Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got 2 ACF's from a local petstore three days ago. I put them in a 10gal Oceanic tank with no other fish, natural colored gravel, a four inch plastic pot with a opening cut for a hide, whisper filter, fluorescent light, temps at 76F, feeding on frozen bloodworms, water conditioned with Tetra AquaSafe. From what I observed, they spend most of their time floating on the top breathing. Is something wrong?

My guess is they are either hungry, which is common because they are bottomless pits, or you have an ammonia spike, considering its a new tank and these are very dirty frogs, thats very likely. I would test the ammonia levels, if they are high do more frequent water changes and scoop out any left over food after feeding.

good advice there, i would also add multiple plastic plants and rocks that they can rest on and still be at the top. also multiple hiding areas so that they can get away from eachother. feeding them some different things (more often than every once in a while) will keep them happy. small fish, crickets, stuff like that.
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if wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets

First of all, a ten gallon aquarium is NOT suitable for Xenopus. These frogs should be given a minimum of a 40 gallon tank. Each frog will need that much space, but you can certainly keep them at a density of 2-4 frogs in a 40 gallon breeder.

76 is the max temp I'd feel comfortable keeping Xenopus. If they are kept too warm, they develop bacterial infections. My frogs used to constantly float near the top and shortly later, their skin would peal and they wouldn't eat.

There is a lot of bad info concerning keeping Xenopus, but in reality they are not for beginner frog keepers due to their huge size and temperature preferences.

please keep in mind, bloodworms is not a good diet for pipid frogs. While safe occasionally, chronic feeding of Bloodworms will lead to bloating disease in these amphibians.

I suggest you plan on upgrading to a minimum of a 40 gallon in a cooler spot in your house, or keep them in a large rubbermaid or preformed pond in a cool spot.