FAQs About Amphibian Foods/Feeding/Nutrition

Salamander. Feeding/hlth. issue. 5/16/14
We found a salamander (tiger I think) in western Oklahoma almost a year ago. It has a steady diet of earthworms, grubs, crickets and grasshoppers as the seasons allow. It has shed it's skin several times and largely goes undisturbed unless we freshen its water or soil. The last time we found a skin was about 2 wks ago and it has not opened its mouth to accept food since that time. He is large, abt 8 inches long with a width of abt 1 1/2 to 2 inches at its widest. Could there be residual skin keeping its mouth
adhered?
<Unlikely, but providing a decent depth of swimming water will help. A lot of amphibians like to get wet when moulting so they can push off sheets of skin using their arms. This said, I would review other potential problems.
Check ammonia in the water, review your use of vitamin supplements, etc.>
Help, we very much enjoy this little critter!!!
<Quite so. Good luck, Neale.>

Fire-Bellied Newt, diet 6/19/12
I bought my fire-bellied newt a few months ago. He was really healthy, he was regularly eating Brine Shrimp and swimming around.
<Good to know he was healthy, but was he only eating brine shrimp? Adult brine shrimp are notoriously nutrient-deficient. You can buy frozen brine shrimp with Spirulina added, and these are better. But live brine shrimp aren't a viable staple.>
The other day I went to feed him and I found him in the corner of the cage on land, curled up behind a plant. I moved the plant to make sure he was ok, but he wasn't moving, or breathing it seemed. When he went into the water he floats and seems to have a hard time moving or swimming. He looked really thin. I moved him onto one of the rocks because I was afraid that he would drown. This morning when I went to check on him he was upside down in the water, still alive and breathing. I took him out and he seems to have trouble walking, he moves erratically and seems to have trouble moving his back feet. Also his throat seems to be kind of bloated. I put him back in the tank and he crawled back to the corner where he's lying against the glass with his eyes closed. I just cleaned his tank and the water is clear.
The only thing I recently changed was I bought some aquatic plants for the cage, they were supposed to be fine for an aquatic habitat. I took the plants out last night, hoping that was the problem, but there was no improvement. This is my first newt, and I don't know if this is a normal or if there is something else wrong. Is there something I can do?
Jordan
<Do suspect diet is a factor. You need to offer Fire-Bellied News a varied diet: brine shrimp, bloodworms, daphnia, small earthworms. Hope this helps, Neale.>

Two ADF's In The Same Tank - 04/04/2007 Hey Guys, My boyfriend has 2 African dwarf frogs that coexist with a black skirt fish. He has had them for maybe 3 months now? We feed them sinking shrimp pellets (the fish gets tropical flakes), one or two pellets at most every day or every other day. One of the frogs is big and fat, not bloated, and the other is tiny and skinny! The smaller one is probably half the size of the other. We were thinking that the smaller one might not like the food, but haven't tried anything else yet, or that perhaps there is some competition going on, where the bigger one isn't letting the smaller one eat? We want to make sure they frogs are both healthy, but their opposite extremes are worrisome. Thanks for any insight you can offer!-Kamielle PS: I know you post faq on the website, and I assume you email responses too, but I just want to double check that I can get a response in email because I don't check your site all the time. <Not all frogs adapt to eating pellets. Try offering some small Tubifex/blackworms from the local fish store. Very small washed earthworms could be offered at the end of a pair of tweezers too. If a few get lost in the sand they will stay alive and the frogs will get to them later.-Chuck>

Dwarf African Frogs Don't Eat - 02/22/07 I'm worried about my two African Dwarf Frogs and appreciate any help. The tank is a 2.5 gallon, with rocks and two small ornaments, all levels check out ok, temp is right on. One of the frogs has a big tummy, he eats everything and always seems hungry. We have curtailed his diet and waiting for his tummy to shrink before indulging him more. The other frog doesn't seem to want to eat. He is much skinnier and it didn't appear as though he was eating at all, so we put in him a little holding tank in the same tank to monitor if he eats. It's been at least a week under observation and he has eaten. The contrast in behavior worries me, is this sort of thing normal? Thanks for any help! < Only feed your frogs if they are moving and in search of food. Too many times frogs are over fed and the food rots in their stomach and causes gas and other digestive problems. Offer them a washed small earthworm. make sure it is alive and wiggling. If they don't eat that then they are not going to eat. Keep the tank clean and increase the water temp to 80 F and see if that makes any difference.-Chuck>

