Adding African dwarf frogs to my betta tank?

HI all! I have always wanted to add ADF to my tank, but I have a few questions to ask to know if I should get some or not.




Here’s a bit of info about my tank:

-Size: 10 gallon
-Filtered: yes, DIY sponge filter
-Cycled: yes
-Parameters: 0|0|10
-Heated: yes
-Temp: 79°
-pH: 6.8
Substrate: natural-colored gravel, considering mixing with white sand to make a more natural effect
-plants: huge amazon sword, water wisteria, anubias barteri, moss ball, duckweed, pothos
-fertilizer: Thrive
-stocking: healthy, friendly betta that doesn’t bother the snails at all, and a bunch of baby mystery snails that get readily moved to my brother’s tank when they grow. The ones I have right now are about dime sized and are about to move out.

So, I was just wondering what the compatability with the frogs my tank has and if there would be anything about it that needed to change. It is heavily planted from the middle section up, but there is a lot of space on the bottom that is very open. That being said, there are tons of resting spots all throughout the tank. I also already have and regularly feed frozen blood worms but I’m unsure of what else they eat to have a balanced diet, so really any info helps!

Thank you!

 

HI all! I have always wanted to add ADF to my tank, but I have a few questions to ask to know if I should get some or not.

View attachment 629046

Here’s a bit of info about my tank:

-Size: 10 gallon
-Filtered: yes, DIY sponge filter
-Cycled: yes
-Parameters: 0|0|10
-Heated: yes
-Temp: 79°
-pH: 6.8
Substrate: natural-colored gravel, considering mixing with white sand to make a more natural effect
-plants: huge amazon sword, water wisteria, anubias barteri, moss ball, duckweed, pothos
-fertilizer: Thrive
-stocking: healthy, friendly betta that doesn’t bother the snails at all, and a bunch of baby mystery snails that get readily moved to my brother’s tank when they grow. The ones I have right now are about dime sized and are about to move out.

So, I was just wondering what the compatability with the frogs my tank has and if there would be anything about it that needed to change. It is heavily planted from the middle section up, but there is a lot of space on the bottom that is very open. That being said, there are tons of resting spots all throughout the tank. I also already have and regularly feed frozen blood worms but I’m unsure of what else they eat to have a balanced diet, so really any info helps!

Thank you!

Yes, get the little guys!! I have two ADF/betta/cory/neon tetra tanks. One 10 gallon with 3 one inch female bettas (no aggression issues), and the other 20 gallon long, with an adult male. The ADFs make me laugh! I feed mine either frog pellets, or New Life Spectrum sinking pellets. I've also noticed they seem to prefer HikarI Sinking wafers and HikarI Carnivore wafers as well as shrimp pellets. They nibble on them as they dissolve.

Only once did my ADFs go after another fish (female betta in this case). It was the day I bought and placed the frogs in the tank. They were so tiny, so pale and sooooo underfed. I immediately moved the female to safety. I've since put her back in the same tank, with the same frogs and they haven't bothered her because they're well fed and loved!

 

Keeping ADFs in a community tank is difficult, please keep that in mind when considering it. It is not impossible, but it goes wrong often (usually ending in the death of the frog) and people who start with the set-up also often get tired of the effort it takes and put their frogs in a tank of their own after a few months anyhow.

Make sure your tank has both hides and surface cover. A cave that the fish cannot get into is perfect (like a piece of driftwood they can crawl under) and floating plants work best for surface cover. In this way, both the betta and the frogs will feel at home and have spaces to hide from each other - meaning you'll probably also get to see more of them. Your tank set-up looks like it already has all of these ingredients, so that helps.
Keep a close eye on the tank in the first week. The fact that your betta doesn't find snails threatening doesn't say much, the frogs fully grown are as large or larger than the betta, can move quickly and can snap at your betta. If the betta has long-flowing fins, I would really not recommend it as odds are the frogs may take some bites out of those. If you see chunks missing or large tears appearing in his fins, separate them immediately. This is also a reason why male long-finned bettas are a particularly questionable match for frogs.
The most challenging aspect of this set-up is mealtime. The danger is an outcome where the betta ends up obese from eating all the food and the frogs starve, because bettas (and any fish, really) are much faster at scanning for and eating the food than the frogs. The easiest way around this is to either hand-feed the frogs with thongs or pliers, or to establish one spot in the tank where you always deposit their sinking food, then feed the betta floating food at the same time in a different corner. Tap the glass before putting the food in. After a short while the frogs will catch on that tapping means their is food in their usual spot. A third solution is to keep a floating cup for your betta, net him during mealtime and feed him in the cup. Put the frog food in the tank and leave the betta in its cup until the frogs have finished all of the food in the tank.

