Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have always been reluctant to feed my horned frog feeder fish, but I an wondering a few things. My problem with feeders is the way they are kept in pet stores; overcrowded tanks, tons of dead and dying fish, and the fact that many of them harbor parasites (some are even visible, like the extremely nasty gill worms.) not to mention the chemicals that are often added to fish tanks, such as methyline blue and ich meds. I would be afraid that these could have been added to the feeder tank, and I don't want my frog to ingest that.
I was wondering if fish parasites would pose a danger to a frog if eaten, or if they are in the wrong stage to infect the frog (or even if they're species-specific and could only infect fish.) In short, could the parasite hurt the frog and possibly infest it, or would it emrely be digested with the rest of the fish?
I realize that this is a pretty deep query. I am just trying to explain why I advise against feeding fish to frogs, and seeing if my fears can be allayed.
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2.1 Ball pythons
1.0 Boa Constrictor Imperator
0.1 albino Cranwell's horned frog
1.0 bearded dragon
1.0 Tiger salamander
1.1 breeding Clawed frogs
1.0 black kittycat
3.1 Oscar cichlids

First off if all the fish in the feeder fish tank are dead and have dead ones floating around or if the water isn't clear then don't use them.Apparently other than that feeding fish is fine.I am not sure about the parasite question but you wouldn't think a fish parasite could take hold in a frog.(completely different body temps/environment etc.

If I were to feed fish (I may start), I would only buy ones that were designated to be pets. Every feeder tank in all of my local shops is just plain gross.
But buying pet-quality goldfish could get expensive. I think I will just stick to nightcrawlers; why fix something that isn't broken?
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2.1 Ball pythons
1.0 Boa Constrictor Imperator
0.1 albino Cranwell's horned frog
1.0 bearded dragon
1.0 Tiger salamander
1.1 breeding Clawed frogs
1.0 black kittycat
3.1 Oscar cichlids

Look into feeding mollies.It's pretty easy toset up a breeding colony.
I also have a tank full of tuffies ( rosey reds ). One need to cut the pet shops a little slack with that.
They are not a very hardy fish.
I am meticulous with tank maintenence, and I still loose substantial numbers.
I feed lots of different fish to my frogs, with no ill effect.
This includes some I've caught in salt water...Silversides, and a bunch of other names the fish go by.
My frogs went absolutely bonkers for them.Maybe the salty taste? The firmness? The color? The size?
One thing I've learned about feeding frogs...be creative.
I'm pretty certain, that in the wild, Pacman frogs, African Bullfrogs...etc, are not all that fussy about what they eat.

Even if the tank is clear and there arern't any dead fish in it is not an indicator if the feeders are safe. Ask if they use copper in the water (or buy a test kit and test it yourself) there are some anecdotal reports on copper toxicity in Pelochelys bibroni from feeder fish kept in tanks with copper based medications to eliminate parasites.

Whether or not a parasite can survive in your frog will depend on the type of parasite. Most of the parasites in fish are geared to infect other fish or birds (although one of the common exceptions is a tapeworms for cats). The frog is a dead end host which means that the parasite must either encyst and remain dormant or it cannot reproduce (if it is one that can survive in the frog). Feeding insects, worms or even cultured rodents does not guarantee that your frog will remain parasite free. We do fecal tests twice a year at work and all kinds of animals show up to have parasites despite being fed food items that are from a clean source. (I am currently treating Wyoming Toads (Bufo baxteri) and Panamanian Golden Toads (Atelopus zeteki) at work for parasites and these are captive bred from captive bred adults and were fed only cultured crickets yet they had high levels of nematodes.)This concern can be alleviated by simply freezing the fish for at least two weeks as this will kill the parasites. (Note: Frozen/thawed fish should not make up the majority of the diet as this can lead to thiamine deficiencies).

Do not feed goldfish. Goldfish are high in saturated fats and cholesterol and have been implicated in fatty liver problems in some marine fish and large cichlids when used as the majority of the diet. Rosey reds/fat head minnows/tuffies (all the same fish), marine/brackish water fish like silversides, cold water fish and livebearers are all good choices as they are a better balanced food source. Fish have been fed as the entire food source to bullfrogs as part of a nutritional study and were shown to be a complete diet for these frogs (unlike crickets and earthworms).
Hope this helps,

Ed