Temperature for ADFs/Betta  1/30/07
<Hi Betty>
Thanks so much for your prompt response!  
<No problem.>
I'm so glad I found your web site so I could finally get some much needed information.  I've read a lot of the letters on your site and I agree that pet stores don't give you much info on dwarf frogs.  They have books on all kinds of fish, but I've never seen a book only about dwarf frogs.  And that's a real shame since they make such nice pets.
<But there are lots of websites:   http://allaboutfrogs.org/info/mypets/dwarfs.htmlhttp://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Dwarf_African_Frog
http://home.earthlink.net/~ecotank/id22.html
http://www.petplace.com/reptiles/choosing-an-african-dwarf-frog/page1.aspx
http://www.hv3.7h.com/dwarffrogs.html
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/dwfaffrogfaqs.htm  >
Don't worry, Pufferpunk -- I'm not going to put anything else in the frog tank.  I've learned my lesson.  
<Glad to hear that!>
And it's funny that you should say that the Neons are difficult fish to keep, because the pet store guy told me they are considered "beginner fish."  But I found out otherwise and I won't be getting any more of those.  I dearly love my frogs and my Betta, even though I still think he looks lonely.  But no more pals for him either.
<Good>
I do have one more question about water temperature.  I have a thermometer in the frog tank and it's reading about 68 degrees.  I haven't taken the temp in the Betta tank but I imagine it's the same, since they're in the same room.  Should I get an aquarium heater for the frogs and/or the Betta and if so, what temperature would you recommend?
<Check the above sites for temps for your frogs.  Bettas are tropical fish which means 78-82 degrees.  It will probably be difficult to find a thermometer that will keep a bowl like that stable.  Maybe you could put a light over it or even better, give him the 5g & get a 10g for the frogs to have lots of swimming room.  You could put plants & other fun things in there for them to check out!  ~PP>

Re: "A Tale of Two Tanks" or "The Three Little Frogs"  8/25/06
Thanks for your reply, Bob!
< Bob is away for a few, RichardB with you. >
I will try adding the plants, but wanted to double check something with you.  Since ADF's are surface breathers, is there any danger to adding a floating plant?
< Not if you prune them accordingly. >
Or will a few sprigs not multiply very quickly?
< That depends on the species of plant you choose, the lighting, and the quantity of nutrients avaliable for the plants to consume. Duckweed would invariably take over the world, where wisteria or hornwort would be less aggressive. Whatever plant you decide upon, try to keep at least half of the surface available at all times. The idea of the floating plants is great, and you may find the frogs hanging out in it! >
< Happy planting! RichardB >
Thanks,
Dianne

African Clawed Frogs  5/23/06
Hi,
<Hi Anthony, Pufferpunk here.>
Two quick questions:
*   At what temperature should the albino: Xenopus laevis  (African Clawed Frog) be kept?
<68-75(F) degrees is good.>
*   Would it be ok to keep three Albino frogs (6") and three  common Plecos (6", 5", and 3") in a 36 gallon tank, with gravel, rocks  and a decent sized filter?
<Your subject line said dwarf frogs but yours are definitely not dwarves!  I wouldn't keep an adult ACF in anything less than 15g each.  A 55g would be nice for 3. They really like to swim. They have huge appetites & foul the water quickly.  I would do 90% weekly water changes on them.  Plecos are big poop machines & the common one grows to 18", certainly too large for even a 55g.  Here's a great site for your frogs: http://members.aol.com/sirchin/afc.htm  Good luck with them!  ~PP>
Thanks for your help!
Anthony

Dwarf African frogs Might Escape  4/27/06
Hello.  Sadly, my son's 2 year-old Betta fish just died. He would like to get two African dwarf frogs and use the same tank, which is a 3 gallon Marineland Eclipse with bio wheel.  I have completely sanitized the tank and am in the process of cycling it in preparation for the frogs.  I discovered, however, that the filtration system won't function without the water coming up to within an inch of the top rim (and anyway, if the water were lower, the "waterfall' effect would disturb the frogs too much).  My concern is that ADFs jump.  This tank has a nice tight lid, but will the frogs be able to escape up into the lid if the water is that high?  I don't want them to fry themselves on the light if it's on.  My other alternative is purchasing a different filtration system, but is there one that is similar to the bio wheel idea?   Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
< Get some clear plastic wrap and stretch it over the top openings by the filter. Add a few floating plants and the frogs should be happy and not try and get out.-Chuck>
Dianne            

