a dwarf African frog site

Since the vast majority of our visitors at this site are from the U.S., all the references to water volume are made in gallons, and the water temperatures are given in Fahrenheit.  To convert these to liters/centigrade, please see this link.

Now on to the fun part: Fast (Dwarf African) Frog Facts!

First, watch these YouTube videos by Stuart Halliday, an authority on these frogs who co-monitors the Yahoogroup Dwarf African Frogs.  These are videos of well-cared-for DAFs eating:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_-vr1wS0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7bvGynD_2UBE (Aquarium Wiki)

For an entire book about the Dwarf African Frog, click here

And look at this cool link describing DAFs in the wild:

http://people.whitman.edu/~jacksok/Expedition2005.html

Also please note that the instructions for frog care listed on this page assume that you have a cycled (mature) aquarium -- one that has been in operation at least a month before frogs were added.  If you had your frogs before or at the same time you started your tank, please see the "Frog Emergencies" page http://www.freewebs.com/aquafrog/frogemergencies.htm. 

For more information on how to cycle a tank without frogs or any other creatures in it, please see the "Aquarium Cycling" page http://www.freewebs.com/aquafrog/aquariumcycling.htm.

For ideas on how to create a home-sweet-home for your frogs that resembles their wild environment, see http://fish.mongabay.com/biotope_african_rivers.htm

And now to the basics:

Size: Adults approximately 1-1/2”; juveniles sold as small as ½”.

Character: Comical; normally peaceful; inquisitive; can be playful, but are usually sedentary; are very social with fellow DAFs. Sometimes aggressive, but usually only concerning food. (Although the food fights can look scary, they rarely if ever result in physical harm.  I have also seen DAFs fight with dwarf puffers and plecos for food.)  DAFs should be kept in pairs or groups with other DAFs.  They tend to be happiest when given a lot of things to play with such as other DAFs, plants, and some aquarium decorations.

Life span: Approximately 3 to 5 years; there are unconfirmed reports of individuals as old as 20 years.

Origin: Central Africa, but it's likely that all DAFs now sold are tank-raised by breeders around the world; there is, in fact, some question as to whether certain species of the dwarf African frog still exist in the wild.   Many breeders are located in Asia.

Species: Generally two species are recognized in the pet trade, and there are three or four species altogether.  However, specimens sold in North America and elsewhere are likely to be hybrids (the froggie equivalent of the canine curbstone setter or the feline 57-variety cat).  This accounts for the variety of DAF shapes and colors.  You can find more information on DAF species -- and why I say that most of our pet frogs are probably hybrids -- here: http://aquaticfrogs.tripod.com/id19.html.

Male or female: Hard to tell, but not impossible.  Males have "pimples" just behind their armpits, or at least a pinkish area.  Females have very boring armpits.  However, cheated as the girls may be in the armpit area, they usually make up for it with a (very slightly) larger tail nub.  One site mentions "black markings" on the males' arms.  I think both sexes display black markings on the arms, but have observed that the males seem to have beefier, more muscular arms than the females, and the males' rear feet also seem to be rather noticeably larger than the females'.  Other than that, my two males are quite a bit smaller and trimmer than my females.  Occasionally I have noticed a different type of swimming motion in the males when they go to the surface for air -- their swimming stroke looks stronger, probably due to those beefier arms and bigger feet.

All this sounds easy to spot, but these differences can be subtle enough that even experienced DAF owners occasionally give "Antony" the name "Cleopatra" by mistake.

Other Physical characteristics: ­Webbed front feet­. May have visible claws on feet. Usually has rough-looking skin. Color: gray, brown, gray-brown; pale to almost black; very occasionally salt-and-pepper "dalmation" colored; dark spots on back, almost NEVER albino; sometimes will have greenish coloration along the spine.  Extremely far-sighted.  No eyelids, tongue, or visible teeth.  Completely aquatic, but comes to the water’s surface for air.  Can leave the water completely for only about 10 minutes at a time.  Always small, less than 2” in length as an adult. Body may be pear-shaped, flat, or tubular in appearance.  Leg length may vary between individuals, but tends to be rather long in relation to the body. 

DAFs are not poisonous; however, it is best for both you and your frog that you not handle the frog unless it is absolutely necessary.