Feeding Firebelly Toads Bugs from The Garden 2/18/07 My name is Daniel and I have a firebelly toad. I (accidentally, had alot to do that week) didn't feed him in around 4-5 days. When I realized this at 9:30 p.m., my pet store had already closed. When I went to check on him and he didn't move, so I tried pouring water around him, still nothing. Finally, I slightly moved him, and his eyelids opened, and within the next couple minutes he started moving. Thinking he was very hungry, I went outside to find bugs. I was able to find a grub worm, and I gave it to him. I an sure there's nothing wrong with that, but I was just wondering is it bad for firebelly toads to eat grub worms? Just wondering. Thanks,- Daniel <Most insects are harmless and are actually very good food for your toad. You only need to worry if you have put out some poison that may have been ingested by the bug and carry the toxin to your toad. I have kept toads alive for years in Sothern Calif . just by catching my own bugs and a few worms now and then.-Chuck>

Feeding Aquatic/Terrestrial Frogs 1/28/07 A work related friend asked me a question concerning two frogs his young daughter bought from Wal-Mart or some place like that. They will not eat, and of course Wal-Mart has no suggestions. All she knows is that they are white with black polka dots. I know little or nothing about frogs, except how to catch tadpoles with a jar:):) Any help would be appreciated. <Most frogs only eat like moving prey. Offer some like black worms and I am sure they will gobble them up. Get some from a fish store and rinse them very well. Get some tweezers or feeding tongs and place a small clump of worms in front of their mouth. If they are terrestrial frogs then they will go after live insects like crickets and mealworms.-Chuck>

Blind Frogs Don't Eat 2/18/07 You say that blind frogs don't eat at all... then there are no blind frogs and they are all dead???? < Frogs that cannot see cannot capture any live prey. They will starve to death.-Chuck>

Feeding ADFs 1/23/07 <Hi, Pufferpunk here> My dad bought me a African dwarf frog but didn't buy any food. I don't live in a big town so there are no pet stores around and the next time I go out of town is in February. I have sinkable beta food and fish food but that's it. What should I feed him? <If your frog isn't interested in the pellets of flakes, you can try feeding tiny pieces of fish or shrimp. Try not to overfeed or you will pollute the tank. ~PP>

