EDITORS NOTE: This was first published back in 2009. Since each Christmas, we gain so many new EcoAquarium Owners, it's a good idea to repost this article since it covers a lot of ground concerning African Dwarf Frogs.This holiday season, someone somewhere is getting a gift of an EcoAquarium(TM). If you have received one, you may now be searching out more information about your desktop eco-system and it's web-footed inhabitant. Here's some info about our star of the show...Hymenochirus Curtipes, the African Dwarf Frog.
Small in stature, big in personality...
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Today, all African Dwarf Frogs sold by us and in pet stores, are farm-raised under controlled conditions. But that's far different than their natural habitat...
African Dwarf Frog, (ADF) natural habitat is shallow pools & puddles of low oxygen, stagnant water. The cold-blooded amphibian is fully aquatic but have lungs instead of gills, perfect for life in still shallow water with little or no dissolved oxygen. The African Dwarf Frog sense of smell exceeds it's vision. The frog evolved into a creature suited for turbid, muddy water of a shallow pool or swamp, where it would inhabit a sandy muddy bottom seeking food. In an aquarium, African Dwarf Frogs do not require much light and prefer close confined spaces free of predators.
The size of the EcoAquarium is a perfect fit. The depth of the water closely mimics the African dwarf frogs natural habitat. You will see them often swim to the top for a breath of air and the small size of the aquariums gives them a easy, short trip to the surface. While they often are popular additions to standard freshwater aquariums, the depth of an aquarium can often make the trip to the surface for a breath of air a long & stressful trip. In nature, the African Dwarf Frog is accustomed to 4" to 6" inch water depths or less.
It's very easy to maintain a healthy EcoAquarium environment. First & foremost, you should always use bottled spring water at room temperature for periodic water changes, as well as to clean anything you may put in your EcoAquarium since tap water & bottled drinking water often contains chlorine. Any chlorine introduced to a EcoAquarium can kill off the filtering bacteria in the gravel, as well as harm the Lucky Bamboo plant and your frogs. With Bottled Spring Water you can be sure you are using clean chlorine-free, mineral rich water, without having to treat it to de-chlorinating chemicals. We also recommend avoiding putting your fingers in the water since doing so can introduce chemicals and pathogens that can affect the bio-system. It's wise to wash hands with bottled spring water before and after doing any maintenance to your tank. Consider your EcoAquarium as a separate bio-system onto itself. The less exposure to the world outside the better.
Remember, your African dwarf frog is fully aquatic and spends it's entire life in water. Keeping the lid of your EcoAquarium in place keeps frogs from getting out, or other uninvited guests (like the Cat) from getting inside.
A little feeding goes a LONG way...
African dwarf frogs are not big eaters. Our recommended weekly feeding is four pellets of our frog food per frog, per week. Of any problems associated with care & upkeep, over-feeding is the biggest culprit. Uneaten food can spoil and cause the water to become cloudy. It can effect water-quality making the need for water changes much more frequent. Best rule of thumb... a little bit goes a long way. By the way, other 4-legged family members may LOVE the taste & smell of frog food too, so keep your frog food in a safe place away from prying paws.
A little feeding goes a LONG way...African dwarf frogs are not big eaters. Our recommended weekly feeding is four pellets of our frog food per frog, per week. Of any problems associated with care & upkeep, over-feeding is the biggest culprit. Uneaten food can spoil and cause the water to become cloudy. It can effect water-quality making the need for water changes much more frequent. Best rule of thumb... a little bit goes a long way. By the way, other 4-legged family members may LOVE the taste & smell of frog food too, so keep your frog food in a safe place away from prying paws.
African dwarf frogs have personalities. You may notice they anticipate feeding times, or develop a routine of hanging out in a particular place in its home at a particularly time each day. All African dwarf frogs like to do a "Zen" pose, where they stand motionless... and you may hear them sing at night. They'll grow on you.
You can find more information online about Mr. Hymenochirus Curtipes, especially on our website. Feel free to study up, and always remember we're happy to answer questions and offer advice. Give us a call if you wish, our frog experts are always ready to leap (pardon the pun) to your aid.We also have a moderated page on Facebook, we try to answer any questions there as well, however, the best way to get a question answered is to give us a call at 843-448-8880 Mon-Fri, 9AM-6PM.
What does it mean when my dwarf frogs don't eat their skins?
