Interested in African Dwarf Frogs

Is there a thread to post questions about African dwarf frogs? I'm looking to get one and the information I am finding online all says different things. I was wondering if someone can answer my questions from experience:

-Easy keepers?
-Heavy bioload?
-Do you need to have something in the tank for them to climb up and get air?
-Escape artists?
-Diet
-Suitable tank mates?
-Adult size?
-Better in pairs?
-Tank size needed
-Do they have a lot of personality and are they fun to watch?

Thanks so much in advance

 

Hi, I’ve moved this to the Amphibians board. Have a look at the stickied threads highlighted in Yellow at the top of this board, a care sheet there

 

Hi, I’ve moved this to the Amphibians board. Have a look at the stickied threads highlighted in Yellow at the top of this board, a care sheet there

Thank you!!

 

These guys are easy. I recommend keeping around 4 in a 10 gallon. They can be kept with any non aggressive or big fish (Over 4 inches) They can't have a very tall tank, (over 18 inches) so a 10 gallon is a great starting size. They are a lot of fun to watch look for food, which is a very easy thing. Sinking fish or frog pellets, brine shrimp, bloodworms, etc. Hope this helped.

 

hey there! I used to own some adfs. it's always nice to see people interested in these little froggos.

- yes, they're pretty easy to care for. their feeding patterns may take some time to get used to, though, if you decide to feed them a variety of foods.
- I wouldn't really say heavy. they poop probably a couple times a day, but if you don't overfeed, it's nothing you can't handle. a gravel vac is your best friend. I used to spot clean with a turkey baster because I didn't have a vac.
- preferably! they like to rest on tall leaves and such. silk and real plants are ideal. their skin is very delicate and they don't have scales, so try to stay away from plastic plants with sharp edges. tall tanks will not work well for them. they aren't great swimmers and need to go up for air, so I suggest the water column to be no higher than 15 inches, max. 12 inches is a good height.
- yes, a lid is recommended for them. mine never tried to escape but i've heard of them doing it, and they can't survive long out of water. I wouldn't feel safe keeping frogs in a lidless tank.
- adfs need variety in their diet. they are prone to bloat/dropsy, so things like freeze-dried foods, bloodworms (gave my frog dropsy), and lots of sinking pellets aren't recommended. frozen foods like mysis shrimp, daphnia, brine shrimp, tubifex worms, etc. are good choices. they'd also love live food like blackworms, mosquito larvae, and any of the others listed above in live form. I like the hikarI brand of frozen foods best.
-- adfs are bottom feeders, so feeding can be a challenge at times. you can spot feed them with a turkey baster or syringe, or use long tweezers/feeding tongs. their eyesight is horrendous ao they rely on smell and movement, so you have to get their food right in front of their faces and be patient. some people pick a designated spot or dish for feeding them, and they'll catch on. they do like to scavenge the bottom of the tank, so watch out for gravel as a substrate. they can swallow it and die. (mine never did this, but again, i've seen/heard of them doing it.)
- adfs do best in a species-only tank, but people have had success housing them with fish, shrimp and snails. they can nip at fish and fish, in turn, can nip at them.
- they grow to about an inch and a half to two inches if they're stretched out, legs included. they're small.
- they are social and more active in groups of 3 or more. just one frog might hide a lot.
- 5 gallon max of 2 frogs, 10 gallon max of 5 (i'd go with 3 or 4). I wanted to get a 20 gallon long, which would probably house.... a ton of frogs, lol.
- they do!!! they are very funny things. I love them like I said, they tend to be much more active when there are 3 or more of them.

I hope that answered all of your questions! if you have any more, just let me know and I'll try to help. you can also search "adf" or "african dwarf frog" on this forum for threads that may have more information.

 

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hey there! I used to own some adfs. it's always nice to see people interested in these little froggos.

- yes, they're pretty easy to care for. their feeding patterns may take some time to get used to, though, if you decide to feed them a variety of foods.
- I wouldn't really say heavy. they poop probably a couple times a day, but if you don't overfeed, it's nothing you can't handle. a gravel vac is your best friend. I used to spot clean with a turkey baster because I didn't have a vac.
- preferably! they like to rest on tall leaves and such. silk and real plants are ideal. their skin is very delicate and they don't have scales, so try to stay away from plastic plants with sharp edges. tall tanks will not work well for them. they aren't great swimmers and need to go up for air, so I suggest the water column to be no higher than 15 inches, max. 12 inches is a good height.
- yes, a lid is recommended for them. mine never tried to escape but i've heard of them doing it, and they can't survive long out of water. I wouldn't feel safe keeping frogs in a lidless tank.
- adfs need variety in their diet. they are prone to bloat/dropsy, so things like freeze-dried foods, bloodworms (gave my frog dropsy), and lots of sinking pellets aren't recommended. frozen foods like mysis shrimp, daphnia, brine shrimp, tubifex worms, etc. are good choices. they'd also love live food like blackworms, mosquito larvae, and any of the others listed above in live form. I like the hikarI brand of frozen foods best.
-- adfs are bottom feeders, so feeding can be a challenge at times. you can spot feed them with a turkey baster or syringe, or use long tweezers/feeding tongs. their eyesight is horrendous ao they rely on smell and movement, so you have to get their food right in front of their faces and be patient. some people pick a designated spot or dish for feeding them, and they'll catch on. they do like to scavenge the bottom of the tank, so watch out for gravel as a substrate. they can swallow it and die. (mine never did this, but again, i've seen/heard of them doing it.)
- adfs do best in a species-only tank, but people have had success housing them with fish, shrimp and snails. they can nip at fish and fish, in turn, can nip at them.
- they grow to about an inch and a half to two inches if they're stretched out, legs included. they're small.
- they are social and more active in groups of 3 or more. just one frog might hide a lot.
- 5 gallon max of 2 frogs, 10 gallon max of 5 (i'd go with 3 or 4). I wanted to get a 20 gallon long, which would probably house.... a ton of frogs, lol.
- they do!!! they are very funny things. I love them like I said, they tend to be much more active when there are 3 or more of them.