Starving Frog 1/24/07 Hi Pufferpunk! <Sue> Thank you so much for your reply. I have been using the Melafix for over a week but since I started using it, the little toad hasn't eaten a thing. He/she was skinny to begin with (probably a result of the eye problem and poor water quality) but is now so emaciated that I'm afraid we will lose him/her. We had always hand fed the toad crickets "dusted" with a supplement, so he/she isn't used to any other food. Is there something I could try, like bloodworm or some kind of mixture, that might be easier to digest and could tempt our little friend to eat? I'm unsure of whether or not the toad can see, but I think he/she can sense the food, as he/she turns away when I put the cricket near his/her nose. Thanks for any suggestions you can give me! <You'll have to force-feed the lil guy. Get a syringe (no needle) & fill it with Nutrical. It is a highly concentrated vitamin/molasses mixture. It may be difficult to pry his mouth open--you may have to find a flat tool for this. Be very gentle, do not break his jaw. Feed small amounts & try not to choke him with it. Good luck. ~PP> Sue Frog ID And Care 1/3/07 Hi really hope you can help. I am totally new to keeping a tropical fish tank and I have recently bought, what was labeled up as a Congo frog. When I do a search on the net it points me to your website and African Dwarf frogs, are these the same with just different names? < Do a google search on the African Dwarf Frog. If it looks anything close then that is what it is.> The thing is I have had my frog for a couple of weeks and when I first put him in my tank he didn't seem to move to much and just kept laying spread out face down. I got him out of my tank into one on his own as I was unsure if he was ill and if so did not want to spread it around my tank. He is still alive but still not very active and his usual position is face down and he doesn't move for ages. When I go to where I bought him and other places the assistants just don't seem to know anything so you are my only hope, I don't want to be unintentionally killing the frog and also can you tell me what is best to feed him on too. Thanks for your help, I'm sorry I'm a complete novice. Jo < These frogs, as are most, are ambush predators. They wait for prey to come by and then suck it into their mouths. If they move too much then larger predators may eat them. Make sure some small worms make their way down to him.-Chuck> Frogs Are Real Pigs 10/26/06 Hi, I have a three year old African albino clawed frog in a twenty gallon tank. I feed her goldfish, Repto sticks and shrimp pellets. She is a real pig! I purchased another frog. Same kind, same sex, both female. My frog is very large, big as my hand. The new frog was just a little baby. I've been raising it in a small fish bowl until I thought it would be big enough to go in with my large frog, didn't want the big frog to eat the new little frog!! Anyway the new frogs body is about 2 and 1/2 inches long and about 1 and 1/2 inches wide. We put the new frog in the 20 gallon tank with the adult frog last evening. Now I was worried that the adult frog would eat the new baby frog, but was surprised to find that the new baby frog actually tried to eat my adult frog!! The little stinker wrapped its front legs completely around the adult frogs back leg and proceeded to then try and eat the adult frogs rear-end!! We let this go on for a little while and the little thing was not going to let loose of its big catch!! I absolutely did not want my adult frog harmed by this little frog, so I managed to pry the baby frog off the adult frog finally with the fish net. I then removed it from the tank and put it back in the fish bowl. I am very unsure at this time how I will ever be able to introduce this baby frog into my tank with my big frog. Should I let the baby frog get bigger? Or should I maybe have just let them be and just let the little frog suck on the adult frog? Can that hurt my adult frog? Can you help me with any advice or suggestions please?? It would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely frog struck, Kristy < You will never be able to totally satisfy either frogs enormous appetite. If kept together one will go after the other. I would plan on keeping them separate.-Chuck>

Sick African clawed frog 8/1/06 I love your website!! Unfortunately, I have a sick albino African clawed frog, Piggy. She is probably about 5 years old and no longer wants to eat. <This is a good old age for Xenopus...> She lives in a 55 gallon aquarium with two goldfish and another African clawed frog. There is a Fluval canister filter, a Fluval submersible filter, and a "homemade" canister type filter on the tank. They have all been together for a year or so. Water quality is fine--no ammonia, nitrites, ph 7.4 or so. No new decorations or fish. About a month ago, I noticed she wasn't eating as much (the frogs are hand fed)--maybe one or two Reptomin sticks per day. I didn't worry too much--they do that occasionally. Then, she stopped eating completely. She absolutely refuses to eat anything--not even her favorites--worms and flies. <A very bad sign...> She ate nothing for three weeks-I noticed she started to get smaller. She doesn't swim around as much as she used to and sheds more than usual. How long can they go without food?? <Perhaps a few more weeks> She has no other physical symptoms--no injuries, red leg, fungus. I decided to force-feed her and see if it helped. I've been able to get several earthworms into her over the past week. <Good> I only force-feed her a few pieces every day or so (whenever I can catch up with my brother who is good at holding her and opening her mouth while I shove a worm piece in). She doesn't seem to have anything caught in her throat or mouth--we can see almost down into her stomach when we get her mouth opened sometimes. She doesn't spit the worms back out once we get them in her and she definitely swallows them. Since feeding her, she has gotten more active and not as skinny, but she still refuses to eat on her own. Can anyone help? <Mmm...> I've tried Maroxy and salt in the water, but neither seemed to help. I've read about all sorts of medicines to treat bacterial, fungal infections, but I don't' know if I should try something else or just wait. Maybe she has a blockage and needs Epsom salts??? <Doubtful, but as a "last ditch effort" worth trying> I can't tell if she is pooping or not. I have read that a Chloramphenicol bath may also be effective, but for how long??? <I myself would not use antibiotics here, but a 250 mg capsule dissolved in one gallon of water for about five minutes is about right> A bath for a few minutes or hours?? I work in a lab and we use Chloramphenicol on fish eggs to prevent bacterial/fungal contamination. Or would an antibiotic from a pet store be better? <These are identical to human use... though often "post-dated", old> Any suggestions would be appreciated. I've had many of these frogs over the years and just love them. They are so personable. <I suspect this frog is "just old"... cumulative heritable defects... doesn't "feel like" going on. A hard issue with our beloved pets, life around us. Bob Fenner>

