ADF suicide hotline advice please!

[Kellie]

Posting this for my boyfriend. Please help him, I don't want to see him cry.

For a month now he's had a 5.5G tank running with two ADF and a betta, using an HOB filter that came with the tank, some live floating plants to give the betta a place to rest out of the current and some fake plant decorations on the bottom. All holes in the hood were covered to prevent anyone from being able to jump out. Tank is cycled. After he figured out how to feed the frogs by hand with a baster everyone was happy and healthy and getting along great.

Then last night at frog dinner time, one was missing, after frantically searching to make sure he didn't get stuck under a decoration or something I told him to check the filter, and sure enough, little bugger was jumping around in the back of the HOB. We pulled the filter media out and he rode the waterslide back into the tank. I decided it might be a good idea to cover the where the water comes back into the tank to stop him from being able to jump in there again. So we cut the foot out of a pair of my panty hose, washed it in the waste water from a PWC, fitted it over the whole "waterslide" and anchored it to the filter media pad. This actually made the betta pretty happy and the frogs were back to their ADF games.

Then this morning when he turned the tank light on, again, only one frog, same one missing. Then he sees him INSIDE the panty hose being pelted by the water coming out of the filter. Luckily again, he was ok. But I can't for the life of me figure out how he got in there! Right now he's lowered the water line and refitted panty hose over the entire filter with just a cut for the intake. Do you think this is going to be enough to stop him from getting in there again? And how in the world did he jump that good to get over both the panty hose, filter and media the second time anyway? Any thoughts?

When we first got the ADF and they weren't eating my poor BF cried over them, and then cried again for joy when they started taking the food from the baster out of his hand. Yes, I picked myself a sensitive one I don't want anything to happen to these goofy frogs so any ideas are appreciated.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I don't know a lot about African Dwarf frogs, but from what I've read about them, they also need a place to rest? I would suggest leaving the water level lower permanently or maybe upgrading to a 10gal tank, and keeping it only part way full.

 

[Kellie]

Thanks, after everything he spent on my 36G tank I don't know if an upgrade is going to go over well but I'll suggest it (we started with the plan of a 20G just for me, he insisted he'd only buy me a tank if he could have ADFs in it, lol, I told the ADF didn't fit with my stocking plan at all, so I ended up with a 36G, he got the 5.5 after falling in love with a betta and his desire for the ADFs, and now my former work betta has come home to live with us due to work heat being put on light delay, the two bettas are on opposite sides of the room, I'm giving it three months before I'm on the general forum asking for stocking advice for a 75G LOL).
I forgot to add when I described the decor but there is two mini terracotta pots on their sides that the ADF hide in during their "sleepy" time and they also love sleeping "warbling" (I know thats not the right word but it sounds like it) behind the heater, and if the betta is feeling fiesty they hang out in the fake plants at the bottom or sometimes wrapped up in the live floater plants. For the most part the betta leaves them alone unless there is frozen brine shrimp involved.

 

[Kellie]

Unfortunately this little guy didn't make it. After some extensive googling it sounds like the chytrid fungus got him. He was in a divided tank at the LFS with ACF which I learned carry the fungus wiping out most ADFs you buy in the store within two months. The wiki on the fungus actually said trying to escape by any means is a sign of the fungus, something about them not getting enough oxygen through the skin. We ended up going out last night and getting a 10G. The remaining frog who is not yet showing signs of the fungus thankfully and BF's betta will go in there. My betta is getting moved to the 5.5G got him some ghost shrimp friends which are with the other betta and last ADF until the 10 is set up and seeded with BB from my 36G, and the 3.5 is going to be a used as a quarentine/hospital tank for a replacement ADF. My betta is going to be so happy, this is his second tank upgrade in two weeks, lol, he already thought the 3.5 was a palace compared to the 2G he was in at my work before it got too cold and he had to come home with me.