ReplyDeleteThey're just not hungry. They occasionally eat the shedded skin. But sometimes they don't.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have many fish tanks and he is very knowledgable on the care of different size tanks and aquatic life. What we don't understand is how you are claiming that they are ok in such a small amount of water with only 2 water changes per year?? I do know that the "so called" eco-system with the living gravel and the bamboo, does not always work due to amonia spikes, therefore, killing the frogs. In such a small amount of water I do not believe that the nitrogen cycle will fully take place as you are claiming. I also wondered how knowledgable are your employees on the subject of this subject??? I would really like to hear how you tbink this actually works. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn, you have some valid questions based on your experience with aquatic fish tanks. However you are looking at the functioning of our EcoAquariums from a typical fish tank perspective.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it is impossible to establish a self-sustaining balanced ecosystem in any volumes larger than 3/4 of a gallon, not without some form of aeration or ammonia fixing by chemical means. However in small volumes, natural circulation, the proper combination of bacteria, & the right amount of surface area in the gravel, a semi-closed loop ecosystem can be maintained with minimal maintenance. The African Dwarf Frog is also more suited to a low oxygen, high PH environment as well, having evolved from a world of shallow rainforest swamps, in water full of decaying plant & animal matter.
The EcoAquarium is a design developed by a Marine Biologist from UC Berkley, based on NASA Earth Science research for an aquatic environment able to be maintained on board SkyLab. The combination of the right plant, animal & bacteria, along with narrow tolerances of temperature & lighting, all come into play to create a very stable, low-maintenance habitat.
Our Eco-system isn't "so-called", we've sold millions of EcoAquariums which are functioning perfectly today with minimal maintenance. We also have on staff a Licensed Veterinarian who monitors & advises us on our product production, overseeing our efforts to create safe & humane aquatic habitats. The process of a self-sustaining, self-regulating bio-culture is grounded upon valid marine science.
Many of our customers have told us they've had frogs live over 9 years, far beyond a normal lifespan for these frogs if they were in the wild. We conservatively estimate 3 to 5 year lifespans with confidence. (I personally have two 6 year olds here at my desk called "Jimmie Crack Corn" & "I Don't Care.")
If the Eco-Aquarium is kept out of direct sunlight, left as undisturbed as possible, and the frogs are kept fed, years of enjoyment maintaining a balanced aquatic world can be achieved. Your welcome to learn more about our EcoAquariums here in our website FAQ:
http://www.wildcreations.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=8&id=22&Itemid=104
Your system truly works. I have had my frogs for 5 years now. It's ironic that my betta fish requires more time to keep his tank clean than my frogs do. I'm glad your company cares about the welfare of these frogs and I'm happy to be a returning customer.
DeleteThank you for your response, but I'm not completely sold on this idea, I work n a store that sells them, and the bamboos keep dying and need many water changes, why do you think this is happening?
Deletewe have had our frogs since 2009 there are happy the like to hide and even when hubby dropped the tank and broke it they are still thriving in a fish bowl with there spring water. one frog pasted away dec 2014 the other frog is still thriving. this company is very nice and they answer questions and concerns you have
DeleteI missed Dawn's question about her store's Bamboo dying off. It's very likely the EcoAquariums you have on display are exposed to too much sunlight or UV light. Lucky Bamboo is heavy shade tolerant, meaning that they DON'T do well in the sun. If you are having issues with the plants regularily dying, please relocate your inventory to a darker spot in the store. You're welcome to contact us further to discuss this, our # 843-488-8880
DeleteMy bamboo is turning yellow, what should I do?
ReplyDeleteRelocate the EcoAquarium to a darker location. Too much sun is a big culprit in killing lucky bamboo. If the plant fails to green up and turns pale & soft, remove it and replace it.
DeleteFirst determine if you may have your ecoaquarium where it is getting any sunlight. The Lucky Bamboo plant will wither if it is getting any sun. You may want to relocate the tank to a dark location for a few days. If the Bamboo is still yellow or turning pale white, you will have to replace it. We do have replacement Bamboo available.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wildcreations.com/buy/wc-532/lucky-bamboo-4-stalk
I live in the country and have a very deep well (727 ft.). May I use well water when I need to clean and refill my ecoaquarium?
ReplyDeleteAs long as you do not chlorinate your well water it should be fine.
DeleteCan a moss ball be added to the aquarium?
ReplyDeleteGive it a try Carrie Ann. I'm testing a collection of Marimo Balls right now. After over a year, I've lost only 2 out of the 5 and I suspect it was due to them being delivered partially frozen.
DeleteOne thing though, Marimo Balls are more suitable for cooler waters. The ideal temperatures for your frogs is at the upper range for Marimo. But all the same, they seem to do OK.
Good Question, Carrie Ann! We're currently investigating more about these fascinating little balls of algae. While we strive to keep our EcoAquariums relatively Algae free, we're very interested in the way this particular plant can actually help keep other forms of algae at bay. Since the little Marimo Moss balls do make a popular fresh water aquarium plant, we don't see a problem with it, however we are looking further into how compatible it is in the balanced ecosystem environment found in our EcoAquarium.
ReplyDeleteAnswering Annejk's question... yes, your well water should be fine as long as there is no chance of any Chlorine in it.
