# Tank Care After Death of Frog



## kcelsi (Apr 18, 2016)

Hello,
My African Dwarf Frog just passed away from what I think was a bacterial infection. I treated with Furan-2, but it did not work. He had a large red lump on his head and red marks on his back and feet.

I wanted to know what I should do to make sure the tank is safe if I get another frog. I would have to clean the tank, gravel, plants, terra cotta food plate, etc. What should I use and what may need to be discarded?

I'm still wondering why he got sick and if it was something I did. I only had him about a week before the bump showed up so could it have been something he had when I got him? 

I just want to do everything I can to prevent this from happening to another frog. I feel so bad about it.

One more thing...is it better for them if there are two? I have a 2.5 gallon tank.

Thank you!!


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## RRRavelo (Nov 21, 2007)

If he got sick within a week the infection came with the frog so don't blame yourself too much.
I would not put 2 in a 2.5 gal. tank. You should be doing water changes at least weekly in such a small tank and feed very sparingly.

You can let the tank got totally dry then put a 10% bleach solution in there overnight and the rinse well. They don't need to leave the water being aquatic frogs so I'm not sure where the food plate and plants fit in unless they were submerged. New plants would be a good idea. Don't put in any fish...


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## kcelsi (Apr 18, 2016)

Thanks for the tips! I put the plate in the water and drop the food pellets on it so they don't get lost in the gravel. 

Hope I have better luck this time.


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## Steuss (Apr 20, 2016)

Out of curiosity, do you have a testing kit, and if you do, did you happen to test ammonia?

From the look and sound of it, combined with the tank size, my radar points to an ammonia burn rather than some type of illness.


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## kcelsi (Apr 18, 2016)

I don't but I will pick one up and test the water tomorrow to see. What would the ammonia come from and if it's high, how do you reduce it?

What are the symptoms of ammonia burn?


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## kblack3 (Mar 9, 2015)

kcelsi said:


> I don't but I will pick one up and test the water tomorrow to see. What would the ammonia come from and if it's high, how do you reduce it?
> 
> 
> 
> What are the symptoms of ammonia burn?




Ammonia is produced through waste and overfeeding primarily. Ammonia can by processed but I agree with the prior post ammonia is very toxic


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## kcelsi (Apr 18, 2016)

Thank you for all the help. 

After looking at photos of ammonia burn, I realized it must have been that. I feel terrible that I didn't know about this. I will get a test kit, make sure the water is cleaned frequently and be sure not to over feed.


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## RRRavelo (Nov 21, 2007)

Try feeding smaller amounts every other day and doing a 75% water change every week. Tap water should be fine as long as your local water supply is good just let it stand a bit and try to use about the same temp as the water you replace.

Do a bit of research and you'll find they can get pretty big eventually and will soon outgrow that tank. Think seriously about getting a basic 10 gal setup with a filter. It will give you a much higher margin of error. 

GL with it....


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## kcelsi (Apr 18, 2016)

Thanks again. I had been using Stress Coat to condition the new water since I already had some when I got the frog. Is that okay?


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## Steuss (Apr 20, 2016)

kcelsi said:


> Thanks again. I had been using Stress Coat to condition the new water since I already had some when I got the frog. Is that okay?


Yes, that is fine. That's actually good to do, as it will also neutralize the chlorine and/or chloramine in your water.

If your tank doesn't have some type of filter, I would suggest getting one. Even a simple sponge filter will be of great benefit. A small plant wouldn't be a bad idea either.

You've got three main parts of the nitrogen cycle (i.e. the waste from your little critter being broken down). The first is ammonia. This is gnarly stuff for aquatic (and semi-aquatic) critters. If you have a plant, it will gobble up some of the ammonia fairly easily. Your main line of defense though, is going to be bacteria. These little guys convert the ammonia to nitrite, and then a different group (called nitrobacters) will then convert the nitrite to nitrate. Nitrite is still a little gnarly for critters, but not nearly as bad as ammonia. And nitrate is fairly benign, but still needs to be removed via regular water changes.