As for food -- any kind of insect-based food (like bug bites) will be suitable for your frogs. Pretty much any frozen or live food works too - like white mosquito larvae (they love these a lot), bloodworms indeed, brine shrimp, etc. Mine have never really taken to frozen tubifex, carnivore pellets (like those meant for bettas) whether sinking or floating, or small floating freeze-dried foods like daphnia.
When feeding them freeze-dried food, keep in mind these are less nutritious than frozen or live foods, they need to be soaked before feeding (or can cause bloat/constipation) and a diet of purely bloodworms is a bad idea as these contain too much fat and protein. Mix them up with other freeze-dried or frozen food, and try to feed frozen or even live foods at least once in a while. It's good for their health

 

I didn't read carefully so didn't notice you have Mystery snails. The ADFs might go after them, ..... that's I've heard anyway. I was worried about how to feed them, so that the betta(s) or cories wouldn't steal their foot, thus causing lots of problems. I set up feeding stations that no one else can get into and made sure they're safe for all concerned.

 

Yes, get the little guys!! I have two ADF/betta/cory/neon tetra tanks. One 10 gallon with 3 one inch female bettas (no aggression issues), and the other 20 gallon long, with an adult male. The ADFs make me laugh! I feed mine either frog pellets, or New Life Spectrum sinking pellets. I've also noticed they seem to prefer HikarI Sinking wafers and HikarI Carnivore wafers as well as shrimp pellets. They nibble on them as they dissolve.

Only once did my ADFs go after another fish (female betta in this case). It was the day I bought and placed the frogs in the tank. They were so tiny, so pale and sooooo underfed. I immediately moved the female to safety. I've since put her back in the same tank, with the same frogs and they haven't bothered her because they're well fed and loved!

Thank you for the helpful info!! When you say frog pellets, what specific brand are you referring to/what would you recommend? I already have shrimp pellets and algae wafers for my snails, as well as bloodworms and veggies (although I’m assuming the ADFs don’t eat blanched spinach)

How do you set up each feeding station so that everyone’s is happy? When feeding my snails I just sprinkle it all around the tank so no one is left out, I feel like the frogs and snails could just share the big meals lol. My betta has learned that anything that sinks (besides bloodworms) is not for him so he won’t go after any of it.

Keeping ADFs in a community tank is difficult, please keep that in mind when considering it. It is not impossible, but it goes wrong often (usually ending in the death of the frog) and people who start with the set-up also often get tired of the effort it takes and put their frogs in a tank of their own after a few months anyhow.

Make sure your tank has both hides and surface cover. A cave that the fish cannot get into is perfect (like a piece of driftwood they can crawl under) and floating plants work best for surface cover. In this way, both the betta and the frogs will feel at home and have spaces to hide from each other - meaning you'll probably also get to see more of them. Your tank set-up looks like it already has all of these ingredients, so that helps.
Keep a close eye on the tank in the first week. The fact that your betta doesn't find snails threatening doesn't say much, the frogs fully grown are as large or larger than the betta, can move quickly and can snap at your betta. If the betta has long-flowing fins, I would really not recommend it as odds are the frogs may take some bites out of those. If you see chunks missing or large tears appearing in his fins, separate them immediately. This is also a reason why male long-finned bettas are a particularly questionable match for frogs.
The most challenging aspect of this set-up is mealtime. The danger is an outcome where the betta ends up obese from eating all the food and the frogs starve, because bettas (and any fish, really) are much faster at scanning for and eating the food than the frogs. The easiest way around this is to either hand-feed the frogs with thongs or pliers, or to establish one spot in the tank where you always deposit their sinking food, then feed the betta floating food at the same time in a different corner. Tap the glass before putting the food in. After a short while the frogs will catch on that tapping means their is food in their usual spot. A third solution is to keep a floating cup for your betta, net him during mealtime and feed him in the cup. Put the frog food in the tank and leave the betta in its cup until the frogs have finished all of the food in the tank.

As for food -- any kind of insect-based food (like bug bites) will be suitable for your frogs. Pretty much any frozen or live food works too - like white mosquito larvae (they love these a lot), bloodworms indeed, brine shrimp, etc. Mine have never really taken to frozen tubifex, carnivore pellets (like those meant for bettas) whether sinking or floating, or small floating freeze-dried foods like daphnia.
When feeding them freeze-dried food, keep in mind these are less nutritious than frozen or live foods, they need to be soaked before feeding (or can cause bloat/constipation) and a diet of purely bloodworms is a bad idea as these contain too much fat and protein. Mix them up with other freeze-dried or frozen food, and try to feed frozen or even live foods at least once in a while. It's good for their health

Thank you for all the helpful info!! Yes unfortunately my betta is a male crowntail so his rays look like a mass of bloodworms...




