African dwarf frogs are small and fully aquatic, despite also being air breathers. Dwarf African frogs are tongueless and toothless. They rely on their powerful front legs to snatch and shovel food straight into their gaping mouths.
Since they stay small they aren’t able to eat aquarium fish and are peaceful additions to any community tank.
They are easy to care for and even breed so long as you’re aware of their few quirks and choose tank mates with care.
African Dwarf Frog Specifics
The majority of African Dwarf Frogs are of the species Hymenochirus boettgeri. The Western African Dwarf Frog (Hymenochirus curtipes) is also available but are less common. Seeing the two species side by side is the best way to tell them apart. H. curtipes has longer legs and more granular skin compared to H. boettgeri. Their care requirements are all identical.
- Scientific Name: Hymenochirus boettgeri/curtipes
- Origin: Equatorial Africa
- Length: Up to 2″
- Lifespan: 5 Years
- Aquarium Size: 10 Gallons
- Temperament: Peaceful
- Difficulty: Easy
African Dwarf vs African Clawed Frogs
African Dwarf Frogs have very tiny mouths, fortunately, which makes them interesting choices for community tanks of smaller fish.
Their larger cousins, the African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis), also shows up in the trade. African Clawed Frogs should be avoided as they grow much larger and are aggressive hunters. Any fish smaller than them will be eaten.
Sometimes young African Clawed Frogs are mixed with African Dwarf Frogs. Once it grows up a full grown African Clawed Frog will eat its smaller relative.
To tell the difference, you can look at their feet. African Dwarf Frogs have webbing on all four feet while Clawed Frogs have webbing only on their hind legs.
In the image below (Clawed Frog), notice the lack of webbing on the front feet.
Also, the eyes of African Dwarf Frogs are on the sides of their heads while Clawed Frogs have eyes on top.
African Dwarf Frog Care
Here are a few things you should keep in mind regard African Dwarf Frog care:
African Dwarf Frog Water Parameters
African Dwarf Frogs are flexible when it comes to water conditions. Ammonia, nitrites and nitrates should test at or close to 0 parts per million at all times. Clean water helps prevent skin diseases from arising.
Water changes are of the utmost importance when caring for African Dwarf Frogs. They are messy eaters and create a lot of ammonia through their waste.
The pH should range from 6.5-7.8. 74-80F is optimal, with warmer temperatures well tolerated. Less than 74F tends to lead to decreased disease resilience.
Amphibians of all kinds are prone to skin infections because their entire bodies are covered with a porous mucus membrane. If you let organic waste and food rot harmful bacteria will multiply.
These germs cause infections in frogs that fish, with their skin-tight scales, are able to ignore.
Cloudy patches of skin, hazy eyes, and red inflamed blood vessels on the hands, feet, and legs are signs of bacterial infection in your African Dwarf Frog. Fluffy patches of cottony growth indicate fungal infections that can become deadly if left untreated.
The thin skin of amphibians makes medicating them challenging because doses that work for fish may kill them.
Small amounts of Aquarium Salt, warmer temperatures, water changes, aeration, and reduced doses of gentler products like Melafix in a hospital tank will help control infections. Malachite Green works best for fungal infections.
Also provide a nutritional boost in the form of live and frozen foods. Doing so will also help them overcome their illness. The best medicine is prevention, however.
African Dwarf Frogs are so tiny and sensitive when sick that it’s easy to overdose and kill them.
African Dwarf Frog Tank Size
Thanks to their small size African Dwarf Frogs are suitable for any aquarium size. Some aquarists keep them even within 5 gallon nano tanks along with Bettas and Danios.
I recommend 10 gallons of space as a minimum. The larger the tank the easier it is to control water parameters. Small tanks get polluted faster.
By offering more space for your pets to explore you also improve their quality of life.
African Dwarf Frog Tank Mates
Choosing tank mates for your African Dwarf Frogs is not challenging. Choose fish and invertebrates that are similar in size. They won’t eat your Frog and are too large to be eaten themselves.
Fish fry, young Guppies, and other tiny fish may be in danger but mature aquarium fish are safe.
Avoid Barbs, Dwarf Cichlids, and other fish with a tendency to nibble at tank mates. Even superficial skin wounds are an entry point for infections. Once wounded and infected even a minor injury may be fatal for an African Frog Dwarf.
Plecostomus are not good tank mates for this reason. Dwarf Frogs have bare, slimy skin that a Pleco may be tempted to suck upon.
Good Tankmates for African Dwarf Frogs
- Tetras
- Livebearers
- Danios
- Hatchetfish
- Corydoras
- Gouramis
- Killifish
- Other African Dwarf Frogs
African Dwarf Frogs are also sociable and unaggressive towards one another.
Their social interactions are difficult to understand but they do recognize and interact with each other. And when in the mood to breed this activity becomes even more obvious. Males also call out even when alone but more often when kept with other Dwarf Frogs.
What Do African Dwarf Frogs Eat?
One of the best things about African Dwarf Frogs is that they are not picky eaters. Frogs are usually motion sensitive hunters and demand moving prey. African Dwarf Frogs will scoop up anything, even falling flakes and sinking carnivore pellets.
When feeding pellets pre soak them or choose soft pellets made for African Dwarf Frogs. Thawed, meaty foods like blood worms, brine shrimp, and tubifex are better for their health and will get a better response from the Frog.