Food For Tadpoles 5/31/06 Can you tell me how long it takes for a tadpole to become a frog and what I would feed the little fellows? I tried fish food...they all died but one. How about Hermit Crab food? Any other tips? I think this would be a great learning experience for my little girl. PS...thanks for your advice on the Hermits and Turtles....all are alive and well! God Bless You! <Tadpoles eat algae. The higher the water temp. the quicker they transform. Feed them Spirulina flakes and keep them at room temperature and they should transform into little frogs/toads in 4 to 6 weeks. Frog tadpoles are green, toad tadpoles are black, at least around here in CA.-Chuck>

Help! My Lunch Is Stupid! - 04/04/2006 My fire belly frog is eating. <Uh, good!> i <Oh my. PLEASE capitalize your "I"s. For one, it shows some healthy self-respect in your writing, and for two, we really haven't the time to correct these....> bet your wondering why I'm writing. <Indeed I am.> the <Ack! The beginnings of sentences too, please?> problem is his silly food! I get him crickets and they just dive right in the water and decide to go swimming! <Hey, I would too! I love to be in the water.> And then I end up spending 20 minutes trying to save the dumb crickets but they just keep jumping to their death. <They really are NOT the brightest, are they? By the time its all said and done my poor frog eats 1 and the rest are dead! <A sad waste. I can't tell you how many stupid gray/feeder crickets I've met. I don't know how the species continues to live....> I recently bought him ghost shrimp but he my frog didn't even know they were there. They ended up living together and he wont eat them. <Neat!> I don't know what to do because at this rate I'm going to the pet store everyday! My poor frog eats the crickets that don't end up jumping to their death. I'm at my wits end and don't know what to do. I need an easier option on what to feed him. <A couple of options. The best, and healthiest, is to keep the crickets in a separate container and only feed him a couple at a time. In the separate container, you can feed them ("gut load" is one term for this) a high-quality fish food and give them a piece of fruit for water. This will make them better for your frog to eat and keep them alive until feeding. Optionally, you can give them something in the water at the surface that they can climb out on and not drown; a floating plant (real or fake) may do the trick.> PLEASE get to me quickly...... <As quickly as we could.> Thank you so much, - Needing a Resolution <All the best to you, -Needing a Nap (Sabrina)>

Frog May Not Be A Prince - 03/09/2006 Hey, First off I would like to thank you for your time and website. I learned how to take care of my problem with Planaria/copepod/white worm or whatever with ease. I have a 55 galloon tank filled about 1 inch from the black top on the outside. It contains a gar, 2 cichlids (yellow with black lines on top), 2 cichlids (grey with neon blue stripes/spots), 1 fiddler crab, 1 other crab, 3 algae eaters, and a paco. However, I had one question regarding a tadpole we purchased from PetCo. It is now in it's final stage of becoming a frog or toad (it was about 2-3 inches long as a tadpole). It's tail is almost gone and has grown all it's legs. As a tadpole I watched it feed on algae wafers and such. But now I see it just floating at the top ready to transform fully. I have 2 questions...how do I feed it now and what? And do I have to get a new tank for the frog?? < Tadpoles are algae eaters. Adult frogs eat insects and whatever else will fit in their mouth. More than likely you now have a young bullfrog that is waiting for some insects to fall in the water to eat. They get big and you probably need to get another tank if intend on keeping him. Read up on bullfrogs and see if you really want to spend the time and effort to keep one. They can be very expensive to feed.-Chuck>