Do you think it would be okay to just take the frogs home and see how it goes and return them if I notice issues? Also, are you supposed to quarantine them or is it different because they aren’t fish? How would you go about doing that? Thank you!!

Edit: also, would adding more Indian almond leaves make good hiding spots and feeding spots?

 

What I think is that the ADF may mistake the bettas fins for food and bit them

 

What I think is that the ADF may mistake the bettas fins for food and bit them

That’s what I’m scared of.
Should I even try it or is it not worth the risk?

 

Thank you for the helpful info!! When you say frog pellets, what specific brand are you referring to/what would you recommend? I already have shrimp pellets and algae wafers for my snails, as well as bloodworms and veggies (although I’m assuming the ADFs don’t eat blanched spinach)

How do you set up each feeding station so that everyone’s is happy? When feeding my snails I just sprinkle it all around the tank so no one is left out, I feel like the frogs and snails could just share the big meals lol. My betta has learned that anything that sinks (besides bloodworms) is not for him so he won’t go after any of it.

As far as the ADFs, I bought ZooMed Aquatic Frog food. They really seem to like it. Then, I heard someone say they use New Life Spectrum 1mm sinking pellets for their frogs and tankmates. So, I also use that. The latter, oddly enough, doesn't seem to appeal to the ADFs. I'm an experimenter, so I will continue to reaction to both food types.. For feeding stations, I use two small terracotta plant saucers on top of each other, facing each other, with a spacer in the middle. The first time it didn't work because the cories liked to sleep under it! So, I took one of those Pyrex butter dishes, with the 'top' sort of half way sunk down into the substrate. Then, I placed what would be the 'bottom' of the butter dish on top, only spaced enough for the fattest ADF to get into. No cory or female betta can get in there and the frogs must have an extra good sense of smell, because they all manage to find it and get in and out with no problem! Don't worry, folks, I constantly have my eyeballs on this feeding station! I also feed them frozen bloodworms, as I can't get live.

My very short experience though, has shown that they really seem to prefer the HikarI Sinking Wafers and HikarI Carnivore wafers, which I place for the cories! I experiment, adjust and monitor very, very carefully. I love them so much though and I currently have 17 between a 10 gallon and 20 gallon long. That's too many, but I have an empty 5 gallon that could house a couple!!

Your guy is stunningly handsome! I'm lusting a bit! Considering the frogs are almost blind, it seems they only spot movement. I have a male betta, (not as handsome as yours!) with 11 ADFs in a 20 gallon long and absolutely no nipping on the ADF part. And the 6 in the 10 gallon don't nip the pretty female bettas. If you decide to go with them, just make sure they've been well fed. If they haven't, my short experience is that they'll bite anything that moves. If you're in doubt, just bring a few home and temporarily house them in a large bowl until their tummies are full! It took about 2 weeks for mine to adjust and fatten up before I added them to the bettas, or vice versa.

Pics of ADFs with bettas. I've excluded the pics of the ADFs! Apologies for the water not being crystal clear... am a newbie. But, bettas and ADFs make excellent tank mates, as long as the ADFs are well fed and comfy!

 

Thank you for all the helpful info!! Yes unfortunately my betta is a male crowntail so his rays look like a mass of bloodworms...

View attachment 629096

Do you think it would be okay to just take the frogs home and see how it goes and return them if I notice issues? Also, are you supposed to quarantine them or is it different because they aren’t fish? How would you go about doing that? Thank you!!

Edit: also, would adding more Indian almond leaves make good hiding spots and feeding spots?

Personally I don't return anything I buy, but if your shop allows that and you are okay with it, why not?
You don't need to quarantine ADFs, though you may want to do it for a day or two so you can perform a 100% water change (if you catch them with a net, some of the water will still end up in your tank) so that the shop water which is probably shared with many other tanks does not end up in your betta tank.
Most fish diseases do not affects ADFs and the other way around, because they are from completely different orders (amphibians versus fish) which is kind of like mammals versus reptiles. Not a lot of common ground. ADFs cannot catch or carry ich, for instance (but their LFS tank water can).

Yes, leaves on the substrate make for a wonderful hideout. My ADFs have dug tunnels below a large piece of wood and find shelter there. When they feel threatened, they will simply retreat below the driftwood. They can also hide under the leaves just like that.

Pics of ADFs with bettas. I've excluded the pics of the ADFs! Apologies for the water not being crystal clear... am a newbie. But, bettas and ADFs make excellent tank mates, as long as the ADFs are well fed and comfy!