Undesired FW snails with amphibians    4/10/06
I have some firebelly frogs and have noticed that's some really small snails just appeared. this is the second time this has happened to me with different aquariums. I find this extremely odd any info you can give me about these snails and how they manage to appear from thin air would be greatly appreciated
<Likely "came in" with some live plant, food material... Can be removed... killed in a few ways, but I want to emphasize the need to remove the frogs if using toxins. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwsnails.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Java Moss, amphib. sys.   3/23/06
I have been an aquarium enthusiast for nearly 40 years--both fresh and saltwater.  I can honestly say that I've probably learned more in the past six months from your website than I did in the previous 39.5 years. I have recently converted a 45 gallon freshwater tank to live plants.  I've upgrades my lighting to  96 watts.  My question concerns Java moss.  I would like to create the effect of it growing up the back wall of the aquarium, sort of like a garden trellis.  Are there materials you would suggest that would not effect water quality.  I have read that corkboard could be used, although it seems to me that it would crumble.
>> Corkboard will work fine, as will Styrofoam. My suggestion is to first place the background in an empty aquarium with a half inch of water and a weak spray bar, cover it and add strong light, Java moss will grow rapidly under these conditions (nearly all Poison Arrow Frog keepers use it), as they are much more similar to the way the moss grows in nature. When you have good growth on the flat background try moving it to your tank. Submerged the moss grows more slowly.  
Good Luck, Oliver

Frog May Not Be A Prince  - 03/09/2006
Hey, First off I would like to thank you for your time and website.  I learned how to take care of my problem with Planaria/copepod/white worm or whatever with ease. I have a 55 gallon tank filled about 1 inch from the black top on the outside.  It contains a gar, 2 cichlids (yellow with black lines on top), 2 cichlids (grey with neon blue stripes/spots), 1 fiddler crab, 1 other crab, 3 algae eaters, and a paco.
However, I had one question regarding a tadpole we purchased from PetCo.  It is now in it's final stage of becoming a frog or toad (it was about 2-3 inches long as a tadpole).  It's tail is almost gone and has grown all it's legs.  As a tadpole I watched it feed on algae wafers and such.  But now I see it just floating at the top ready to transform fully. I have 2 questions...how do I feed it now and what?
And do I have to get a new tank for the frog??
< Tadpoles are algae eaters. Adult frogs eat insects and whatever else will fit in their mouth. More than likely you now have a young bullfrog that is waiting for some insects to fall in the water to eat. They get big and you probably need to get another tank if intend on keeping him. Read up on bullfrogs and see if you really want to spend the time and effort to keep one. They can be very expensive to feed.-Chuck>

High nitrate and cloudiness... amphibian system   2/9/06
Hello I desperately need your help.
<Really?>
I have a 60 gallon tank with about 20 gallons in it. It has been running for 6 years. The past few months I have had cloudy water and nitrate levels over 160.
<... yikes>
I have done several water and filter media changes and lots of vacuuming and even taken some rocks out of my tank. I added plants and even tried leaving it alone for a while.  All I have in my tank is one fire bellied newt. pond stone. very little gravel. some plants. and two glass fixtures and two rocks that gave always been in there. no matter what I do
the water does not clear up and the nitrates do not go down. I have a Fluval 2 plus underwater filter. I have tried all different kinds of media for this and  nothing helps.
<... unusual...>
I feed my newt live blackworms/bloodworms. I was curious if I should add an air bubble thing. Or maybe different plants or some sort of gravel under the pond stone.
<Does need a filter of some sort...>
Or take everything out. Please help! I have been all over your web-site and tried some of your suggestions but nothing
seems to work. I have checked the water and other than the nitrates its all right. the tap water I use has a ph of 7.6 but the tank is 7.2      they
treat the water with chlorine and chloramine. I use Amquel. Some cycle. and some metal remover. please let me know what I should take out or add. Also
whether I should restrict sunlight or my tank light or expose it too more. please help. I know you guys don't specialize in newt tanks but all the
other sites have been no help. And your site is the best.
Thank you very much  Jason
<... First, I would check your checker... your test kit may be off... Next, I would start changing more of the water more frequently... at least a quarter every week, while vacuuming the bottom. Do please give specifics re the media tried... And lastly, if it is just the newts you have, are concerned with, I would not be overly concerned with nitrate per se. Bob Fenner>