Females are usually silent (I've hardly ever heard a word out of mine); males sometimes make a buzzing sound which can be audible from several feet away, but probably won't keep you up at night.  Very rarely, a DAF may emit an audible "eeek!' noise when startled by another aquarium resident.  You cannot compel them to make this noise yourself, and shouldn't try.

DAF bones can be brittle; these frogs are too fragile to be handled without extreme care.  DAFs must never be handled by children for this reason. 

More on Handling: Always wear gloves when touching your DAF.  This is as much for your protection as the frog's.  Amphibians sometimes carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.  Also, human skin, while immune to the chytrid fungus, can transmit the fungus between aquariums and individual frogs.  Do not pinch your DAF between your fingers unless you must -- and usually you must do this only to perform a chytrid fungus test.  When this is necessary, be very gentle.  At other times, always rest the frog in the palm of your hand with fingers gently closed over the frog, or perhaps your other hand over the top, so the frog cannot jump out of your hand (which it will try to do!).  Try to touch your frog as seldom as possible.  It will be healthier for both you and your frog.

If you'd rather use a net, make sure it is one of those extra-fine, silky brine shrimp nets.  Do not use an ordinary fish net as frogs' claws can get stuck in these nets, causing injury.

Food and feeding: DAFs are carnivorous (meat-eating) bottom feeders.  They locate food by smell.  They must have a variety of foods: frozen or dried brine shrimp, mysis shrimp (which may actually be better for adult DAFs than brine shrimp; however, these shrimp are too big for baby DAFs to consume), bloodworms, daphnia, glassworms (mosquito larvae), or tubiflex worms. Thaw the frozen foods; soak the dry ones in a cup of tank water before serving.  Other possible foods include aquatic frog pellets (I use and recommend Jurassi Diet Newt & Aquatic Frog Food), turtle sticks or high-protein fish diets.  All of these must be in small sinking pellet form, or softened and mashed if the dry pellet is large.  Well-minced raw beefheart can be offered as a rare treat, maybe only on holidays ; DAFs also like finely chopped fresh tuna or salmon steak.  No canned fish!  No fast-swimming food; rare among frogs, DAFs are better scavengers than predators.  However, they can catch and eat small live worms, tiny insects, fish fry (baby fish, not fried fish), and newborn snails (yes, I have witnessed this). 

Do not feed fish flakes to DAFs as these lack proper nutrition.  Feed every other day, no more than each frog can consume in an hour after it finds the food.  Figure on 1/8th to 1/4 teaspoon of food per frog per feeding.  1/4 teaspoon is rather a lot for one frog, but some can eat that much.  Get to know your frog's eating capacity, starting out with the smallest portion possible (about 1/8 teaspoon) at first. 

*Tank conditions:  You should already have a cycled tank with aged water when you buy a DAF.  If you’re saying “huh?,”  please see the "Aquarium Cycling" page on this site, Google "aquarium cycling," or see http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/The_Nitrogen_Cycle  For emergency housing suggestions, as in “I have the frog already and he’s sitting here in a plastic bag,” see the froggie emergency page on this site.

Tank size: The general rule is one gallon of water per inch of fish or frog.  Add more water capacity for each additional frog and fish you plan on having, based on the adult size of the specimen.  For the adult DAF, this translates into 2 U.S. gallons of water per frog; however, some people calculate as much as 5 gallons of water per frog due to the density of the frog's body and the amount and size of its waste.  On the other hand, some people keep them in vases that hold a gallon of water or less.  I never had success with DAFs in vases, and can't advise them as a permanent home for DAFs or any other type of aquatic creature (bettas come to mind).

Type of tank: Long and low is ideal.  Water should be no deeper than 18 inches.  Your tank must have a secure cover because DAFs will jump out of an uncovered tank and die.  It is NOT true that DAFs will drown in deep water, but water deeper than 18 inches or so will make a DAF's life a little more difficult (remember, they have to surface for air).  If you have a deep tank, provide resting places between the water's surface and the bottom of the tank.

*Water:  No distilled water; it can't be trusted to hold a steady pH.  Use tap water (treated to remove chlorine and other additives), or bottled spring water if that is all you can get.  However, fairly hard water is beneficial to these frogs and some spring water is rather soft.  Then again, some is very hard and some is perfectly neutral.  Purchase test strips and test your bottled water to see what the pH is, and also if it is harboring nitrates or much worse, nitrites or ammonia.  (If you're still scratching your head, read the "Aquarium Cycling" page or Google "aquarium cycling" fast!)  

