African dwarf frogs (Hymenochirus genus) are active little amphibians known for their peaceful nature and unique behavior. There’s nothing more rewarding than raising a clutch of tadpoles and watching them thrive. Like most amphibians, African dwarf frogs are egg-layers. Similar to many fish, however, the eggs are externally fertilized by the male frog as they’re released by the female.
Preparing for Breeding
The key to successfully breeding African dwarf frogs is to condition your breeding stock well. You’ll need at least one male and one female frog, both having reached sexual maturity.
Setting Up a Breeding Tank
Set up a separate breeding tank. Try to replicate rainy season conditions. If your African dwarf frogs aren’t readily mating, you can try simulating the rainy season in their natural habitat. Gradually reduce the water level in the tank over a few days, then refill it with slightly cooler water.
Keep the water temperature in the proper range. The best temperature range to stimulate breeding behavior in African dwarf frogs is between 78°F and 82°F.
Nutritious Diet
Feed your frogs a nutritious diet. African dwarf frogs tend not to be picky, but it’s important to choose nutritious foods if you want them to be in good breeding condition. Proper feeding African dwarf frogs means focusing on high-protein live and frozen foods introduced a few weeks before you try to stimulate spawning.
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African Dwarf Frog Care, Diet, And Tank Set Up
The Mating Process
Watch for mating behavior. As you’re conditioning your African dwarf frogs and taking steps to simulate the rainy season, keep an eye out for courting behavior. You’ll know your frogs are ready to mate when the male initiates amplexus.
- Preparing for mating: When both the male and female frog are ready to mate, the male will “sing” to attract the female.
- Mating (amplexus): The mating process begins when the male grasps the female frog from behind, just in front of her back legs.
- Egg laying and fertilization: When the female is ready, she’ll swim to the surface (bringing the male along with her) to release her eggs. As the eggs are released, the male releases his sperm to fertilize them.
- After spawning: Once spawning is complete, the male African dwarf frog will release his hold on the female.
Raising Tadpoles
As long as conditions in the breeding tank are suitable, your African dwarf frog eggs should hatch after about 48-72 hours. The ideal breeding tank temperature is 78°F. When the eggs hatch, the young will be in the form of tiny tadpoles.
The eggs will be scattered about on the water surface of the tank, so if you wish to hatch them and raise the tadpoles, they will need to be siphoned into a separate tank. The reason for this is that the pH will need to be raised higher than in the parent’s tank. Transfer the eggs to a 10 gallon (45.46 litre, 12.01 US gallon) tank, leave the tank without substrate, this will ensure that as you clean it the water quality will remain high.
The pH needs to be set to at least 7.5 - 8.0; this can be achieved by preparing the water with added sodium bi-carbonate. The temp will also need to be raised to 80°F (26.67°C).
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Unlike raising common frog tadpoles, these are very delicate; the mortality rate will be high. As these are dwarf frogs water changes need to be done carefully, the tadpoles will be very small, change at least 10% twice a day.
Feeding Tadpoles
Your tadpoles will feed primarily on infusoria when they first hatch, though you can supplement their diet with liquid fry food. When they have grown on, newly hatched brine shrimp should be offered to them.
Metamorphosis
It takes about 6-8 weeks for African dwarf frog tadpoles to develop into froglets. At this point, it’s a good idea to slightly lower the water level in the tank to give the froglets easy access to the surface for breathing while their swimming skills continue to develop.
General Care Tips
Here are some additional tips for keeping African dwarf frogs:
- The tank set up is a fairly simple one, always allow 1 Imperial gallon (4.55 liter, 1.20 US gallon) of water for each frog.
- The substrate can be either sand or gravel; do not add any rocks or large pebbles, as sometimes the frogs can trap themselves under these.
- You must provide hiding places for these as they can be timid, so this strategy will help put them at ease a little better.
- Plant pots or some of the more modern aquarium decorations are fine, as are adding some live plants.
- They will not destroy the plants but if you wish to add artificial ones then use the silk variety, plastic plants can damage their delicate skin.
- They are escape artists so a lid is a must, having said that allow room at the top of the tank for an air pocket.
- If you wish to use a bare bottomed tank to make cleaning easier, you can still add plants buy purchasing the pre potted ones that come with a small terracotta pot, or even plant them in a small glass vase.
- Water temp should be kept between 70 - 75°F (~ 21 - 24°C), good filtration is a must.
- If using a very small tank then weekly water changes will suffice, larger tanks will need some form of internal filter, but do not set it to disturb the water surface; this can upset the frog when going up for air.
Feeding Adult Frogs
Feeding your dwarf frogs is not very complicated; they will take most meaty foods. Frozen bloodworm, frozen brine shrimp are good for a main diet, reptomin, gammarus and finely chopped earthworms are good supplements to the diet.
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How the food is given to the frogs is the most difficult part. A small terracotta plate or similar is ideal to feed the frogs with, a small amount placed on it at a time. Just adding the food to the tank is not ideal; the frogs will not do a lot of foraging trying to find their meals, if the food is left in the substrate it can lead to fouling of the water.
Only feed small quantities at a time, some keepers will only feed their frogs every two to three days. If the food is to be added to the tank direct, there are a couple of tricks to get the frogs to eat straight away. Always drop the food in the same place, they will pick up the scent of the food and return to the same spot at the next feeding time.
The frogs can be tamed enough to be hand fed, feeding this way will ensure that all of your frogs get their share of the food.
Health Considerations
Dropsy can be a problem and unfortunately there is not a lot that can be done for the frog if this develops. This can be recognised by swelling of the abdomen, the only course of treatment is to remove the infected frog to a hospital tank, adding anti bacterial meds to the water.
If handled incorrectly or if incorrect décor is in the tank, the frogs will be injured. Wounds should heal themselves if the injured frog is placed in a hospital tank and the water quality is high, avoiding the injuries in the first place is the best prevention.
Do not net the frogs if possible; this can lead to open wounds or even broken bones. If you have to move the frogs, try to do it carefully by hand. If they are going to be kept in a community tank do not add them with larger tank mates, aggressive fish will injure the frogs, and definitely do not keep them with African clawed frogs, they could end up eating the dwarf species.
Many keepers worry about the health of their frogs as they do not seem to be coming up for air very often. This is not a problem, they can survive for hours under the water, this is perfectly normal.
Dwarf frogs spend a lot of time crawling about the tank and do slip off the décor occasionally.
If you’re an African dwarf frog enthusiast looking for a fun new challenge, give breeding a try. For everything else you need to maintain a thriving aquarium, from live aquarium plants to specialty foods and supplies.