Frog Tank With High Ammonia   1/31/06
Hi, I am hoping that you can shed some light on what is going on in our tank.  
We have had this 10 gallon tank set up with 2 baby albino ACFs (African Clawed Frogs) for over a month and it was cycled before we added frogs.
They are still very small frogs and we plan on a bigger tank once they grow a little.  Anyway, something disrupted the biological filtration system.  I am not sure exactly
what happened.  We raised the temp slightly (approx 2 degrees F) which I know will effect it slightly.  The only other thing I can think of is that
one of the frogs was extremely constipated and was extremely compacted with food.  She finally passed it about three days ago.  Two days ago when I
tested for ammonia with a newly purchased test kit because I had been using strips and have learned they aren't all that accurate.  The ammonia was
around 1.0 ppm.  I immediately prepared some tap water for a 50% water change.  Within six hours of the water change the ammonia was back up to the
same levels.  I tested the tap water and another smaller tank (that I have been using drinking water in -instead of tap) to make sure the test kit was
working and both came back zero.  I did another 50% water change yesterday and the same thing happened.  I tried using some Ammo-Lock out of
desperation and tested again after an hour.  It made absolutely no difference in the ammonia reading.  Perhaps that batch of Ammo-Lock is bad
or outdated.  But, I still don't get why the ammonia level is rising so fast after a water change.  We are using a whisper filter that goes up to 20
gallons.  Also the other readings are pH 7.2, Nitrate 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, GH about 75 ppm, KH about 120 ppm.  Water prep is letting the tap water sit
overnight or for several hours and adding 2 drops pH down per gallon (tap water is off the chart alkaline for my pH testing kit before adding the pH
down and very hard) and Aquasafe per directions. Any suggestions?  Probably the Ammo-Lock wasn't the best idea since we need it to recycle but I was
desperate.  Should I continue doing a 50% water change everyday.  It doesn't seem to be helping much.  I would be interested to see if the level would
get above 1.0ppm if I let it go but I won't put the little froggies at risk.
Thank you so much!!  Christi
< Go to Marineland.com and go to Dr Tim's Library. Read the article titled "The First 30 Days." The will give you some background on cycling terms so you can determine if your tank is indeed truly cycled. If not add Bio-Spira from Marineland to get the tank cycled now.-Chuck>

Tree Frog Care   1/26/06
Hi  I have a tree frog, my children found him outside and I was told after some pet store calls he is either a NYS tree frog or a frog that escaped.  Anyway we kept him and he has been doing well.  Tonight I was watering and feeding him and he has a popped blister, saggy skin thing hanging from his neck, he also hasn't eaten and keeps opening his mouth.  I don't know what to do.  I have an over head lamp so I know he didn't burn himself, anything other than that and I'm clueless... Thanks so much for any help you can offer!
< Your frog is being kept too warm. His mouth is open trying to let the evaporation cool him down. Sounds like a native frog. They will only eat moving objects. Try small crickets , mealworms and earthworms.-Chuck>