Wow, a large groups of ADFs with a betta sorority, that is quite unusual. May I ask how long you've had this set-up?
That is a clever trick with the plates! Personally I would be too scared of the plates collapsing and trapping a frog, but you sound like you really have it under control.

 

Personally I don't return anything I buy, but if your shop allows that and you are okay with it, why not?
You don't need to quarantine ADFs, though you may want to do it for a day or two so you can perform a 100% water change (if you catch them with a net, some of the water will still end up in your tank) so that the shop water which is probably shared with many other tanks does not end up in your betta tank.
Most fish diseases do not affects ADFs and the other way around, because they are from completely different orders (amphibians versus fish) which is kind of like mammals versus reptiles. Not a lot of common ground. ADFs cannot catch or carry ich, for instance (but their LFS tank water can).

Yes, leaves on the substrate make for a wonderful hideout. My ADFs have dug tunnels below a large piece of wood and find shelter there. When they feel threatened, they will simply retreat below the driftwood. They can also hide under the leaves just like that.


Wow, a large groups of ADFs with a betta sorority, that is quite unusual. May I ask how long you've had this set-up?
That is a clever trick with the plates! Personally I would be too scared of the plates collapsing and trapping a frog, but you sound like you really have it under control.

I was a bit afraid of the glass plates collapsing, but the top (which is the bottom), sits basically on the substrate. After a few hours, I remove it. Most of the food is gone and what's left, I remove or let sit a bit longer in case anyone wants to nibble. The sorority/adf tank is about 3 or 4 weeks old. It's fully cycled, but I'm beginning to believe that no tank is fully cycled until at least 3 months! The sorority has only been in the 10 gallon adf tank for about 2 weeks. The male betta has been in the 20 gallon long adf tank for,.... I'm not sure..... maybe a couple of months??!! Am old, sometimes can't remember my name! ps.... because ADFs can carry Salmonella, I refrain from licking my fingers when my hands have been in their water. Happily, no instances of Salmonella to report!

 

As far as the ADFs, I bought ZooMed Aquatic Frog food. They really seem to like it. Then, I heard someone say they use New Life Spectrum 1mm sinking pellets for their frogs and tankmates. So, I also use that. The latter, oddly enough, doesn't seem to appeal to the ADFs. I'm an experimenter, so I will continue to reaction to both food types.. For feeding stations, I use two small terracotta plant saucers on top of each other, facing each other, with a spacer in the middle. The first time it didn't work because the cories liked to sleep under it! So, I took one of those Pyrex butter dishes, with the 'top' sort of half way sunk down into the substrate. Then, I placed what would be the 'bottom' of the butter dish on top, only spaced enough for the fattest ADF to get into. No cory or female betta can get in there and the frogs must have an extra good sense of smell, because they all manage to find it and get in and out with no problem! Don't worry, folks, I constantly have my eyeballs on this feeding station! I also feed them frozen bloodworms, as I can't get live.

My very short experience though, has shown that they really seem to prefer the HikarI Sinking Wafers and HikarI Carnivore wafers, which I place for the cories! I experiment, adjust and monitor very, very carefully. I love them so much though and I currently have 17 between a 10 gallon and 20 gallon long. That's too many, but I have an empty 5 gallon that could house a couple!!


Your guy is stunningly handsome! I'm lusting a bit! Considering the frogs are almost blind, it seems they only spot movement. I have a male betta, (not as handsome as yours!) with 11 ADFs in a 20 gallon long and absolutely no nipping on the ADF part. And the 6 in the 10 gallon don't nip the pretty female bettas. If you decide to go with them, just make sure they've been well fed. If they haven't, my short experience is that they'll bite anything that moves. If you're in doubt, just bring a few home and temporarily house them in a large bowl until their tummies are full! It took about 2 weeks for mine to adjust and fatten up before I added them to the bettas, or vice versa.

Thank you so much for all of this! I worry the most about the snails stealing the food, as they can be quite relentless. To make sure they all eat, I usually just sprinkle the food everywhere so it is easily accessible, and I think I'll try the same for the frogs (since they get some similar foods as the snails) and see how it goes for a few days. Then set up feeding stations if necessary. And I'll setup my water change bucket with a soft fake plant and a hunk of IAL for a couple days and feed them there and do a few water changes via cup to get them plump and used to my parameters before plopping them in.

And thank you about Reggie!! <3 I feel like most overlook him because he is a crowntail (pretty much everyone's least favorite fin type) but to me he is beautiful

Personally I don't return anything I buy, but if your shop allows that and you are okay with it, why not?
You don't need to quarantine ADFs, though you may want to do it for a day or two so you can perform a 100% water change (if you catch them with a net, some of the water will still end up in your tank) so that the shop water which is probably shared with many other tanks does not end up in your betta tank.
Most fish diseases do not affects ADFs and the other way around, because they are from completely different orders (amphibians versus fish) which is kind of like mammals versus reptiles. Not a lot of common ground. ADFs cannot catch or carry ich, for instance (but their LFS tank water can).

