Add Pizzazz to a Freshwater Aquarium with Cute African Dwarf Frogs

Adding African Dwarf Frogs to a freshwater aquarium is a great way to add a bit of pizzazz to an aquarium. These little frogs get along fine with other communal fish and supply funny entertainment with their antics. If you saw any other fish, floating belly up on the waters surface you would think he was dead. Not so, with an African Dwarf Frog, because they like to float on the surface frequently for hours at a time. African Dwarf Frogs are inexpensive to purchase, don't take up much space and they are just plain fun to watch!

African Dwarf Frogs are also called Aquatic Dwarf Frogs and many aquarium shops do carry them if you are interested in purchasing. These entertaining dwarf frogs only get about 1.5 inches when full grown. Purchase two so they have a playmate. They need to take air at the surface of the water several times a day. African Dwarf Frogs are mellow, docile, playful, comical, and they love to chow down on a good meal!

Community Fish and the African Dwarf Frog

Most people will agree that African Dwarf Frogs enjoy the companionship of other docile tropical fish. You can keep them with swordtails, guppies, platys, mollies, danios, tetras and smaller sized catfish.

Aquarium Requirements for African Dwarf Frogs

These little frogs don't take up much aquarium space, but an African Dwarf Frog requires at least one gallon of water. Their water requirements are similar to that of tropical fish, which makes them easy to keep. If you decide to house them in a small aquarium or bowl just make sure, it is not chlorinated water.

An aquarium should be no deeper than 2 to 3 feet in depth for an African Dwarf Frog. This assures that frogs can get to the surface in a timely manner for that necessary gulp of air. Even though they are called Aquatic Dwarf Frogs they are not good swimmers and can't tolerate deeper tanks.

At minimum, an African Dwarf Frog aquarium should be covered with a screen or an aquarium hood to prevent jumping out. African Dwarf Frogs like to play games around large rocks just make sure they don't have sharp edges.

Temperature/Lighting

These are sub-tropical frogs preferring temperatures of 70°F to 75°F. Much like tropical fish, you'll want to provide lighting at least 8 to 12 hours each day. This provides the needed day and night routine, which is important to frogs as well as fish. Proper lighting relieves stress, which can leave aquatic species open to diseases if not provided. An African Dwarf Frog is nocturnal, which means that nighttime is typically an active time for scooting around the aquarium and exploring.

African Dwarf Frogs Love Live Plants

With their playful personalities, African Dwarf Frogs like to chase each other and frolic in aquatic plants. Live plants are best, however artificial work too. They are not destructive towards plants just make sure artificial plants don't have sharp edges. Avoid using small rocks or marbles in the aquarium that can trap your little frog. When transplanting/rearranging plants make sure, the frog is not tangled in the plants and accidentally left outside the aquarium.

Feeding an African Dwarf Frog

They require food every few days however, ours ate daily. African Dwarf Frogs don't have the best eyesight and mainly hunt for food by smell. They'll eat sun dried or freeze dried foods. They also like frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp.

A new Coat for an African Dwarf Frog

These little guys will shed their skin two or more times per month. Don't be surprised to find a whole skin or tiny pieces of an African Dwarf Frog skin stuck to plants or decorations. It's normal and fascinating to watch them shed their coat.

Sources

http://frogworld.net/african-dwarf-frog/

http://www.freewebs.com/aquafrog/frogbasics.htm