Science, frogs, and ORP
Dear Dr. Fenner,
<Anthony Calfo here for WWM while our friend Bob is away on a Red Sea trip... a charmed life he leads!>
I am a molecular biologist working in Boston. I saw your article on-line and was hoping you could help me with a bit of advice. I study frog embryogenesis, and for this purpose, keep a facility of 300 frogs
(Xenopus laevis, the African clawed frog). These frogs lay eggs which my lab experiments on. Anyways, for about a year and a half we have had excellent luck with our facility, but now we're having a problem and I wonder if you have any advice for me, since I'm not the kind of biologist that knows much about water and husbandry issues, unfortunately. Briefly, what I have is this. City water (horrible, and full of chloramine and other nasty stuff) goes into a facility on the roof of my institute which puts it through a sand pre-filter, then over a carbon bed, and then through reverse osmosis. It then comes down to my facility (through pipes of questionable quality) and is cleaned again by a smaller point-of-use water polisher (de-ionized etc.). It is fed into a large plastic holding tank, where we add the right amount of artificial sea-salt, adjust the pH, and take measurements. From this holding tank, about half of the water is taken each day to perform a 10% exchange of the water in the actual tanks where the frogs live. They live in a flow-through system of about 20 tanks, plus a number of filters (including a bio-filter for the urea, carbon filters, a UV bulb to kill bacteria, etc.). The parameters in the tank (and thus in the system as a whole) are supposed to be: pH = 6.7 to 7.0, salt = 1800 microS. When everything was going fine, our ORP was always about 240-290. Recently we experienced a crash - a few frogs which succumbed to opportunistic infections which the vet said
was due to stress. At the same time, we noticed the pH being consistently low in the holding tank, 
<hmm... and 6.7 is low enough with regard for the dynamics of culturing this amphibian and most any aquatic organism (higher levels of dissolved organics, weakly buffered purified water that you are using, natural inclination for pH to fall, etc)>
so we had the small water purifier system checked out and found out that the company which is supposed to service it had screwed up and it was in horrible shape. They've since supposedly replaced everything and fixed it, but we still have a problem: the ORP will not go above 200.
<interesting...>
They claim that the ORP is meaningless
<wow... I would strongly disagree as it pertains to aquarium husbandry/aquariology. ORP is significant and quite indicative of overall trends in water quality. Although we may not need to target any one specific set point, a consistently low range is indicative of a flaw in the system as you suspect>
and I don't know enough to argue with them, but I do know one thing: when things were going well, it was consistently higher, and the change makes me concerned that something is still wrong. 
<agreed... as a measure of ReDox potential, these low ORP readings are indicative of so-called "lower" water quality... at least as they relate to live aquatics and sensitivity to oxidative/reductive potentials. However, the solution to this problem may be as simple as better aeration. Do experiment. Other common solutions to raise ORP may harm the frogs unfortunately (iodine and potassium permanganate primarily). Else it may be a compositional flaw with the source water>
Most importantly, this problem is as measured in the *holding tank* - so it is isolated from all the complexities of the frog habitat. The only thing which goes into the holding tank is: supposedly pure (17 MegOhm) water from the purifier, and the salt which we've been using all along. We had the water tested, and they didn't find anything unusual. So, here's the million dollar question: do you have any idea what could be responsible for the low ORP in water which just came out of the purifier? What sort of problem with the water cleaners, salt, etc. could be responsible for this change?
Thank you very much in advance for any help you can give me.
<do consider if any aspect of aeration or aspiration of source water through this filter may have been tempered with the cleaning/changes in purification. It really could be that simple. But if 6-12 hours of vigorous aeration does not markedly improve ORP, lets look harder at the water composition. At that point, try perhaps filtering the water through a chemically absorptive media like Poly Bio Marine's "Poly Filter pad". The product changes colors to reveal concentrations of conspicuous impurities. After some passes... lets test the sample again to see if that moves the ORP.>
Sincerely, Mike Levin
<best regards, Anthony>

