Tank Size For Adfs

[schmee]

Hi

Currently my 4 adfs live in my rather odd community but i'd like to get them out of there, assuming i can catch them (any tips?). i want to put them in a 20 litre on their own (5.5 gallon?). Is this big enough? It will still be much better than sharing the 34/37l (?10g) they are in now as they would have the 20 litres to themselves.
Thoughts??

 

[Athena]

Hi - yes, your 4 ADFs will be fine in that 5.5 gallon. They say to allow 1 gallon per frog, roughly. What are the actual tank dimensions? ADFs do better in a tank that doesn't have a very high water level because they often struggle swimming up for air in very deep tanks, as you may already know.

Regards - Athena

 

[schmee]

Yes, i know. At the moment, their tank is 46cm deep but it is only filled around 40 cm and they have no problem swimming that far. The new tank is less deep, which is also a reason for moving them, it is 37.5h x 44w x only 18cm deep and it will not be filled to the top. i had read the 1 frog per gallon rule, but have also read they shouldn't be in less than 10 gallons. However, this is not possible at the moment. They will still have a lot more space to themselves in the new tank as oppposed to sharing as they do now.

Thanks!

 

[Jenste]

to be honest, from my personal experience and reading, a 5 gallon would be fine for two, a 10 gallon for 6-8 and 1.5 gallons for each frog there after. you want to accommodate swimming room and water conditions.

 

[schmee]

Do you mean that it's too small? or ok. Confused as that would suggest 4 would need 8 gallons, yet 8 could be ok in 10 gallons but then by the first calculation, need 14g. i have 4 anyway, i know more space would be better but i don't have the money. 5.5 gallon to the 4 will be better than 10g to the 4 + 7 corys and a load of shrimp. It is a compromise, i guess. The main reason i want them out of the 10g is for everyone else's benefit, as they are the most agressive inhabitant i have (including a male betta). Perhaps they are only so agressive as they are cramped at the moment though.

 

[schmee]

Also, i read that they shouldn't be netted as it causes broken legs, in this case, what is the best way to catch them? i was thinking of using a tupperware pot. i imagine i'll have to take everything (wood, plants, caves etc.) out of the tank to manage it which is annoying. Perhaps i could wait until they are in their cave (they lodge themselves against the thread which holds the moss and ferns on) and just take them with it? Is that just being sneaky??

 

[Athena]

The thing is, although a 5 gallon sounds small, if you only had two ADFs in there the tank would look basically empty! They don't actually move around that much and are often hiding away somewhere, as you know...so it's not like they need several feet of swimming room like fish, as they prefer to crawl around the substrate anyway. From my experience of having them, I cannot see a problem with putting 4 ADFs in a 5 gallon tank. As you say, it's going to be roomier for them than where they are at present - and they have survived their present conditions ok so when they are moved they will have the place to themselves.

If there are not going to be any fish in the tank with them, then water stats aren't going to be a concern, especially if the tank is filtered and maintained regularly as you would your fish tanks.

Can't say I've ever noticed my ADFs being aggressive. Do you mean aggressive towards each other or to tankmates? Sometimes it might look like they are lunging and biting at a tankmate but they are more than likely searching for food as they don't see too well.

Now, as for removing them from the tank - have never heard that about the nets being dangerous (the LFS net the frogs anyway) - but I can imagine their little claws might get caught in the net. When I moved my frogs from one tank to another, I first tried a net but no sooner did I catch one when they just jumped out before I had a chance to whip the net out of the tank! So eventually I used a little plastic pot that had a lid. Took some time to get each frog into the cup and you have to be ready with the lid (inside the tank) to stop them leaping back out LOL!

No, not an easy task and takes some patience

Good luck and would love to see some pics of them in their new home!

Athena

ps - have a read of the pinned topic about ADFs by Azaezl - it's very informative and she states that she has kept 5 ADFs in a 5 gallon with no probs.

 

[schmee]

Great! Thank you. That's what i thought as well as they wouldn't be cramped, besides they seem to choose to sit on top of one another even when they do have more space

Yes, they do seem agressive to my fish and shrimp, maybe you're right and they are just hunting but i'm not sure. They are also a bit funny about food. If i give them, or rather my shrimp and snails an algae wafer, they will perhaps take it into a cave and guard it there or sit on top of it lunging at anyone trying to get close. The other day, i gave them one and wanted to take it out as it had been there a while and hadn't been eaten, one of the frogs sat on top of it when he saw my tweezers coming and would not move.

A lid is a great idea! i can imagine they'll be jumpy when it comes to moving. It will be a while before they are ready to move, but pics will be coming
Thanks for your help!