I hope that answered all of your questions! if you have any more, just let me know and I'll try to help. you can also search "adf" or "african dwarf frog" on this forum for threads that may have more information.

My aquarium is a 29 gallon and is 19" high... would this work if I had somerock/ wood for them to climb up on to about half way up the tank?

I currently have 4 peaceful dwarf gourami ( about and inch long), 2 mollies and a guppy ( the molly and guppy will be re-homed soon) would the gourami be ok with the AFD? they are very peaceful - they actually get picked on by the molly's.

 

hmm... I think you could probably make it work, but it's personally not something i'd try.

if you're looking for a bottom-dweller, a small school of pygmy cories might be a better option? they're fun to watch, too.

 

Hi. A 29 gal high will be too deep. The water level should never be more than 12 inches as they surface to breath. But........ you can always drop the level in the tank. Mine is a 10 gallon with 5 frogs. I provide driftwood that reaches above the water line they don’t leave the water but they hang out on the submerged wood. I also have tons of moss balls. It’s a little like a ball pit for frogs.
As far as feeding, they will eat any frozen food and love it. I feed my lot of 5 half a cube of frozen food every other day. I’ve seen articles and YouTube’s of having to hand feed them with tweezers etc. I’ve never found my greedy little Devi’s to need such treatment. I simply leave the food out to thaw and dump it in the corner and they arrive in the corner in a min to two min.and eat it all. I switch up their food, giving them something different each time. Bloodworms one day, brine shrimp the next, followed by beef heart etc....
They themselves don’t have much of a bio load but their messy food does. I do 50 water change weekly and vacuumed their gravel.
They are a delight. I keep them in my bed room and they will sing off and on during the night. They also have clownish personalities.
I enjoy mine and they weren’t near as difficult or labor intensive as some of the articles mad them out to be.
Oh, keep the in a colony.

 

View attachment 446818 Hi. A 29 gal high will be too deep. The water level should never be more than 12 inches as they surface to breath. But........ you can always drop the level in the tank. Mine is a 10 gallon with 5 frogs. I provide driftwood that reaches above the water line they don’t leave the water but they hang out on the submerged wood. I also have tons of moss balls. It’s a little like a ball pit for frogs.
As far as feeding, they will eat any frozen food and love it. I feed my lot of 5 half a cube of frozen food every other day. I’ve seen articles and YouTube’s of having to hand feed them with tweezers etc. I’ve never found my greedy little Devi’s to need such treatment. I simply leave the food out to thaw and dump it in the corner and they arrive in the corner in a min to two min.and eat it all. I switch up their food, giving them something different each time. Bloodworms one day, brine shrimp the next, followed by beef heart etc....
They themselves don’t have much of a bio load but their messy food does. I do 50 water change weekly and vacuumed their gravel.
They are a delight. I keep them in my bed room and they will sing off and on during the night. They also have clownish personalities.
I enjoy mine and they weren’t near as difficult or labor intensive as some of the articles mad them out to be.
Oh, keep the in a colony.

THEY SING!!!? Oh my gosh that is delightful!! I'm now considering buying a small 10-15 gallon and giving them their own tank. How loud do they get? I myself would love the sound and am a heavy sleeper so it would not bother me at all, my boyfriend is a very light sleeper.

 

THEY SING!!!? Oh my gosh that is delightful!! I'm now considering buying a small 10-15 gallon and giving them their own tank. How loud do they get? I myself would love the sound and am a heavy sleeper so it would not bother me at all, my boyfriend is a very light sleeper.

Oh, yes. Just as most male frogs do. It’s muffled, not like a bullfrog in the back yard that will keep you up all night. Go on YouTube and look up African dwarf frog singing.
They are such a wonderful addition to having fish and shrimp aquariums (which I love also)

Oh, yes. Just as most male frogs do. It’s muffled, not like a bullfrog in the back yard that will keep you up all night. Go on YouTube and look up African dwarf frog singing.
They are such a wonderful addition to having fish and shrimp aquariums (which I love also)

They saw me take their pic a few moments ago and came out to see if I were going to drop food in their tank. Sadly they were fed yesterday.

 

the males make a buzzing noise, sort of like an insect. mine stopped doing it once I finally got him a mate. I guess he was satisfied lol

a new tank just for them sounds like a great idea