African Dwarf Frog Hasn't Moved in 3 Days

Hello! I have 2 African Dwarf frogs in a 10 gallon tank. One is just fine, but the other hasn't moved in 3 days. If I poke him he kicks his hind legs. What is going on??? I don't want him to suffer. Not sure what to do!

 

Please fill out the emergency template to give us more info

 

Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? 10 Gallons
How long has the tank been running? 2 Months
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes
What is the water temperature? 78 Degrees Fahrenheit
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) 2 African Dwarf Frogs

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? Once per month
How much of the water do you change? Half of the volume
What do you use to treat your water? Quick Start and occassionally Accu-Clear
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? Yes, i Vaccuum

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? Yes
What do you use to test the water? 5 in 1 test strips
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: Don't know
Nitrite: 0.5
Nitrate: 20
pH: 6.8

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? Once per day and an occassional treat of blood worms
How much do you feed your fish? A small pinch
What brand of food do you feed your fish? Zoo Med Aquatic Frog and Tadpole food
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods? Occassionally

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 1 month
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? 3 days ago
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? doesn't move and looks dead, but kicks his hind legs if poked
Have you started any treatment for the illness? No
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? I don't think so
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? Total lethargy

Explain your emergency situation in detail. (Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)
He/she was fine and then stopped swimming all together. His tank mate is doing just fine.

 

First thing I noticed is water needs to be changed more often. Atleast 30 percent weekly. And quick start and accu clear aren’t dechlorinators. Do you use something that removes the chlorine from the water? If not that’s a big issue. And you still have nitrites in your tank meaning your tank isn’t cycled. Ammonia test will be very important right now.

 

Asap you should do at least a 50% water change with temp matched dechlorinated water, then research the nitrogen cycle. It’s the one most important thing to know about this hobby.

 

Asap you should do at least a 50% water change with temp matched dechlorinated water, then research the nitrogen cycle. It’s the one most important thing to know about this hobby.
OK, I will use bottled water and do it now. Is that good? Also, is there another alternative to bottled water?

 

The best thing to do is get some dechlorinator so you can use tap water. This is not optional! It not only does it remove chlorine it makes ammonia and nitrite which are poisons safe until the bacteria can handle it.

Your tank is not "cycled" and you are doing a "fish in cycle" now. "Cycled" means there are colonies of bacteria on the surfaces of everything in your tank that can turn ammonia and nitrites into nitrates so they are never detectable.

 

If at all possible, you should try to put him in a breeder box. If he's having trouble moving it's likely he's also having trouble coming to the surface for air. The breeder box will put him much closer to the surface.