Science, Frogs, and ORP
Hi Anthony, Thanks for getting back to me.
<Steven Pro in this morning with the follow-up.>
>> wow... I would strongly disagree as it pertains to aquarium husbandry/aquariology. ORP is significant and quite indicative of overall trends in water quality. Although we may not need to target any one specific set point, a consistently low range is indicative of a flaw in the system as you suspect.
<That's kind of what I figured...
>> do consider if any aspect of aeration or aspiration of source water through this filter may have been tempered with the cleaning/changes in purification. It really could be that simple. But if 6-12 hours of vigorous aeration does not markedly improve ORP, lets look harder at the water composition. At that point, try perhaps filtering the water through a chemically absorptive media like Poly Bio Marine's
 "Poly Filter pad". The product changes colors to reveal concentrations of conspicuous impurities. After some passes... lets test the sample again to see if that moves the ORP.<<
interesting - I'll try it. Can extra aeration hurt anything (like the frogs, for example)?
<No, will be fine if not beneficial. But in particular, test a sample of your processed water for ORP. Then aerate it for 6-12 hours in a separate vessel (no frogs or anything). Then retest for a change.>
Cheers, Mike
<Good luck, Steven Pro>

Bugs 'n' a frog
I noticed these really weird white insect things in my African clawed frog's bowl.
<The regular, enormous clawed frog, or the dwarf frog?>
They're almost as small as pieces of dust, are sort of oval shaped, and only stay on the sides of the bowl. When I looked at it really close, they were coating the whole walls of the bowl, so it looked like white dust!
<These sound perhaps like water fleas (Daphnia).>
I decided to clean its bowl out right away. I even put this water purification stuff in there for amphibians and fish,
<Dechlorinator?>
but they still came back in about 2 weeks. And there were still a whole bunch of them. what should I do?
<Chances are, these little critters are mostly harmless, and are probably feeding on leftover food for your frog.  Please try very hard not to overfeed, or you'll likely never be rid of these critters.  As you reduce feeding, they'll probably die out and go away.  Also do keep on top of keeping your frog's home clean.  Please look over this information: http://www.pipidae.net/david/Page2.htm#genus .>

African Clawed Frog- 10/27/03
Hello to some very helpful folks!
<Hi there, Pufferpunk here>
I have been reading a lot of your postings and FAQ's to learn as much as possible about my newly acquired singing/smiling African clawed frog.
<they are forever smiling, aren't' they!>
I got him from a friend that got him as a "grow-a-frog" in 1996 for her kids.
<He's 8 years old?  He must be pretty large!>
He has lived most of his life in a big fish bowl with gravel. I now have him in a 10 gallon tank.
<I think at least a 20g would be better.  They really like to swim.  Make sure you have a top on there tightly, w/no escape holes.>
Just about everything I have read on the net and your forum says to be very careful what you put in the tank.
<I'm pretty sure that means tankmates.  These frogs will eat anything they can fit in their mouth.  I thought I was safe keeping mine w/Cory catfish.  I figured they'd never eat them.  I came home to find one stuck in my frog's mouth w/the spiky fins pointing in a direction that wouldn't let me remove the fish without killing either the fish or the frog.  The frog got a thick white milky film over it's entire body.  It died the next day ={>  I would love to have a hiding place and some pretty bigger rocks or tunnels for him to enjoy. Maybe a plant or two.
<Expect any plants to get uprooted.  You could float a few.  They love caves.>
Heating or boiling beach rocks seems to be no-no!  
<I see absolutely no problem with that.>
What about glass objects?
<Bad idea.  Nothing sharp that could cut the frog.>
Also, in one area of your site, it says to feed him 2-3x per week. He has always been fed every day and has only eaten frog pellets. Those things are so small... how many at a time?
<Mine love crickets, krill (frozen or freeze-dried) & worms.  Even my young ones eat every 2-3 days>  
There also seems to be some debate about filters. What do you think?
<Mine live in the water section of a river tank.  I think a good HOB filter, probably the same kind you use for the turtles would work.>
I have only had him a week, but he now comes up to the top of the water and seems to be smelling me. My hands are clean, is this ok that I touch his head?
(<It's probably ok to touch them a little.  You could certainly hand feed them!  As w/any aquatic creatures, make sure you wash your hands w/antibacterial soap after touching them, to prevent from getting salmonella.>
I know their skin is very sensitive to chemicals and such.  As you can see, I have plenty of questions about this little fella.  I also have 4 assorted turtles----my life has gone aquatic!
<I have 8 assorted box turtles that live in an outdoor habitat in the summer & a big kiddie pool in the winter.  A softshell, African sideneck & Asian leaf turtle in a 55g river tank.  I also have another 55g river tank w/assorted frogs & a dwarf African bullfrog living w/the aquatic turtles.>
Thank you so much for ANY info you can give me!
Joan
<Your very welcome--Pufferpunk>