Please note that salt in a frog environment is a subject that is under heavy debate at the moment.  If you do feel a need to add some aquarium salt to your tank, please keep it to a minimum.

*Water testing: Although DAFs are fairly hardy, inappropriate water conditions can make them sick.  Do purchase an aquarium water testing kit and learn to use it so you can catch potential problems and correct them.  Ammonia readings should be "0".  Nitrite readings should be "0".  Nitrates should be less than 40 ppm.  You should take a baseline pH reading and repeat the reading at least once a week until the tank is established.  Once or twice a month is okay thereafter.  Those gizmos that attach to the side of the tank and take continuous pH readings are great to have and can save you the trouble of pH testing.  As you learn more about the hobby, you can test for GH (general hardness), and KH (carbonate hardness) if you haven't learned about this from the beginning.

Substrate(gravel) and decorations: Smooth medium to large aquarium gravel; provide a flat “table” surface for frogs to feed on; any aquarium decoration is okay as long it does not have sharp edges (DAF skin is easily cut, and they also tend to move around rather recklessly and can kill themselves if they hit something sharp).  Also make sure the frogs can’t get trapped in your decoration(s).  Those cute shark decorations with snapping jaws are a bad idea in a DAF tank. 

DAFs must have a secure hiding place. They love to hide and perch in live plants, but be mindful that while they will never eat plants, they may uproot them.  (Wanna see what's left of my hairgrass?)  Also be aware that they sometimes hide in things like hair algae (this would also extend to "wanted" plants like freshwater seaweed and any of the aquatic mosses).  I've pulled hair algae out of my tank and found a frog in it, and I know of another DAF keeper who has done the same.  The lesson is to look very closely at any algae or plant waste you pull out of the tank!  You'll be amazed at how TINY your frog looks once out of the tank and in your hand amongst a wad of algae or plant waste; they're almost tragically easy to miss.  For an example of this danger (and also to show how difficult it can be to safely catch a wayward DAF), watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLzXM9l4lDk&feature=related.  For further suggestions on catching a DAF, see the Frog Emergencies page on this site.

Some hobbyists consider driftwood to be beneficial to frogs.  If you get driftwood, be sure to buy it at a pet store or Internet specialty site.  Unfortunately, you can't use any old wood you find laying around.  Quartz and slate rocks are okay; just make sure there are no sharp edges. 

If you have very soft water or an aging aquarium, a well-washed coral skeleton may be beneficial to your frogs and your tank -- but again, only purchase this at your local aquarium shop, and seek the advice of someone on the staff before purchasing.  Keep in mind that coral skeletons can be very, very sharp.  If you can't find a smooth piece that is suitable for a freshwater tank, perhaps some non-live aragonite substrate meant for African cichlids will be equally beneficial.  You should not replace your original substrate with this, but instead add the new substrate into the tank very slowly over a period of time so that the pH is altered very gradually.  If you feel your water is too hard/the pH too high, don't worry -- DAFs can adjust to these kinds of conditions.

Temperature: Flexible.  DAFs can survive in a warm house without a heater in the tank; however, the temperature should be no less than 68 degrees Fahrenheit and no more than 84 degrees Fahrenheit.  (In other words, if you're one of those folks who leaves the windows open when the outside temperature is 10 degrees F, your DAFs need a heater in their tank.)  Keep in mind that sudden temperature changes can be fatal to any aquarium dweller.  When you add water to the tank, make sure the new water is about the same temperature as the tank's water.

*pH and KH: pH is very flexible within the "neutral" range -- 6.8 to 8.0.  These frogs cannot tolerate quick pH drops or rises (what is pH?  Google!  Google!  Google!).  Also eventually learn to check the KH (the higher the KH, the greater the water's ability to uphold a steady pH), and less important, GH (the higher the GH, the better the environment for the frogs).  See the "Substrate and Decorations" paragraph above for information on altering pH.  To fix a faltering KH, see this link: http://dataguru.org/misc/aquarium/calKH.asp.  Be mindful that the KH will fall as your aquarium ages.