ReplyDeleteWe specify commercially bottled Spring Water for two reasons:
1. No Chlorine. It is vital that no chlorine is present. The Frogs, plants & most especially, the nitrifying bacteria present in the brown "Living Gravel" cannot tolerate it. We never recommend using tap water either, since it typically is Chlorinated by municipal water treatment. We also do not recommend trying to de-chlorinate water yourself using any chemicals, the volume of water in our EcoAquarium is too small to be able to treat with accuracy. Natural Spring water is nature-filtered, and mineral rich.
2. All commercially bottled water MUST meet common quality control standards set by a governing body, generally the bottling industry itself. Since the quality standards are common industry-wide, a bottle of Spring Water bottled in Maine, has the same standard of quality of a bottle of Spring Water bottled in California. It's not that it's better than water you draw from a well, or from your own spring, just that it has met a minimum standard. As a added precaution, I'd recommend before you use your well water, let it sit in a open container for a day, so if there is any Chlorine in it, it has a chance to come out of solution & evaporate.
I just got my ecoaquarium earlier this week and feed my frogs two pellets per frog, but one frog ate them all. Should I be worried? Should I feed the frogs separately, if so what would be the easiest way to accomplish this? The one frog that did eat is larger then the one that didn't. Thanks
ReplyDeleteWhile we suggest two pellets per frog, somehow the frogs didn't get that memo. Sometimes you do get one frog "hogging the plate". In that case, you can try staggering the feedings so that the big frog eats, and then would be less hungry.
ReplyDeleteIt's very likely you have a larger female, and a smaller male frog. Females tend to dominate... When Momma's not happy... EVERYBODY'S is not happy. It's natural that she would rule the roost AND hog dinner. BTW, the "two pellets per frog 2X week" rule is a suggestion to keep folk from over feeding and possibly tainting water conditions with spoiled uneaten food. Indulge your frogs with more food if they are hungry, just don't overdo it. If there's uneaten food in the tank, hold off until they find & eat any leftovers.
I have two frogs not sure whether male or female interested in knowing the sex of each and if they will reproduce
ReplyDeleteHi... We've had our frogs for about 3 years. A few months ago, one of them died. We have no idea why. I can say though, that the remaining frog was clearly upset, trying to "wake it up" and hovering over it as I tried to remove that dead frog from the tank. Since then, we all feel so bad that this frog is now alone. Is it ok for us to introduce another frog to the tank? I don't want him to be alone for the rest of his life, but I don't want to upset him either.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I'm afraid you're giving too much credit to the intellect of an amphibian. On a rational sense, African Dwarf Frogs sole existence is to seek food, seek something to breed with, and seek safety from predators. Beyond that there not a whole lot to these frogs except what human traits we project upon them.
DeleteYour three year old mature frog may only see a new addition to the EcoAquarium as a younger competitor to it's domain and it's food supply. In nature, these frogs are less communal than you'd expect, seeking out it's kind only to mate. Otherwise it prefers a solitary existence in a space safe from predators, where it can find food.
I have 3 frogs in my ecosystem and I was curious how u can tell gender and if u have mix gender will they mate over time
ReplyDeleteEasiest way to determine male & female is size. Males are smaller & skinnier, females are larger and more broad across her rump. (Baby's got back) Also temperament... females are dominant... When Mommas not happy, no one's happy. Females regard males only as something to breed with and not much else.
ReplyDeleteFelames are far more aggressive toward food, often driving males (or any other frog away from food.
In the beginning, we wanted our breeder to supply us only male frogs, but in time, that became unfeasible. While we still try to pair frogs male/male, female/female, unfortunately since we deal with very young frogs, it's a toss up if we succeed. Consequently it's a 50/50 chance of getting a male & female pair of frogs. They will try to breed, that what they do... eat, poop & breed. But it's very unlikely to have a successful brood.
I have a small aquarium that came with my two African Dwarf frogs. I would like to give them a home that holds about half a gallon of water. Do I need to add a second lucky bamboo and more "eco" stones?
ReplyDeleteOne of my frogs keeps attacking the other one... or at least that's how it appears. It will go after its leg over and over and over, and sometimes drag it around when it gets a hold of it. Should I get a second aquarium and split them up?
ReplyDeleteJeanette, a half gallon will be putting the natural filtering capability to the extreme edge of effectiveness. Much more than that & you will not likely be able to establish effective filtration. I would suggest at that point you introduce some mechanical filtration like a undergravel circulation system that assists in getting the water to circulate through the gravel. It would be good to increase the amount of living gravel, however the bacteria culture already present will grow into any kind of gravel you may add. You can effectively filter up to a gallon & a half of water with an undergravel filter system, however you will always need some sort of mechanical assistance to get enough circulation through your filter gravel.
ReplyDeleteTo Texas Om Girl...