Clawed Frogs
Hi again!  
<Ello.>
I wrote to you a couple of weeks ago with questions about my newly acquired African clawed frog. I have more questions now that he and I have bonded a little!  My questions pertain to his senses... mostly his sight and sense of smell.  I drop pellets in (one at a time) and if they don't land on his body, he doesn't seem to see them and I don't think he knows that they are there.
<This has been my experience as well, and unfortunately I am no expert on these frogs so cannot say for sure.>
What is his vision like?  I am guessing it isn't too great.
<My guess as well, if I ever do set up a tank for these little fellas again, it will be species only, the fish seem to out compete them for food.>
Should I have an over tank light?  I guess it doesn't need to be UVA/UVB since I don't think it could penetrate through the water.
<A full spectrum florescent would be good.  I am not sure on your tank setup, but a Vitalite might be a good idea>
He loves worms and when I drop one in and he feels it on him, he tackles it and rolls all over like he is going after an alligator!!  And to watch those little alien fingers shove it in his mouth is so delightful!
<Everybody loves worms, I might have to try one myself some day.>
I wish there were more books about these guys...instead of just a page or two in a book about amphibians! Thank you for your insight!  All your information has been helpful!
<I'd be willing to bet if you searched enough online (starting with google.com or some such search engine) you could find a site, for forum, or maybe even a club (or you could start one) related to these frogs, they are pretty popular and the information out there on them is not as vast as other aquariums species.  You should definitely document your experiences to share with others.>
Joan and the still unnamed little frog guy
<I vote for Frogger.  Best of luck with your new buddy -Gage>

Aquatic Frogs, offer of assistance
WWM Crew,
<Chris>
I saw an e-mail on the Daily FAQ page recently looking for African Clawed Frog info, in which it was suggested to web search for the species given the lack of printed material on them. If it will help, I'd like to offer the assistance of Aquamaniacs on this topic. Among other topics, our forums have an Aquatic Frogs forum for questions/discussion of African Clawed Frogs and African Dwarf Frogs (I think I once saw an axolotl thread in the archives, but primarily the species dealt with are ACFs and ADFs). Additionally, a aquatic frogs article/care sheet is currently in the works (I believe it's in front of the editor at this time) to offer recommendations for new owners as to tank conditions, food, etc. Wet Web Media's been in the Aquamaniacs' links page for longer than I've been with the forum, and I'm frequently referring folks to this site for info. I found WWM before Aquamaniacs and appreciate all the good advice you've given me in response to my questions in the past, as well as your excellent archives and friendly responses to questions. If you'd like to post the links,
Aquamaniacs is located at http://www.aquamaniacs.net/  and its forums are located at http://pub36.ezboard.com/baquariumbbs .
<Outstanding. Thank you for coming forward. Will share and post your listing on the FAQs re>
If you wish, I'll send you an update to let you know when the aquatic frogs article/care sheet is up incase you'd like to refer future new frog owners to it.
<Please do so>
As noted in that e-mail I referred to earlier, there's unfortunately a lack of information available on these species, dwarf frogs more than clawed ones, and more and more stores seem to be selling them without providing any information, or providing incorrect information (Wal-Mart, as of this summer, has started selling them in the same little cups they sell bettas in around here, for example).
I hope this is of some help to you and to those looking for info on their frogs.
Sincerely,
    Chris Sandusky (DonQuixote, moderator of Aquamaniacs' Aquatic Frogs forum)
<Again, thank you for your efforts. Bob Fenner>

