator Mentat's Avatar
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Hello and welcome to FF! The easiest way to keep tank bottom clean with pebbles is to... remove the pebbles . Myself recommend for all aquatic frogs a bare bottom. You can use sugar sized sand; but that adds other issues as most gravel cleaners will suck it up. Also, if filters can suck it, it will clog pads and can damage impellers.

    Not dyed night crawlers (Walmart or a local bait shop) are the best food you can give a large aquatic frog. Hope this helps and good luck !
    Remember to take care of the enclosure and it will take care of your frog !​

  10. #9
    lbecktell
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Thank you for the reply!!! I did post another thread, but was wondering if you could offer some tips for me on water maintenance. I saw on one site someone does 30% water changes weekly. Another site says 75% often. Would like to know what is "right"and how to know when it's time for a water change. Water is SUPER clear right now but there is minor detritus on the tank.

    I'll pick up some nightcrawlers for him tonight after class!!!

    My Fluval 306 is rated for a 70 gal tank and i have a little clear area around the intake where rocks cannot get in. It is also frog safe...he swims around and under it all the time and is not the least bit sucked towards it. I'm going to update this thread later tonight with pics of his beautiful tank so you can all see and tell me if I need to rearrange!

    Also...any recommendations on good books on care to purchase?

  11. #10
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    First you have to let filter cycle properly which takes around 4 weeks unless you use one of the available products like Seachem Stability which reduce time in half. During that time you should do 25% water change weekly. If you do not have test kits; take water sample in plastic bag to local pet shop; most will test for free. When both ammonia and nitrites hit 0; your filter is cycled.

    Get yourself a freshwater nitrate test kit (liquid, not strips). Test water, write down results, and do 25% water change. Wait a week and test water again. You want Nitrates no higher than 25 ppm or so. If higher; increase either the volume or frequency of water changes. If lower; then you can reduce the volume being changes in like 5% increments. Once you get it in ballpark it's easy to repeat. If frog is growing, would check at least once a month until full grown. Hope this helps and good luck !
    Remember to take care of the enclosure and it will take care of your frog !​

  12. #11
    lbecktell
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Wow, thanks! This is great advice. Ordering a test kit on Amazon right now. Incidentally, I just ordered 6 red cherry shrimp, too. This is fun!

    Michigan J. Frog update: he seems SO HAPPY in his new digs. He swims around so much, exploring under leaves and wood, and now swims up to greet my hand when it comes in to feed him. He never did that before and I am so happy! Seems like he is having a blast!

  13. #12
    CJP32
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Most likely the shrimp will become frog food so you may want to go with glass/ghost shrimp in the future. They are cheap and safe for frogs to eat. They will also clean up the tank a bit too.

  14. #13
    lbecktell
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    Hey all, here's a picture of the enclosure so you can see. Please forgive all the reflections...

    As an aside, is Michigan too thin? He is ~1 year old. He doesn't eat a huge amount but everyone here seems to have fat frogs, and mine seems a little thin in comparison!Name:  1011140946.jpg
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  15. #14
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    Default Re: New to ACF ownership...Recently upgraded my frog's tank and have some Q's.

    He doesn't look too thin.

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