African dwarf frogs 8/24/05 Hi, have a question. I have searched your site & do not see a similar problem. I have 2 ADF in a 2.5 gallon tank, with a filter running. We first bought pellet food, then found out through research online they should be fed frozen bloodworms. <... and other meaty live, non-live foods> Purchased those 3 days ago now, feeding them pea-sized amount every other day (is this correct???) <Best to look at their "tummies"...> My main question is an odor. <Interesting> It's gotten milder/better since switching from pellets, but it still is unpleasant. Had water checked at the petstore, they said water levels are fine. Should we do a partial water change to see if there's disintegrated pellet food causing odor? <Yes... should do these change-outs weekly...> Any other suggestions? My pet peeve is pet stores selling these frogs with zero info on feeding, correct water levels, cleaning of tanks, etc. Thanks for the help, Lisa <Thank goodness for books, magazines, the Net... Bob Fenner>

FB Toads Won't Eat 9/12/05 We have 2 fire belly toads in a aquarium with a screen top they are on a bed of Jungle Earth with a water bowl the room is usually 78-80 with a lamp above them .The problem is that they won't eat anything we have offered crickets mealworms brine shrimp canned crickets They also seem to have a blackish film growing over their face and eyes I think they can see but not positive What can I do? Paula Holcomb < The dust from the Jungle Earth has covered their most skin and eyes and they probably can't see. They won't eat what they can't see. I would actually set them up more for frogs than for toads. Use fine sand instead of the jungle earth.-Chuck>

Ambystoma... Water Dogs I recently purchased what the pet dealer told me was a mud dog, it is an aquatic animal of some sorts, it has gills, a tadpole like tail, legs, and dragon looking things that come off of the side of it's head. If you know what I am referring to please let me know what they eat the guy that sold it to me had no idea what it ate ? <gee whiz, my friend... it is critical that we as responsible aquarists don't purchase any such animals on impulse without knowing anything about how to keep them alive. Not the least of which is how to feed them. I am very grateful that you have inquired for this information after all, but please do consider for the future that we must research out captive charge's needs before buying them for fear of taking responsibility for an inappropriate animal (with needs that will not or cannot be met by you). That said...in the wild they are said to eat worms, tadpoles, insect larva, crustaceans and fish. Some in captivity have even been fed thawed pink mice (lab food). Do look up the genus Ambystoma. Best regards, Anthony>

Albino Frog Hi, We have one in our fish tank....cute as a button, but what does he eat? <Does he look like one of these fellas http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/amphibians.htm> And also, It seems like he really can't see well...because, when we drop food in the tank for the other fish, he only takes he hands and pretends to be putting food in his mouth, but actually missing the food that is being dropped close by? He is swimming around well...but how is he surviving? <Lots of info on these little guys at the link below. http://www.ahsc.arizona.e> Thanks for your help. Maryann <Hi Maryann, the links above should provide more information than you would ever want to know about these critters, check them out and let us know if you have any more questions. Best Regards, Gage>

Snail Stocking Part Two Hello again, Thanks for the response, I've got two in the 10 gallon right now (I had a regular brown one in there, what I've seen called the 'wild-type' shell pattern, then saw a little blue one shoved into one of the 'Betta cups' at Wal-Mart the other day and decided it needed a home). The only other one I'm possibly planning to add in the future is maybe the one from my 6g African dwarf frog tank if any water problems develop there. So far no problems with the 10g since adding the second mystery snail, other than slightly elevated nitrates (25 rather than 20), but I think that's likely due to overfeeding of the bottom feeders, or my trimming back a lot of the anacharis that's in there. I'm going to try adding a little duckweed (I know, it takes over tanks. I read somewhere about someone making a 'corral' with airline and airline clips to keep it within an area of their tank. So I'll see if that works.) to pick up the extra nitrates. Plus I heard there's a chance the mystery snails might like to nibble on it. <Duckweed is an excellent way to suck up excess nutrients.> I'll let you know if there's any problems with either level of snails in the future. On a different topic, since WWM's amphibian area is a bit sparse right now, I thought I'd offer the following feeding idea, if you'd like to post it: One of the biggest problems I had with African dwarf frogs was trying to get them to eat before their food (frozen bloodworms) fell between the gravel, resulting in hungry frogs and food polluting the water. So as a solution, I got a plastic water bowl from the reptile section of PetSmart and half buried it under the gravel. The plastic's a single piece of unpainted molded plastic, so I figure it should be safe to use. Now I just squirt the defrosted bloodworms (mixed with water from the tank) into the bowl with a turkey baster. The frogs swim right over and start feasting, they've also taken to trying to nip at the turkey baster if it's in the tank since they've figured out that's where food comes from. Posted this idea on a few forums and the regulars seemed to like it, so figured I'd pass it on incase it's of use to any of WWM's regular readers. <Great idea, I have heard of something similar for feeding Corydoras live worms that dig into the substrate before the fish get a chance to eat them. Thanks for the info, best of luck, Gage> Thanks again, -Chris

