Scientific name:
Hymenochirus boettgeri
Family Name:
Pipidae
Common name:
African dwarf frog
Average Adult Size:
1.5 inches (3.81 cm) to 3 inches (7.6 cm)
Place of Origin and Description:
There are 4 species of African dwarf frogs. They originate from equatorial Africa, specifically Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo throughout the Congo River Basin.
The four species of African dwarf frog are:
• Hymenochirus boettgeri (Tornier, 1896)
• Hymenochirus boulengeri (De Witte, 1930)
• Hymenochirus curtipes (Noble, 1924)
• Hymenochirus feae (Boulenger, 1906)
Of the 4 African dwarf frog species, the one most commonly sold as pets is Hymenochirus boettgeri.
In the wild, H. boettgeri occurs in shady still water in lowland rainforest. It is a fully aquatic frog, meaning it spends its entire life underwater. Although, like all frogs, it has lungs and must surface to breathe.
Their color varies, generally ranging from brown to greenish, with black spots; with their undersides being lighter. They evolved these colors from their habit of spending most of their time at the bottom of the water body.
African dwarf frogs are commonly confused with dwarf clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) aka African clawed frog.
It is important to be able to tell the difference between H. boettgeri (African dwarf frogs) and X. laevis (African clawed frogs). Firstly, because they have different needs. Secondly, because while they are both fully aquatic and look similar when young, African clawed frogs grow to be quite large in comparison to African dwarf frogs and they will eat everything they can fit in their mouths! For this reason, X. laevis (African clawed frogs) are illegal in some of the united states including California and Oregon.
How to Tell the Difference Between Hymenochirus boettgeri (African dwarf frogs) and Xenopus laevis (African clawed frogs)
As previously mentioned, adult H. boettgeri are much smaller than adult X. laevis. But this doesn’t help in identifying when they are young. Also not of much help is that H. boettgeri has three small claw-like appendages on their hind feet which may wear away after awhile, but which look very similar to the claws of X. laevis; they are not a great indicator.
The two best indicators are that:
• The front feet of H. boettgeri are webbed whereas those of X. laevis lack webbing.
• The eyes of H. boettgeri are flatter than the much bulgier looking eyes of X. laevis.
Other indicators are that:
• The eyes of H. boettgeri are positioned more toward the sides of their heads, whereas the eyes of X. laevis are positioned more toward the tops of their heads.
• The snout of H. boettgeri is pointed, whereas the snout of X. laevis is curved and flat.
An indicator true in the past was if it is albino, then it is must be a morph of X. laevis. But this is not true anymore, as pale specimens of H. boettgeri are now also available on the market.
Behavior:
African dwarf frogs spend most of their time at the bottom among the detritus, searching for food. They have strong legs that enable them to lunge after food, and which also enable them to quickly swim to the surface to breathe and then back down to the bottom.
Sometimes they will float motionless at the surface of the water, limbs outstretched.
These frogs usually sleep during the entire day. They are are most active at night, during which time mating behaviors may be exhibited.
Average Maximum Life Expectancy:
20 years
Minimum Number:
3 (social)
Minimum Recommended Aquarium Size:
10 gallons, or 3 gallons per frog whichever is greater.
The 1:1 Rule: for small fish, the absolute minimal aquarium size should be no less than 1 gallon per 1 inch of fish.
Temperature:
widest range: 68 to 84 °F (20 to 28.9 °C)
ideal range: 75 to 80 °F (24.4 to 25.6 °C)
pH:
widest range: 6.5 to 7.8
ideal range: 7.2 to 7.6
Tank Setup and Water Flow:
They spend most of their time at the bottom of the aquarium, but must swim to the surface for air and are weak swimmers and so limiting current with a low pump flow rate is ideal. It is a good idea with baby frogs to cover the filter intake with something such as a prefilter sponge that won’t suck in their limbs.
Setup Specifics:
Choose a substrate that the frogs will not eat. Too small gravel may be eaten and cause death from not being able to pass through their small intestinal tract.
During the day, they need lots of darker places to hide, such as among plants, driftwood, and smooth rocks. Because the frogs need to rise to the surface to breathe, the aquarium needs to be completely covered so the frogs can’t escape. If they do escape, they will dry out and die very quickly. Also, the aquarium should be no taller than about 18″ so the frogs can quickly get to the surface to breathe.
They should receive 8 to 12 hours of light per day.
Diet:
carnivorous; as much food as they will eat in 3 minutes, twice a day, morning and evening; carnivorous fish food pellets, frozen or freeze-dried bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp, and also live bloodworms and tubifex. Whatever food is chosen, it must sink to the bottom, and in the case of live worms, must be eaten before the worms escape into the substrate. A large shell, the concave into which the live worms can be deposited via a tube, turkey baster, or tongs, can keep the worms from digging into the substrate before the frogs eat them. These frogs have relatively poor eyesight; as such, their feeding behavior is slow and deliberate. Therefore, feeding can be difficult in a community aquarium containing faster fish that might eat all the food intended for the frogs.
