Congo/african Dwarf Frogs?

[Fish_Girl]

im new here! and today i got my first tropical fish(3 balloon mollies, 3 honey gourami) im hoping to add many more fish to my 54 litre tank over time, but was thinking of also adding something a bit "different"

someone mentioned congo frogs on another forum, but didnt have much info on them. i was wondering if anyone here knows anything about them? would a pair be ok in the size tank i have? and what would i have to feed them?(this will sound silly, but i cant bare the thought of feeding them live food-i wouldnt be able do to it! are there any alternatives?) what sort of care would they require?

are there any other sorts of frogs that would be suitable for my community tank that wouldnt require live food? or anything else "unusual"? i think i shall be getting a snail or two aswell!

sorry for so many questions-im loving owning fish so far and loving learning new things!

EDITED to add, that im pretty sure i meant african dwarf frogs!

 

[moray]

dwarf african frogs (which is what I think you are probably talking about) are fully aquatic and would probably live quite happily in your tank, they can be fed on frozen blood worm and will eat most sinking food; they have a habit of getting caught in filter and drowning, so can I ask what sort of filter do you have? Make sure you do not get african clawed frogs, as they grow larger and will eat your fish.

 

[Fish_Girl]

thanks for your reply. yes, i realised last night after searching for info on congo frogs that they were indeed dwarf frogs! if they can be fed non live food then i definately think id like one!

im not sure what filter we have-the tank belonged to my fiances Dad so he knows all about it i will ask him later and post when i know! i did read about the accidents that can happen with the filters so would definately want to make sure mine is suitable before getting a couple!

another question-would it be best to get a same sex pair? im so new to all this so please do excuse me if im asking stupid questions!

 

[Luke_e]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=133204&hl=frog

It doesnt really matter if you get a same sex pair or not, some peoples frogs spawn but the spawn usually gets eaten by the fish .
They eat bloodworm. You can buy it live or frozen. You'll need to hand feed them as the fish will get it other wise, the frogs look for the food via smell, so dangle it infront of their nose and they'll snap it up.

 

[Fish_Girl]

thanks for that.

i just had a search on here and some people mention different types of pellets? can you get any types for them in the UK? if so, would i still need to feed them bloodworm, or would the pellets do? (dont think i could stomach dangling them infront of their noses-dead or alive! )

 

[Luke_e]

Pellets, hmm well my two try and nibble at some algae wafers i drop in, but i still supliment their diet with bloodworm every other day.
I'd say you'd still need to feed them bloodworm. It isnt as bad as it sound honestly , you could use long tweesers or chop sticks if you dont want to touch the actual bloodworms. You cant even really get away with dropping the cube in, as it would be eaten by the fish as the ADF's would get to it in time.

 

[Fish_Girl]

Pellets, hmm well my two try and nibble at some algae wafers i drop in, but i still supliment their diet with bloodworm every other day.
I'd say you'd still need to feed them bloodworm. It isnt as bad as it sound honestly , you could use long tweesers or chop sticks if you dont want to touch the actual bloodworms. You cant even really get away with dropping the cube in, as it would be eaten by the fish as the ADF's would get to it in time.

it might not be too bad for you but i have a problem with bugs-big time!! i have nothing against them except for the fact that they make my skin crawl i do feel bad for bugs though and never kill them unless absolutely necassary-hence why i cant bare the thought of feeding live food!

so there really wouldnt be any way around not feeding them bloodworm or similar?? will have to try and persuad wimpy*cough*i mean great fiance to feed them if i get some!

 

[dgwebster]

bloodworm is the main staple of their diet.

however in the UK you can buy:

frozen
jellied
live (this is really easy to just dump in the tank and never worry about being eaten in x amount of time, but fish will get them)
and DRIED (seen them made by Kingfisher, sold in Dobbies for one)

The dried should be easy enough for you to handle.

You can also feed them tubifex (SP?)

I have some small pellets made by tetramin or whatever they are called that sink then disintegrate fast but you really do need to give them the above.

Another user in here gave me a great tip: put frozen bloodworm in tank, then suck some defrosted ones with a turkey baster (98p from tesco) and gently squirt them towards the frogs.

I did have two in a community tank and one has grown to a very good size just chucking food in, the other has completely vanished though.

I have since moved him and put him with two others in a betta tank.

getting another 2 ADFs in 2 weeks as well.

going all fish out that weekend.

