African clawed frog stuff (aka I have no idea what I’m doing)

[BossFrog]

Hi there!
Glad to know that you care about your frogs.
Yes, those are probably African clawed frogs. About how big are they?
The smaller one is probably a male, but you should be sure he eats just to make sure the big one isn’t just mean.

I used to have a pair one female one male, and the male was 2in and the female was about 3. They were only one year old when they passed under circumstances out of my control, so I don’t know their exact adult size. The females do grow bigger than the males but I don’t know if they stop growing or not. However, I have seen some pictures of ones that appear to be as big as 5in. As for age, the oldest one I’ve heard of was about 10 but even that was very very old. Yes they will probably grow more when their setup and feeding is better.

Yes, a 29 gallon is awesome!! However, you will want to only fill it up to about 9 or 10 inches max. They like shallow water.

Yes, you can give them pellets. That’s what I fed mine. They do like freeze dried bugs and will also occasionally eat live. Hand feeding or tweezers or forceps is fine as long as the tweezers/forceps have rounded ends so as not to injure the frogs.

I used a sponge filter for awhile, but either the filter was just not good quality (which is entirely possible) or sponge filters are just not great for this species - either way, it couldn’t handle the frogs’ waste very well. However sponge filters are pretty quiet and frogs like quiet filters because too much noise and vibration gives them a sensory overload and causes stress. So if you get a sponge filter that is marked capable of cleaning the next size up - i.e. 40g - you should be fine.
An air pump just puts bubbles into the water - you’re not stupid at all! They don’t need an air pump. In fact, too much oxygen in the water can harm these frogs - air pump not recommended.
As for the filter, just rinse it out really good in the dirty tank water before you dispose of it. I would clean/replace the filter about every 1 to 2 months. These frogs make a lot of waste. The question on whether you should just clean or entirely replace the filter material depends on what filter you get.

I used sand and they were just fine - these frogs like some sort of substrate to rest on. However I would not use any type of gravel at all. It is amazing how whatever size of gravel you get, they Will try to eat it and most likely choke or otherwise harm themselves. Sand is much better.

Great job!

[Camerooni]

Hi, thanks! I think they’re both males, the smaller one is maybe 2 inches or so? While the bigger one is maybe around 2.5-3 inches? (I am terrible at eyeballing measurements and I’m not at home at the moment so this is going off memory haha)

I have some freeze dried mealworms that I give to my sugar gliders- could I give my frogs some? (Until I can get other types of bugs/brine shrimp/pellets and whatnot)

Okay, so no gravel. Cool. Can I put in not gravel, but bigger rocks that they wouldn’t be able to swallow? I have some at my house that I can make aquarium safe and they are relatively smooth. And those ones you can buy, they call them like river rocks or something?
If I put sand in the tank, what kind should it be? Just normal children’s play sand or pet specific sand? ( if that even exists lol)
OH and do they need a heater? I’ve heard some places say they do and some say they don’t. I plan on getting a thermometer to make sure it doesn’t get too hot or too cold.
And for the nitrogen cycle/water stuff: I’m hoping to get my frogs into their new home as soon as possible so they don’t have to live in something smaller than a milk carton for much longer. When I have all the stuff, can I use that quick-start stuff? Where it doesn’t really cycle the tank, but it makes it safe for things to live in there before it’s fully cycled?
I’m thinking of putting in some live plants as well, some of those Marimo moss things and frogbit (heard that one thrown around) and some other plants. Or I might just go with all silk plants lol.
Also, I have my tank, I need to buy a lid for it. Can I use a screen tank or should k get something like one of those good things? If the tank is completely sealed can they still breathe?
And, for when I move the frogs in, can I just put them in there or do I need to acclimate them for a few minutes first?
Thank you so much for all your help, have a nice day

[BossFrog]

Cool, they’re probably both males then.

Yes, mealworms are good for treats. Wouldn’t feed em full time but froggies love them.

As long as the rocks are same size/bigger than the frogs bodies, you should be good. It’s amazing what these froggos will try to consume.

Yes, heater and thermometer are a good idea.

I’ve never actually heard of the quick-start stuff, so I’m not sure about it. If it’s specifically for frogs and seems to be legit you could try it, but I dunno

Plants are a good idea as long as they’re frog safe as the frogs will eat anything lol.

A screen top is fine, they do need a lot of ventilation.

Acclimating them for a few minutes is a good idea.

No problem! Always happy to help. You have a nice day too

[tgampper]

Hi and welcome to Frog Forum!
Looks like BossFrog has given you a lot of great information on becoming a successful ACF keeper. I been keeping ACFs for over 30 years and like to add some additional information. Water temperature is critical, keep it between 70-72 degrees (F). Higher temperatures cause unnecessary stress.

Females can grow 4-5 inches and when sexually mature have a swollen cloaca. Males, about 2-3 inches and when mature have rough, black patches on their "fingers". I have had a couple of pair of ACFs live about 20 years, so you may have them around for a long time. I feed my ACFs a prepared food, like Repto-Min, with occasional nightcrawler.

A screen top is necessary to keep the frogs from jumping out. They are quite tough and will survive being out of the water for quite some time. They are very slimy and hard to handle. I use a large plastic cup to take them out of the water. A net is risky because their claws can be tangled up in the net. It's best not to handle the frogs with bare hands. The heat from your body will break down their slime coat, which protects them from disease and injury.

Both males and females vocalize, the calls are different and if you are lucky enough to have a pair, you may hear an interesting duet. Good luck with your frogs! They are very interesting to watch especially if you have a small colony.

[Camerooni]

Hello! Wow, I am so sorry for the delay! I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and happy new year to everyone! Thank you both so much for you help I’m still waiting for my filter to arrive in the mail but I have everything else ( a plant, a piece of driftwood, tank, Heater).
Unfourtanately, one of my frogs has died. I have no idea what happened, and the other one seems to be fine. I got some terra cotta pots for them to hide in and I put one it the tank and the water was cloudy right after a change, so I think maybe there was some sort of glaze on the pot? (Even though it said there wasn’t any...) I’m considering just moving my frog into the other tank right now so I can get him out of the other one and all that. There’s some things floating in the water and these bubbles too? Idk what that’s from. It was the smaller frog that died and he seemed fine. I had to go over to my moms house for a few days and leave then alone ( since my dad doesn’t take care of them as far as I know) and I came back to that. I suspect he was dead for several days becuase my entire room smelled disgusting and the water is gross so... I don’t know. Sorry if I’m rambling, thank you for your help, have a nice day