# Frogs & Toads > Frogs >  Albino African Clawed Frog looking thin

## mateosbaby

Hi all, I have 2 African Clawed frogs, who are evidently female, not males like we originally thought.   :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):   They live in a 30 gal tank with 2 large goldfish (6" and 7" long) and 2 giant danios (3 of which have already been fish food, oops).  Mr. White, or should I say, Miss White, has always been a great eater.  Suddenly he/she/whatever is looking very thin.  Miss Brown is nice and fat like always.  Should mention, we bought them in like August or September of '09 from a great fish store in our area.  I usually feed them Reptomin and shrimp pellets, plus they'll eat the flake food I give the fish.  Very rarely I'll give them live food (goldfish and ghost shrimp), or they'll steal a danio overnight.  I'm not sure why he's not eating.  It's been a few days, I guess, but even though I know they eat when they're hungry, they have never gotten thin before.  Anyone have any guesses as to what's gone wrong, and what to do about it?  I just lost our tadpole (caught it in a pond for a science project) the other day, and I'm not looking to lose another frog anytime soon!  Thanks for any help you can give me, and let me know if you need more info.  Thanks again!

Sara

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## PsionicRat

If she's not distended in the belly like she swallowed the wrong thing (a rock or something) or isn't red around the lower part of the belly or have a discolored slime, bubble, bulge or bump or anything else out of the ordinary.. then the only thing I could think of or find on the subject is perhaps to take a look at how you're setting up the water like: are you doing 20-30% water changes every few days between tank cleanings(Though I guess with a filter for the fish you could open it up and make sure it's clean), is your dechlorinator in date?  That sort of thing.. I know these guys are supposed to be super sensetive to chemical changes and metals in the water, so you could start with just reassessing how you have the water in the tank.

The other thing I was able to find about and ACF that wasn't feeding was a suggestion to try different food.  I use frozen cubes and alternate between bloodworms, beef heart and brine shrimp, giving one of the three, every other day.

My Albino ACF, Takeo, came to me very emaciated and had stopped eating due to stress from a cat constantly trying to eat him and he also had a very poor diet of strictly bloodworms.  I tried reptomin but he won't even look at them.  Sinking food with a notable 'smell' in the water might do the trick.  I put one in and as soon as it melts down a little in the water he goes nuts.  Nightcrawlers are supposed to be good too, but I haven't tried them yet.

Also, Goldfish are bad for ACF's as a treat, they've got an enzyme in them that's no good for them and their spines don't digest well and can puncture their insides.  You might want to switch to guppies instead.

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## scribbles

Could you please post a picture of the frog? As PsionicRat mentioned, goldfish are not a good food for ACF's because an enzyme they contain prevents the frogs from absorbing vitamin B. "Feeder fish" also can carry parasites that will harm your frog.

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## Kurt

Was this tadpole housed with the frogs and fish?

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## mateosbaby

The tadpoles were in a different tank.  So no worries there.  Miss White did eat some worms and other "creepy crawlies" my dd and dh put in there with the fish and frogs.  The goldfish chomped down most of it, though.  They are pigs.   :Smile:   She was eating some shrimp pellets last night and this morning, as well, so maybe her "fast" is over.  I will try to take a picture of her and post, although I'm not very technical-minded.   :Wink:   Thanks for the help!  I hate losing any of my animals.

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## mateosbaby

Here are some pics (I hope).

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## PsionicRat

She doesn't look too terribly thin, my boy Takeo was at least twice as thin as that when I got him and he's still not round and fat like I'd like him to be.  He's actually about the same build right now as yours is and he's doing quite well considering how he was when I got him.

She should be okay, especially if she's eating again.  If you're still worried, you might consider setting her up in a spare tank (if you have one or can borrow one) for a week or so and feeding her on her own so that the fish don't steal it all.

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## mateosbaby

Yeah, I've noticed she's put on a little bit since she started eating yesterday.  Who knew they could gain so quickly?  lol  I'll just keep an eye on her now and see that she gets some food in her every day.  Thanks for your help!

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## Kurt

I agree, the frog looks fine to me.

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## Terry

Thanks for the pictures, your frogs are nice looking, just a bit thin. I didn't see any external problems, like injuries or disease. I suggest feeding them tubifex worms. According to a couple of ACF husbandry studies, they will grow faster with regular feedings of tubifex worms. Just make sure you siphon off the uneaten worms to prevent fouling the water.

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## mateosbaby

> Thanks for the pictures, your frogs are nice looking, just a bit thin. I didn't see any external problems, like injuries or disease. I suggest feeding them tubifex worms. According to a couple of ACF husbandry studies, they will grow faster with regular feedings of tubifex worms. Just make sure you siphon off the uneaten worms to prevent fouling the water.


I just looked at a picture of those.  Yuck!  LOL  I am not a creepy-crawly person, but my dd would absolutely love having those tiny worms everywhere.   :EEK!:   Is it OK to give them earthworms, millipedes, and the like that she digs up?  So far, the goldfish LOVE 'em, and occasionally the frogs get some, too (when our biggest goldfish, the pig, doesn't find it first).  They seem to love to hunt the live food, and I know Miss White especially loves the hunt.  Miss Brown could care less how she gets the food, as long as she eats.   :Smile: 

Out of curiosity, how much Reptomin &/or shrimp pellets should I be giving them?  Is there a general rule of thumb for how much they should eat in a certain amount of time?

Thanks!

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## Kurt

Millipedes are toxic, some even produce cyanide.

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## Terry

> I just looked at a picture of those. Yuck! LOL I am not a creepy-crawly person, but my dd would absolutely love having those tiny worms everywhere.  Is it OK to give them earthworms, millipedes, and the like that she digs up? So far, the goldfish LOVE 'em, and occasionally the frogs get some, too (when our biggest goldfish, the pig, doesn't find it first). They seem to love to hunt the live food, and I know Miss White especially loves the hunt. Miss Brown could care less how she gets the food, as long as she eats.


As mentioned earlier, by Kurt, no millipedes. I would not feed feeder fish either, they bring in unwanted parasites. Earthworms are fine, probably need to chop them up and clean them before feeding (this is something I don't like to do, yuck!). ACFs are one of the few species of frogs that are good predators as well as scavengers. They eat live food as well as carrion. 




> Out of curiosity, how much Reptomin &/or shrimp pellets should I be giving them? Is there a general rule of thumb for how much they should eat in a certain amount of time?
> 
> Thanks!


I usually feed four or five sticks of Repto-Min per frog 5 times a week. Adjust the amount if this is too much or too little. I been very successful feeding them Repto-Min exclusively. It is always available and don't have to worry about obtaining and keeping live food. Of course, there are people who disagree with me, that's OK. The only rule of thumb is to do what's right for your frogs  :Frog Smile:

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