As bottom dwellers they sometimes can be slow to consume their fair share in a crowded community tank. Feeding your Dwarf Frogs with tweezers ensures they have a chance to eat their fill.
Can You Hold African Dwarf Frogs?
I’ve seen a fair amount of literature online about handling African Dwarf Frogs. You should know that this is dangerous not only for the Frog but for you as well.
Dwarf Frogs are fragile vertebrates and don’t do well when held. They do jump and will struggle to escape from you. A falling frog could break a limb, which will stop them from swimming very well.
The odds of it healing are minimal since you can’t set the bone and the break may become infected and lead to death.
They are also fully aquatic frogs and dry rapidly when removed from the water.
15 minutes of exposure can lead to death. Also, even when wet your skin is rougher than a frog’s and strips slime from their bodies.
Some writers suggest placing food on strings to encourage African Dwarf Frogs to chase food around like a lure. That is also a bad idea. If the Frog catches the bait and consumes some of the string you’ll be in real trouble.
Last, aquatic amphibians and reptiles of all types carry infectious agents directly on their skin, particularly Salmonella. If you miss a spot while washing your hands you risk infecting yourself and others with a dangerous bacterium.
Leave your African Dwarf Frogs inside the aquarium.
Breeding African Dwarf Frogs
Breeding African Dwarf Frogs often happen in aquariums when kept in groups. The eggs and tadpoles don’t often survive to reach maturity, however.
Stimulating your Frogs with ample food and conditions that simulate seasonal changes will increase your chances of success.
Sexing African Dwarf Frogs
The differences between the sexes are subtle but visible with careful study.
When fully mature, male African Dwarf Frogs are smaller and have a visible white postaxillary gland which appears as a small lump behind each forearm. While the postaxillary gland plays a role in reproduction the exact function is still a mystery to science.
Males will also sing on occasion, even underwater. They make a static-like hum that almost sounds like a broken speaker. Females are silent, a little longer and more robust. They get even thicker when carrying eggs.
Conditioning and Spawning
In order to trigger spawning behavior, you’ll need to first feed your African Dwarf Frogs with frozen and live prey.
Prepared foods are lacking in the diverse nutrition they need to produce gametes for breeding. Spoil your Frogs with brine shrimp, tubifex, and other meaty goodies.
Next, you’ll need to reduce the water level of your aquarium to around half for 2-3 weeks, which simulates seasonal African droughts. Since the Frogs race to the surface dozens of times a day to breathe they are sensitive to water depth.
When you add fresh water, allow the new tank temperature to stay 5 degrees cooler than usual at first. Gradually bring the temperature up to 80-82F over the course of a week and continue to condition them with meaty food.
As you replicate their natural drought/flood seasonal cycle, males in the aquarium will begin to sing more frequently, calling for receptive females. Males will also begin to grasp at empty water with their forelimbs, as if practicing for Amplexus.
Amplexus is the position all frogs and toads take when mating. The male will grasp the female from behind for an extended period as sperm and eggs intermix within the water. Males will sometimes grab at other passing males, which elicits a grunt and stiffened hindlegs in response.
Once a willing female is grasped, the two will swim up and down the water column over the course of hours. Anywhere from 100-500 eggs around 4mm in diameter are laid.
The eggs are coated in a sticky jelly that makes them less palatable to predators, protects them from infection, and glues them to floating plants.
Any eggs found should be removed as tank mates and even the frogs themselves may consume them despite the jelly.
Caring for Eggs and Tadpoles
African Dwarf Frog eggs should be removed to a separate rearing tank until they hatch within 1-2 days.
The 3mm tadpoles initially are immobile and use an adhesive gland to attach to their place of birth for up to 6 days. During this time period they won’t accept food at all.
Once they become mobile, they will accept microscopic and miniscule food items like microworms, daphnia, and baby brine shrimp.
They will also eat one another; tadpoles are ravenous opportunists and also fragile even in the best of conditions. Weak tadpoles become prey for their stronger siblings.
It’s a good idea to culture the rearing tank with green water and filamentous plants like Guppy Grass and Java Moss. Plants encourage algae and protozoan growth on the plant and tank surfaces. The biofilm growths are natural grazing areas for tadpoles
Your African Dwarf Frog tadpoles will develop hind legs within 2 weeks and front legs by 3 weeks of age. They then complete their metamorphosis and lose their tails by 1 month in age.
At this stage they should be feeding on adult foods. Aquatic invertebrates like bloodworms, baby and adult brine shrimp, and mosquito larvae should all be accepted.
By now your African Dwarf Frogs are 2 cm long and should be allowed to grow. Once they are large enough to not be eaten, introduce them into your main aquarium.
Conclusion
African Dwarf Frogs are one of the most beginner friendly amphibians. All they need is warm, clean water, protein-rich food, and peaceful tank mates. They stay small, don’t need land to walk on, and will breed with ease.
FAQs
African Dwarf Frogs will live for up to 5 years if well cared for. Diseases, cold water, and nutrient-poor food will reduce their lifespan to 2-3 years.
African Dwarf Frogs are about an inch long when full grown. You could keep up to 10 of them in a 10 gallon tank, though you’d have no more room for other animals.
African Dwarf Frogs can live alone but they are social and prefer being kept with each other. 2 to 3 frogs is best but solo living won’t cause them stress.
I have three week old tadpoles that don’t have legs yet but they are thriving swimming around eating what can you tell me?