I just killed two ADF's. :(

[fearlessfisch]

I don't know what's wrong, but they couldn't survive in my tank. I have had no fish deaths for months and so felt pretty confident about adding them. I acclimated them slowly over about 2 hours. When I first put them in, they were eating and moving around, but the next morning both were stiff and dead.

Temp: 80 degrees
ammonia zero
nitrite zero
nitrate 10

I admit I almost never check hardness or pH, because the tank is so stable (not even sure if I have test kits for them anymore). Could they have been the problem?

I don't think I'll be trying frogs again anytime soon.

 

[talloulou]

If your tests are right then I would assume you just got weak ADF. If the other fish listed in your profile are doing fine I doubt you have any problem with pH. 55 gallons tend to be taller than ADF like though and I actually moved my african dwarf frog out of my 55 gallon cause he looked like he was having trouble going to the top for air. He was skittish of the other fish and wasn't able to avoid them like he wanted and quickly dash to the top for air and hide again. He just seemed way more comfortable when I put him back in the shorter tank. Possibly that may have been a problem although I wouldn't think they would die so quickly as a result of that.

 

[Zagz]

Sorry to hear about your loss, I have no really good ideas on why this would happen.

 

[afilter]

Wow, I had to check this thread out. I did not know what an ADF was. I am happy to learn that it is a frog since ADF are my initials.

Sorry about your loss and good luck,

 

[fearlessfisch]

I was worried that they might have trouble getting to the top when I was watching them the first night. One seemed to struggle a little getting up there, and he actually sat on top of the heater for a while. I watched him because of that, but then I saw him go to the bottom again and zip up to the top a couple times without any trouble, so I thought I was just being overprotective. Maybe I should have watched him longer...

I think frogs are too delicate for me. I can't stand it when they die so easily. I will never have discus, either.

To Aaron....You can relax--I'm not a serial killer looking for ADF victims. Well, maybe I am a serial killer, but I feel so guilty that I will not be buying any more frogs.

Thank you all for answering.

 

[talloulou]

ADF are sorta delicate. They can be hard to feed in competitve tanks sometimes and they do need to surface easily however take it easy on yourself because I really believe you got frogs that were weak to begin with and there's nothing you could've done about that.

Hope the rest of your day goes well

 

[afilter]

fearlessfisch,

I am glad to know you are not hunting me. How long have you been at this hobby?

Don't be afraid to try new things as long as you research them and know you have a good chance at success. In the past 17 years I have killed more than my share of fish to include Discus and now a variety of SW fish, but was also able to breed Discus after I fully learned the requirements to care for them.

The key to this hobby is education. If I would have had access to this site back in 1988 I am sure I would have killed a lot less. Remember we are taking a life form form its natural environment (where they die as well) and placing it in an artificial one. If all goes well we have success, but of course there are usually a few bumps along the way.

I do not know much about ADFs (the frogs), but I am sure you can if you really like them and want to keep one. Bottom line do not be afraid to try if the books and those more knowledgeable than I say it can be done just because you had a set back.

Good luck,

 

[hardcyder]

Darn,,, the way my screen is set up, that report button is close to the border and as I scrolled down I hit it.. twice!! I'll resize my screen so it doesnt happen again......sorry' bout that guy.

 

[Jchillin]

No problem...it's understandable.

 

[BlazerFRS]

IDK much about these frogs, but perhaps you could build a rasied rock section with a small cave on top, something that would give them some protection closer to the surface?Maybe slap some java fern or other plant around it to make it more appealing?

I'm sure this would require some major rennovation of an established tank tho, so probably not even worth it :?

 

[LydiaGreen]

I inherited three surviving ADF's from my mother - they were starving to death in her 40 community tank. ADF's should not be in a tank higher than 18" (they may be able to come up for air in a higher tank but will tire out after a long time of having to do it). ADF's cannot compete with community fish for food... that's why the rest of my mother's ADF's died, the community fish ate the blood worms before they could get a belly full. I keep the ADF's in a 5.5 gallon tank with a male betta, lots and lots of rock caves and so many artificial plants the tank looks crowded. The ADF's like to use the plants as resting places and as stepping stones to get up to the top for air.

Another possible problem is the cories. I ended up having to get them the 5.5 when I needed the 20 for a QT tank. I had initially tried putting them in a 10 with my son's male betta and cories and the cories are just such busy little creatures that they stressing the frogs out.. the frogs never had a chance to rest.

ADF's are best kept by themselves. You can attempt keeping them in a community tank (without bottom dwellers) but only if you want to put in the time and effort that it takes to feed them. Some ADF keepers have trained the frogs to be hand fed, others use turkey basters to squirt the food right under their noses while keeping the rest of the fish at bay with a small net. Too time consuming for me - I find the 5.5 is the perfect size for them and the betta doesn't eat enough to take that much away from the frogs.

Sorry for your losses... ADF's aren't the easiest to keep. I did a lot of research to take care of these ones and so far, so good - we've had them about six months now, my mother had them for a few weeks before that.

Oh, they are also escape artists -- top of the tank needs to be SEALED off -- even the tiniest gap. I used plastic crafter's mesh cut to fit like a glove around everything and electrician's tape to secure it to the top of the hood. On the plus side, plastic crafter's mesh comes in about a thousand colours so you can get one that will blend right in and won't be noticeable at all.

 

[fearlessfisch]

Thanks everyone. I am learning a lot about ADF's here, and I appreciate it. It might be fun to try to build a habitat that would be more friendly to frogs in the future. You've given me some great ideas.

Afilter, I've had fish tanks for a while, but for many years had little clue about what I was doing, and the fish suffered for it. I'm one of those people whose history of being a responsible fishkeeper probably dates to the day I found AA.

 

[afilter]

This is a great place to learn. Just don't get discouraged. Even the most experienced in th hobby have set backs that sometimes cannot be explained.

Good Luck,

 

[fearlessfisch]

Thanks. Kind words are always appreciated at a time like this.