small tank

[Gillundr]

Does anybody have a small tank laying around 5 or 10 gallons? I have a couple of African Dwarf Frogs that I got for Christmas a couple years ago that have been living in a little 6x6 plastic cube thing. I did some research and found out it's not ideal and wanted to move them into a new place. Thought I would ask around here since I know most of us have junk like this sort of laying around. I will also need some sort of small filter for it I guess. I wish I was good with acrylic I would build a cool shallow tank for them.

 

[sploke]

I have one of those 10gal walmart setups, standard 10gal tank with a full hood with 2 screw-in sockets, I have a heater I can throw in, I have to check if I have a HOB filter or not. If not I could toss in a sponge filter. I even have some gravel if you need it. I'll trade it for some frags....

 

[charleneatkins]

I love my frogs:inlove: I have have had mine since 2008. My first love is my salts. I probably have something that would work. I can bring it to the next meeting. I'll check anyway.Let me know. Hope the family is well. Charlene

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Hi Roman. You too, huh? I had two of those frogs (from Brookstone's) on my desk here at the office for over a year but within the first month I decided they needed to be upgraded.... that "tank" they come in was cruel and unusual punishment. Unfortunately one of my co-workers fell in love with them and I ended up giving her the whole set up but if you don't have something for them by the time the Waterbury event comes up, I'll dig around in my surplus supplies and put together something for you.
Sue

 

[mtc1966]

29g for free

 

[Gillundr]

I sort of do feel bad about them being in that cube for so long, I am generally very very thoughtful of my pets. I received it as a Christmas gift from what I thought was a reputable establishment, and I bought in to the whole ecosystem thing etc. I stumbled across the proper care of these frogs on wetwebmedia by accident and thought sheesh I can't believe I never looked into this. My bad and lesson learned. I do have a 3 gallon pico tope sitting in the garage, but was unsure if that would be big enough for the 2 frogs
Is it worth setting it up, or should I get something bigger like a 5 or 10? A 29 gallon would be cool but from what I read it may be too tall for the frogs. I think they like a shallower space.

 

[charleneatkins]

from what I remember 1 gal=1 frog, not a tall system. They really don't swim that well. I have 3 in a 10g w/a figure 8,2 neons, 1 guppy. At one time they were in a 20 high but it was a bit much. But i know I would have somthing you could use when I get home to check.

 

[chaas]

The frogs don't bother the guppies and neons? I had an ACF tank years ago, and "fraggle" was in solitary forever. He was a known murderer. My brother had one of those two-tailed fancy goldfish in a bowl, and one day he was cleaning the bowl so he tossed the fish into Fraggle's tank... never to be seen again!

Thought all frogs were hunters, but that's awesome that you're able to keep them together with fish.

 

[mylifeismyown66]

African clawed frogs get big and nasty and will eat fish. African dwarf frogs stay small and peaceful and will eat meaty foods that make it to the bottom like bloodworms. As far as I know 2 African dwarf frogs should be fine in only a couple of gallons as long as it is a really high tank, but more low and wide.

 

[Gillundr]

I have the little jbj picotope thing that is 3 gallons. Think that is too small? I don't want any other critters I dont think. I was thinking of maybe a plant or two. I read they like surface plants like Indian Fern or something they can use to hang out on the roots since they breath air. For some reason I thought 3 gallons would be small though. I thought a 5 minimum and maybe a 10 or a 20 breeder but thats pushing my space constraints lol. The picotope would be a perfect size as far as space goes but I can fit a 5 or 10 or something if needed. What sort of filter should I use? Maybe like a small AC20 or something? With the stock media? Or would that cause too much current? I know they don't like current and prefer still water so maybe a simple sponge filter? They are definately ADF not the clawed frogs. It is relatively easy to identify the two species. The biggest tell is ADF have webbed front feet while the ACF does not, plus the "claws" haha.
Thanks for the help guys.

 

[mylifeismyown66]

IMO the JBJ would be fine for them. They also dont need a ton of filtration or flow. Theyre fairly clean as long as the tank isnt overfed. Ive also heard of people putting a betta with them because bettas tend to be mostly aggressive towards other bettas or betta looking fish. Theyll both eat frozen bloodworms and betta pellets.

 

[charleneatkins]

I had my beta with them until it decided it did not like the figure 8. Figure 8 won out. Mine are not really messy and not picky eaters. They are in a
10g,aquaclear filter, standard glass top and light. Artificial columns and greens. Stayed with cloth greens, these are softer than plastic and may cause less harm.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Hi Roman. The 3-gallon would be heaven for them. I had mine on my desk in a 1 gallon and it was fine .... they stay small. Here's the best part..... I didn't have ANY filtration in there! I put in a few live plants, a snail, and did a quick water change once a week. They were always healthy and happy and it was quiet and easy-to-maintain.
Sue

 

[awcamp]

Hey Roman, I have one of those 6.6 gallon bookshelf aquariums (roughly 24 x 7 x 9). Its nothing fancy but its yours if you want it. It would probably give the guys a little more space. I'm in Berlin, CT. BTW... I bought a couple of these guys for my girlfriend and kept them for a while in the depressing little brookstone setup and then finally decided to put them in to a 14 biocube. They seem to exist fine with the guppies and platys I have in there (though there was an episode a while back where two female guppies died three days after I got them but I don't think it was frog related?). I do not have a filter for the tank but if you just kept the frogs in there would you need it? (providing you did water changes). If you want it just let me know...

 

[Gillundr]

Cool! Maybe I'll try the JBJ since I already have it around. No filter is even better lol. What about a heater? I have read mixed things. I know they are a tropical critter so need warmer temps but have also read they can burn themselves on heaters. lol.\
Also, do I need to cycle the tank? I didn't cycle the little cube thing but it came with "live rocks" lol. I don't want to kill the frogs off in a cycle after they have come this far! I set up the little JBJ with some smooth sand tonight and it looks good. I need to figure out a good light for it since the light that came with mine broke. I do have a LED panorama strip that would work if I could come up with a way to mount it and look nice. Otherwise I need to do something else. I would go without a light but want to stick a couple plants in there so probably will need a light.
Thanks for the help and offers everybody!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

I didn't have a filter or heater or special lighting on the frogs. They sat on my desk (the office temp is always about 70 degrees) under a fluroescent accent light in the corner of my office and I never cycled the tank water that I upgraded them to. The water was regular tap (from the office kitchen) and all I did was leave a gallon sitting in a pitcher in the cupboard all week so the chlorine would dissipate before my next water change. I think having live plants in there really helped keep it a balanced "eco system" type of thing. No flow, no filtration, no live rock.... just 50% water changes once a week.

Did you know they have very bad eyesight? It's amazing they ever find food! I used to drop in pellets that would hit them in the head but it still took them several minutes to find it, and they would usually bite the foot of their tank mate several times before finding food. Not the brightest creatures in the world but fun to watch during boring moments.
Sue