Yes, leaves on the substrate make for a wonderful hideout. My ADFs have dug tunnels below a large piece of wood and find shelter there. When they feel threatened, they will simply retreat below the driftwood. They can also hide under the leaves just like that.


Wow, a large groups of ADFs with a betta sorority, that is quite unusual. May I ask how long you've had this set-up?
That is a clever trick with the plates! Personally I would be too scared of the plates collapsing and trapping a frog, but you sound like you really have it under control.

I'd set them up in a different tank but my brother is 10 and couldn't give them the proper care (he only has super easy fish) and I can't set up another tank because the college I'm going to next year only allows 10 gallons (which is what I have right now). So, if it's unlucky, then returning would be my only option haha

and woo hoo about the IAL! I just ripped apart another leaf and put it in to waterlog. Hopefully they find a place they like!! *fingers crossed*

 

Just gonna throw in my story...when I was a kid we got an ADF to go in a betta tank and it was a mistake. I don’t think the frog was TRYING to hurt the betta, but we had to remove him because he made a habit of clamping down on the betta’s tail so he could take a ride around the tank.

Just gonna throw in my story...when I was a kid we got an ADF to go in a betta tank and it was a mistake. I don’t think the frog was TRYING to hurt the betta, but we had to remove him because he made a habit of clamping down on the betta’s tail so he could take a ride around the tank.

 

Just gonna throw in my story...when I was a kid we got an ADF to go in a betta tank and it was a mistake. I don’t think the frog was TRYING to hurt the betta, but we had to remove him because he made a habit of clamping down on the betta’s tail so he could take a ride around the tank.

Hahaha! Thank you for sharing your experience! Hopefully it won’t go that way for me. Lol. If it does then they will go back to the pet store

 

It’s finally happening! I have the 2.5 gallon water change bucket all ready for them! Tomorrow I will be getting the food and frogs

Here’s my tank looking nice and ready for them after a healthy water change! I am having a bit of a green string algae issue so I didn’t dose ferts and did a dose of excel to help get rid of it.




Here’s the few-day-QT-water change bucket!




It’s got the rest of my IAL that were in my tank, one of my pothos strands, my moss ball (the excel would have killed it so it’s gotta go in here for a couple days), some duckweed, a fake plant, and some rocks. Everything except the fake plants and rocks will go back in the tank with the frogs.

Will this work for them while they plumpen up?

Edit: how many should I get? I’m thinking 2-3?

 

It’s finally happening! I have the 2.5 gallon water change bucket all ready for them! Tomorrow I will be getting the food and frogs

Here’s my tank looking nice and ready for them after a healthy water change! I am having a bit of a green string algae issue so I didn’t dose ferts and did a dose of excel to help get rid of it.

View attachment 629504

Here’s the few-day-QT-water change bucket!

View attachment 629505

It’s got the rest of my IAL that were in my tank, one of my pothos strands, my moss ball (the excel would have killed it so it’s gotta go in here for a couple days), some duckweed, a fake plant, and some rocks. Everything except the fake plants and rocks will go back in the tank with the frogs.

Will this work for them while they plumpen up?

Edit: how many should I get? I’m thinking 2-3?

That should be fine, though if you have some larger floating plants or decorations, I would put those in. They like to feel covered from the light and predators above the water.

Get as many as you like, honestly, they don't need a lot of space at all and they prefer being in larger groups. Maybe start out small in case you get in trouble with the betta after all, I'd say three. If it works out great you could consider getting another 1 or 2 later.

 

That should be fine, though if you have some larger floating plants or decorations, I would put those in. They like to feel covered from the light and predators above the water.

Get as many as you like, honestly, they don't need a lot of space at all and they prefer being in larger groups. Maybe start out small in case you get in trouble with the betta after all, I'd say three. If it works out great you could consider getting another 1 or 2 later.

Perfect, my brother has an old fake plant that he doesn’t use that could almost fill up the entire bucket. I’ll either plop that in or a hand full of wisteria

Thank you for all your help!

 

I was gonna say 3 too

 

I did it... lol

They only had 2 juvenile males, so that’s what I got! Any idea for names?

Also, do they look healthy? I’ll get pictures from up top once I release them into their temporary feeding bucket




Update, I decided to go for the plunge and put them in the main tank instead. The bucket’s temperature was very very low and unstable and I don’t have a second heater to keep it warm. So, they are now acclimating to the main tank’s water temp and then they will go straight in! Here is a better pic of them...

