Can African dwarf frogs eat fish flakes?

Last Updated on March 4, 2022 by cmoarz

African dwarf frogs are passive and slow eaters. They will barely stand a chance in a community tank and may starve to death if you feed them fish flakes. They are carnivorous, don’t have teeth, and swallow their food whole. Frozen black worms and blood worms are instead the preferred choices of food. 

Fish flakes are light and stay suspended in water for a longer time than frozen bloodworms or frog pellets. While fish can quickly dart around to scoop food suspended in water, the African dwarf frog may find it difficult to feed on fish flakes, more so if it shares the aquarium or tank with fish. 

Read: How long can afd hold it’s breath

Factors to consider.

There are two main factors to consider when feeding your African Dwarf frog: 1.The size of the feed. 2. It should not quickly disintegrate in water. 

As African dwarf frogs swallow their food whole, you should be wary of the pellet size as bigger sized pellets can sometimes be difficult to swallow. You can instead opt for customized pellets for frogs and tadpoles available in aquarium stores. These are micro pellets which is suited for all types of aquatic frogs and tadpoles. 

Why are fish flakes not ideal?

Fish flakes are not the ideal food for African dwarf frogs as they dissolve quicker in water. As mentioned earlier, the African dwarf frog is a leisurely eater and may return to its food later. In the case of fish flakes, not only do they disintegrate, but they also lose their nutrition when dissolved into water.

The best food choice for African dwarf frogs (what do African dwarf frogs eat?)

The best choice of feed for an African dwarf frog is frozen blood worms or live black worms. Frozen blood worms or live black worms do not easily disintegrate like pellets or fish flakes. 

Other options to consider are finely chopped earthworms, frozen krill, live or frozen Gammarus, and frozen beef heart. 

In case you contemplate feeding your frog freeze-fried food, make sure you let it hydrate first in a bowl of water. If fed directly to an African dwarf frog, it can cause digestive problems and bloating. 

Read: Can they eat beta food?

How to feed your African dwarf frog 

African dwarf frogs and other exotic fish species can co-exist largely because they share the same dietary habits and require the same temperature range. There is, however, a challenge in terms of feeding it. They spend a lot of time at the bottom of the tank, and hence you would need to prod them by tapping the sides of the tank. 

There are times you might even need to insert a Turkish baster in the tank to feed it.

In case you opt for pellets, they should sink to the bottom of the tank and don’t disintegrate quickly as it can cause a mess and contaminate the tank.

The ideal diet, however, is frozen or hydrated freeze-dried brine shrimp, tubifex worms, and bloodworms. African dwarf frogs look good in the tank, and they make an exciting combination with other fish, but they require some extra or special care. Read how often you should feed them.