Re: Aquatic Frogs, offer of assistance
Mr. Fenner,
<Mr. Sandusky>
Looks like I got to send you the update rather rapidly :) The article/care sheet has just been posted at:
http://www.aquamaniacs.net/aquaticfrogs.html
<Ah, will update our links>
And although their names didn't get mentioned when the article got posted, I'd like to note my thanks to Aquamaniacs' mrclint and fishmommy for their reviewing, editing, and posting of the article, and thanks to LeslieLu for photos (which were credited in the article itself).
<Duly noted>
Hope this is able to help out new owners of these two species. My personal experience has just been with dwarf frogs (and admittedly I'm fairly new to them myself, I purchased my first pair this summer), but I tried to find as much relevant info on both species as I could and collect it in one location for this article, erring on the side of caution when possible
<You are wise here>
(for example, I know a few sites suggest 1.5 gallons is enough for one or two ADFs, but I'd really prefer the additional stability, and added swimming space of 2-2.5 g each if possible). Some topics aren't covered, such as breeding, as I figured those beyond the scope of what's intended as a beginner article / general care sheet.
Sincerely,
Chris Sandusky
<Thank you, Bob Fenner>

Black Lighted Frogs
Okay thanks. I thought it would be something like that. He does scuba dive near the filter ( it just so happens the filter is near the heater too ). But I have yet another question for you. One night, I turned all the lights out in my room and I put a 15 watt tube black light above the firebelly toad's tank to simulate night. I came back perhaps 1-2 hours later, turned the light back on, and looked in the tank. Jeff was scuba diving, Fred was on the log, and Bob and Joe were some other place. To my surprise, their skins were brownish-black ( even Jeff's, and he was underwater ) instead of green! After a while their skins turned green again. I think it was the ultraviolet light in the black light that did this, but is it safe to do it again ( and will their skin turn green again every time )?
< Black lights do some amazing things to some animals. Never heard of any ill affects from black lights. Humans are exposed to them all the time but we are not frogs. Try using a ZooMed nightlight reptile bulb instead just to play it safe.-Chuck> 

Can a tadpole frog live with tropical freshwater fish?  07/02/05
Today, my sons came home with a tadpole frog they found.   I agreed they can keep it and watch it grow, but it needs somewhere safe to live where our cats won't bother it.  Our choices are:
(1) he can join a 10-gal freshwater aquarium with a tiger barb, a Plecostomus, and a couple of plants.   Can the tadpole live in the aquarium with the fish?
<Mmm, maybe... but I'd just keep this amphibian in a large jar of its own... with a sprig of truly aquatic plant and sponge filter if you can>
The temp is around 78 degrees, which I think is OK according to my internet reading.  I'm more worried if the barb will bother the tadpole or vice versa.
<Me too>
The tadpole is much bigger than the barb.
(2) he can join a 20 gal aquarium with two red-ear slider turtles, but they are much bigger than the tadpole, and I would be afraid they would eat him.
<I also>
Do either of these situations sound like they might work for the tadpole?
<Not really... but if you were really short of space, another possibility is to float a plastic jar with holes in it, or a colander in the turtle tank (if it lacks much in the way of nitrogenous waste like ammonia...)>
I don't want my sons' learning experience to be that animals eat each other, and I really don't feel like buying more aquariums.  Besides the 2 mentioned, we have another 3 tanks that are full of gerbils.   We have a plastic "planet frog" that worked for a tadpole in the past, until the cats found they could push the darn thing around and they broke the plastic lid.
Thanks for your help!
<I'd go with a one gallon jar... and change the water out from the tropical tank... every day or two... big enough that the cats shouldn't be able to knock it about. Bob Fenner>

Re: can a tadpole frog live with tropical freshwater fish? 7/4/05
Thanks so much for your reply.  The tadpole is currently in it's own glass bowl with a lid so the cats can't get him & I think the boys have decided they will return him to the lake.
<Ah, good>
If we keep him longer, I'm wondering about your suggestion to change the water out from the tropical tank every day or two.  Does this mean the tadpole's water should come from the tropical tank?   Thanks!
<Yes... this water is far more safe for use than treated tapwater. Bob Fenner>