Need some suggestions about my friends underwater frog

[nemosluckyfin]

Hello Everyone,
I know this is supposed to be a forum about saltwater but I thought this would be a good place to ask for a suggestion. My friend has a underwater African dwarf frog that has gotten pretty skinny over the past few weeks. While it eats, it seems to have trouble with seeing the food. I had one of these frogs in the past which lived for a long time and he uses the same food I did when feeding mine which is tetramin tropical pellets. While the pellets are good the frog doesn't see them and I constanly see it looking for food on the bottom. What I need to know is there anything that he can feed his frog that it won't have a problem seeing and something that will make it put on some weight?
Thanks,
Nemosluckyfin:fish1:

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Well pretty much any animal that eats but is skinny and can't put on weight usually has parasites. That said I would tell your friend to call Live Aquaria and see if they have any answers for your friend. This is what I"d do if I had the same problem.

 

[Sk8r]

Good idea, and don't be shy about it. Just ask until you get the right person to give you an answer.

A quick google of 'aquatic frog won't eat' turns up a raft of similar problems: significant answers seem to be 'never feed dried food: causes intestinal blockage' and 'do not put them with fish: they have very dim eyesight and are very slow compared to the fish, which intimidate them.'
Suggest you google that term, too, and take a look at the situation.

 

[Fiver]

They do best on frozen thawed food. I've kept them in the past, and they are simply TERRIBLE at finding food, even if it is right in front of their noses. I recommend spot feeding them a few times a day. And yes, never keep them with fish.

 

[zeebies]

I keep African dwarf frogs in a freshwater set up. Had them for years. As Fiver said, they rarely notice food, even when it's right in front of them. I have always fed frozen bloodworms - thawed, of course.

I have a heavily planted tank, so don't see the frogs regularly. Somewhere, I read to train the frogs to "come out" when there is food. What I do - and it always works - is to tap on the glass with my turkey baster and within about 5 minutes all my frogs are front and center. Funny to watch actually. Had to spend some time training them to do this.

I suck up the worms with the baster and hold the baster right in front of their mouths. They know the food is coming and they reach up to the baster and suck the food up. I feed each frog individually, once every week or two. Seems to do the trick.

I should add that I feed the fish first so they are less likely to grab the bloodworms from the frogs. The frogs have never bothered anything in the tank, including peaceful fish and freshwater shrimp.

You really do have to spot feed them.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

zeebies, that's awesome!!!! you should make a video of that.

 

[zeebies]

Ha! The first five minutes of that video would be pretty boring with me hitting the glass over and over.

But, if there's enough demand... :thumbsup:

 

[nemosluckyfin]

Thanks for the responses everyone!