amber-kaye said:
The sign at Pet Smart for the frog I got today (the larger one) said it was an African Dwarf Frog. It's kinda white.
Ut-oh.... Look at froggy's feet. Are they clawed? It sounds like you got a clawed frog -- they're predatory and you may soon not have to worry about being overstocked or not.
I haven't ever seen a white dwarf frog (webbed feet/stay quite small)
amber-kaye said:
Umm... apparently there's more to this than they're telling me... uhh... vacuumming the gravel? Uh oh. I didn't know I was supposed to do that. They just told me to change 25% of the water once a week and change the filter once a month. I've been doing that.
Yup, vacuuming the gravel. It's really easy and can be how you do your water changes. You can get gravel vacs anywhere for under $8. They're essentially glorified siphons. Changing the water is good, changing the filter that often is counterproductive. When you do your water changes, just take your filter material and slosh it around in the bucket with the water you just removed from the tank (never hot or nondechloriniated water!) then pop the filter material back into the filter. That's where the majority of your 'good' bacteria live. When the filter material gets too ratty, replace it (preferably not at the same time as you do a heavy vacuuming)
amber-kaye said:
What do you mean by the water parameters? And the water cycling? Like I said... apparently there's more to this than they told me at Pet Smart. And I have fallen for my fishies so I do NOT want them to die on me.
Your best bet is to read the stickies posted on the beginning of this forum. They'll tell you all about cycling your tank etc. You'll want to invest in some test kits -- the reagent kits (dropper tests) are far better than the 'test strips'. With your tank up for a while, it may be done cycling or close to done. Testing your water is very simple and your water change regimen is a great first step!
amber-kaye said:
Also... we are going to be moving 6 hours away in about 7 months... any recommendations on how to move the fish and get them back in the tank when we get to our new home? I guess the tank will have to be the last thing to go and the first thing to get set up.
That's exactly what you need to do! *thumbsups NoDelta had a great thread on moving crosscountry. The basics are: last out of the house, first up in the house, keep the filter media and gravel wet if possible, EMPTY the tank or you'll risk cracking it, don't keep too much water in with the fish or you'll have serious sloshing.....
One more suggestion: stop listening to whoever gave you advice at PetSmart. LOL Or at least take it with a grain of salt. Some of what they told you was correct but they seem to have left plenty out also and they may have sold you something you didn't really want or ask for. If your frog is indeed a clawed frog, bring him back and get a refund -- they misled you and I doubt you want him.
Good luck!