Axolotl Hi guys, Your site really helps heaps! Anyway, I got an axolotl a while ago and named him Chips. Chips is gold, and eats those frozen blood worm blocks, anyway, at the fish store they told me to hand feed him, otherwise he wouldn't eat much, so I went home and stuck my hand in the water with the food. He then tried to hide in the corner and his tail touched my hand, He then freaked out and started swimming round the tank like mad, he then hit his head on the glass and sat on the bottom of the tank for ten minutes hardly breathing. He recovered and I've decided not to hand feed him again until I find out how. <good plan, they will need to become comfortable with their surroundings first, then recognize you as the one who brings the food. Even after that, getting your hands in the tank is a slow process.> I now try to push the block down into the water so it will sit on the bottom, in the hope that he would find it and eat it. But as you should know, The blocks start to disintegrate and the worms fly everywhere. He then spends ages trying to push his head between the river pebbles, in an effort to grab whatever he can. <Use finer gravel, and searching for them is part of the fun. Try different foods, formula one is good and meaty and sinks, beef heart, live Night crawlers, etc.> I'm worried that he's not eating what he should, and that I'm missing out on being an axolotl owner, how do I "train" him to trust me? <In the words of Otis Redding "Try a little tenderness". It may be a while before he adjusts to hand feeding, just focus on the husbandry aspects at first, then once he gets used to you can move in for the hand feeding. I found this site, you may find it of some use. http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/4301/axolotlfood.htm Best Regards, Gage> Thanks, It would really be appreciated Chip's Owner

Feeding Frogs Hi! I have brought inside a tame 3-inch (northern leopard?) frog who has been living in our outdoor prefab pond this summer, because the pond is only 15 inches deep and could freeze to the bottom. (Our attached garage is too warm for hibernation.) He and his "little brother," about the size of my thumb, are probably from the pet store tadpoles I added in the spring but I'm not sure. I got 500 earthworms through the mail to tide us through the winter (but that's another story...). <That's a lot of worms, my fish are envious.> Although the frogs readily take worms from my fingers, I'd like to devise a self-feeding system. Can you advise me of a good way of dispensing earthworms? <Boy, I wish I knew, I know with feeding blood worms to aquarium fish they make a small mesh cone that the worms will wriggle out of for the fish to munch, but I am not sure about earth worms, I guess I have not spent enough time with them. Something similar would be sure to drop a bunch of dirt into your tank, and whose to say that they will even wriggle out?> Presently the frogs are in an aquarium with water 6.5 inches deep above 1.5 inches of pebbles, with 3 large rocks protruding above the water. When I place a worm in a dish on the rocks, it usually slithers out of the dish, across the rock and into the water and pebbles before either frog makes a move! <I have the same problem with my sand fish skinks and wax worms.> I'm considering converting one end of the tank to "land" but am uncertain what substrate to use in it-- gravel would be the tidiest, but damp sphagnum moss more apt to keep the worm escapees out of the water. But the most important question is, won't the worms simply continue to elude the frogs as they leave the dish and bury themselves in the substrate? <I'd go with gravel with moss on top. The frogs will probably get the worms, but it would not surprise me in the slightest if some escape, dig, die, and foul your water.> I know frogs are commonly raised in captivity as lab animals and am sure someone has come up with a better idea than hand-feeding. How do they do it?? Thanks for your suggestions! <I am afraid I do not know of any automated ways to feed them. I am sure if any of our daily readers have a plan they will let us know and we will post on the daily FAQS (Anybody?). You can also mix some crickets into their diet if you have a local supply, they do not dig, and it is easy to remove the un eaten ones. Best of Luck, Gage> Peg

