Frogs!

[Nikita706]

I love the idea of one day adding a frog to our tank, but we were warned that they'll eat smaller fish. Our smallest fish (aside from our Algae-Eating Ghost Shrimp) are our balloon mollies. Could we put a frog in with the mollies or are they still too small?

Thanks!

[ruecole]

It depends on the frog.

African Clawed Frogs get to be quite big and will eat your fish (they'll eat anything that can fit in their mouths!).

African Dwarf Frogs stay very small (only growing to about 1 1/2 inches) and are too small to eat other fish. However, certain aggressive fish may kill or eat your froggy!

Do some Googling and read up about them. They seem fairly easy to keep, but there are certain things you need to be aware of (foods, other fish, air stones, etc.). I'm currently cycling my 5 gallon tank with the intention of putting a couple dwarf froggies in there!

Hope that helps!

Rue

[Nikita706]

I think we were looking at the African Dwarf Frogs, but were warned that they would eat other fish. None of our fish have shown any signs of aggression (except for the Chinese Algae Eater who might be finding a new home anyway), but all of our fish are pretty small/medium sized, so I would hope that they wouldn't bother the frog.

[ruecole]

The only fish African Dwarf Frogs will eat are fry. They're just too small to eat full grown fish!

Your Chinese Algae Eater may be a problem for the frog. They can be fairly aggressive and since they're both bottom dwellers, will probably harass the frog.

If you do get the frog, be sure to get them they're own food. They won't eat fish flakes. They prefer frozen or freeze-dried (but remember to soak it first!) bloodworms, tubifex worms, etc. There are also special Frog Bites food you can get that provides them with a balanced diet. (Apparently they can get bloat and other nasty stuff if they don't eat properly.) I haven't tried that yet, but I've got some on order.

Also, be aware that frogs are slow eaters, so make sure they get enough to eat before the fish eat all the frog's food!

And be sure to give them lots of hiding places. They're nocturnal by nature (though mine would come out quite a bit during the day--especially at feeding time!) and need to have safe places to sleep. (And to hide from other fish.)

Here's a really good article about African Dwarf Frogs:

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Hope that helps!

Rue

[Nikita706]

That definitely helps, thank you so much! We will definitely consider that, and to be 100% honest, I don't know if we'll be keeping the Chinese Algae Eater. He's just too aggressive, especially if we're going to be introducing new fry to the thank in the next couple months (even if only temporarily).

[ruecole]

You're welcome!

If you're looking to replace the algae eater, I've heard corydoras and otocynclus are more docile (and don't get near to as big!).

Rue