Newb here! Point me in the right direction! (college dorm tank)

[Jenibelle]

Hello guys

I've had male betta fish in the past, but I'm looking to do something a little different with my next tank.

This tank will be in my college dorm room.
I'm looking to get one that is 5-10 gallons. So when making suggestions, it would be super helpful to make one that is both for a 5 gallon and one for a 10 gallon.

I've really no idea what I'm doing, as I've never ventured out from bettas (RIP Spaz - 4 years old; Angel - 2 Years old; and Finne - 2 years old).

I did have some African Dwarf frogs as a child... but in all honestly, I'm sure I didn't take care of them properly, and I don't really know how to now. My 5th grade science teacher gave them to us after our in class project on them.

I've just been looking around on PetSmarts Live Fish website, and I think it would be cool to have:
1-2 African Dwarf Frogs
1 Nerite Snail
1-2 Guppies
...BUT that's going off of "looks" alone, and I don't want to do that. I need some help from those with experience. Could I keep this amount of fish (er... well, animals, as they're not all fish) in a 5-10 gallon tank (if not, please tell me how many of each I could have). Also... are they even compatible? According to PetSmart, the water temperature for all is the same. Would the frogs chomp on the guppies, though? Or, maybe the other way around? The Nerite snail isn't one that magically has babies all by itself, right... because I don't want a snail epidemic!

So yeah... totally new at this, any help is appreciated!

 

[venymae]

SInce your new, try aqadvisor.com (link below) it's a great tool for figuring out stocking, and will tell you what fish can go in what size tank. It's free, easy, and GREAT for beginners.

 

[venymae]

According to AqAdvisor:

 

[Jenibelle]

Oooh, that is super helpful, thank you!!

I messed around with it and it says I can have:
2 african dwarf frogs (**questions below)
3 guppies (it's suggested I get 1 male, 2 females; **questions below)
1 snail
...in a 10 gallon

and my stocking level would be 61%

It also says;
Note: African Dwarf Frog: ...Do not feed freeze-dried or dry pelleted foods which can cause intestinal blockage and death. They are meat eaters and they wont eat flakes. They will eat any fish that will fit in their mouths. Hand feeding recommended if kept in community tanks.

Which leads me to some questions;
1) What should I feed them, if they can't eat freeze-dried, pellets, or flakes?
2) Will they eat the guppies?
3) How can I hand feed them, if they're not supposed to come out of the water?

And also some questions on the guppies;
It states that if I plan to have more than 1 (this is when I put 2 in, originally), that I should actually get three... 1 boy, and two girls (and add more girls if wanted). This may be a very silly question... but if I get both sexes, won't they mate? I don't want baby fish.

 

[venymae]

remember with guppies at least two females for every male, or all the same sex

 

[venymae]

AH, yes they will and you will have babies, though the frogs will probably eat them, so it won't be a problem

 

[venymae]

petstores sell frozen food and also gel food. I don't know much about frogs so google might be your friend. Also you just stick your hand in the tank to feed them with food between your fingers. However, if no other fish are going to try and eat their food I think it's ok to just drop it in.

 

[captaincritical]

When keeping ADF with other fish, you may have to spot-feed with a turkey baster to make sure they get their share. They actually make pellets specifically for frogs; basic fish foods don't contain the kind of nutrition they need. You can also feed them bloodworms as a treat a couple times per week.

They're very slow eaters and don't have the best vision, so they have to "hunt" by scent, which makes things difficult if you're keeping fish with them that move quickly. Top-dwelling fish are likely your best bet because the frog pellets sink, so guppies could work provided they aren't the long-finned fancy variety. The frogs' poor vision can lead to them mistaking flowing fins for food and nipping at them.

If you're worried about the guppies producing fry (which they will absolutely do - it's what guppies are best at!), you can keep only males together without issue. Alternatively, you can keep both males and females in the ratio Mae suggested above, and the frogs will eat the fry for you.

If you do go with ADF, make sure your tank isn't any taller than 15" or so. They need to come up for air at the surface and they aren't the best swimmers, so the short height makes it easier for them.

If that sounds like too much hassle, another option in a small tank would be nano fish. There are some really colourful little fish out there and you could easily maintain a small community of them. I just know that when I was going to school, unnecessary "work" of any kind was a definite no-go.

 

[Jenibelle]

They do sound like a lot of work! I may have to rethink the ADF route, thank you both for the information on them!

 

[captaincritical]

They do sound like a lot of work! I may have to rethink the ADF route, thank you both for the information on them!

They're very cute, sweet little things, but they definitely do best in a species-only tank.