Setting Up An (Albino) Acf Tank.

[TheDarkGoby]

Hello. I am a Star Scout working on a very important (to me) Merit Badge called "Reptiles and Amphibians". Long story short, requirement 8a is to keep a Reptile OR amphibian for 30 days (keeping records, logs, care sheets, yada, yada, yada). I love non-aquatic Repts and Amphibs, but I thought I'd try Aquatic, since I have more expirience in that area.

I love Albino Clawed frogs. I have done TONS of research online, but like most online research (out of a forum), the research didn't meet my satisfaction. I have read from more than 1 sorce that it is Ok to have 3 ACF in a 20g long. I have read they are social animals, and require at least 2. I have read into feeding, maintanence, etc.

I have read they don't need lighting, they don't need land that they can stand on, they don't need live food (although I might spoil mine), they don't care about the humidity, they live in standard coldwater temps (65-75*F), they prefer the water to be 12" deep, and they prefer quite filters.

They would need a tank, filter, clean water, hideing spots, maybe other decor, and that is pretty much EVERYTHING?? So it can, but it shouldn't need to cost more than $100?

Can they be kept with other amphibs/repts? I am Ok with a ACF only tank, but I had to ask.

Please tell me if I missed anything! I know alot of people on this site keep ACF. I have somewhat of a deadline, but I want to have EVERYTHING figured out long before I get the setup.

 

[saltynay]

They do require heating to around 24C which requires a heater that is covered so they don't burn themselves. I think they look better with a substrate on the tank but that is just a personal preference.

It shouldn't cost you more then $100 especially if you get a second hand tank. The water level needs to be below 12" not at 12" as 12" is the max otherwise they may not be able to swim far enough to breath. The decor should be secure on the tank bottom to stop it from accidentally falling and trapping a frog.

No they don't do well with tank mates they like to eat them and can be cannibalistic if you have 2 of significantly different size. They are social so groups can be kept that brings out different behaviour. If you want an amphibian that is compatible with others then African dwarf Frogs may be a better choice.

You need to cycle the tank you are putting the frogs in so that the water is of good quality. You can read about cycling here
Any more questions?

Some other Amphibs you may want to consider are:
Fire bellied toads
Fire bellied newts
Paddle Tailed newts
African Dwarf Frogs
Indonesian floating frogs

 

[TheDarkGoby]

Sorry, I didn't get email notification of a reply. I fixed that. Anyway...

I might fill my used 55g tank up 10 or so inches with water. I guess I'd use the Tetra Whisper 40i because it is a quite filter with light flow. I might have additional airstone system.

Can I keep different variety of ACF? For example, will the "wild-color" frogs get along with albino?

Also, would any of the frogs on saltynay's list work in a (can be half aquatic if need be) 55g tank? I don't want special lighting, but if I could add a variety of Amphibians, that would be neat. I think from what I've heard they don't live well with ADF?

Thanks so much for the help! I have a speech Saturday on these magnificent frogs for a different Merit Badge Requirement (Public Speaking).

I'll be sure to cycle the tank before I add amphibians! Thanks!

 

[saltynay]

ACFs can live with any other ACF provided they are of a similar size it doesn't matter whether they are dark green, red(dyed), purple(dyed), blue (dyed) or white (albino or leucistic). ACF cannot live with any other amphibian or animal otherwise they will eat or severely hurt them, they are best kept in species only tanks.

With a 55 gallon you could set up a beautiful riparium (river landscape with land platforms) or palludarium (where land meets water)

For the mixing and matching start researching

Perhaps this:
2 Red eyed tree frogs
5 fire bellied newts (watch out these are toxic so you need to figure out a way from heavily polluting the water the fish are in)
15 long finned white cloud mountain minnows

 

[TheDarkGoby]

Does it matter how many of each kind of ACF I have? For example, would I need 2 of each color, or does it matter?

The Riparium and palludarium ideas sound exciteing. Could you give some video or picture examples of a setup? I would love to have something a bit 'out of the ordinary' for this tank, as it is my first amphibian tank.

I don't think I will be able to keep any other creatures in the tank, though. I have heard stories of people keeping ACF with other amphibians, but I am not sure how they did it, or what they did it with.

I do remember a story of someone successfully keeping ACF with Red Eyed Tree Frogs. I know RETF need a certain amount of humidity, but I am not sure what I'd need for that kind of setup. Could I get by with a manual mister (that might sound intelligent, but I really have no idea what I am talking about)?

Thanks for the help! I can't wait to see how this is going to turn out!

 

[TheDarkGoby]

btw, I forgot to ask, is PVC Ok for a frog tank? Is it ok even with writing on it (like the standard, digital letters that are always on PVC)?

 

[Jenste]

I actually have to disagree with some of Saltynay's information

a 20 gallon long is perfect for 3 frogs

I have mine in a 72 gallon long, 22" in water depth and they have absolutely no problem getting to the surface to breathe. I and other breeders in both the USA and UK keep our frogs in depths much deeper than 12" - for african DWARF frogs the max depth is 14" inches...obviously a frog that is over 6 times is fine in a similar or more depth.


they are very social, and if you adopt/buy them at similar sizes they will grow together and you will not have issues with cannibalism. I have always kept them in groups with some varying sizes and there has never been a problem. If you put a very young frog with an adult you will lost your young frog however.

PVC is fine as tank decor - make sure it is over 3 inches wide so the frog can easily pass through it - this will make a cheap and effective hiding area for the frog.