 

[Fish_Girl]

Thanks for that. do you mind me asking what tubifex is?

i was also wondering if i *was* to get the frozen blister pack of bloodworm-how much would one frog need? one cube? half a cube?

im planning on getting atleast a pair! would it be ok to get 2, or would more be best? and does it really not matter if i get a male/female pair? would 2 female/2 males get on better?

sorry guys-you must be getting sick of all my questions already-what will i be like if i actually get some!!

i completely forgot to add, its an under gravel filter thats in the tank! is that ok? or would something have to be done about it?

 

[Luke_e]

Not sure what tubifex is

They wouldnt need no where near a cube each. Mine eat between 3 - 6 worms every other day. I dangle the cube infront of each frog, they sniff it and bit some off, do this till they seem full or arent interested, or up to around 6 each imo. (in my opinion).

People dont mind answering questions, its easier to answer a question than to solve a problem caused by not researching, so good on you

UGF - underground filters arent exactly ideal, ADFs are messy eaters and create a fair bit of waste for their size. You might want to buy an internal filter suited to your tank size, you're lfs should be able to recomend you some depending on what they have in. You'll need to run the filters together for around 2 - 3 weeks. This should be enough time for the new filter to have benefitial bacteria, and you will be able to remove the UGF, but to be sure, leave it an extra week or so more than i've recomended.

 

[dgwebster]

tubifex (if i got the spelling right) are another type of worm, more easy tom come by in a dried format.

ive still not figured out sexing them, and getting a male/female combo is way better, you get naughty stuff and singing before mating. I leave the spawn in the tank to get eaten too, is good food for them

If you can purchase Tetra Fresh Delica - Whole Bloodworms.

you get 16 in a pack for about £3.50 - thats a months worth!!

I use less than one sachet and so much easier the frozen to give x amount and bin the rest (or feed to my community tank for me) as they are in a vitamin rich jelly and not frozen

 

[Luke_e]

I've been told, and read, that males have white patches on their knees. So i have a male and a female .

 

[Fish_Girl]

Thanks again for your replies guys.

was in fish shop today and had a look at the pack of frozen bloodworm-didnt look as gruesome as i thought it would be! so will probably pick up a pack soon to try with the fish(although il still get OH to feed it to them, im not touching it! )

did ask the bloke in the fish shop how much of a block i should give my 6 fish, he said basically just a slither of one? that sound right?

if i were to get some frogs, and feed them the blocks, could i then just leave the rest of the block in the tank with the fish to finish off? would that work? then the fish could get bloodworm every second night along with the frogs, and their normal flakes the night i dont feed the frogs? hope that made sense-i tend to ramble LOL.

the shop havnt got any frogs in at the moment, and dont think they are sure when theyl be getting more in but i dont want them straight away anyway-want to learn as much as i can first!

oh, dgwebster- the Tetra Fresh Delica - Whole Bloodworms you mentioned-do they come alive when added to the water? i think i seen some in the shop today but couldnt see on the packet anywhere about it as i said before-i just couldnt feed live food.

 

[dgwebster]

the tetra fresh things are dead. the frozen ones you can plonk in frozen and they thaw out and seperate - these are similar but not frozen. I find them great as no need to keep them in the freezer (it gets my mum)!! as for feeding, yes you can chuck one in and leave it for frogs and fish, but the same general rule applies, you dont want to leave any there to rot so feeding a whole block will still be way too much. I've not had alot of luck cutting the frozen blocks to size...

also, is that a rat in your pic?

 

[Fish_Girl]

the tetra fresh things are dead. the frozen ones you can plonk in frozen and they thaw out and seperate - these are similar but not frozen. I find them great as no need to keep them in the freezer (it gets my mum)!! as for feeding, yes you can chuck one in and leave it for frogs and fish, but the same general rule applies, you dont want to leave any there to rot so feeding a whole block will still be way too much. I've not had alot of luck cutting the frozen blocks to size...

also, is that a rat in your pic?

thanks again for that. im not sure how id be able to give the frogs dried bloodworm without the fish getting them though? would it be the whole turky baster suggestion?

would half a frozen block do a pair of frogs and 6 fish?(although i will probably be getting three more fish before getting the frogs, so 9 fish) have to admit-even though they will be dead it would still creep me out keeping them in my freezer-total sympathise with your mom dgwebster!!

and yes, its a pet rat in my avatar thats my beloved Ryo-the first rat i ever got, and still the best rat ive ever had hes sticking his tongue out in that pic because my OH was giving his neck a tickle-he used to lick us to death when we done that but couldnt find anything to lick that time!