Frog/pleco/goldfish Hello, I have a few questions. I recently just set up a 10 gallon tank, with 3 fantail goldfish, 1 pleco, and an African dwarf frog. I bought algae wafers for my pleco, which I'm concerned that the goldfish are eating them instead. the goldfish are also eating the frog food. I feed the frog the sinking tadpole/frog pellets. I have heard that feeding bloodworms can actually make the fish sick??? < Feeding bloodworms has been known to cause digestive problems in some fish. It may be from overfeeding.> I'm not sure how that all works but I was told that the frogs like frozen bloodworms, so is it possible for the bloodworms to come alive after they have been frozen?? < Once they are frozen then they are dead.> I am looking for a substitute to feed my frog so I will have to deal with worms of any sort...ugh. and I am also trying to find away for my pleco and frog to get food without the goldfish eating it all first. please help! < When you turn out the lights the goldfish will go to sleep and the pleco will come out to eat. So feed the algae wafers at night. Unfortunately I think the goldfish may still find some of the wafers , even in the dark but it is worth a try. Your frog is a carnivore and will require some sort of critter to feed on. I suggest that you get some small earthworms and wash them and place them in front of the frog. I am sure he will snatch them up right away and hide so the goldfish won't get them.-Chuck> Toad, frog questions Hi, I'm raising wild bull frogs in a fish tank. I would like to know if this will harm them in the winter and also what foods do they eat?. < Bull frogs are carnivorous and will eat just about anything they can get into their mouths including other frogs. You firebelly toads are probably poisonous to the bull frog if he tries and eat them. Your frog will be fine in your aquarium but may require a hibernation or cool down period if you want them to breed in the spring.> I've been feeding them crickets, mealworms and also regular worms. Is this ok for all of them? < It all sounds good.> I'm also raising a water frog in the same tank and 2 firebelly toads. Do they all eat the same things as a firebelly toad and will the firebelly toads cause them harm? <They should all eat all the same things if they can fit it into their mouths.-Chuck> Thank You, Gail

Goldfish, newts and mosquito larvae control I was wondering if goldfish and newts can be housed together, because I have a mosquito larvae problem? And I read that goldfish can eat the larvae. < Sure. Fish do eat aquatic insect larva. Both goldfish and newts have similar water requirements too.-Chuck>

Frozen blood worms for my newt??? Hi!!!! ok I have just recently gotten a newt.( I think an Oregon newt) I read that they eat live worms and beta fish. the place I bought my newt however, said that I can feed them frozen blood worms. is that alright? what else do you suggest??? thank you very much? also one more little question... do you know anything about house geckos??? if you do when is it alright for me to start feeding my baby gecko crickets? right now I am feeding it flightless fruit flies... >> Your newt can be fed with frozen blood worm, he may also it other frozen foods such as brine shrimp and Mysis. Your gecko should be ready to start eating small crickets soon. Try it with half sized or quarter sized crickets, the only way to find out is try it! good luck, Oliver Frog Problems 8/2/05 Hope You can help us we are trying to start a African dwarf frog tank, with no luck. we have a small 5 gallon acrylic bow front tank with a corner bubbler type canister filter, all the water conditions are fine i.e. ammonia, nitrates, ph.... it is NOT heated , the water stays around 72 degrees, the tank has been running for about a month ,MT, we have tried twice to add frogs (4 young about 1 inch each time) but both times they all died with in a week or two. We are feeding them HBH frog and tadpole bites. We have no problems with our other 3 tanks (thanks to your GREAT help) , 55 Gallon Cichlids tank , 30 gallon GSP tank (soon to upgrade) and a 25 gallon community tank. We have read your forums and seen to have the tank set up right, Caves to hide in, Low water movement, i.e. the canister filter, broad leaf plastic plants (no live plants) HELP why are we always committing Frogicide? Thank You, Mike < Many frogs are held at wholesalers and retail stores and never seem to get enough to eat. If would recommend that you get a few frogs and feed them Calif. black worms. Just throw them in the tank and the frogs will find them and fatten up. Once they are eating then you will be on your way.-Chuck>

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