# clawed frogs in a tank



## obenchain1 (Jun 21, 2011)

Where can I buy DWARF clawed frogs? anyone know of any websites ?


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## GuppyNGoldfish (Mar 28, 2011)

AquaBid.com, Petsmart, Pet Supplies Plus, and Petco also sell them in store.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

GuppyNGoldfish said:


> AquaBid.com, Petsmart, Pet Supplies Plus, and Petco also sell them in store.


Welllll...not exactly....

There's two types...ADF and ACF. Most chains and LFS carry the ADF variety. One has to look a little more for the ACF.


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## obenchain1 (Jun 21, 2011)

So is there such thing as a dwarf clawed frog? because i dont want a huge frog that's going to eat everything in my tank...


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Yes....

You have the peacefull variety of the African Dwarf Frog (ADF) which is most commonly found.

Then you have a the more aggressive variety of the African Clawed Frog (ACF).


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## obenchain1 (Jun 21, 2011)

okay, i called my LFS and he said he couldn't get them in. which i found odd. but i could probably order some from somewhere or find someone on craigslist.


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## GuppyNGoldfish (Mar 28, 2011)

Just did a little research, you cant get a Dwarf Clawed Frog, they grow up to 5 inches long, African Dwarf Frogs only grow up to 2 inches. Here's an easy way to tell them apart since LFS's supposedly label them wrong a lot of times. "They are easily distinguished from African Dwarf Frogs because African Clawed Frogs have webbing only on their hind feet while African Dwarf Frogs have webbing on all four feet."


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## TwilightTheTreeFrog (Jun 25, 2011)

i don't have a great knowledge about fish, but frogwise i'm quite good...In the Uk we can pick up both african dwarf frogs and african clawed frogs. the clawed frogs will grow and eat anything in your tank, they are also big escape artists, so you need to make sure they have a fully enclosed tank with no big holes where wires go out. The most common type of clawed frog you will find on sale is xenopus larvae or some call it Xenopus toad and they are frequently found in an albino variety, not so much in normal toady frog colours...they are quite aggressive to other inhabitants in tanks.if you see an albino frog labelled as an african dwarf frog, then it is labelled wrong, ADF do not come in the albino variety. The african Dwarf frog is much smaller and normally a toady brown speckled colour...they are very very fragile, and very docile ...you can put them in with fish HOWEVER this is still not ideal as this can be very detrimental to your frogs, as they have very poor eyesight and are not quick eaters, hence a lot of frogs die of anorexia as the fish eat all the food before they can get a chance ....i have 2 tree frogs and have been cycling 2 aquatic tanks for weeks now in anticipation of getting the 2 species for different tanks..please note you CANNOT keep these together as the Clawed frogs will eat the dwarf frogs. i also have a seperate tank set up for fish...i hope this helps...they are very entertaining to watch and i hope you are successful in your search


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## Dulcie (Jul 10, 2011)

I bought three frogs that were labeled dwarf african frogs at a regional chain - Pet Supplies Plus. I was about to get half dozen neon tetras and the girl told me not to because the frogs would eat them. Well one of the frogs we'd already had for 2 months and he was quite shy and I never caught him trying to eat anyone, so I was a bit surprised by this. He was also in an overcrowded 5 gallon tank with a handful of live bearers for those two months so if he was going to be agressive you would think he would have done it there. Still I heeded her warning and walked away disappointed without my neons. The first frog we bought is kind of pale with maybe a light grey coloring. He isn't even 2" now, so I can't imagine him becoming huge. The two new were dyed (I know - please don't flame me) but I was promised they were the same because they came out of the same tank the first one was in 2 months before. I wouldn't have bought the dyed if I'd had a choice because I know that's not a nice thing to do to a fish or a frog. I was promised the dye would fade (my thought if they live long enough).

ANYWAY - I think I'm going to chance it and get some neons anyway. Everyone is in a 75 gallon tank now with lots of places to swim and hide and be alone, so hopefully it will all work out.  Any thoughts?


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## TwilightTheTreeFrog (Jun 25, 2011)

hi again...do your frogs have webbed front feet and back feet? i now have 2 tanks of frogs, the african dwarf frogs are a browny speckled colouration their latin name is Hymenochirus boettgeri...if you google this some pics should come up...the other tank i have has the xenopus clawed frogs in or african clawed frogs (xenopus Laevis), 2 albinos and 2 brown speckled..the xenopus have big webbed feet at the back and hand type feet at the front, no webs... i have my african dwarf frogs in a tank on their own...they are docile tho and would be ok with fish but they are so tiny they benefit better from having the food to themselves as their eyesight is very poor... in with the xenopus i have a loach fish, who is currently fine with them...however i am mindful that if the frogs get bigger than him, then he will have to be extracted and popped into a different tank...the rule of thumb with the xenopus is that fish won't be eaten if they can't swallow it and shove it in their mouths...BUT if you want to see what they can actually swallow, try putting in "greedy clawed frogs" on you tube and you will get an idea...they can sure be gobbledy gutsies lol...gotta say tho, loving my frogs...both varieties...so much so that i'm setting up 2 more tanks one for tadpoles and one for the Tropical clawed frogs which are another variation of the xenopus (silurana)...they are so much easier than fish to keep and extremely fun pets for kiddies to watch...hope this helps and good luck x


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## Dulcie (Jul 10, 2011)

Thanks Twighlight! Yes they match the pictures for the dwarf - googling the scientific name you provided. It's harder to tell with the two I bought last night that have been died yellow and pink. <sigh> But the older one looks exactly like this. 