Filtration: Any type, but a sponge filter may be best.  All filter intakes/outlets must be screened; otherwise frogs will get into the filter and get hurt.

Water movement: DAFs like still water; however, some gentle water movement should be provided for the health of the tank and its inhabitants.  A filter will usually provide some water movement; if you don’t have one, an air pump with an air stone is sufficient.  Please, no powerheads unless you have a HUGE tank with quiet, low-flow spots.

Cleaning: Perform weekly water changes of at least 10% of tank capacity.  Change filter media as indicated by the filter manufacturer.  (Many intermediate to advanced aquarists come up with their own timeframes for changing filter media, and it may be advisable not to change filter sponges -- or sponge filters -- at all in a healthy aquarium.  However, in the beginning, you may want to follow manufacturers' recommendations.)  Vacuum the gravel at least twice a month.

Tank mates: Other DAFs, guppies, neon tetras (buy in groups of 6 or more), platys (buy at least 2), snails, otocinclus catfish (buy in groups of 3 to 5), cory catfish (buy 2 or more), floating frogs.  No large (>2”) or aggressive tank mates; the generally peaceful bristlenose pleco may be an exception if the tank is larger than 30 gallons and has a lot of plants, as are certain cory catfish which grow larger than 2".  Think twice about bettas (although these are not the worst of tankmates for DAFs, they tend to gobble up all the frog food before the frogs know they've been fed), and do not purchase goldfish (they grow large and when they do, will harrass or even kill DAFs), newts (they eat DAFs), larger frogs (ditto the newts), or eels (ditto the newts).  A single female “pea puffer” (a.k.a. dwarf puffer, Malabar puffer, or Indian puffer) may be okay, but must be introduced to the tank well after the frogs and constantly monitored for aggression.  A single angelfish may work out quite well with your DAFs.

Quarantine period:  2-3 months in a quarantine tank before introducing new DAFs to your main tank -- 2 months in a cooler tank (68-75 degrees F), or three months in a warmer tank.  Also quarantine other types of frogs you want to add to the tank, such as floating frogs, for the same length of time.  This is because of the fungus mentioned previously.  You read that, didn't you?    If not, see the Read this First page for more detail on quarantine and other methods of chytrid prevention.

Breeding: Not a concern for beginners.  DAF tadpoles are very difficult to rear.  When you get further into the hobby, however, this will be a subject to research.  Because of the ravages of the chytrid fungus, breeders of healthy DAFs may find themselves breeding a hot commodity in years to come.

"Help!  My Frog is Floating!":  You didn't accidentally buy a floating frog did you?    Seriously, I imagine you read somewhere that a floating DAF is an unhealthy DAF.  While this can definitely be true, it's not the absolute rule.  An unhealthy DAF will float, but you will fast learn the difference between an unhealthy float and a healthy one.  It's best to keep in mind that DAFs are pretty lazy and like to perch near the surface of the water, if they can, and stick their snouts out.  Sometimes they will do this for long periods of time.  They also just like to have a float now and then and will drift around on the surface, motionless.  Usually they only do this for a limited period of time (two hours or less), then they return to the bottom of the tank.  Occasionally a frog will express stress or other unhappiness by floating.  When they float all day, and they aren't interested in food, and their skin looks bad -- that's when you worry.  If you're sure your frog is sick, read our Read This First! page.  If the illness does not seem to be chytrid, see our Frog Illness page for links that may be helpful.

Finally, “What’s that white film???”: Your frog will shed its skin at least twice a month.   The shed skin looks like a flexible, white-ish film that is often left hanging on an aquarium decoration; sometimes you can see outlines of froggie arms and legs in the film.  During the shed, your frog may appear to be in distress, much like a toddler trying to get out of footed pajamas.  Don't worry -- the frog will manage without assistance, even though you may witness some comical moments when another frog attempts to "help."

Some frogs shed more often; some less.  The skin usually should come off in a sheet; sometimes in very young, very old and impaired frogs, it comes off in small pieces, leaving the frog with a dry-skin look.  As this can be an indication of illness, closely observe any frog that is shedding unevenly, watching for other signs of illness such as lack of appetite and activity.

Please note that your frog will often eat its shed skin.  This is normal.  Gross, but normal. 

 

(If a paragraph is marked with "*", please read the page on aquarium cycling for clarification of what is being said.)