Forgot To Cycle Need Help...

[phillih2]

So here is my situation, I got a tank and cleaned it out. I cleaned the gravel that went in it and filled it up with tap water. I de-chlorinated the tap water and let it sit for about two hours. I then placed the frogs in the tank still sealed in their bag. I released the frogs about an hour later dumping the water from the Petsmart cycled tank in with them. So my question is will they die because their tank was not cycled? I went online later and read about my frogs and cycling tanks and I am worried they may die... They seem healthy enough I've had them since Sunday April 6 2008 and they eat their food and are active.

Other not so important questions:
How often do they mate per month, per year?
Is the male chirping loud?
How many can I have in a 10 U.S gallon tank?
My male frog "sticks" himself to the filter and sits there perpendicular to the floor of the tank he is able to get water and get off when he wants to, why is he doing it, anyone else experience this?
I clean my hands with that no water hand sanitizer stuff then rinse my hands is that clean enough?
I have a glass top on top of the tank, it has one hole about 3 inches by two inches in the corner with cords coming out I have mesh over that. I have an air pump running is that enough to keep these little guys with enough air?
I am feeding them brine shrimp cubes I cut them up into 8ths and feed them two 8ths for a total of 1/4 a cube is that enough? (The cubes are 1/2" in width length and height.)
I keep the light on in my room during the day and turn it off at night is that enough light for them?
I have a heater in the tank and it keeps the water at a stable 23 degrees centigrade that should be warm enough for them right?
I am going to get a ph testing kit soon is there a way to test their water ph without the kit?(I am a student and I am short on money so I have to wait for payday and I have none right now but should have enough by the 15th.)

Thats all... For now Thank you to all and anyone who posts I can't wait to speak with ya'll.

 

[Colin_T]

You should monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels daily until the tank is cycled (in about a month). If you get a reading then do a partial water change to lower it.
Keep the feeding down to a bare minimum during this time. Once every few days is fine and will help keep the ammonia levels low. The more food you put in the tank the faster the ammonia levels will rise, and the higher they will get.

The amount of noise the males make when singing depends on the species. In WA the common motorbike frog drives people nuts and you can hear them half a mile away. Yet the northern green tree frog has a very quiet call and is quite nice to hear at night.
When mature frogs will breed whenever water is available and conditions are right. Depending on the species females can produce a batch of eggs every few weeks. Some frogs carry the eggs on the body and these don't breed as often.
A 10gallon tank would hold a pair of frogs but again it depends on species. Small species you can have more, big species might need a bigger tank.
Frogs are generally nocturnal (come out at night) and as such they hide during the day. Your male sounds like it is just resting on the filter during the day and he will probably move around when the lights go out.

As long as you don't have creams, grease, detergents on your hands they are usually fine. A quick rinse under tap water should be enough to prevent contamination of their water.

The amount of air you have should be fine but if it starts to smell then open the top up more and check the water quality and look for rotting food.

Brineshrimp doesn't really have much in it. You should add other foods to their diet including insects and fish prawn and other meat foods. The more variation in their diet the better they will do. You can also get reptile/amphibian vitamin supplements that can be sprinkled onto the food before it is fed. If you use this stuff a couple of times a week you can reduce the possibility of nutritional deficiencies from occurring.

Frogs don't need much light so you probably don't even need the room light on. Most people have lights on their frog tanks so they can see the frogs.
Temperature of the tank is dependant on the species being kept.
Without a test kit you can't really test the water. Just do partial water changes every couple of days until you get some test kits. This should keep the water in good shape until you can afford the kits.
Make sure you use dechlorinated water for the water changes.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

A 3 x 2 inch hole sounds like an escape route to me, can you cover it with mesh..?

 

[phillih2]

I have African Dwarf Frogs in the tank so I did more research and the temp should be fine for the little guys and I should be able to have about 5 or 6 in the tank at once. I don't think they should be that loud during mating, they are little guys about an inch and a half each.

The hole does have mesh covering it but the species I have are fully aquatic and I doubt they would climb the wires to get out of the tank.

Is there some sort of device that will allow me to suck up old food and feces from the gravel?

Thank you guys i'll give you updates on how the frogs are doing =].

 

[Colin_T]

Is there some sort of device that will allow me to suck up old food and faeces from the gravel?

Yep, it’s called a gravel cleaner and will allow you to syphon water and gunk out of the gravel without removing the gravel. Zip down to your LFS and ask for a "Gravel Cleaner".
Alternatively you can make one out of a plastic cool drink bottle and a length of plastic hose. Cut the bottom of the plastic bottle and attach the hose to the top of the bottle (where the lid normally goes). Put the bottle in the water and suck on the end of the hose. When the water starts draining out the hose you push the bottle into the gravel and lift it up. The gunk in the gravel gets drawn up and out with some of the water. If you just want to remove gunk form the top of the gravel simply hold the bottle slightly above the gravel and it will suck the gunk off the surface of the substrate.

 

[phillih2]

Never mind I understand now! It basically acts as a siphon easy to understand now! Thank you I'll make one today =]

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

The ones at your LFS come with a squeeze bulb that starts the syphoning action. They are only about 3 quid – which is not a lot to pay when you have had as many mouthfuls of crud-filled water as me. My days of sucking on a length of tubing are well over..!

 

[phillih2]

Ha Ha Well i think I am going to go for the water test kit and just make or if I can find it for ultra cheap at my LFS then I'll pick it up as well. Hmm 1 British pound = 1.9677 U.S. dollars So that would be about 6 bucks over here... The frogs are a lot of work, but I am glad I got them they keep me company lol. Once I get the water stable I plan on buying a lot more. I have to put some plants in the tank as well though...

I have a product called Ammochips that you add to the filter to keep the ammonia down would this be a good idea?

 

[Colin_T]

don't use the ammochips because they prevent the filter bacteria from developing. Take them out of the filer and use a sponge or something else instead.

 

[phillih2]

A sponge?

 

[Colin_T]

a replacement filter sponge available from the petshop

 

[phillih2]

Ah I see my filter has all of it's filters and sponges in it right now. So it should be fine then? How much of a water change should I do if I started the tank last Sunday (Sunday the 6th.) If I were to do the first water change today?

EDIT: I did about a 50% water change and de-chlored the water so I hope the froggies will be fine =]

 

[Colin_T]

You can change between 30-50% each day. Try to make up the water before you add it to the tank. Use a clean buket that hasn't had soaps or chemicals in. Fill it with tap water, add dechlorinator, stir it up (or aerate it) for a few minutes. Then use that to fill the tank.
If you do a daily water change you should be able to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels low enough so they don't cause too much stress to the frogs.

 

[phillih2]

Well Le Frogs survived the massive water change and they seem to be happier and more active. Now I have another question these are African Dwarf frogs and I know for sure at least one of them is male the other may be female but I am unsure right now. My question is why do I never hear them sing? What time of the day do they sing for you guys who have these types of Frogs? Could they not be happy and therefore not be singing?

Thanks, Phil.

 

[Colin_T]

they normally sing at night but won't start to sing until they are mature.