 

They look fine to me, though I won't say with confidence from the pics, haha. In my experience ADFs are super hardy as long as you make sure to feed them well and they come to you cythroid-free.
Mine have survived two total tank wipe-outs of all their finned inhabitants... the tank crashed to a GH/KH 0/0... whoops xD It never appeared to bother them, while my fish were dying they just continued swimming around, gorging their food, etc. They also survived a heater failure with a temp drop of several degrees. So tanks, IME.

 

Okay, I LOVE these guys. They are too stinking funny. The second they went in, they bit everything in sight, even snail poop clusters (and Reggie, who has learned not to mess with them. He now has a few missing scales lol). They were clearly very hungry so I put in a few bloodworms and they gobbled them up.






The angry fishy with a belly full of worms

 

Okay, I LOVE these guys. They are too stinking funny. The second they went in, they bit everything in sight, even snail poop clusters (and Reggie, who has learned not to mess with them. He now has a few missing scales lol). They were clearly very hungry so I put in a few bloodworms and they gobbled them up.

View attachment 629871

View attachment 629870
The angry fishy with a belly full of worms

That looks like a seriously tattered tail, is that all from today?

I have a male betta living with my ADFs in a 10 gallon (temporary arrangement now lasting a little longer than planned @ 3 weeks). He has never gotten a single tear from the frogs, but I've seen them flare and snap back and forth a little in the beginning. Never actual damage though.

 

That looks like a seriously tattered tail, is that all from today?

I have a male betta living with my ADFs in a 10 gallon (temporary arrangement now lasting a little longer than planned @ 3 weeks). He has never gotten a single tear from the frogs, but I've seen them flare and snap back and forth a little in the beginning. Never actual damage though.

He is a crowntail, his tail is supposed to look like that. Lol. It just looks like a tattered half moon tail from that angle, it’s just because it is resting. I posted a picture of him flaring on this thread earlier, that is what his tail looks like when flaring. Pretty impressive for a pet store bought guy.

Anywho, The frog didn’t even bite his tail, just caught his side a little and took out a scale or two. Not too worried about it because my parameters are fine and when he bumps himself on something and takes off a scale it grows back in a few days. He learned his lesson to leave them alone haha

Little update, Just ordered some HBH food which will be here in about a week. Next week I will be running up to petco to get some more frozen foods as I am almost out. I’d like to see what they think of brine shrimp but I’m all out at the moment looks like they will be getting blood worms and shrimp pellets until I can get my hands on the other stuff

 

He is a crowntail, his tail is supposed to look like that. Lol. It just looks like a tattered half moon tail from that angle, it’s just because it is resting. I posted a picture of him flaring on this thread earlier, that is what his tail looks like when flaring. Pretty impressive for a pet store bought guy.

Anywho, The frog didn’t even bite his tail, just caught his side a little and took out a scale or two. Not too worried about it because my parameters are fine and when he bumps himself on something and takes off a scale it grows back in a few days. He learned his lesson to leave them alone haha

Hahaha! He has so little reduction on his anal which was most prominent on the photo, I was shocked thinking his caudal and dorsal were tattered. Whoops It can sometimes be really hard to see things on pictures for what they are.

 

I have a very happy morning update! Feeding went very well. Reggie ate like normal (duh). The spunkiest frog was able to catch some shrimp pellets this morning and is readily on the look for more. The second frog however, didn’t catch any but is also on the look picking at the gravel so I trust he will find them eventually. They are slow bottom feeders, anyway. Plus the plethora of bloodworms was completely gone so they are most definitely not starving. Haha

 

Well, tonight they didnt seem hungry. Neither launched at the food and only one of them picked at the gravel to find any. The other seemed kind of lethargic, but it is also night time and this is when my betta gets lethargic and sleepy before bed too so I’m not too worried about that.

What do you do when your ADF doesn’t go for food? I left it because the snails love them and will eat any sort of leftovers that the frogs didn’t want. All of the morning’s food was gone tonight and the snails can’t eat it that fast so I think the frogs are just scavenging and picking at it as they find it. Which is good and not very worrisome. But do y’all agree?

 

Well, tonight they didnt seem hungry. Neither launched at the food and only one of them picked at the gravel to find any. The other seemed kind of lethargic, but it is also night time and this is when my betta gets lethargic and sleepy before bed too so I’m not too worried about that.

What do you do when your ADF doesn’t go for food? I left it because the snails love them and will eat any sort of leftovers that the frogs didn’t want. All of the morning’s food was gone tonight and the snails can’t eat it that fast so I think the frogs are just scavenging and picking at it as they find it. Which is good and not very worrisome. But do y’all agree?

I think you just got their bellies nice and full yesterday so today they are just normal hungry, not starving like yesterday.