ReplyDeleteWhenever we get one frog fighting another, it's usually over food. They're hungry! I'd say add a larger portion of food and see how they act. The frogs have very poor eyesight & they pounce upon anything they can percieve. Most cases, the scrapping they do is harmless.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI have 2 frogs, named Jack+Freddy. Last Thursday, Freddy didn't eat. He was swimming around but didn't get near the food. I think he must have found some of the pellets that sunk to the bottom from the Monday before or something and he was full. Jack and Freddy, the same day kept on going up for air. I had them for a year now, and they are really healthy. But yesterday and today, I saw them kept on going up for air, more than usual. Right now, Jack is floating at the top. He is swimming around at the top so I think he is ok. I think it has something to do with the water and why they keep on going up for air. I think it's with the oxygen in the water or something. How can I clean their tank so this wouldn't happen? Thanks.
The oxygen in the water has no effect on your frogs, they are not like fish with gills, they have lungs and draw air from the surface. The aquatic environment they naturally evolved from is stagnant swamp water with low oxygen content & high nitrate content, the kind of water fish often couldn't tolerate, all the better for the frogs since they would often be food for larger fish. The floating on the surface behavior is a good sign that your frogs trust their environment. Also, you might be interested to know that male frogs will surface and sing for a mate when conditions are right. Listen if sometime in the night you hear a buzzing sound, that's Barry White romance music to a female African Dwarf Frog.
DeleteAlso, resist the urge to clean your EcoAquarium. Unless you have excessive algae growth, which can be taken care of by relocating the EcoAquarium to an area without sunlight, the less maintenance you do the better. The EcoAquarium is a natural balanced self-filtering biosystem. The Nitrifying bacteria in the gravel convert the frogs waste into Nitrates, the Lucky Bamboo feeds on the Nitrates converting it to Oxygen. Disturbing things by attempting to clean the EcoAquarium upsets a balance that takes time to establish. If you still insist on cleaning things just do a partial water change with bottled spring water and avoid disturbing the gravel whenever possible.
ReplyDeleteHi, my son has had his frogs for a few years now and the bamboo slowly yellowed and died. When cleaning the tank tonight he removed the bamboo, my question is can they survive without the bamboo until we get a new one? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes, the frogs will be fine without a Lucky Bamboo plant, but you may need to do a partial water change around a week. Otherwise, the water will become loaded with nitrates which can trigger an Algae bloom. Just draw off part of the water every few days & replenish with fresh bottled spring water. You will need to keep doing this until you get a new Lucky Bamboo plant. We have plenty in stock. Take a couple of days to get to you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wildcreations.com/buy/wc-532/lucky-bamboo-4-stalk
Hi! We are frog-sitting and i think we might have killed her frog!!! It seems to be shrunken and just sitting on the bottom of the tank. However, every now and then, it will move a leg. What do we do!?!?! I don't want to part with it but, don't want to return a dead frog either. Thanks for your help!!
ReplyDeleteJennifer, you best course of action is to not panic, but give us a call at our offices, 843-448-8880 M-F 9-5PM EST. We can offer better advice over the phone. Meanwhile you might want to move the EcoAquarium to a quiet, darker location. It may help sooth a timid frog. What you describe could be that the frog has quit eating. It could be actually too scared to do much but stay as still as it can. Add a few bits of food, if the other frogs eats that wait a bit then add a bit more. The sent of available food, under the cover of darkness and quiet, may spur the frog into action.
ReplyDeleteWe have 2 frogs- we believe one is a male and one a female (larger, aggressive). This morning we woke up to brown and white dots on the surface of the water and them locked in a hug. I believe its the male stuck to the females back and it doesn't appear to be what I would think is a mating position. Are these eggs? Should we scoop them out? Could they hatch?
ReplyDeleteYes, it appears you have eggs. And yes the hug is a mating action called amplexing. You're better off removing the eggs from the EcoAquarium, they rarely ever come to term and as they spoil, can cause issues with the water.
ReplyDeleteI started out with the usual two frogs about three years ago, but one started to get a bit skinny within a year (I was thinking that the other one may have been eating the skinnier ones' food). Unfortunately, the skinnier one died before I could do anything. I still have that one frog, and instead of putting four food pellets in, I only put in two, as the instructions told me. I also took out the bamboo because I noticed it getting a bit moldy. The water also always looks murky and unclean, even when I clean it out. I only clean it every four to five months. Should I be cleaning it more often? My frog doesn't look happy. I notice he tries to swim through the walls of his tank. What should I do? Clean the tank more often? Maybe put bamboo in again? Food doesn't seem to be an issue though, he's not skinny like the first one was. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry James, your EcoAquarium is operating akin to a three legged stool with one of it's legs missing... INW now very well! You need to replace the Lucky Bamboo. The bacteria in the gravel is converting the ammonia in the frog's waste into Nitrate, which is plant food. The Nitrates NEED to be consumed by a plant otherwise you will get cloudy water or even excessive algae growth. Yes, indeed, get a replacement Lucky Bamboo Stalk, we have stalks specifically grown to fit our EcoAquariums available online.
