African dwarf frog is upside down but not dead

I got my son a 2 African Dwarf Frogs last December for his birthday. I got them in a tank all set up and ready to go. They are in a smaller tank and the place I got them from said I didn't need to do anything but feed them and add water if needed. I haven't needed to add any water. Today we came home and one of them is upside down floating on the top of the water and he is still alive because he moves every so often. Is he sick or dying?? Is there anything I can do??

 

Welcome to Fishlore. The place you got them from misled you. They need a filtered and heated tank as well as frequent water changes. How big is their tank?

 

It's about the size of a tupperware container and we have not had any problems until now

 

I would read up on the nitrogen cycle. Start with daily 50% water changes with a conditioner called Prime.

 

I believe the general rule is 2.5 gallons per frog, so if you have 2 then getting a 5 gallon tank would create the healthiest environment for these frogs. My son has two in a 5 gallon and I change almost 50% of the water weekly. The water needs to be treated with a dechlorinator, such as Prime.

 

Would it do any good to put him in my regular 10 gallon aquarium?

 

Is your other aquarium cycled? What type of fish do you have in there? My automatic response would be yes, but we don't want to shock them since they've been in unhealthy conditions and one is doing poorly.

 

What type of water do I use to change the tank? I do not have a heater nor access to one right now or anything to put int he water as I have never had a problem and wasn't aware I needed anything

I have a filter system in the other tank and I have 2 gold fish and an algae eater in the other tank however one of the gold fish is quite large

 

You can use tap water, but it needs to be conditioned first. Do you have a pet store nearby or even a Walmart that sells fish? Any of these places will have a dechlorinator you can use, but if you can find Prime, it is by far the best, in my opinion. You don't need to worry about a heater right now since it hasn't been in heated water, but it will be something you will want to consider for the future, as well as a filter.

 

The tank they are currently in is way to small to have a filter or a heater I do have some some Start Right and Aquasafe

 

FYI, there is a sticky at the top of the amphibian section on here that has a care sheet for ADF's. It's a must read. If I can figure out how to post a link, I will.

 

Ok, then prepare water that is the same temperature as what they are in, add your conditoner and change out approximately, 25-30% to start and then after they have become acclimated to that, then you can change out more. At least, that's what I'd do to be sure you don't shock them from the dirty water they've been in. Too much too quickly can do damage.

Here is that link...
https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/care-sheet-for-african-dwarf-frogs.36417/

 

The water they are in is completely crystal clear and the store I got them from also told me only to feed them twice a week! Am I not feeding them enough?? Would they do better in my aquarium where there is a filter and it's warmer?

 

I feed mine almost every day, but do fast them at least once a week. In the long run they really need their own aquarium and I would worry about the goldfish or algae eater harassing the one that is sick right now.

 

ok Thank you so much I really want to save him!! How much conditioner should I use?

 

Just follow the instructions on the bottle, so you can go ahead and prepare one gallon of water, add the appropriate amount of conditioner and then change out some of the water. Leave them in the container while you do this, just scoop some out since it's a small container. Then you can do some more either later this evening or tomorrow and then continue daily until you can get an appropriate aquarium set up for them.

 

Follow the directions on the bottle.

 

Welcome to FishLore!!

edited to say:
Good advice above.
My response was really slow and you're in good hands.

Good luck

 

The bottle will tell you how much to use for the qty of water your tank holds. A small one like what you have may even be just drops.

 

 

Hello,

Unfortunately Amber is definitely correct in that you have been misled. I have seen this little glass cubes that they sell frogs in, maybe this is what you have. Unfortunately it is much much too small, they have barely any room to swim around and stretch their little legs!

In case you haven't had time to read up on the nitrogen cycle, here it is, in a nutshell: fish produce waste (poop) and this waste decays, creating ammonia. Ammonia is toxic to fish and frogs, but fortunately beneficial bacteria grow over time in your filter media (which is why having a filter is so important) and consumes the ammonia, creating nitrite, Unfortunately, nitrite is also highly poisonous, but other bacteria grow that consume nitrite and produce nitrate. Nitrate is only toxic in very high quantities, so to remove it, we do weekly water changes so that it doesn't build up too much.

Since your frogs are in a small amount of water with no filter (to house beneficial bacteria) and no water changes, the ammonia has simply been building up over time from decaying waste. Unfortunately your frog is likely suffering from ammonia poisoning.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news (at least Amber gave the first bit! but your 10 gallon is already severely overstocked. Depending on the type of goldfish they are (fancy ones versus comets) they need 20-30 gallons for one fish, then 10 gallons for every fish after that. So for your two fish, you need 30-40 gallons. This is because goldfish are HUGE waste producers, so they need a lot of water to dilute their waste.

While the frogs definitely need more space, moving them to an already-overstocked tank is really picking the lesser of two evils. Would it be possible for you to pick up a 5 or 10 gallon kit from Petsmart or Petco, or even Walmart or some grocery stores? (I've seen them at Meijer, if they have those where you live.) If so, this will be your best option for the frogs. They need more space, a filter to house beneficial bacteria and to filter particulate from the water, and a heater (though depending on how warm your house is, this may not be necessary at the moment). If not, you can consider as a temporary measure, buying a 5-gallon bucket from Home Depot, or a large tupperware storage bin. Either of these, while not pretty tanks, will be much more habitable to your frogs. You can buy small hang-on-back-style filters for not too much money (the larger ones get more expensive, of course).