 

I think you just got their bellies nice and full yesterday so today they are just normal hungry, not starving like yesterday.

That’s good to hear lol. I read somewhere that juveniles (what the pet store said I have because they still have tiny nub tails and are small) need to eat every day but adults should only eat 3 days a week. Is this actual good info or just a bunch of bogus?

 

That’s good to hear lol. I read somewhere that juveniles (what the pet store said I have because they still have tiny nub tails and are small) need to eat every day but adults should only eat 3 days a week. Is this actual good info or just a bunch of bogus?

I dunno. I think it would be better to feed small amounts every day. I mean would you want to eat a thanksgiving feast but only eat every other day or eat a sensible meal but get to eat every day? I would be happier with a full belly to sleep on at night. I rarely fast my fish. Only if they are bloated or something.

 

I dunno. I think it would be better to feed small amounts every day. I mean would you want to eat a thanksgiving feast but only eat every other day or eat a sensible meal but get to eat every day? I would be happier with a full belly to sleep on at night. I rarely fast my fish. Only if they are bloated or something.

I totally agree. I’ve never really believed in fasting unless the fish bloats if you don’t. Thanks for the info!!

 

No, one of the misunderstandings about frogs is that they are like fish. They are amphibians and function very differently. I think I mentioned before in this thread that they have different activity and food seeking patterns than fish. They will eat when they experience hunger/lack of food, that is when they come out to search for it. When they have a full stomach, they will become way more inactive for a while (can last a few hours to a day or more) as they are satiated and only after do they become active and looking for food again.
They are not built to look for food 24/7 such as most fish do. So you also should not make them waste energy by feeding them every day.
Similarly, unlike fish which are fed a small amount every feeding because they have a small stomach, frogs have a much larger stomach in comparison to their bio mass and will happily eat a good bunch more. You actually want to see rounded stomachs (they can look a bit on the bloated side compared to fish, just make sure it also disappears in a day to a normal figure).
Every other day is a good schedule, though in my experience you can even feed them less frequently and just give more food in one go. It doesn't bother mine at all. Don't feed them every day though, at minimum give them 2 fasting days a week with bigger feedings on the other days so they have a resting period.

 

No, one of the misunderstandings about frogs is that they are like fish. They are amphibians and function very differently. I think I mentioned before in this thread that they have different activity and food seeking patterns than fish. They will eat when they experience hunger/lack of food, that is when they come out to search for it. When they have a full stomach, they will become way more inactive for a while (can last a few hours to a day or more) as they are satiated and only after do they become active and looking for food again.
They are not built to look for food 24/7 such as most fish do. So you also should not make them waste energy by feeding them every day.
Similarly, unlike fish which are fed a small amount every feeding because they have a small stomach, frogs have a much larger stomach in comparison to their bio mass and will happily eat a good bunch more. You actually want to see rounded stomachs (they can look a bit on the bloated side compared to fish, just make sure it also disappears in a day to a normal figure).
Every other day is a good schedule, though in my experience you can even feed them less frequently and just give more food in one go. It doesn't bother mine at all. Don't feed them every day though, at minimum give them 2 fasting days a week with bigger feedings on the other days so they have a resting period.

Thank you so much for the info! Very very helpful. I've also heard that juveniles absorb nutrients when they absorb their tails back into their body, is this also true? Mine still have a tiny little nub. Should it be almost completely flat once completely absorbed? If so, will that be the indicator that they are full adults?

 

Thank you so much for the info! Very very helpful. I've also heard that juveniles absorb nutrients when they absorb their tails back into their body, is this also true? Mine still have a tiny little nub. Should it be almost completely flat once completely absorbed? If so, will that be the indicator that they are full adults?

This is the first I've heard of it. When they mature, males have (nearly) non-existent stubs, while the females have a slightly more present and longer 'button'. This is one of the ways to tell the sexes apart. The other signs being (all only possible when mature, juveniles are impossible to sex by my knowledge) that males have little white warts/knobs under their armpits, which females are lacking; that females are quite a few sizes larger than males; that males have a 'edged' backside, where seen from above a sort of V-shaped ridge runs from their back legs to their tails, which is much less pronounced in females because their overall body shape is more rounded. The last one is pretty difficult to see though, as it also depends on whether they just fed or are hungry, and differs a lot per individual.
The easiest way to tell for me is the armpit nubs (because this is not a matter of gradation like the rest, but just a clear present or not), though those really don't appear until maturity, and if you find a kingsize adult, 90% of the time it will be a female.

