Stunted Acf? :(

[Forestpisces]

Ok so im back here after many moons of going on a break from the fish world and i seem to have encountered a new problem.
About 6 months ago just before i left my job in an aquatics shop i aquired 2 very young Albino african clawed frogs for my spare 20 gallon. Sadly after 4months one of the little ones just went missing completely never to be seen again so now i just have 1 left which i have since moved to a 10gallon tank.
My problem is after 6months of feeding on bloodworm, krill, Reptomin and new era cichlid pellot the little fella ( or froggete ) hasn't grown an inch. After working with these frogs i know excactly how big they are supposed to get and in 6 months i've seen the more than double in size. So why is mine still no more than 2inches with no signs of ever reachin sexual maturity
Help?!?!

 

[Jenste]

Hi,

I too have what I tenderly call a "runt" ACF...also albino

due to the massive imbreeding that occurs from LFS supply breeders, some ACF have been falling short of their potential ... pun not intended.

I actually have a little thread on him on the forum - Andre - the midget

Mine is full grown at 1.75 inches - he has reached sexual maturity - that was a main sign that he had approached full growth.

Is it possible for you to post a couple pictures - possible a front and back view...is it possible you have an under-developed female? her vent may not be very pronounced due to her size.
also, if s/he does not reach full size, it is best to keep her in her own tank - she would not be a good mating candidate and other frogs who do reach their full size could eat her/him

 

[Forestpisces]

Hi jenste and thanks for the reply my camera is on the blink at the minuit but what your saying does make sense. She appears to have a very small tail and no signs of "dirty pads" at all. I guess she must just be a runt such a shame. Do you now if her life expectancy will be shortened at all?

 

[Jenste]

Hi jenste and thanks for the reply my camera is on the blink at the minuit but what your saying does make sense. She appears to have a very small tail and no signs of "dirty pads" at all. I guess she must just be a runt such a shame. Do you now if her life expectancy will be shortened at all?

To be honest, I do not know if their life expectancy is shortened - my male is just about 1.25 -1.50 years old....
there is unfortunately not a great deal of information out there on these frogs other than the usual basic care information. I am actually working with a moderator on one of my frog forums to try and put a more thorough care guide out there - -

Also, it is unfortunate that you cannot tell if the frog will be a runt until it is a little older - ones available in LFS are all babies recently morphed - -

I personally do not mind his runtness - I keep him with an x.tropicalis female ( a smaller silver species of ACF) and every now and then one of my x.borealis frog (another smaller species of ACF with grayish bodies and yellowish tummies w/ purplish spoting) so he isn't lonely lol.

his small size also makes it more likely that he could be kept with some types of fish - - as long as they are gentle and larger than him

 

[Forestpisces]

Good news then at least thankyou for all the help!

 

[Jenste]

no problem...if you ever do get a picture of her/him I would love to see it.

Also, I would love to know how she makes out health wise, I am trying to keep track of such information to see if any trends can be found