As Amber said, you definitely don't want to shock your frogs with fresh water. They're somewhat used to being in dirty water, and although it's certainly not healthy for them, simply putting them in brand new water would be extremely stressful on them. You can try adding a small amount of fresh water every 15 minutes or so to their current container (until it's full, of course). Once it's full, take a small amount out and add a small amount of fresh water (I'm not sure how big their container is, but no more than 1/8 cup at a time, if I'm understanding roughly how big it is). Do this repeatedly over a long period of time until you can be fairly certain that the water is mostly fresh water. Then you can move them to their new home, whether it be a 5 or 10 gallon set-up that you've been able to buy, or a new bucket or tupperware (don't use an old one, as I know our 5-gallon buckets have definitely had not-fish-friendly substances in them).

Again, as Amber said, be sure that any new water you put in their container is the same temperature and has had dechlorinator added. I too, think Prime is the best choice, though other members also like Kordon NovAqua+ and Amquel+, though you do need both bottles, as each product covers different chemicals. Not only will these remove harmful chlorine and chloramine from your tapwater, but it will also protect the fish from the ammonia that has surely built up to toxic levels in their water.

I'm not sure if the care sheet has been posted since I've been typing, but just in case, here it is: https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/care-sheet-for-african-dwarf-frogs.36417/

Hope this helps! Keep us posted on your frogs.



Edit: Oops, I took too long...sorry for repeating some information!

 

This is my son with the tank with the frogs in it behind him

 

It looks like he had a happy birthday! The tank isn't as bad as I initially thought, but it still would compare to us living in a small closet. So, the best thing you could do for them in the near future would be to give them an appropriate upgrade. They will become much more active and your son will LOVE watching them in that type of environment....my son certainly does!

 

Thank you so much! I changed out some of the water and added some water conditioner I hope he will be okay! We are on a tight budget but I will look into getting a bigger tank for my fish and giving the frogs that tank. The place I got them from also told me not to put them in anything bigger because the bottom of their tank is live organisms that they feed from??

 

I've not had one of those little glass boxes, but I find that highly unlikely. I've also heard that sometimes pet store employees say that bettas like to be in small tanks, but that's also a crock of cheese Trust me, they would love a 5 or 10 gallon tank to be able to swim around in and stretch their little froggy legs. I've heard that you can get kits (tank, heater, filter) at WalMart for pretty cheap, you could try looking there.

I haven't kept frogs personally so I'm no expert on their diets, but I know they like frozen mysis shrimp, and an occasional treat of frozen bloodworms. You can find these in freezer cases at Petsmart at Petco. They're about $5 for a package, but for two tiny frogs, I imagine they would last awhile. Hopefully someone who has kept frogs can give you more detailed advice on how to feed them. But organisms living at the bottom of the tank sounds pretty suspicious to me..

Edit: Oops, I misread! I thought the frogs were getting a new tank. I'm not sure how big of tanks they have at Walmart, but I have heard they have decent prices there.

 

Hmmm....not sure exactly where they were going with that one. They will love the extra space they're going to inherit from your goldfish and your goldfish will thank you for a larger tank too! I understand completely about being on a budget. Some people on this forum have found excellent deals on aquariums at thrift stores, so check those first if you're looking for a deal or even craigslist.

Edit: Concering feeding them, I feed mine tadpole pellets most of the time with treats like frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp as well. I drop mine onto a tiny terra cotta plate so they can find it and I have less waste to clean up. Their eye sight isn't the best!

 

So when I do get them a bigger tank I can just have regular aquarium rocks and stuff? I am sorry I feel like I am being such a pain with all my questions!

 

Many leave the tank bare bottomed so they can find their food easily but they do love hiding spots. My son's tank has a few low caves that they love and some live and artifical plants as well.

And don't worry your questions are more than welcome. This forum was a huge help to me when I started not long ago and the amount of info to filter through can get overwhelming.

 

I think most members start off here the same way: pet store employees fed them false information and the fish start doing poorly. I know that's how it was for me! I (and my fish) am where I am today thanks to everyone being so helpful with my questions. So ask away! We just want the best for your froggies

 

I have little pellets that the store gave me.

 

I would just continue to use the food you've been given and in the future you can upgrade.

 

Frog food is a subject that I'm well versed on ;D

A lot of times the frogs don't like the pellet food. Mine won't touch the stuff anymore. I feed Frozen Mysis Shrimp, Frozen Brine Shrimp, Frozen beef heart, and frozen bloodworms. Avoid freeze dried food. I feed the bloodworms the least, too many of them can be bad.

If you're going to stick with pellets, try soaking them in a little tank water before feeding. It makes it much easier to be eaten.

I'm attaching a couple photos of my frogs. Mostly because I like to share pictures of them lol but you'll get to see what healthy frogs look like

 

How much and how often should I be feeding them?

 

I feed once a day and fast them one day a week.

 

When I feed mine pellets, I feed a small pinch once a day. Like stated above, a plump ADF is healthy. They shouldn't be scrawny nor should they be overly bloated in appearance.

 

The one that is sick is real skinny and the other one is really healthy and active, he is bigger than the other one

 

Has it always been that way, or is it recent?

 

he has always been smaller than the other one but while the one got bigger the other sickly one didn't if he got any bigger it wasn't much

 

I know females are "thicker" than males, but it just sounds like it's really sick. Hopefully it will recover!

 

I really hope so I feel horrible!! I feel like a bad froggie mom and a bad mom for not taking proper care of my sons frogs!