How do we keep our frogs?

[celticstarb]

Thanks. This is a great way to show how people can use different techniques and still keep healthy happy frogs.

I have never tried leaf litter since hard water gives better breeding results, and my tap water is very hard. But I have heard others use it and have similar results with their breeding. I am using leaf litter for my Pipa pipa, but just to give them a since of security (plus it's fun to play "Where's Waldo" with them since they blend in so well, and look like a leaf.)

[mpmistr]

I've never had any luck with breeding, my male sings now and then but nothing seems to come of it.

[celticstarb]

If you feel like trying to breed them, there are a few things that can help induce breeding behaviors. Try dropping their water level by 1/3 for a few weeks, then fill their water back to it's original level with 78 degree water. Keep the water at that temp for a week and increase feeding. This is reverse of normal pipid breeding. But if you look at the African climate, their rainy season is actually during the warmer months. I have had luck with lowering the temp, but it isn't as successful as raising the temp.

[Geoff]

I've never had any luck with breeding, my male sings now and then but nothing seems to come of it.

I've posted this information before but it may be helpful to do so again.

I had two pairs of young frogs which, on reaching sexual maturity after approximately a year, produced eggs. For the next 7 years they remained healthy and went into amplexus but there were no more eggs. During those 7 years I kept them in a lavishly planted natural-looking tank which, although pleasing on the eye, did not provide any significant changes in environmental conditions in terms of lighting (10 hours a day - controlled by a time switch) or water temperature, which was roughly in the 68°F to 70°F range. Their tank was in a north-facing room and never received any direct sunlight.

Eventually, I decided to move things around and transferred the frogs to another tank, which was sparsely furnished with plastic plants, no substrate or artificial lighting, a few short pieces of upturned plastic guttering to provide shelter, a basic air-powered box filter and a sliding glass lid. This tank was situated in a south-facing room, which received direct sunlight (when it was sunny) for a large part of the day, although the tank itself did not. However, the room had a fluctuating temperature range. In winter, there was no heating on in the daytime when I was at work. In summer it got fairly hot (most homes in the UK don't have AC), which meant that the tank's water temperature gradually fell and rose accordingly from the low 60°sF to the upper 70°sF range.

The result was that the frogs started producing eggs again during the first summer of being in the new tank. They did it again the following spring and, even after the males had passed away, there was at least one female who expelled unfertilised eggs in April of one year. Unfortunately, I didn't keep detailed records.

The experience was unexpected and an unintended consequence of relocating the frogs. The main lesson I learnt from it is that what we may perceive as a "natural" tank can sometimes amount to little more than a pleasing visual effect to satisfy our own aesthetic requirements rather than a true replica the frogs' natural conditions.

[celticstarb]

That is great information. And, I agree with it 100%. When breeding, I put my frogs into a DIY rack system that is bare bottom with a piece of PVC cut in half to form a cave. These are the only frog tanks that have a heater. That is all they have for "decoration." My rack system is in the warmest room in the house, and the lights are on a timer and the rack receives more light than the display tanks. The display tanks I keep my frogs in when not breeding are in our living areas, and the lights are on when we require light, not based on the frogs requirements (I do keep a small led light on each tank that is on a timer jut to make transitioning to indirect lighting when we turn on lights.) I almost never have eggs in the DT.

What I find most interesting is that temperature variations, either up or down, can trigger spawning. Most aquatic amphibians require a temperature drop to breed, but clawed frogs will breed with a temp increase. In fact, I have had better luck with an increase.

[Geoff]

What I find most interesting is that temperature variations, either up or down, can trigger spawning. Most aquatic amphibians require a temperature drop to breed, but clawed frogs will breed with a temp increase. In fact, I have had better luck with an increase.

It's not so surprising really. You have to bear in mind that most species of Xenopus don't originate from tropical regions of Africa but from regions that have more of a Mediterranean zone climate, similar to parts of California, with a seasonal variation of dry, hot summers and mild but cool and wet winters.

The description I gave above of my own experience of breeding them strongly suggests that what stimulated them to breed was the seasonal fluctuation in ambient air temperature and hours of daylight, which were more or less natural and not controlled. Hence, the onset of spring, with warmer temperatures and increasing hours of daylight, created the right conditions to trigger egg laying.

[spotfin]

I keep 6 laevis in a 40 breeder tank; 1 male albino, 2 female albino, 1 male pigmented, and 2 female pigmented. The tank is filtered with an Aquaclear 50 hob filter. I perform two 20% water changes a week. Temp is around 70 F in the cooler months, and mid-70s in the summer. Decor is sand substrate with a few drift wood pieces, some rooted plants (which usually get dug up), and floating hornwort. There are also several pothos vines on top of the tank with roots in the tank.
I feed them a menu of red worms, shrimp, krill, squid, scallops, silversides, tilapia, and Reptomin sticks. No set feeding schedule, will feed them heavy and then skip a couple of days before their next meal.

[celticstarb]

I like the varied diet you give them. I believe a good varied diet is great for long term health. And a 40 breeder is great for a large volume and footprint!