Interestingly, feeding these frogs can be made easier by training them to react by tapping on the glass a few times just prior to feeding time.
Sexing:
Males are slimmer and almost half the size of females. Males have a small gland behind each front leg, each appearing as a small whitish or reddish outward bulging spot.
Females have a more rotund appearance, and as they reach the mating stage of their lives, the eggs in their abdomens create a fuller shape. Females have an ovipositor, which makes their genital region much more pronounced than those of males.
Basic Breeding Info:
During the night, males may hum. This may or may not be a part of the mating process. The male wraps his front legs around the female’s abdomen just in front of her rear legs. This mating position of frogs and toads that externally fertilize their eggs is called amplexus.
The female becomes motionless and her front legs may twitch. Soon she will begin laying eggs at the surface, towing the grasping male along with her. She lays eggs one at a time, swimming down to the bottom after each laying. As she lays the eggs, he fertilizes them with sperm. After she has laid all her eggs, which could take hours, she becomes motionless again. The male soon releases her and mating is finished.
Potential Health Issues:
African dwarf frogs are fragile animals and should not be held, for the health of the frog but also because they may carry Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella does not harm the frogs, but it can cause serious illness and even death in humans, especially in young children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems.
The Salmonella bacteria may be present anywhere the frog or its excrement touches, in their feces, on their skin, in the water, or on anything the water touches in the aquarium system.
The best way to prevent human Salmonella infection is to assume it is present and to always follow these proper safety precautions:
• Do not touch your frogs. If they must be moved, use an aquarium fish net.
• Wear rubber gloves when handling any part of the aquarium in contact with the water.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after touching any part of the aquarium in contact with the water.
• Don’t change the filter media or make water changes near dishes or utensils used for food preparation, cooking, or eating.
• If clothing has gotten wet from the aquarium, launder those clothes, and take a shower with soap and water.
• Educate and supervise young children who may at any time be near the aquarium.
As far as the health of your African dwarf frogs is concerned, as long as their basic needs are met and basic aquarium water quality is maintained, they are more likely to enjoy good health. But illness can happen.
Bacterial infection:
Symptoms include drowsiness, loss of appetite, cloudy or red eyes, open sores, and/or reddening of skin.
Suggested actions include improving water quality and checking for proper temperature. If water quality and temperature are good, consult an exotic animal vet and/or your local pet store and get advice on possible antibiotic treatments to add to the water. Not all aquarium antibiotics are safe for frogs, and not all antibiotics are effective against all bacteria.
Fungal infection:
Symptoms include white cottony growth and/or discoloration of eyes.
Suggested actions include quarantining the frog(s) and treating with anti-fungal. Consult an exotic animal vet and/or your local pet store to get advice on possible antifungal treatments to add to the water.
African dwarf frogs shed their skin, usually as one piece, but if the shedding is happening in patches, it could be a fungal infection. Methylene blue is an antifungal safe for amphibians.
The symptoms of one fungus, chytridiomycosis, or “chytrid” for short, may include thrashing movement as the frogs try to escape from the water, as if it is causing them pain or discomfort. If one frog has chytrid, they probably all do. Consult an exotic animal vet and/or your local pet store to get advice on possible treatment.
Note on additives: Use of additives or medications containing copper are toxic to African dwarf frogs.
Dropsy (aka Bloat):
Dropsy is not an illness per se, but a condition symptomatic of many possible causes. It is the building up of fluids inside the body, and once it sets in, it is usually fatal. Because dropsy can be caused by many different things, such as bacteria, parasites, kidney or liver failure, it isn’t always contagious.
Suggested actions include isolating the effected frogs, and consulting an exotic animal vet and/or your local pet store to get advice on possible treatment.
Be careful when identifying dropsy. Females carrying eggs may look bloated. The difference is that a female with eggs will have an enlarged belly, whereas a bloated frog’s entire body will look swollen.
Compatibility:
African dwarf frogs do well in peaceful community aquariums so long as the fish are not much larger or smaller than the frogs. They will eat any animals they can fit in their mouths.
Species that are compatible with African dwarf frogs include:
- small goldfish;
- tetras;
- bala sharks;
- many livebearers such as endler’s livebearers, guppies, mollies, and platies;
- some labyrinth fish, including dwarf gouramis and bettas; although some bettas may be aggressive and can kill the frogs;
- corydoras;
- danios;
- many schooling tetras such as neon tetras, rummy-nose tetras, and serpae tetras;
- some species of shrimp such as bamboo shrimp, cherry shrimp, and ghost shrimp; although there is a possibility the frog may eat the shrimp;
- some species of snails, such as mystery snails and ramshorn snails.
Basic Statistics on a few species compatible with African dwarf frogs:
Ember Tetras (Hyphessobrycon amandae)
Size: 1 inch
Minimum Number: 8+ (ideally 8 to 10+ to form a large enough school to eliminate the remote possibility of them fin-nipping)
Minimum Aquarium Size: 10 gallons or 1:1 rule, whichever is greater.
