I am cycling a 5gal hex and was planning on getting an ADF or 2. I was wondering if ghost shrimp or cherry red shrimp would be ok in with the frogs to help clean up a bit.
Also what kind of snails would be good for controlling algae? I was looking at mystery snails but heard they can get the size of a golf ball and poop like crazy, so that's out of the question.
ADF's are very social and do best in groups of 3 or more. IMO/E you want to stock no more than 1 per gallon, so I would do atleast 3, max 5. I've found shrimp aren't the best choice. Like many tankmates, they scavenge for food so much quicker than the nearly blind frogs, that it's ends up being difficult to balance getting the frogs enough food and not overfeeding. Also their skin is sensitive and the frogs seem generally annoyed by the shrimps attenna. In a 5 gal I would keep 1 nerite. That's all you should need to keep a tank that size completely free of algae. Mystery snails are actually scavengers, and don't do much of anything in the way of algae clean up, and yes, they do poop alot
I have MTS in the tank with them as well, and they do a great job and scavenging any leftovers on the floor that the froggies miss.
Also because the frogs are blind, it's beneficial to feed them in the same place every day, like a little cave. That way they know where to go when they smell the food. If their sensitive skin is damaged they are prone to infections so insepct all plants, wood, and decor that's going into the tank for anything that might hurt them. I use all live plants and they certainly appreciate it. A metal nail file can work wonders to smooth out rough edges and pokeys on decor. Also make sure everything in the tank is firmly planted into the substrate so that when the frogs slam around they can't knock anything over and pin themselves. Frogs often drown this way. Feed them only frog & tadpole bites and thawed frozen foods. I rotate between the two every other day. For baby frogs (which they usually are at the time of purchase) I bump that up and feed mostly frozen foods. Especially avoid other pellet foods and freeze dried foods. They come from warm waters and will thrive at about 80F.
IMO a betta is definitely not an option. 5 gals is the absolute minimum for a betta, and they need those 5 gals to themselves. I would not mix frogs or bettas with eachother or anything else in a 5 gal tank.