ReplyDeleteHere's another shocker. Your frog is most likely not a HE, but instead a SHE. The Females are larger & more dominant, especially where food is concerned. I wouldn't about her now though, she's likely quite happy living alone in her little aquatic kingdom. She's mature now and even if you got her a roommate, she would most likely dominate the newcomer, as well regardless if it is a male or female. The water conditions don't bother the frogs as much as it may effect the bacteria in the gravel. The frogs evolved in very intolerable swamp water loaded with nitrates. But at the present, your EcoAquarium cannot be balanced without a plant, and the water quality will indeed be cloudy. Without a plant, we suggest changing the water around every 2 weeks just to keep things clear. Add a plant, and you can see your tank becoming clean & clear almost indefinitely under the right conditions.
Hi. My frogs only ate 1/4 food pellets earlier this week. They're fine, and ate the next time, but I wondered what I should do with the remaining pellets, as they're just rotting in the tank. Should I fish them out, or leave them there?
ReplyDeleteUnlessyou start seeing semitransparent puff balls around the food pellets, you can let them stay. The frogs will find them in time. But if there is a bit of fluff indicating mold growth,remove the uneaten food.
ReplyDeleteAfter several years of being ultra thin, all of a sudden our frog looks like he is packing on weight. Is this a sign of illness?
ReplyDeleteHi There
ReplyDeleteI have had my frogs for about 6 months now and everything was going great. About 3 weeks ago I noticed one of my little frogs was a very light grey color (almost white). I tried changing the water and he still hasn't perked up. He isn't eating much and isn't as active as he used to be. Help!
These frogs shed their skin regularly. When they pale, it's a indicator they are about to shed because the outer skin layer is dying. All of a sudden you'll find your frog a lot darker as the older layer is shed & a fresh new layer is exposed.
ReplyDeleteHello All!
ReplyDeleteI recently got my frogs (Kilu and Wiluwi) and I love them! They are perfectly happy sitting up on my bookshelf out of reach of the other 4-legged creatures running around.
Yesterday my roommates cat got into the bag of food and spilled it everywhere. Now I am foodless and wondering:
1) Is the food harmful to the cat? I don't know if she ate any but I just want to be sure.
2) Is there somewhere I can get more pellets or is there any substitute food I could use for the time being? I do have a betafish and was curious as to if that would work for a short while.
Thank you so much!
Your Cat will enjoy the pellets, it has fish meal & fish oil. It is not harmful at all.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, you need more... Here's where you can order a years supply...
http://www.wildcreations.com/buy/wc-500/frog-food-pack
Thank you so much! In the meantime would Betta fish food be ok for them?
DeleteJust don't feed them flaked fish food. The flaked food can stick in their gullet. Our pelletized food is sized specially for these frogs.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of questions about my dwarf frogs that were just brought back to me today.
ReplyDelete1.) I am a sucker for animals and making sure they are okay and such. It would break my heart if the frogs were to breed and I had to remove the eggs and dispose of them. Is there a way that I could keep them and see if they made it without harming my frogs and their home?
2.) Is it okay to change the rocks if needed without harming them? I just bought some from the website today in case I needed them?
3.) Last question, one of my frogs, I am pretty sure is a female. It has a nub. It does not have anything on one of its little legs. Is this some type of birth defect and will it be harmful without it?
These may be dumb questions, but better to know than to just assume. Thanks!
There's no birth control for these frogs short of populating same sex in the tank, or keeping your frogs solitary. Breeding is what these frogs do. It's difficult to raise frogs from eggs. It can be done, but requires a separate tank of very shallow water, warmer, more controlled temps. & NO Adult frogs. Given a chance, adults will eat baby tadpoles.
ReplyDeleteIf it's Living Gravel you purchased, you will have to get it in a EcoAquarium where there is waste ammonia, otherwise the bacteria in the gravel will die off. If you don't, you will just have gravel within a couple of weeks.
That's is not a birth defect with your frog, that protuberance is normal. It is more pronounced in skinner male frogs. Females are naturally larger, fatter with more broader backsides.
My frogs are biting each other what do I do?
ReplyDeleteAdd a bit more food to their diet. They are hungry. It's typical behavior for the frogs to wrestle a bit. They can't see very well and rely on taste & smell to perceive their environment. They may pounce on something moving only to find they have clamped down on another frog.
DeleteI just got my frogs earlier today and one was already dead when I got it and after I did everything it said to do when setting the aquarium up within 2 hours my other frog died. Do you know what could of happened?
ReplyDeleteChance are conditions in route between here & there were too cold or too hot. We've designed shipping packaging to safely transport the frogs, but when weather is extreme there's not much that can be done. Be sure to call us so we can make arrangements to deliver a live pair.
DeleteI have a couple questions..
