Aquarium frog: maintenance and care rules

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Some aquarium owners start for a change, both separately and together with fish, small aquarium frogs. Watching them is no less entertaining than watching a flock of colorful chordates.

Specially bred

Frogs fit into the collection of pets for a long time. You will not surprise anyone with these cute amphibians swimming in an aquarium next to the fish. Many pet supply stores display containers of frogs.

Worth noting for those who might think it's too cruel to keep a frog in an enclosed space. Aquarium frogs are animals that were bred specifically to be kept in a tank. All the diversity of species is the result of selection work on individuals living in their natural environment. Their ancestors were frogs of Africa, living in reservoirs with fresh stagnant water.

For aquarists, this is a completely new experience that needs a special approach. Some types of frogs do not tolerate being in the same aquarium with fish for a long time. There should be islands in the water that amphibians can climb and rest on. That is, the ide althis is a water terrarium, the so-called aquarium, partly occupied by soil (filler), partly by water.

Skilled Choice

Frog breeders usually buy clawed frogs (Xenopus) and dwarf frogs (Hymenochirus). These are the most common species that live comfortably in a home pond. They are quite satisfied with the content in the artificial environment. There are several selectively bred species of white frogs that are not picky about the size of the glass habitat. But still, the necessary minimum will have to be provided for keeping aquarium frogs. The smallest volume of the tank where the frogs will not feel uncomfortable is 20 liters.

Appearance

Xenopuses and hymenochiruses differ significantly from each other. It is enough to read the description of aquarium frogs. When choosing a copy in a pet store, it is better to take a good look. The employees of such stores do not always pay due attention to this aspect of keeping frogs and often settle them together. A spurred individual can be identified by color. They are usually either white or light pink with red eyes. Some sources report that white aquarium frogs were bred by Russian scientists for laboratory research. But this statement is controversial.

If you come across a grayish or brown spotted frog when buying, these are real African amphibians. In order not to confuse them with spurs, you should definitely pay attention to the appearance of the fingers and muzzle. For everyonethe limbs must necessarily have pronounced membranes. In wild species, the body is dense, larger than artificial ones, with a uniform color. Hymenochiruses have long thin legs and a pointed muzzle with a characteristic “smile”. The eyes are set close. The pygmy frog bears its name quite rightly. In an adult, the body length reaches only four centimeters. Spurs are twice as large, even at a young age. Hymenochirus females tend to be larger and fatter than males. During the period of active breeding, the sides of the females swell, and they look even rounder. At a young age, only a specialist can distinguish the sex of these aquarium frogs.

Behavior

There is also a noticeable difference in the behavior of the two species. If the shportsevs can be safely given a medal for activity and arrogance, then the hymenochiruses, on the contrary, are distinguished by calmness and poise. Spurs do not have a saturation threshold, that is, they can constantly pester, or even eat fish. Dwarfs, on the contrary, lead a secretive life, try to “shine” less.

Songs until morning

During mating season, males arrange nightly concerts. The sounds it makes are like a rattle. You need to take this into account when choosing a pet. If a person has problems with sleep, then it is better to think ten times. But many owners note that you get used to these sounds pretty quickly, and it can even be impossible to fall asleep without the love trills of frogs.

Maintenance and Care

Better start with spur aquariumfrogs, which are slightly different from caring for dwarfs.

These little creatures live completely submerged in water. The aquarium for them should be filled with water to the top, but 1/3 of the part is still left without water, for air flow. The aquarium for them should be at least 20 liters for one individual. In the same ratio, it is better not to put more than three frogs in a seventy-liter container. They like to be at the bottom of the reservoir, where they stay most of the time. Therefore, it is better to purchase a long and low container than a short but high one. In general, both types are undemanding to care.

Hymenochirus aquarium frog maintenance should start with studying their life in the wild. In their natural habitat, they often live in shallow swamps and puddles with not very clean, but well-heated water. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature in the aquarium from +20 to +24 ° C. Lower temperatures increase the risk of disease. But you don't have to worry too much about the purity of the water. Conversely, frequent fluid changes are unacceptable. Frogs are also harmed by strong currents, which in aquarium conditions can create a powerful filter. But at the same time, oxygen saturation is mandatory for a glass pond with dwarf frogs. To both provide them with aeration and protect them from the current, you need a long aquarium so that you can create a "stagnant" place.

