How to Grow a Frog Pipidae

Tongueless frogs (Pipidae), including African dwarf and clawed frogs, are an interesting species of amphibians. These aquatic frogs rarely leave their watery homes unless drought or lack of food drives them across land. Pipidae are prolific breeders when food is abundant and water parameters are kept at desirable levels. Feeding an adult Pipidae is a straightforward (and entertaining) process. Their young tadpoles are a bit trickier to feed and require planning and attention to their unique feeding processes--some are filter feeders.

Things You'll Need

  • Two 10-gallon aquariums
  • Bleach
  • Sand
  • Pond/green water
  • Live aquatic plants
  • Two aquarium heaters
  • Air stone
  • Aquarium vacuum
  • Daphnia
  • Cyclops
  • Spinach
  • Mosquito larva
  • Black worms
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clean both aquariums with a strong bleach-and-water solution. Allow the bleach water to stand in the tanks for 20 minutes so that it can thoroughly disinfect all areas. Drain the tanks and rinse with clean water until every trace of bleach is gone.

    • 2

      Add a 2- to 4-inch layer of rinsed aquarium or play box sand to both tanks. Slope the substrate (sand) forward so that gathering left over bits of food is easier.

    • 3

      Arrange the live plants in an aesthetically pleasing manner making sure to create many hiding places for shier frogs. Slowly fill the aquariums with water, being careful not to disturb the substrate or plants. You can add floating water plants such as duckweed after filling up the tanks.

    • 4

      Fill the tadpole tank with pond water or chlorine-free tap water seeded with pond water. African dwarf frog tadpoles are predatory by nature. They will hunt daphnia, cyclops and other tiny organisms in the aquarium. African clawed frog tadpoles will take powdered amphibian foods and Liquifry readily.

    • 5

      Add a heater to each tank and set up the air stone in the tadpole aquarium. Allow the aquariums to run for a few weeks before adding the frogs.

    • 6

      Remove all eggs from the main tank as they appear. Place them in the fully cycled tadpole aquarium. Dispose of any eggs that become fuzzy as they are dead and will contaminate the water.

    • 7

      Feed the young tadpoles when they are free swimming. You can add boiled spinach, powdered amphibian food, Liquifry, daphnia and cyclops to their aquariums as needed. Use one drop of food per two to three tadpoles when they are small and one drop per large tadpole.

    • 8

      Place any well-developed frogs in their permanent homes. Make sure they are large enough that their parents or other tank mates cannot eat or injure them.

    • 9

      Feed the young and adult frogs and a variety of live and prepared foods. They will eagerly take chopped beef hearts, black worms, mosquito larva, tiny feeder fish, and chopped shrimp as well as prepared amphibian pellets.

    • 10

      Perform a partial water change of 30 percent once a week using chlorine-free water. Remove any uneaten food particles or other wastes from the bottom of the tanks with an aquarium vacuum.