ReplyDeleteIs it ok if the live gravel and the colorful mix a little bit? It's only right where I put the lucky bamboo because when I stuck it down in the gravel it the colorful gravel kinda when down into the live gravel.
it is ok for the frogs to have light from a lamp? I know sunlight will kill the bamboo.
And last one of my frogs ate its 2 pellets as soon as I put them in the water. The other one didn't eat its 2 and they sank to the bottom.. should I remove the pellets?
It's perfectly fine if the gravel mingles together. The bacteria in the brown living gravel eventually grows onto the colored gravel eventually anyway. As for the food pellets... I wouldn't worry at all... the frogs will seek out the pellets, their sense of smell is more acute than their vision. However, if you do see anything resembling a fuzzy puffball down around the gravel, do remove it. That is a piece of food that has spoiled, & too much spoilage can taint the water.
DeleteHow can u get they frogs to eat? I've tried putting the food right in front of them and they just sit there and then when they move it moves the food under the rocks and makes it hard for me to get. They seem hungry but won't eat.
ReplyDeleteLike the old saying,"you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink," your frogs often will eat when they want, not when you want. They will eat when they are hungry. You may have good aim and drop a food pellet right in front of them, but despite all that if they don't want to eat, they won't eat. You needn't worry about food falling into the gravel, your frogs have a better sense of smell than eyesight, they will find the food eventually. In fact, your frogs are far more active at night than you'd expect. Under the cover of darkness is when they often forage for food among the gravel.
ReplyDeleteMy frogs water looks like it has little tiny particles in it like dust but it's not. I thought it could be where they would shed but it's alot of it. Do you know what it is? Do I need to change their water? And if so I do I keep this from happening?
ReplyDeleteEcoAquarium water is never pristine clean & pure. It's got stuff in it. Tiny, dust-like particles as you described can be anything, but most likely the detritus concreted by the nitrifying bacteria. It settles out of solution but gets kicked up occasionally. Next comes the stuff that becomes the detritus... food particles itself.
DeleteThen comes stuff from the frogs... waste material along with pieces of shed skin.
That's the normal list of usual suspects behind all the flim-flam floating around the frogs. But there can also be another dark, dustlike culprit... tadpoles!
Find a decent magnifying glass, the view could be mind-boggling.
I changed his water, and now it's cloudy. How do i fix it?
ReplyDeleteKeep in mind Amy, changing the water changes the chemistry of the ecoaquarium itself. It takes time for the ecosystem to re-balance. Until then, please expect some water turbidity. There are sediments in the gravel, built up over time, which get dispersed into solution regardless of how gentle a flow of water into the tank can be made. It takes time for things to settle out. The ecoaquarium isn't a clean glass of water, but instead, a microcosm which needs sorting out. That takes time.
ReplyDeleteAfter a water change, keep the Ecoaquarium in a quiet location, with comfortable temperatures and low lighting for a few days. It will allow the frogs to de-stress from coping with their world turned inside out. Lack of sunlight is not detrimental to neither the plant, nor the frogs, (On the contrary, it's VERY good.)
The dim lighting also insures that stirred up nitrates, swirling around in the water, don't touch off an algae bloom from microscopic algae spores, also swirling around.
After 72 hours at least, algae that had bloomed, will have died off and fallen out of suspension, onto the gravel below. The water also will be with less sitrred-up sediment, so you will see a far clearer water column by then, along with an ecoaquarium reestablishing itself.
Hello. I found your site and I would like to let you know I really enjoy everything on here. Very educational. I own a one gallon tank with only drawf frogs. I have owned 5 frogs in the last 3 weeks and only one has made it so far. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I don't have a air filter in the tank though it came with one. I have small rocks, not gravel, I use prime to clean the water when I change it, and I been feeding dried bloodworms. I have one fake plant with a tiny pot for them to hide in. I would like to know what's wrong with my tank and why I feel like I'm the killer of this lovely animals.... My teacher might have bought one of your tanks years ago and had three frogs and they are still alive to this day. I want to keep drawf frogs as my fish friends. I like fish but they are boring to me.
ReplyDeleteSadly I only have one living frog to this day and want to keep him or her alive. Please help me so that when I buy two more I just don't kill them or my pocket. Anything would help. Happy new year. :) Felicia.
Felicia, look at your aquarium as a three legged stool which, if one of the legs is missing, the other two cannot stand.
ReplyDeleteThose three legs are frog, plant & microbes, 3 living entities which depend upon the other 2 to live.
Except it appears you may have two legs missing!
You have no plant to consume nitrates, and worse you might not have the microbes in the aquarium gravel that produce nitrates from waste ammonia from the frogs.
Worse still, you are chemically treating a small amount of water and expect a living creature to totally exist in a chemical soup.
Sorry for being blunt, but you need to re-evaluate your set-up.
The good thing is you can easily put things on the right track.
Start over by holding to these conditions...
No chemical additives, seriously, NONE!