 

This is the first I've heard of it. When they mature, males have (nearly) non-existent stubs, while the females have a slightly more present and longer 'button'. This is one of the ways to tell the sexes apart. The other signs being (all only possible when mature, juveniles are impossible to sex by my knowledge) that males have little white warts/knobs under their armpits, which females are lacking; that females are quite a few sizes larger than males; that males have a 'edged' backside, where seen from above a sort of V-shaped ridge runs from their back legs to their tails, which is much less pronounced in females because their overall body shape is more rounded. The last one is pretty difficult to see though, as it also depends on whether they just fed or are hungry, and differs a lot per individual.
The easiest way to tell for me is the armpit nubs (because this is not a matter of gradation like the rest, but just a clear present or not), though those really don't appear until maturity, and if you find a kingsize adult, 90% of the time it will be a female.

Very very interesting. The pet store guy told me about the tail thing for sexing, and that they have a very non-pronounced cloaca (I'm pretty sure that's what frogs have lol... very new to amphibians here but eager to learn) while females are very pronounced. Not too sure how reliable that second part is. He seemed to be more of an amphibian/reptile guy than a fish guy but that means next to nothing for store employees. I'd love to get some up close pictures of mine and you could see what you think?

Also, mine are very flat-bodied. Is that normal? I'm sure they will plumpen up plenty over time but I was just curious.

 

Very very interesting. The pet store guy told me about the tail thing for sexing, and that they have a very non-pronounced cloaca (I'm pretty sure that's what frogs have lol... very new to amphibians here but eager to learn) while females are very pronounced. Not too sure how reliable that second part is. He seemed to be more of an amphibian/reptile guy than a fish guy but that means next to nothing for store employees. I'd love to get some up close pictures of mine and you could see what you think?

Also, mine are very flat-bodied. Is that normal? I'm sure they will plumpen up plenty over time but I was just curious.

Well, I had to google that term myself hahaha. He sure does sound like he knows what he is talking about, though when saying he is a reptile/amphibian guy and not a fish guy he may know about general amphibian habits - more than me - but perhaps less about specific info on aquatic frogs as I think ADFs are generally kept more in relation to the aquarium hobby than the reptile keeping one because they have to be kept in tanks and even most paludariums wouldn't be suitable (since the land parts tends to be about 90% of commercially popular paludariums that aren't custom built - to my utmost disappointment).

Sure, you can give it a shot. No guarantees though, I don't really consider myself that much of an expert as I've just keep a handful of them for a good while and read up a lot on them in my spare time, nothing more in terms of hands-on experience.

I tend to let mine go for longer between feedings at times and you can really see them plump up after a good feeding and then shrink back down. That is also natural (and not a bad thing), just make sure they don't like 'stretched' or elastic, like you can see their bones/innards through the skin from below. That is too skinny.
In my experience btw, the female plumps up a lot more (presumably with eggs) than the males, that always stay sort of flat.

 

They are pretty flat naturally, so that is normal. Maybe your local frog guy has a lot of experience sexing them, but mine have always been too young in the store for me to predict. Usually 2-4 months after bringing them home the males would develop the underarm bumps and the females would fill out more.

The only problem I had keeping them with a Betta was when feeding bloodworms - no one can resist these, and the frogs would vigilantly guard theirs against the always-encroaching Betta. You can see when she comes around how she tilts her body in submission. I never saw them nip but they would fake-lunge, slap her around and generally act like little "tough guys". No one ever got hurt, thankfully, but I think it depends on the Betta's temperament, so bears watching. Congrats, they are lovable and so entertaining.

 

They are pretty flat naturally, so that is normal. Maybe your local frog guy has a lot of experience sexing them, but mine have always been too young in the store for me to predict. Usually 2-4 months after bringing them home the males would develop the underarm bumps and the females would fill out more.

The only problem I had keeping them with a Betta was when feeding bloodworms - no one can resist these, and the frogs would vigilantly guard theirs against the always-encroaching Betta. You can see when she comes around how she tilts her body in submission. I never saw them nip but they would fake-lunge, slap her around and generally act like little "tough guys". No one ever got hurt, thankfully, but I think it depends on the Betta's temperament, so bears watching. Congrats, they are lovable and so entertaining.

Thank you so much for all the helpful info!! Yes they are extremely adorable. In fact I just heard them sing for the first time and my heart is so full of love now

 

Singing already is a very good sign! With some females they'll be non-stop entertainment.

 

Heyyy froggie people! I am about to do my first water change with the frogs and I’m feeling really nervous that I’m going to hurt one of them or suck them up into the siphon.

I know you aren’t supposed to take them out because it is more stressful so I’m not going to do that obviously. But how do y’all prevent any injuries during water changes? My betta just chills and watches me and follows the siphon around lol. I hope the frogs stay out of the way...

 

Work around them

 

Work around them

Well duh. Hahaha