You can fill your 55 gallon up and have a colony if you so desired...depending on the dimensions you could easily have 7-9 frogs provided you have adequate filtration. I run a 100 gallon filter on my 72 gallon and have numerous live plants (water wisteria left floating works very well - the frogs like to float on it and it is helpful to disperse your tank lighting, making the frogs braver and less likely to hide.)

That's another thing - they do not need lighting, but you will probably enjoy them more if the tank is lit - you will be able to see their antics clearly

for food - - Reptomin sticks are perfect. Bloodworms and earth worms (cut to size for young frogs and whole for adults) make great treats. Do not feed your frogs goldfish - they block the frogs natural ability to absorb the B enzyme. If you do want to feed live fish to the frog, your best bet is to set up a smaller (10-20 gallon) for guppies and raise your own. This way you know that they are healthy and will not bring disease into your tank. Young frogs should be fed daily, adults should be fed every other day (3-4 times a week). Should you need to go on vacation they would be fine for a couple weeks with out food.

temperature - for young frogs, a staple 75*F is best, for adults, anywhere from 65*F to 80* is comfortable for them.


I am going to also message you a link to a frog specific forum that the moderators in the past gave me permission to send - there is a whole subsection of the forum just for "Aquatic Clawed Frogs" and you will get every and any possible question answered - from set up, to breeding, to diet, to disease treatment and prevention




As far as colorations - - you can keep any combination you like (think of it as Labrador Retrievers - it does not matter if you have yellow, chocolate, or black - they will act the same with each other)

In my 72 gallon, for ACF I have 4 albinos, 2 reticulated albinos, 1 golden reticulated, 3 marbled (naturals), and a piebald.

 

[TheDarkGoby]

Thanks for the post Jenste! That is alot of detailed information. So do you think I should fill the water all the way to the top, or close to it? From the pics of your 76g bowfront tank, it looks like the frogs were swimming upwards fine.

Has anyone ever seen those 24" flouresent strips at Walmart? Maybe I can build some kind of cheap DIY lighting (with a layer of glass between the water and light). I might start a thread on that.

I am trying to decide if I want a simple setup with PVC and an inch or 2 of sand, or if I should cover the tank with fake plants and darker substrate. I guess I will think more about that later.

I had diffeculty registering with the other forum. I did everything correctly, except I entered my email incorrectly (I keep forgeting it has numbers lol). I sent a message to the administrator asking if he/she could fix it.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Jenste]

Thanks for the post Jenste! That is alot of detailed information. So do you think I should fill the water all the way to the top, or close to it? From the pics of your 76g bowfront tank, it looks like the frogs were swimming upwards fine.

Has anyone ever seen those 24" flouresent strips at Walmart? Maybe I can build some kind of cheap DIY lighting (with a layer of glass between the water and light). I might start a thread on that.

I am trying to decide if I want a simple setup with PVC and an inch or 2 of sand, or if I should cover the tank with fake plants and darker substrate. I guess I will think more about that later.

I had diffeculty registering with the other forum. I did everything correctly, except I entered my email incorrectly (I keep forgeting it has numbers lol). I sent a message to the administrator asking if he/she could fix it.

Thanks for the help!

no problem - I have a video somewhere on here in the amphibian section of the tank too

any lighting should be just - just make sure you take precautions that it never comes into contact with water if it is not designed for aquariums, you don't want to risk electrocuting yourself or the frogs!

as for pvc piping - there are lots of stuff you can do with it


1) use aquarium sealant to glue tiny rocks to it to make it look like a natural cave

or if you want colors - use colored gravel

2) leave them as the are and come up with creative ways of stacking them. Word of caution - ACF are very strong kickers, make sure they cannot dislodge the stacked PVC pipes - another frog may get trapped as they fall over. This is a caution with every type of decoration you use in ACF tanks. Also - be careful about using large river rocks - a well palced kick could send it into the glass, shattering your aquariums. I use rocks that are either exceptionally tiny (1/4-1/5 of an inch) or small/med (1.5") - - small enough to be passed in the rare instance it gets eaten by a frog, and large enough not to be eaten and not to risk the glass. Or get such large rocks that there is not chance of being kicked around - again, make sure it is immobile so it is not pushed onto another frog.

these are just images I grabbed off Google images, I typed in "fish tank PVC pipe"

 

[TheDarkGoby]

Well, I have good news or bad news depending on how you look at it.

I found a 29g fully setup SW tank on craigslist that I have made the arrangements to get. I have a SW budget, but there might be some un-expected cost that could possibly leak into my amphibian budget. It may, and it might now. I guess that depends on the setup.

btw, the PVC cave looks really cool! I will have to try something like that. What kind of sealent is water-proof, and water safe?

 

[saltynay]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Pictures+of+a+paludarium

I actually have to disagree with some of Saltynay's information

You only disagreed on height of water and that was my bad too many amphibs on my mind. Noted for future perhaps there is a formula e.g. 1" frog can swim 10" therefore a 1.5" ADF can swim 15" and a 3" ACF can swim 30"

 

[Jenste]

I actually have to disagree with some of Saltynay's information

You only disagreed on height of water and that was my bad too many amphibs on my mind. Noted for future perhaps there is a formula e.g. 1" frog can swim 10" therefore a 1.5" ADF can swim 15" and a 3" ACF can swim 30"
[/quote]
oh yes certainly not all!
like I said, "Some"