The quiet nature allows the dwarf aquarium frog to live in the same aquarium with any fish, provided that they are slightly larger than the frog. A community aquarium should be equippeddifferent kinds of shelters.

But back to claws. The content of the described aquarium frogs and their care is not in everything, but differs from the content of the hymenochirus frog. They do not need land, they can live simply in the water. This species is famous for its nervousness, "arrogance", tactless behavior, and what an appetite! They swallow everything that fits in their mouth. Therefore, it is better not to cover the bottom in the aquarium with soil or small stones, as these gluttons can swallow pebbles, and they will get stuck in their intestines (sand comes out naturally). The same goes for vegetation. Either choose hard-leaved algae or install artificial substitutes for aquatic life.

Clawed water frogs are not able to live on land. The aquarium should be chosen with the expectation of 15-20 liters per frog. It is also necessary to take care of the presence of a lid over the aquarium, because frogs can easily jump out. The temperature should be between +21 and +25 °С.

Litter

You can not use soil in the tank. This is the cheapest and easiest way to keep your aquarium clean for as long as possible. If the house for frogs is without soil, then it is advisable to put it on a dark, brown base - a dark table, for example. This color will meet the conditions of the natural environment. But if, nevertheless, the soil is necessary from decorative preferences, then it is better to cover the bottom of the reservoir with large pebbles, which the frog will not be able to turn over and even more so raise with its paws.

Vegetation

Bigthe question remains the expediency of keeping live plants in an aquarium with spurs in general. Frogs with their claws (for their presence they got the name) cut greens into crumbs. If a person does not like artificial plants in aquariums, then anubias can serve as a compromise. All types of these plantations are endowed with strong leaves. By the way, in Africa, some species of these plants grow in water bodies where clawed frogs live. Therefore, by planting them in an aquarium, their natural background is thus recreated. If the choice of vegetation is not fundamental, then it is better to purchase silk decorations from artificial decorations that do not harm the frogs' membranes.

Hymenochiruses behave less destructively towards plants. Therefore, they can pick up natural algae, but which are suitable for muddy water.

Taming

Some sources attribute clawed frogs with the ability to be tamed. Allegedly, they can recognize one owner. But there is no evidence to support this. More often, websites of pet stores sin with such information, thus trying to sell goods, speculating on the desire of some potential buyers to amuse their pride. There are not too many examples where frogs have been trained to receive food only from the hands of the owner. But here the trick is only on the reflex: "smell-hands-food." There can be no talk of any emotional attachment to a person, due to the limited intelligence of aquarium frogs, the photos of which are presented in this article.

Feeding

Dwarf frogs can feed on any live food sold for fish. The best and most affordable food is bloodworms, as well as tubifex. Frogs are predators by nature, and a moving prey target can attract them. The dead carcasses of the same bloodworm, which drifts motionless in the aquarium, they eat extremely reluctantly. But it happens that some individuals are quite content with frozen or dry food. And yet, this little frog is a predator at all stages of growing up (which cannot be said about claws), and this will have to be reckoned with.

Spurs are more unpretentious in feeding, even too much, which is both a plus and a minus. They are prone to overeating, so the owner needs to keep an eye on this. Their body should be flattened. If their figure begins to acquire spherical features - this is an alarming bell, it's time to put them on a diet. If obesity is allowed, a number of corresponding diseases will arise. They feed xenopus bloodworms, chopped pieces of lean beef, fish, flour and earthworms. As you can see, from the above, the owner of the clawed ones will not need to worry much about how to feed the aquarium frogs. Adults are fed no more than twice a week. Many owners are touched and amused to watch how they react violently to the appearance of food in the water by smell, pounce, and then stuff the pieces into their mouths with their short front paws.

Diseases of frogs

With good care, frogs live up to 15 years, but, like any animal, they can get sick. A very common disease among waterfowl is the so-calledred paw, or sepsis due to the ingress of toxins into the blood: due to an excessively polluted aquarium, pesticides or stress. If the disease is not noticed at an early stage, the animal is guaranteed to die.

Also, poor care of frogs often leads to the release of the cloaca. The reason is the monotonous diet. They are treated with a course of vitamins, cleaning and repositioning of the cloaca. Treat the outer part of the fallen organ with a solution of potassium permanganate and return it to its place.