Sick ACF

[jessiep]

Hi,

I really need some help here. I have an albino ACF that I think is sick. She is not eating and not very active. She comes up for air and then just sits at the bottom of the tank. This is not the norm for her. She usually eats all her pellets right when I give them to her and swims around her tank quite actively. This has been going on for the past 4 days.

Visually she appears the same but she is shedding like crazy and is not eating it. It is sticking to the ornaments in her tank instead.

Also, she does not respond when you touch the tank. She was not moving the other day at all even when I touched her. I tapped her gently and she fell off the rock she was standing on to the bottom in an upright position and did not move or react at all. I thought she was dead but then all of a sudden she kicked her legs a few minutes later and swam to another section of the tank.



It has been extremely hot here in NY and although I have AC that I have been running constantly the temperature in my condo has been a steady 80 to 85 degrees. We need to buy a larger AC unit I suspect. Could the heat have something to do with this?



I cleaned the tank and did a water change 2.5 weeks ago. I plan on cleaning the tank and doing a water change today.


If anyone knows what is wrong with her please advise. She has been with me for 6 years and I love her dearly and don't want to lose her.


Thanks everyone in advance,


Jess

[John]

It does sound like a result of the heat to me. The problem is that she may have been stressed by e heat for long enough to get sick with a real disease. I hope that's not the case.

[jessiep]

I went to the pet store and bought a thermometer that goes inside the tank. The water was 80 degrees. I then did a water change with water I had sitting out for a few hours and the temp went down to 78 degrees. It is finally cooling off a bit here as well.

I should not put ice cold water in there right since that would lead to shock? What is the best temp for her and how do you maintain that temp?

[tgampper]

Xenopus laevis are very sensitive to changes in water temperature. Most people keep these frogs at a temperature between 69(F) and 72(F). Lethal temperature >86(F). I kept many Xenopus at room temperature for nearly 30 years without incident.

Water temperature has a profound effect on water quality. For example, dissolved oxygen levels decrease as water temperature increases. Un-ionized ammonia levels increase as water temperature increases.

Abrupt changes in temperature >8(F) are not tolerated and may result in heat shock.

I live in Nebraska and we are experiencing very hot and humid weather. So far my frogs are doing well. You may want add cooler water more often - lowering the temperature by 3-4 degrees each week until the temperature levels out at 72(F). Water chemistry is very important, so you may want to invest in a freshwater test kit. Good luck

[jessiep]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I think it was the heat and water temp.

I managed to get the water temperature down and she is still alive, thank goodness. She is not eating as much as she used to but I have seen her eat. She is also not swimming as actively as she used to but she does move from spot to spot and come up for air. I will be sure to monitor the water temp and chemistry closely and I sure hope she will eventually return to her normal self. Also, we have decided to invest in a higher BTU air conditioner before next summer since we were all pretty miserable during that heat wave. Not only was I concerned about the frogs but I was worried about the cats as well and wetting them down with water as much as they would allow me to.