Species Profile & Temperament

The African Clawed Frog Warning

CRITICAL IDENTIFICATION: African Dwarf Frogs are frequently confused with African Clawed Frogs (Xenopus laevis). The Clawed Frog grows to the size of a grapefruit and will eat every fish in your tank.

- Dwarf Frogs have webbing between their front fingers.

- Clawed Frogs do NOT have webbing on their front fingers, and their eyes sit on the very top of their head.

Housing & Aquarium

Tank Size & Setup

• Type: Fully Aquatic Aquarium. They cannot live in terrestrial terrariums.
• Size: A cycled, lidded, shallow tank. Ask us to help choose a size for your group. Very small tanks make water parameters hard to keep stable.
• Lid (CRITICAL): They are excellent jumpers. Your aquarium must have a tight-fitting, secure lid, or you will find dried-up frogs on your floor.
• Air Space: They do not have gills; they have lungs and must swim to the surface to breathe air. Leave a 1-inch gap between the water line and the lid.

Substrate

• Recommended: Bare-bottom, large river stones, or fine sand.
• Avoid: Standard aquarium gravel. Frogs are clumsy eaters and frequently swallow gravel by accident when lunging at food, which causes fatal impaction.

Décor & Enrichment

• Hiding Spots: They are prey animals and need to hide to feel safe. Provide terra cotta pots, smooth caves, or dense aquatic plants (Java Fern and Anubias are great).

Water Parameters & Filtration

Amphibians absorb everything through their skin. Water quality is the most important aspect of their care.

• Dechlorinator (Mandatory): Tap water contains chlorine/chloramines that will burn and kill your frogs. Every drop of water added to the tank must be treated with a water conditioner (like Seachem Prime or API Stress Coat).
• Filtration: They are weak swimmers and get stressed by strong currents. A sponge filter driven by an air pump is the absolute best choice for them.

Diet & Nutrition

African Dwarf Frogs are carnivores with terrible eyesight. They hunt entirely by smell and vibrations. Because they are slow, clumsy eaters, keeping them with fast fish (like tetras or guppies) usually means the frogs starve to death because the fish steal all the food.

What to Feed

• Staples: Sinking frog pellets (like Zoo Med Aquatic Frog & Tadpole Food) and frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp, thawed in the fridge.
• Avoid: Freeze-dried foods; they float and are hard for frogs to find.

Feeding Schedule

• Adults: Feed every other day.
• Target Feeding: The best way to ensure they eat is to use a turkey baster or long tweezers to drop the food directly in front of their faces.

Tank Mates

They are best kept in a species-only tank (just frogs). Fish steal their food before the frogs can find it, so they do not belong in a community tank or a betta tank. Never keep them with fish, including bettas.

What We Use & Recommend

These are products we use and recommend for this species. Stock varies by store, so ask us what we have in store today.

Last updated: 2026-08-04

How We Keep Them at Critter Cabana & Gresham Pet Supply

• Oregon Tap Water Tip (Soft Water Advantage + pH Stability): Municipal tap water across the Willamette Valley and Portland Metro (Bull Run and Willamette River sources) comes out of the tap naturally ultra-soft (0–1 dGH and 0–1 dKH). While African Dwarf Frog love soft water, 0 dKH means there is almost zero carbonate buffer to stop your pH from crashing once biological filtration kicks in. In our store systems at Critter Cabana (Newberg) and Gresham Pet Supply, we condition with Seachem Prime and add a light dose of mineral/KH buffer or botanicals so the pH stays rock-steady instead of swinging between water changes.
• Free In-Store Water Testing & Cycling Help: Bring a small cup or vial of your tank water into Critter Cabana (Newberg) or Gresham Pet Supply and our aquatic crew will test your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and KH/GH for free before you add fish.

Common Questions (FAQ)

Is Oregon tap water safe for African Dwarf Frog?

Willamette Valley and Portland Metro tap water is very clean once treated with a dechlorinator like Seachem Prime, but it comes out of the tap ultra-soft (0–1 dGH and 0–1 dKH). Because African Dwarf Frogs need stable water, we recommend bringing a water sample into Critter Cabana (Newberg) or Gresham Pet Supply for a free KH/GH and pH check so your tank doesn't experience a pH crash.

What size tank does a African Dwarf Frog actually need?

Plan on a lidded, shallow tank with a fully cycled biological filter and a stable temperature (ask our staff for the range we keep ours at). Ask us to help choose a size. Larger water volume keeps water chemistry much more forgiving, especially in Oregon's low-KH tap water.

What do you feed African Dwarf Frog at Critter Cabana and Gresham Pet Supply?

We target-feed sinking frog pellets and fridge-thawed bloodworms or brine shrimp, placed right in front of each frog with a baster or tongs. Then we take out any food they don't eat.

Where can I buy healthy African Dwarf Frog in the Portland or Willamette Valley area?

Ask us what we have in store today at Critter Cabana in Newberg (503-537-2887) and Gresham Pet Supply (503-665-7606).