Temperature: 73 to 84 °F (22.8 to 28.9 °C)
pH: 5.5 to 7.5
Setup Specifics: Soft sandy substrate, live plants.
Diet: omnivorous but small mouthed; small-grained pellet or flake, and small live foods such as brine shrimp or daphnia.
Notes: Similar to bettas, ember tetras’ wild habitat is in slower waters, and so it doesn’t like fighting with fast water flow. Floating plants create shadowed areas which make the fish fill safe and consequently which leads to a shiny orange red coloring of its body. Tetras are generally prone to some fin-nipping, but Ember Tetras are generally docile and more so in greater numbers.
Harlequin Rasboras (Trigonostigma heteromorpha)
Size: 2 inches
Minimum Number: 8+ (schooling)
Minimum Aquarium Size: 10 gallons or 1:1 rule, whichever is greater.
Temperature: 72 to 82 °F (22.2 to 27.8 °C)
pH: 6.0 to 6.5
Setup Specifics: Live planted with plants such as from the genus Cryptocoryne (these inhabit the harlequin rasbora’s native waters), but with open areas for schooling.
Diet: omnivorous; flake food and freeze-dried bloodworms and tubifex, frozen and live foods.
Notes: Top to mid-dwelling, they will lay eggs on the undersides of broad-leaved plants.
Kuhli Loaches (Species: Pangio kuhlii)
Size: 5 inches
Minimum Number: 3+ (non-schooling shoalers)
Minimum Aquarium Size: 10 gallons or 1:1 rule, whichever is greater.
Temperature: 75 to 86 °F (23.9 to 30 °C)
pH: 5.5 to 6.5
Setup Specifics: Keep the top of the aquarium covered because Kuhlis can get out. They like caves and thick plant cover to hide in. They should have a lot of floor space to move around on, as that is where they will spend most of their time.
Diet: mostly carnivorous, omnivorous bottom feeders: sinking pellets and flakes supplemented with live foods such as bloodworms, mosquito larvae, and brine shrimp.
Notes: Kuhli Loaches are active at night, but will be more active during the day if there is food scarcity or competition. Like all loaches, they are weather forecasting fish… which means they react upon atmospheric pressure change… becoming more active and even seemingly erratic. Avoid rocks with any sharp edges, as these will scratch and cause long term harm to their undersides. They prefer sand as a substrate, and they will sift and dig into it looking for food such as live bloodworms.
Mystery Snails (Pomacea sp.)
Size: 3 inches, depending on species
Minimum Number: 1
Minimum Aquarium Size: 10 gallons or 1:1 rule, whichever is greater.
Temperate: 68 to 84 °F (20 to 29 °C)
pH: 7.6 to 8.4
Setup Specifics: This species needs open air to breathe, so 2 to 4 inches of open air space above the waterline is required.
Diet: scavenging ominivores; they will eat algae from the glass and smooth rocks, decaying plants, flake food, frozen foods, and live foods, algae wafers and raw or slightly boiled vegetables (such as carrots and zucchini). Like all invertebrates, they also need calcium and other minerals for healthy shell/carapace development, so feed them foods rich in calcium (such as kale, spinach, and other leafy greens), by putting a cuttlebone in the water (in the filter is a good place unless you want them to graze on it directly, in which case boil it or soak it until it sinks), or by using additives.
Notes: Do not use any food product, medication, or plant fertilizer that contains copper in any form, as copper is toxic to invertebrates. Commercial fish foods and medications may contain copper or copper sulfate. Always look at the ingredient list of any product you intend to put into your aquarium.
Zebra Snails (Neritina natalensis)
Size: 1 inch
Minimum Number: 1
Minimum Aquarium Size: 10 gallons or 1:1 rule, whichever is greater.
Temperate: 65 to 85 °F (18.3 to 29.4 °C)
pH: 6.5 to 8.5
Diet: herbivourous; they will east algae from the glass and smooth rocks. If needed, supplement with algae wafers or raw or slightly boiled vegetables (such as carrots and zucchini). Like all invertebrates, they also need calcium and other minerals for healthy shell/carapace development, so feed them foods rich in calcium (such as kale, spinach, and other leafy greens), by putting a cuttlebone in the water (in the filter is a good place unless you want them to graze on it directly, in which case boil it or soak it until it sinks), or by using additives.
Notes: Do not use any food product, medication, or plant fertilizer that contains copper in any form, as copper is toxic to invertebrates. Commercial fish foods and medications may contain copper or copper sulfate. Always look at the ingredient list of any product you intend to put into your aquarium.
About author and webmaster… Troy Boylan
Ecoculture Village Founder & President, Anthropology BA, Interdisciplinary Studies: Ethnobotany BS. Two things I think are worth anything at all… all things wilderness and ecoculture… and well, RPGs… and skateboarding!
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