Hello!
I have a question about a pesky dwarf frog. By way of background, I have a 5 gallon tank with a couple guppies, a couple drawf frogs, and a little spotted catfish. This is not a new tank, though all of these creatures are new to it (they've been there just over a week).
The issue I'm having is that one of these frogs is being a total menace. He picks on the other fish. In particular he prowls around the tank, sneaks up on the catfish, and snaps at him. He does this methodically and repeatedly. I'm now noticing changes in the behaviour of the catfish; the catfish doesn't swim around as much - he tends to keep very still most of the time. This frog will also snap at fish if they come near and will occasionally get into a tussle with the other frog. The aggressiveness towards the other fish and the other frog only usually happens when they're being fed. But he tends to go after the catfish quite constantly.
I have three general questions. First, why is this frog behaving this way? The other frog is not displaying this aggressive behaviour. Does he just think that everything that moves is food and snap at it? Is he possibly one of those African clawed frogs? I got him at a pet store out of a tank filled with frogs labeled otherwise. Second, is his behaviour going to cause harm to the catfish? Can he actually hurt the catfish, or distress it to the point that its health suffers? (I suspect this is the case.) Third, what do I do about it? The only way of separating the frog, if necessary, would be by returning him to the store or administering the death penalty...
Note: I say "he" throughout this post but I haven't got a clue if the frog is male or female.
I have a question about a pesky dwarf frog. By way of background, I have a 5 gallon tank with a couple guppies, a couple drawf frogs, and a little spotted catfish. This is not a new tank, though all of these creatures are new to it (they've been there just over a week).
The issue I'm having is that one of these frogs is being a total menace. He picks on the other fish. In particular he prowls around the tank, sneaks up on the catfish, and snaps at him. He does this methodically and repeatedly. I'm now noticing changes in the behaviour of the catfish; the catfish doesn't swim around as much - he tends to keep very still most of the time. This frog will also snap at fish if they come near and will occasionally get into a tussle with the other frog. The aggressiveness towards the other fish and the other frog only usually happens when they're being fed. But he tends to go after the catfish quite constantly.
I have three general questions. First, why is this frog behaving this way? The other frog is not displaying this aggressive behaviour. Does he just think that everything that moves is food and snap at it? Is he possibly one of those African clawed frogs? I got him at a pet store out of a tank filled with frogs labeled otherwise. Second, is his behaviour going to cause harm to the catfish? Can he actually hurt the catfish, or distress it to the point that its health suffers? (I suspect this is the case.) Third, what do I do about it? The only way of separating the frog, if necessary, would be by returning him to the store or administering the death penalty...
Note: I say "he" throughout this post but I haven't got a clue if the frog is male or female.