African Clawed Frogs

[Forestpisces]

Hello there normally this is not a section of the forums i tend to frequent but of late i've been doing some lurking and have finally come to my decision. Baisicly it's coming up to my first year of fish keeping on sunday to be exact and i would like to treat myself to a new addition to the aquatic family but fish are starting to lose my interest i have one 20gal community tank and the other 3 are betta tanks. Although i love my bettas i want to try something new so. My first thought was axolotls as i've wanted one since i first heard of them but space restictions mean i will have to wait and i thought i would be best starting off with a nice easy amphibian that would grow to an ample size.

I've been researching all i can but i still have a few questions for those who know best

1. The tank available is a 12gallon (54litre) i understand that a ACF requires at least 10gals but what is the requirement for two?

2. Are they a social creature? Do they prefer to have the company of their own species or can they live happily alone

3. Which would be a better choice a male or a female? or one of both or one of each? I love the chunkiness of the females but i'm aware males are smaller and so may be better for the tank

4. Aside from bloodworm daphina etc. what else can they eat and can they eat krill?

Thats all i can think of for now but there may be more i'm all about providing the best for my pets i have ADFs but aside from them i am a complete amphibian novice haha so any and all help is appreciated from you fantastic lot

 

[Jenste]

I PMd you....very few ppl keep acf on here....I will help anyway I can....for 2 you should use a 20 gallon long

 

[Jenste]

I didn't have time to type more earlier....

Ten gallons for one....2 in a standard 20 gallon, 3 in a 20 gallon long.

They are social but do fine on their own and interact a bit more with their owners hands and fingers if kept singularly. Handfeeding them when young is a great way to build up this relationship.

Either sex is fine....regardless they will need a ten gallon minimum for one....you will not be able to sex them until 6-8 months of age when the males nuptial pads develop (hands and forearms turn black, even in albinos...called dirty hands)

Reptomin sticks are a great diet....broken up for young frogs. Treat with bloodworms, chopper up earthworms, black worms, brineshrimp.
Stay away from freezedried...it constipates them.
Never feed a feeder goldfish or rosyred...it blocks the frogs natual ability to absorb b enzymes....can lead to death


Don't house frogs with fish. Period.

Never house with adf....

Check out my signature for more info....I think I covered the basics that you asked....feel free to ask me more....very few on here have actual experience keeping these beauties

 

[Forestpisces]

Thank you so much for your help, i've decided to go the whole hog and clear out my 20gall community for a pair, i'm shuffling the fish about to other tanks or taking them back to were i work so the little critters can have a nice space to grow and play in suppose i can always upgrade them later and get my community back.
I'm really excited now trading my community in will be a big leap but i've fallen in love with the little things and they are deffinately not your average pet.

The 20 gall got the cleaning of it's life yesterday and a re arrange so that there is more ground space for them, the tank used to have alot of wood and plants but now it has 2 nice peices of wood one of which makes a nice shaded area/ cave they can hide in and another that is alot like a tree trunk, only my sturdiest and well rooted plants are left but if they get distroyed i suppose i wont mind haha also got 3 nice rocks in there too

I will probably give it one last sand cleaning before i introduce them either tomorow or sunday, the frogs at the shop are all albino and are about 2" to 3" from nose to bum and have been in the shop for quite some time as hardly anyone buys them would they be sexable at this point?


once again thank you so much for your advise i suppose these fellas are abit of a rareity and not as commonly kept as i first thought

 

[Jenste]

a sandy substrate is perfect, make sure the filter intake is a good few inches above the sandline, these frogs are big kickers, and they can kick it up enough to clog the filter lol

also - - if you like the plants, you may consider planting them elsewhere. during their swim and play they can, and will, tear up the plant.

check the forearms and hands for blackness...it will usually start very faintly on fingertips and palms (looks like a little kid who went fingerpainting)

also, if you can manage, take a picture of their little behinds from an "above" angle....i will try and look for the beginnings of the female "tail" called a cloaca

make sure any and all rocks are much too large for the frog to eat. no gravel should be used. these frogs are enthusiastic eaters - - they eat by shoveling food into their mouth with their hands....many a frog has wound up blocked and constipated from ingesting gravel and small rocks.

 

[M.R Otter]

These creatures are fun to keep!! I were having a pair of these fellas, they are also veracious eaters when I first got the I housed in tank containing guppies, neons and lace gouramies but the neon tetras were slowly disappearing......so I separated them from the fishes but one frog had left the container and the other had died... Poor fellas!! But they are lovable and cute!

 

[Forestpisces]

The two rocks in there are the size of a mans fist so no chocking hazards there