New here, w/questions

[celticstarb]

Unfortunately, dwarf frogs aren't normally cared for properly at fish stores, so they often don't last long after the stress of the ride home and acclimation to a new tank. I let my dwarfs eat as much as they want then siphon out any uneaten food. I replace the water with aged water, which equals about a 25% water change weekly.

For water changes in a small tank, I prepare the water in 5 gallon buckets with an air stone and small heater. For my large tanks, I use a trash can, heater, and powerhead.

The clawed frogs will eat much more than that. The should be slightly plump after feeding. Slowly add more food every day until you figure out your particular frogs needs. I would think at their current size, they should eat about 2 reptomin sticks each. I use the sinking xenopus pellets which are small, so it's hard for me to estimate reptomin feedings. But if in doubt, it's better to underfeed than overfeed.

The issue with dyed frogs is that they have a tendency of only living a few months as you read. Unfortunately, this is the norm for dyed frogs. If you get them past about 4 months, they will have a better chance of survival. Good tank maintenance and the right food will help them get past this point.

In the QT you can get by with 50% daily water changes. I like to do water changes either before the first daily feeding or after the last feeding.

Just a heads up, aquatic frogs will produce much more wastes than fish will. So larger filters are very helpful. If you are using a power filter on your dwarf tank, make sure to cover the intake with a sponge or panty hose to avoid broken toes and legs.

[eati]

Again, thanks for the info. A curiosity question for you though, how do you get your prepared water back into your big tanks? It makes sense the way you do it, but I can't carry more than a couple of gallons at a time. For my bigger tanks I have a hose I attach to the sink and refill it that way.

The lady I talked to today at the pet store said it seems to be hit or miss with these frogs, and I can see why. Maybe the best bet, if one were to purchase dwarf frogs at such places, is to get them when they first get in.

I lost both frogs mentioned above. In taking them back, it was discovered that the trio I thought I bought at the time the cashier only charged me for one. Did end up getting two more (lively for now) frogs, and they are in a 3-gallon tank right now. I think I'll just see what the bacteria culture I got today does for the ammonia/nitrite levels before setting up another tank I really don't have room for. I don't have much faith in the "bacteria in a bottle" with cycling an aquarium, though. But this store is a locally owned fish store and they know their stuff (NOT the same place I got the frogs).

I do plan on ordering the xenopus pellets, and if the clawed frogs do not make it, may buy from Xenopus Express, maybe X. tropicalis (sp?) ... as this may be the "middle ground" as far as frog size goes, although I love the looks of the wild type and the reticulated albino of X. laevis (sp). But that is possibly for the future. Right now I have enough to take care of.

[eati]

Attempting to add an image ... this is the dwarf frog who has stuffed itself for the last two days ...


My setup for the dwarf frogs:

[celticstarb]

The trash can is on rollers to make moving it easier. I have a piece of vinyl hose I attach to the circulating pump in the trash can. Each tank is marked with a permanent marker so I know how much water to siphon out. The clawed frog tank is at floor level to help keep it cooler, so I just start a siphon from the trash can.

I have another trashcan the same size that is hooked up to the RODI unit, but I only use that for my saltwater tanks. I use dechlorinated tap water for the frogs, as they do better in hard water.

Your tank looks great! Nice job decorating it. Just as a precaution, you will want to cover the filter intake with some pantie hose.

The bacteria cultures are hit and miss. Which one did you get? ATM colony, Doctor Tim's One and Only, and FritzZyme Turbo Start 700 are the ones I would recommend. Others use non aquatic bacteria which will indeed convert the ammonia and nitrites, but will die after a week or so.

The frog in the picture looks good.

[eati]

The bacteria culture is AquaLife Activate. They had a couple of other brands, but don't think they had any you mentioned. I added a dose to each tank on Sunday. Monday's testing revealed ammonia had gone down but the nitrite level was still high, so did 2 30% water changes on each tank and re-dosed the tanks for the water change amount. Tonight's testing revealed about the same levels. Ammonia is around .50 ppm, Nitrite is at least 2 ppm.

Thanks for the compliment on the tank! I will be covering the filter intake soon. As far as the frog goes, she/he is eager to eat ... I wish the others (dwarfs) had it's appetite (clawed frogs would stuff themselves if I let them ... did increase to 2 reptomin pellets each).

[celticstarb]

Try picking up some frozen blood worms for your dwarfs.. They will go crazy for blood worms! I also use live California black worms. Black worms are fairly easy to culture and will stay alive in your tank until the frogs eat them.

The clawed frogs will relish night crawlers. Just cut a worm into 1 inch sections and feed it to your clawed frogs. A varied diet will help them survive to adulthood.

As far as cycling, the bacteria that convert ammonia will establish before the ones that convert nitrites. Unfortunately, the water changes are counterproductive to the tank cycling. In order for the bacteria to establish, they need to eat; and they eat ammonia and nitrites. So seeing some ammonia and nitrites is good for the bacteria, but bad for the frogs. Have you tested for nitrates? If you have nitrates, then you have a partial cycle, and hopefully it shouldn't take too much longer to have the tank fully cycled.

[eati]

Just a quick update as I have to head to work ...

I've been feeding a variety of frozen foods for the last few days to my dwarfs ... picked up a freshwater variety pack [bloodworms, brine shrimp, Feeding Frenzy, Emerald Green]. The one dwarf frog eats anything eagerly. The others, bloodworms seem to be the best but they lose interest after a few worms.

I've not tested water nor changed water for the last couple of days, and lost 2 more dwarf frogs. Honestly, I'm not sure if I will "survive" this (and keep frogs). I will probably test water tonight.