Maintain the tank with ONLY 1/2 gallon of BOTTLED SPRING WATER. For your tank to filter naturally & efficiently, NEVER EXCEED 1/2 gal.
Purchase a LIVE PLANT. A Lucky Bamboo or two will do.
Start small, with the one survivor frog, allow the tank to develop a cycling bio-system and begin to build up nitrates in solution and grow into the entire gravel bed along the bottom.
If you have access to an established & healthy fish aquarium, you can take a cup of some of it's gravel, and use it as a starter culture for your frog tank. Add the transplanted moist gravel in a clump, not spread out. The nitrifying bacteria in the gravel should be able to get a toehold.
Or...
You can purchase some of our Living Gravel. two bags would be fine for your aquarium alone. Make it your tanks gravel, and you'll have a bio-culture throughout your tank at once.
Set up your aquarium in a location where it DOES NOT get direct sunlight. Your Frog & the plant(s) evolved in a shaded environment and the dimmer the light, the healthier the environment. Over time, a month or more, you may add another frog, maybe a pair. But keep in mind, your tanks ecosystem is effected positively AND negatively with any disturbance. Give things time. Observe how conditions change (or don't change).
ALWAYS, maintain even, & comfortable room temperatures avoiding rapid changes. Ask your teacher for advice, she has valuable experience. Good Luck!
how do I know if there happy
ReplyDeleteActually Anna, frogs are actually a very simple unemotional creatures, and human emotions of happiness & sadness is beyond their capability. Although, if you have a frog who is comfortable to roam around the EcoAquarium instead of always hiding & such, you can assume the frog to be "happy." As behaviors go, that's about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do when your bamboo plant gets too large for the aquarium?
ReplyDeleteYou can trim back the leaves a bit, just don't over do it. Most of all, resist the urge to trim the main stalk. It'll kill the plant.
DeleteI have had my frogs for about 6 mo but I purchased a little bit bigger tank with gravel but it seems to be murky I just changed the water just over a month ago. I was wondering if I need to purchase more living gravel to keep the eco system cleaner?!
ReplyDeleteDecrease the amount of water in your tank.
DeleteHere's something most don't seem to understand...
The natural filtering we can maintain in our EcoAquariums cannot be scaled up and still maintain the level of efficiency. It becomes a case of diminishing returns. Increasing the amount of water to be filtered overloads the ability the nitrifying bacteria has in converting ammonia into nitrates. Technically it due to the amount of surface area of the gravel and the natural convection in the tank that carries the water through the gravel media. You can help the filtering along by introducing some method to help move the water through the gravel, like through the use of a under gravel filter system that helps to draw water down through the gravel but that only works so far.
Instead of increasing the size of the tank along with increasing the amount of water, increase the size of the tank but keep the amount of water the same. Keep in mind, your frogs ONLY have need of water to keep their skin moist. They are not fish which needs a lot of oxygenated water to swim in.
I have gunk in between the walls of the tank and the brown rocks. Is this ok?
ReplyDeleteCan you feed ADF betta food pellets?
ReplyDeleteIndeed! The pellets we sell are also suitable for Bettas. Just be sure to always use pellets over flaked food, and be sure the pellet size is not too large that it could choke the frog or fish.
DeleteABSOLUTELY! The "gunk" is a resulting compost of aerobic nitrifying bacteria that has converted frog waste & remaining food. While it may be a little unsightly it is actually a indicator of a healthy bio-system in among the gravel.
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ReplyDeleteWe are watching our friends' frogs and the littler one was floating at the top, then head down in the gravel, then struggling to swim almost jackknifed, and did not go for food. It looks like it is dying. Could our house be too cold at 67 degrees F?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
67 degrees is cool but not so much to greatly effect the frogs. If you're comfortable they'd be comfortable. Lower temps do make them lethargic, too cold & they can go into hibernation. But in your case you're describing normal behavior. The frogs scavenge for food along the gravel when they smell it. They also often swim just below the surface like they are treading water. And they often don't eat when food is presented. Optimum range for room temps is in the 70's.
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ReplyDeleteI just cleaned my frogs tank for the first time. I have replaced the water yes, but this is the first time that I have removed all the components and rinsed them. Not even thinking I rinsed the gravel with tap water. I did rinse them again in spring water before returning them to the tank, but I am worried that I damaged the living gravel, and harmed my frogs home....what should i do????? :(
ReplyDeleteKristin, don't feel like you're alone. We've all done it from time to time. Rinsing the gravel even with bottled spring sort of resets the clock in the efficiency the gravel will have in filtering ammonia. It'll take time for it to replenish to optimal levels so expect some cloudiness for a bit until the bacteria builds back up. We caution against using tap water due to possible introduction to chlorine, but if you only rinsed the gravel sparingly it should be fine. It's when tap water is used to fill the tank would you likely see a die-off. Simply wait & see. If the tank keeps getting cloudy all the time or if the bamboo dies off unexpectedly, consider changing the gravel with fresh. While we do suggest that you can rinse the gravel, we're becoming more in mind to ammend that advice. It's just too easy to over rinse and wash out all the bacteria. Instead, we're leaning toward advising folk to never disturb the gravel at all unless absolutely necessary. The less disturbance to the gravel the less maintenance issues seem to occur.
