# African dwarf frog. Injury? Illness?



## puppy (Jan 26, 2009)

My adf had a large red bump on his head. I noticed it late last night. I was tired, but I tried to search online to see what the problem was. Coming up with nothing, I went to bed. So today, I go back to the tank to see if I can take a look at him again, and I can't find him.  I've taken out all the decorations that serve as hiding places. I do not see the frog anywhere. Do they burrow? Is there any chance he is hidden in the gravel? I know injured animals will hide to stay safe, but I don't see him anywhere in the tank.

It's a 55 gallon tank. There is 1 other frog in there, and several fish. The frogs often hide, but they are normally easy to spot if you look for them. I'm sure he must be in there somewhere, it is a large tank. I'll find him.

But does anybody have any idea of what the red bump is? If I could find him, I'd post a picture, but I can't find him.


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## Guest (Aug 22, 2009)

This is precisely why I never recommend mixing frogs with fish, ADF's should only be kept in a species tank away from fish. Out-competition for food is a major problem and I've seen fish actually peck at these frogs, causing some horrific injuries. I've never known African dwarf frogs as burrowing creatures, they usually tend to seek refuge amongst hard decor or the plants. 

It is quite likely that the frog has died unfortunately, especially if you can't find the corpse. The bodies of frogs and fish decompose very quickly, and the fish will also pick at the corpse. The speed at which aquatic organisms decompose often leaves fishkeepers stumped when they can't find their fish.


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## puppy (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanks for the reply.
Yeah, I didn't think they burrowed either, and I guess I didn't want to admit to myself that he's dead. But yeah, I've seen how fast aquatic species decompose and add to that, the fish pecking at it, it makes sense that that's what happened.

I have a separate empty tank (7 gallon) that is just sitting in my closet right now. I think I should just take out the remaining frog, buy her some buddies and have a frog only tank. I don't want any more deaths.


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## puppy (Jan 26, 2009)

I found it!  

I found the missing frog last night. I was feeding the tank and then I saw two frogs. I was so surprised, because I thought the frog had died and already decomposed. I had removed all the decorations from the tank, and thought I had completely looked through the tank. Apparently I must have missed a spot. I cleaned out the tank yesterday, so maybe he came up out of the gravel when I was vacuuming it.

I asked this on another forum and the answer I got was that they do burrow, which makes sense now that I have found him. I was also told that most likely he is a she and was fighting with the other frog, if they are both female. I'm going to try to see if I can sex them. I assumed the fatter one was female, but maybe I should find another way to sex besides size.

So if 2 frogs together will fight, and other fish will bite them, how is it best to keep these guys?

Here's an image showing the hurt frog:


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