I will try to watch to make sure they are getting enough to eat. If it seems like they aren't getting enough I can pull them and put them back in the small tank by themselves. 

Thanks again!
Dulcie


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## TwilightTheTreeFrog (Jun 25, 2011)

yes they're cuties aren't they...very shy, they shouldn't pose a threat at all to your fishies..they prefer food that sinks to the bottom, and they need fresh or frozen bloodworm at least twice a week to stay healthy xx


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

Dulcie said:


> It's harder to tell with the two I bought last night *that have been died yellow and pink*.


Please, please, please tell me you are just joking??


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

James0816 said:


> Please, please, please tell me you are just joking??












Don't think she's joking...



At least the frog will be happy in a better home with Dulcie.


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## Dulcie (Jul 10, 2011)

No James - I wish I was joking. I know it's a horrible thing to do and if I could have bought them "natural" I would have but all they had were the died ones and my 8-year-old is standing there waiting to take frogs home to be friends with the one we bought 2 months ago. Believe me I usually avoid dyed fish, etc. like the plague. I have also talked to my son about why it's not a nice thing to do and that they may not live long because of it. :-(


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

I've seen dyed fish, never dyed frogs. That's just cruel.

I have two ADF's that I've grown from 1" to full grown over the last two years - I think they're pretty hardy as far as tropical community critters go. They eat EVERYTHING they can see or smell (not more than an inch away from them), but they especially like algae wafers, shrimp pellets, and rotting plant leaves (haven't seen them eat too much algae).

They're also quite grouchy - my shrimp have learned to steer clear of them as they will snap at the shrimp.

I keep them in a 29 tall and they swim quite a bit when going to the surface to breathe. If they find a good tiger lotus pad or clump of riccia at the surface, they will hang out with their heads sticking out of the water.

They also tend to try and mate quite often, and I can hear them croaking all night.

Just my observations....


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## TwilightTheTreeFrog (Jun 25, 2011)

frogs are hardy little fellas (luckily)...glad you rescued them xx....ps if the new frogs look like the pic from pigeonfish, those are Xenopus...3 claws on their back feet and they're xenopus laevis, 4 claws and they're xenopus silurana tropicalis (a smaller breed of clawed frog that mature faster than the laevis, but are about 1-2 inch smaller fully grown) both munch the fishies lol!


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## Dulcie (Jul 10, 2011)

Accck! O.k. now I'm thinking the two new ones are the fish-munching variety! I better get them out of the tank tonight. I hope I don't go home to find half my fish gone. *J/D*

Dulcie


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## Dulcie (Jul 10, 2011)

I do have another tank I can put them in and they won't have to fight for food there.


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## TwilightTheTreeFrog (Jun 25, 2011)

they might eat your african dwarf frog too!!...however they are ever so much fun if you can house them seperately..i read all the bad press on them when i was looking to get ADF's so initially wasn't at all interested in them...however I fell in love with them after seeing them in a local store who had ordered them in by mistake...gotta say they make me smile every night...really humerous little guys..house them seperately and just enjoy them for what they are...they LOVE bloodworm and apparently earthworms...but i've not fancied chopping up any earthworms for them yet :-/ but they are very amusing when the gobble their food up...you must You Tube them...super footage from some owners...plus they can live 20 years + and grow to about 5-6 inches!!...if you need any extra info i have a fab contact who helps me out with any froggy queries i have, just shout x


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## Dulcie (Jul 10, 2011)

I just wanted to update everyone on the frogs and my other fish. I wasn't able to get the two newcomers out of the tank until Friday night. Thursday I learned a lesson about not caring around even a small, half empty tank with water in it. Cue the sound of cracking glass, dash to the nearest sink and cleaning up 2.5 gallons of water - sigh.

Between Wednesday when they arrived and Friday when I bought a replacement 5.5 gallon tank, I lost a dalmation molly, 2 platys and a baby pleco. I also witnessed an attack on my dwarf frog but he survived. Since they have been residing in their own tank I have lost nothing. I think they are a little ticked that they don't have anyone to pick on now but they LOVED the frozen blood worms I bought for them. I was actually afraid I fed them too much because the one literally STUFFED himself to the point his stomach was distended. We didn't feed them the next day. They also like the baby brine shrimp. It was funny to watch them use their front paws like hands and stuff them in their mouths. 

I am MOST thankful for the clarification on what I had bought this time or I might have had a very large tank with nothing in it but these two little monsters. *#666

Dulcie


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## TwilightTheTreeFrog (Jun 25, 2011)

aww, bless you...at least i knew what i was taking on when i took on mine lol...however, saying that, they are fabulous little frogs...gutsy, but fabulous..if you can embrace them for the seperate entity they are they will give you and your children hours or entertainment...much more so, i hate to say than any aquarium fish...and even more than my tree frogs and afircan dwarf frog tanks give me...they're lots of fun and i hope you can learn to love their greedy gobbledy guts ways, i'm totally in love with these little fellas xxx


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