DeleteI'm new to having frogs. I have 2 questions.
ReplyDeleteIn a 5 gallon tank how many frogs may I have and not overcrowd?
My 2 babies have tripled in size and without the legs are over an inch big with fat tummies. They are very active and bold. I once for giggles threw in an earth worm to see what they'd do (and the beta mostly ) and they all went insane so for 2 months they have been hand fed pieces of worms. They attack it and fight each other for it. 1 day I didn't feed them worm pieces and just frozen blood worms and next day my sucker fish is gone. No body. They are hand fed ( well toothpick) and greedily eat and beat up the beta for the first bites. So how can I possibly only feed them 2 pellets twice a week? They stop eating when full. They are psycho active so they are OK? What happens if overfeed?
For all aquatic animals (and all animals in general) finding food is ALWAYS a "Feast or Famine" situation. There's generally too much or not enough.
DeleteLike a dog gulping down his food, your frogs will eat simply because there's something to eat. It's not a matter of spacing things out...eat a bit now, save a bit for later... but rather, eat until full, or until there's no food left.
The "2 pellets per frog 2x per week" isn't based upon the frogs diet. Rather it's a method for keeping folk from overfeeding and overloading water conditions with spoiled uneaten food. Your frogs will eat until they no longer need to eat, but too often we feed them more than they need.
A new EcoAquarium will have young frogs starting out that become older mature frogs later on. Over time the amount of food they desire will increase, so naturally you can increase the amount of food you give them. However, you need to hold off feeding if there is uneaten food in the tank, it needs to be removed or they need to eat that food first. Otherwise you're inviting trouble. Also even if "it's just for giggles"
avoid introducing fresh live meat like a earthworm. It may be a steak dinner for the frogs, but you've also introduced a world of bacteria & stuff to your tanks environment, some which can potentially harm everything. Always remember, you have a separate ecosystem inside your tank, and exposure to the outside world should be kept minimal.
People ask if they go on vacation will their frogs starve. Our answer is only if you'll be gone longer than 2 weeks. Generally there is enough uneaten food in a tank that the frogs can forage around 10 days without a feeding, again... feast or famine.
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ReplyDeleteMy daughter has had her frog tank for about 2 months. We have changed the water once since we had bought it already assembled and it was looking a bit dirty. Anyway, it has a larger white rock in it that seems to have some sort of brown scum or algae growing on it. Is this normal? Almost the entire rock is covered by it. Should we tank the rock out and clean it?
ReplyDeleteGo ahead and remove the decorative rock and give it a good scrubbing. DO NOT USE SOAP. You can rinse it off and replace it. The tank may be getting some exposure to UV light or sunlight. You can help eradicate Algae by relocating the tank to a dark part of the room or even keep it in the dark for a few days. The darkness doesn't hurt the frogs or the plant, both thrive in darkness. The Lucky Bamboo plant, in fact, can die from too much daylight. It's a heavy shade tolerant plant. If the water is hazy, it's generally due to algae. But after a few days in the dark the water should clear up, since without UV light, the algae cells quickly die off.
DeleteWater changes are generally unnecessary when the EcoAquarium is kept in a dark shady environment. Simply replacing water lost through evaporation is usually enough.
I just got four African dwarf frogs and I'm so excited I love them, but i do have a question. If I used bottled water without chlorine or any chemicals would it be safe for my frogs, would I have to pay attention to the ph levels? Is the ph level something that I am going to have to keep track of, how important is it?
ReplyDeleteChlorine is the killer of bacteria. Which is bad for the bacteria which filter the water. It'll also kill the plant. So you can expect pretty much the same results on your frog. Bottled spring water is the safest choice for avoiding chlorine. Treating water can't guarantee removing it. Best not have it in the water in the first place. As for pH... it's always good not to have water too acid or too alkaline so aim for as middle of the road, neutral pH as you can, but just remember this. Your frogs are NOT FISH... which need neutral pH water far more. Fish need clean oxygenated neutral pH water indeed. Frogs, not at all. Actually, water quality is not that big an issue for frogs. These frogs evolved in water loaded with nitrites & ammonia and very little dissolved oxygen... stagnant swamp water. And the only reason they live in water is because they need it to keep their skin moist. That's it. The frogs can live in water fit for fish, but not all fish can live well in water these frogs can call home.
ReplyDeleteMy bamboo started to grow mold and turn yellow, so I took it out. Should I replace it? Also, is it possible to move my frog to a different habitat? My current one is six years old and I think it's time to change it. Can I?
ReplyDelete