African Dwarf Frog Trouble

[TMNT]

Hello fish folks! I recently bought an African Dwarf Frog and added him into my 10 gallon tank (he is technically only in a 5 gallon, I have a tank divider put up) and his tank mates are 3 neon tetras and a male betta-- ive done my research and several sources say that the african dwarf frog and neon tetras make good betta tank mates. He has plenty of fake plants and a nice cave/hiding spot he loves to use. However, When it comes time to feeding little Froggy, I use dried baby brine shrimp, and I don't think he's eating. My betta fish is not too aggressive when feeding time comes, so the only reasons I could think of why he won't eat is because he can't get to the food (my tank is around a foot deep) or he doesn't see it.. I have to crush it to small pieces for them.
Maybe I need to try new diets like bloodworms, or change up his environment?

Any advice, suggestions, or even thoughts about why he may not be eating are SO appreciated.

I love my little guy and I want to see him happy.
Thanks!

 

[Hholly]

Maybe try feeding some thawed, frozen blood worms?

 

[TMNT]

Maybe try feeding some thawed, frozen blood worms?

Yeah I should definitely try adding those in to his diet, thanks for your input!

 

[Talvari]

I work at a lfs and the only thing we've been able to reliably get the add to eat is the thawed frozen bloodworms. ADF's don't have the best sight, so maybe its just that the bloodworms have the "best" smell.

 

[Coursair]

At my store we fed them thawed frozen bloodworms and used a turkey baster. They'd eat it right out of the tip of the baster. We'd alternate with Omega One sinking Shrimp Pellets. You can use a wide tube to "aim" the pellets near froggie.
Feed them on a tiny plate so they can get the food before it gets lost ( if you have gravel).
Tips:
http://aquaticfrogs.tripod.com/id13.html
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_dwarf_frog

 

[TMNT]

I work at a lfs and the only thing we've been able to reliably get the add to eat is the thawed frozen bloodworms. ADF's don't have the best sight, so maybe its just that the bloodworms have the "best" smell.

Thanks! I will definitely try bloodworms, that seems to be what everyone is preferring for their ADFs

 

[TMNT]

I isolated my frog into a seperate, smaller tank last night and fed him the brine shrimp, and was so relieved to see him eat it after a while. So at least he has something in his stomach but I'm still definitely going to try adding the bloodworms to his diet.

 

[TMNT]

At my store we fed them thawed frozen bloodworms and used a turkey baster. They'd eat it right out of the tip of the baster. We'd alternate with Omega One sinking Shrimp Pellets. You can use a wide tube to "aim" the pellets near froggie.
Feed them on a tiny plate so they can get the food before it gets lost ( if you have gravel).
Tips:
http://aquaticfrogs.tripod.com/id13.html
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_dwarf_frog

Awesome! Thanks for all of the helpful info. The link was very helpful

 

[Fishy Aston]

I think I will use that liquid based food for my frogs too!

Great people here on AA!

 

[perentie]

They love worms but be careful feeding only one food item or they will suffer. Earthworms can carry parasites. Some high quality pellet food for frogs would be good but not shrimp pellets. They contain way too much vegetable matter and can be difficult to digest and block your frog. Small fish fry like guppies, small worms for fish and brine shrimp.

 

[siva]

Hello fish folks! I recently bought an African Dwarf Frog and added him into my 10 gallon tank (he is technically only in a 5 gallon, I have a tank divider put up) and his tank mates are 3 neon tetras and a male betta-- ive done my research and several sources say that the african dwarf frog and neon tetras make good betta tank mates. He has plenty of fake plants and a nice cave/hiding spot he loves to use. However, When it comes time to feeding little Froggy, I use dried baby brine shrimp, and I don't think he's eating. My betta fish is not too aggressive when feeding time comes, so the only reasons I could think of why he won't eat is because he can't get to the food (my tank is around a foot deep) or he doesn't see it.. I have to crush it to small pieces for them.
Maybe I need to try new diets like bloodworms, or change up his environment?

Any advice, suggestions, or even thoughts about why he may not be eating are SO appreciated.

I love my little guy and I want to see him happy.
Thanks!

Do not feed ADF's freeze dried food. They have sensitive digestive systems and are prone to bloat and dropsy. They should be fed only pellets for aquatic frog pellets (such as HBH or Reptomin brands) and frozen or live foods like brine shrimp and bloodworms.

ADF's are nearly blind and are easily outcompeted for food in a community tank. IMO they should be kept only with other frogs, but if you do continue to keep it with fish you will need to hand/target feed. Otherwise the fish (primarily the betta) will find all the food on the bottom before the frog can.

The frogs have very sensitive skin that is easily damage by fake plants, so you should inspect everything thoroughly to ensure there is nothing that would snag pantyhose. Same with any decor in the tank. Also make sure all decor is firmly planted in the substrate. They slam into things a lot and can pin themselves and drown. I consider sturdy floating plants (such as pennywort) a must for them so they can rest near the top and easily surface for air. I strongly recommend a sponge filter. The frogs can become trapped in the intake of power filters and drown. The tank should be heated to 80 degrees.

ADF's are social creatures that should be kept in groups, but I would never keep any less than two..you're in need of atleast one more. I think you've already got that 5 gal portion overstocked, and your neons should be in a school of atleast 6, so I would encourage you to start up a seperate frog tank. Feeding is much easier in a species tank. You can just use a feeding dish and deposit their food with a turkey baster. Plus you avoid the possibility of the frogs damaging your fish or vise versa. My adult frogs can get quite vicious and I can't imagine keeping fish with them.