A few questions

[TwiAly]

Hey all. A friend of mine was given a pair of ACF by her neighbor who was about to be deployed. But he left her with no info or anything really. So she of course turned to me, but I have never had these kind of frogs before so I know nothing. Anyway so I need all the info you guys can give me for her. Right now they are in a 20 gallon tank with not much to it (this is how the guy gave them to her), just water, gravel, a filter, and a light. There are also a couple small goldfish in there, should she get them out? So my big questions are....

Is 20 gal an ok tank size for 2 (they are about 1 1/2 inches big).
What should she feed them?
How often should she feed them?
Is room temp water ok or do they require heating?
What kind of lighting do they need.
Can she keep them with a couple of fish, if so what are safe?
What about water cleaning, how often?

Thanks everyone

[Jenste]

no worries!
We can get you straightened out!


Is 20 gal an ok tank size for 2 (they are about 1 1/2 inches big). perfect! they will be able to live in this size their whole lives.
What should she feed them? Tell her to save herself hassle and go for ReptoMin sticks. They float and are not terribly messy. Can give treats of frozen bloodworm cubes (defrosted prior to feeding) - right now 1 cube would be ideal for the combined feeding, when 3+ inches feed 1 cube per frog. You can also feed earthworms - but buy from a bait store (usually $3 for 24 worms or so) so you do not have to worry if anyone around you uses fertilzers or pesticides! 1 worm cut into bite size pieces each works now, 1-2 worms when larger.
How often should she feed them? They are young now so daily, about 4 sticks each works. By winter tell her to go to 5-6 sticks every other day.
Is room temp water ok or do they require heating? They do not require a heater so long as their tank stays above 60*F in the winter.
What kind of lighting do they need. Her choice. They do not care. They have no eyelids so nothing insanely bright. Standard fish tank light would work. 8-10hours a day, no more is better.
Can she keep them with a couple of fish, if so what are safe? Best not. They work best in species only tank, especially for a novice. They can and WILL eat any fish they can catch, even their own size! Also, a lot of fish are not healthy for them if they do become eaten. Fish = a dirtier tank due to extra things pooing. And fish can and often do take nibbles at the frogs fingers and eyes.
What about water cleaning, how often? Weekly. Use a siphon and a bucket to remove about 25%. Siphon water out from the bottom - this is where the poo is. Use an aquarium tap water conditoner (a big bottle is about $8 and will last forever for a 20 gallon) - dose as instructed for each water change to remove chlorine (burns their skin).
I suggest investing in a filter to help keep the water clean - poo / pee = ammonia & nitrite. Both are very very bad even in small quantities and burn the frogs skin which can lead to illness, underdevelopment and death.