africanclawedfrogcare

Housing - 7-10 gallons of water PER FROG. You can keep 1 frog in a
10 gallon, but keep in mind they are social creatures, and would be
happier with company. You can house 2 frogs in a 20 gallon LONG
tank. They need the long tank in order to stretch out their legs and
swim. Their livelihood, and growth will be stunted if kept in a small
tank.

Feeding- I feed my frogs once a day with as much food as they will eat
in 15 minutes.A little while later i will remove any uneaten food so
the water will not get polluted.

Froglets are suppose to be fed 1x a day. Adult frogs fed 2-3 xs a week.

If you are not careful to remove uneaten food, your tank will get
infested with Planaria. These are tiny flatworms that slither up the
sides of the glass. They are a result of excess food in the tank; due
mostly to overfeeding.

African clawed frogs need a carnivorous diet.

Reptomin is an excellent main food for these frogs. It contains what
they need for proper growth and overall health.

Some other foods, but not limited to - are:
*Krill - freeze -dried
*Tubifex worms - cubes or fresh
*sinking shrimp pellets
*Bloodworms - freeze-dried (i use these rarely because of the sudden
bloat they can cause in the frogs)
*feeder gupppies
*Brine shrimp
*frozen brine shrimp
*frozen beef heart

For newly changed froglets:
*HBH Frog and Tadpole bites - this is a tiny soft, sinking food for
newly changed froglets.

You can train a frog in a matter of days for feeding time. At the same
time everyday, i would gently tap of the tank. Then i place food (in the
same spot every day)....in a corner of the tank. If the frog seemed timid,
i would gently coax him up with my hand to where the food was. Once
they realize you are offering them food, they catch on quick! I have
trained frogs in 3 days to come up for food ON THEIR OWN once i tap
on the tank.

....Whenever i tap on the tank now, they go nuts knowing they are
going to eat!

Filtration - There are several good types of filters. I use a waterfall type
in my tanks. You can use a 24" plastic vine with suction cups to
position it under the filter to break the water falling into the
tank-lessing the disturbance to the frogs. Never change the biological
filter in your filter, just the disposible one. I change my filters every 2
1/2-3 weeks. *1x a month take the filter apart and clean out the
impeller very well. Hair and muck will likely be in it, and this can
cause your filter not to run efficiently.

Air pump - An air pump is NOT NEEDED. These frogs come to the
surface for air because they have lungs.

Heater - A heater is NOT NEEDED because they are cool-water frogs. I
do keep a thermometer in the tank to monitor the temp. Ideal water
temp is between 68-75 degrees F (20-23 degrees C)

Water Level- I fill my tanks 3/4 up. I leave 2-3" from the top to prevent
escapes. (these frogs are known to escape) Do not use distilled water.
Bottled water or treated tap is fine. When i say treated i mean with a
water conditioner, such as Stress Coat. This product removes chlorine
from the water. I do 20% water changes every 1- 1/2 weeks.

Ph range should be between 6.5-8.5

*EVERYTIME I do water changes, I religiously use the 3 important
products : Aquarium salt (keeps fungus in check), Stress Coat
(removes chlorine and metals and replaces natural slime coating of frogs).
and Koizyme (prevents Redleg). Others would, and have argued against
the benefits of Koizyme, but I have never had a bacteria problem in my
tanks, or an incidence of Redleg.

Cover for Tank - This is a must! These frogs will jump right out of the
tank. You can purchase a 'Versatop' for any tank size. DO NOT USE
METAL SCREENS! Metal ions are toxic to frogs! *you will have gaps
around the filter and such. I use that soft flexible plastic sheeting (
used for needlepoint) and i can custom cut that to fit around
anything. I then secure that with pieces of duct tape. You can also use
that plastic orange netting that produce comes in. Make sure there is
ventilation with the cover.

Substrate - I know river rock and gravel look great, but they trap A
LOT of waste! Let alone the fact that the frogs ingesting gravel can kill
them! I had to get use to having a bare-bottom tank, but i will tell you,
the ease of cleaning wins over my decision.

Handling - You can handle these frogs to a minimum. You don't want
to damage their slime coating, which helps protects them against
bacteria. My frogs will sit in my hand while in the water. Do not
remove these frogs from the water, they need to stay moist.

Lighting - I have mixed feelings on lighting. I have it on 1 of my tanks,
and everytime i put it on, the frogs freak out! These frogs don't require
any special lighting, but a light on during days hours may help keep
brown algae at bay.

Hiding Spots - These frogs feel most comfortable when they have a
place to hide. Some people use terracotta pots placed on their side, or
a cup. I just use pothos cuttings. My frogs LOVE hanging out among
these. They root in the tank and last a good while. if any of the leaves
turn brown, just remove that leaf. They are other plants you can use
such as Anubias affixed to driftwood also. *If you use an old flower pot,
ot other cave, make sure to keep an eye on the frogs growth, as it may
grow too big for the enclosure and be unable to escape; resulting in
drowning.

Tank Maintenance- Everyone has a different method to their tank
maintenance, and that's okay. What may work for one person may not
work for another. I will share with you what i do with my tanks.

I have several tanks, and i generally do the same thing with each of
them.

Additives - I use tap water treated with Stress Coat. I also add
aquarium salt, and Koizyme to the water. These additives will protect
your frogs slime coat,reduce fungal growth and the bad bacteria that
would otherwise lead to Redleg-a fatal disease. These are the 3 things
i use religiously in my ACF tanks.

Filters - I buy filters with the capacity to filter a tank much larger
than the tank i actually use it in. Over-filtering is a great idea since
these frogs are very messy creatures. Try to buy a filtering system with
biological media included. The biological media will eventually help
protect against the bad bacteria. You are not suppose to really clean
the bio media, but gently rinse it - otherwise it would ruin the bio
cycle in the tank. I would however, change the disposable filter
cartridge every 3 weeks or so ( it depends how dirty it is ); this is
different from the bio media in the filter - as you would not discard
that.

Water changes- Aside from that, i fill the tank close to 3/4 full, maybe
a tad less, as ACF are known escape artists. I do a partial water
change every 3 weeks or so. Maybe 25-50%. It depends. I have found
that it does not hurt to do a 50 % water change. The frogs will
welcome fresh cool water. Make sure the temp is between 65-72
degrees F. I have also been told by a reputable source -not to do
water changes. I am not sure about that; but as i said before, everyone
has a system that works for them.

Waste/Food removal - There will always be an accumulation of
waste and leftover food. The PennPlax Battery Operated Vac is a quick
way (in under a minute), to go over the bottom of the tank to pick up
waste. You should do this everyday or every two days, at the most.
Uneaten food left in the tank will only be a breeding ground for
Planaria , a tiny worm that will infest the whole tank; or to bacteria
building up. I also use a turkey baster to remove little things floating
around here and there.

Glass cleaning - Every now and then you are going to notice muck
accumulating on the inside of the glass in the tank. I simply use a
scraper made for tanks to wipe down the glass. It is simple to use and
does a great job of cleaning. I generally do this step first before I do a
water change. You probably will only need to do this 1x each month.

Ornament cleaning - Ornaments always collect waste and food in the
tank. It is one of the reasons I don't use them anymore. What you do
to clean them is to simply run them under hot water in the sink to
clean. Sometimes I would add a drop of bleach to disinfect as well. If
you do this, be absolutely SURE to rinse very well. A good time to do
this would be at each water change.