It takes a while for the bacteria colonies to take hold, so the best thing to do is to cycle your tank prior to adding your critter(s). This is done by either adding ammonia daily (buy some that is specifically made for cycling tanks, don't buy it from a store), or by adding a small piece of food, or other item to decompose. You'd then periodically test your water. You'd initially test for nitrite and ammonia. Once you see the ammonia start to drop, and nitrite begin to rise, you're part way there. Next you'd start testing for nitrate and nitrite. Once you see nitrite drop, and nitrate rise, you are good to add your critter.

If you use a sponge filter, be careful when cleaning it to only clean half of it at a time. You don't want to disturb your bacterial colonies too much.

Hope this helps.


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## RRRavelo (Nov 21, 2007)

I don't think you want to use Stress Coat with aquatic frogs and putting a filter in a 2.5 gal as even the smallest filter are made for 10 gal or larger tanks.


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## Steuss (Apr 20, 2016)

RRRavelo said:


> I don't think you want to use Stress Coat with aquatic frogs and putting a filter in a 2.5 gal as even the smallest filter are made for 10 gal or larger tanks.


I agree that most traditional HOB, and Canister filters are made for 10 gallons or larger; however, there are air-driven sponge filters that are geared towards nano tanks, such as a 2.5 gal. People use them sometimes for Betas, fry tanks, and they are also pretty common with nano invert tanks. Granted though, in a tank as small as a 2.5, any type of internal filter will take up some real estate. The smallest Azoo sponge would probably be the best sponge filter option, as it's footprint is only 2-3/4" (and it's only 3-1/2 high). There may be some generic options on Ebay though, that ship from China, that are smaller. It's also fairly easy to make your own. 

There's also Lee's line of corner filters -- I think the smallest has a footprint that is only 3x3 inches. While a slightly larger footprint, it's still air driven, and it has the versatility of being able to select your own media (so you can do a mix of biological, mechanical and chemical if you wanted).

While some internal power filters would take up even more real estate, there a lot of options for tanks smaller than a 10 gal. KollerCraft makes one with an adjustable flow, that can be turned all the way down to 10 GPH. As long as the tank is tall enough, it has a surprisingly small footprint of only 1-1/2" x 1-3/4". The spray bar positioning would be a little tricky though, making sure it didn't cause significant surface agitation so it isn't difficult for the frog to surface.

Also, there are a few HOBs that have a low enough GPH that they work for tanks smaller than a 10 gal. The AquaTop PF-15 has a flow of 64 GPH. While it would make for pretty tumultuous rapids on a 2.5, it would be perfect for a 5 gallon tank (at least using the general 10x turnover rule of thumb).

Edited to add:
I just saw this post of yours.


RRRavelo said:


> Think seriously about getting a basic 10 gal setup with a filter. It will give you a much higher margin of error.


Kcelsi,
I think this is by far the wisest thing to do. While nano tanks (i.e. generally anything under 5 gallons) are fun, they do tend to take a little more expertise, and care. Larger tanks are much more forgiving -- especially while learning to take care of new types of critters.


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## Jaedgoojr (Feb 22, 2021)

RRRavelo said:


> If he got sick within a week the infection came with the frog so don't blame yourself too much.
> I would not put 2 in a 2.5 gal. tank. You should be doing water changes at least weekly in such a small tank and feed very sparingly.
> 
> You can let the tank got totally dry then put a 10% bleach solution in there overnight and the rinse well. They don't need to leave the water being aquatic frogs so I'm not sure where the food plate and plants fit in unless they were submerged. New plants would be a good idea. Don't put in any fish...


I have a African dwarf frog that has a red bump on his nose I've had him for about two and a half months what do I need to do to treat him somebody please help my daughter is worried to death he's going to die


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