African Dwarf Frog is the most peace-loving and has a quiet nature. They appreciate having tank mates around them, with those who could be an excellent match for them. However, there are so many species to choose from, but we will bring the most compatible dwarf frog tank mates for a happy and healthy life for dwarf frogs in the following article.
For better adjustments, their mates should have similarities with them. The perfect mates would be fishes like; Platies or Danios, snails, and tetras. Some other facts matter the most while choosing dwarf frog companions, such as size. Its size should be medium, neither more extensive than a frog nor smaller. It must have the capability to resist, peace providing, and live along with dwarf easily. The dwarf is a freshwater community, and the same goes for its mates.
While setting the aquarium, make sure to fill at its highest level, whereas the size of the aquarium must be up to 10 gallons. The pet’s happiness is undoubtedly our priority. Dwarf frogs are extremely gentle so you should prefer mates with the exact nature and quality. They help enhance the community program in the tank, give a tremendous impact, and introduce an entertaining look with different species.
This article on African dwarf frog tank mates will introduce the most compatible mates, so let’s get into the details.
Overview of Dwarf
- Family: Pipidae
- Aquarium required Size: 10 Gal’s
- Nature: Peaceful
- Size: 3 inches
- Maximum Life: 5 Years
- Body color: Olive to dark green
- Compatibility: Tropical Freshwater
This species scientifically belongs to a family, Pipdea that lays in the genus Hymenochirus. African dwarf frog isn’t one animal. They are four different species in total where they are all known as this. But you can make a difference and identify them through their family and scientific name. All of them look a lot the same, and even you can’t distinguish based on their appearance and locations. All of the four would have come from different features.
African Dwarf Frog Types of Species
- Hymenochirus boettgeri (Tornier 1896) belongs to the Central Republic of Africa and has a considerable demand from professionals.
- Hymenochirus boulengeri (De Witte, 1930) found in the North of Congo Democratic Republic.
- Hymenochirus curtipes (Noble, 1924) is the most famous and endemic in the Congo Republic.
- The last we have is Hymenochirus fear (Boulenger, 1906) which founds in Gabon.
In nature, they are all similar and identical in appearance and only recognized by the professionals or who had research on it. They are all tiny and can grow up to 3 inches with some ounces of weight. For such reason, make sure you have researched the suitable species you would prefer.
Typical Behavior:
Due to their friendly and entertaining behavior, you are going to love them in your home aquarium. Most of the species feel down or go to sleep as the evening starts. But the African dwarf frog is nocturnal species even they are super active and entertaining. They want entire aquatic surfaces in the tank because they want to roam around, have some fun by hiding behind different spots, and relax on top of the surface with the help of water flow.
In case of transferring or shifting its aquarium, remember not to keep your pet away from the water for more than 10 – 12 minutes; otherwise, they will die at the spot due to dehydration.
Compatible Tank Mate Requirements
Now, let’s discuss the compatible African Dwarf Frog tank mate requirements.
Compact Size:
The size of your dwarf frog does not more than 3 inches, so they are petite in appearance. For a reliable experience, we suggest you have compact-sized mates because it is easy and quick for them to adjust. The giant-sized fish or mates make frogs insecure and depressed because they fear them. The best thing is to keep them confident and feel secure in a tank. Possibly there are chances that big size mates could even make a meal out of frogs for them.
Calm Behavior:
There are lots of fish species that are just insane. Even though their sizes are ideal and have a quiet nature, they can’t survive long with sharp, noisy, or aggressive fishes (species).
Even on the internet, there are so many claims that state you can keep Betta and dwarf frog together in one aquarium, which is entirely wrong and unjust. And same goes for other related aggressive fishes.
Best Compatible African Dwarf Frog Tank Mates
Now, moving on to the best companions we have chosen for African Dwarf Frog.
1) Guppy
- Scientific name: P. reticulate
- Origin: South America
- Appearance: Colorful Patterns
- Tank requirement: 5-Gallon
- Size: 2 Inches long
- Temperature: (24°-27°C)
- Temperament: Conflict-free
- Diet: Omnivorous
In this list of best African Dwarf Frog Tank-mates, the first most compatible companion we have is a guppy. Scientifically, it is also known as rainbow and million-fish. One of the most demanded and highly distributed species worldwide and is a freshwater tank fish. As per research, most hobbyists and aquarists like to enhance their tank quality by adding guppies in it. It has several varieties and comes in multiple bright colors. For their food, you can give them anything suitable you want, because there isn’t any specific requirement.
Guppy is highly resistible and comes with a broad range of temperature and pH levels. As long as you saved your tank water from chemicals and other harmful nutrients like ammonia, there won’t be any danger of feeding anything to frog mates. Overall, they are very convenient to keep, especially for beginners. As they are omnivores, they mostly like to have both algae and plants. Due to their easy demands, it makes a great match with the African dwarf frog.
2) Corydoras:
- Scientific name: Callichthyidae
- Origin: South America
- Appearance: Thick heads, squish body
- Tank requirement: 10 Gallon
- Size: 2-3 inches
- Temperature: (22°-28°C)
- Temperament: Peaceable
- Diet: Omnivores
In nature, corydoras is not much different from guppy; even most of the basic things are super exact. Corydoras have a broad range of bright and sharp colors with beautiful patterns. They like to roam all around the aquarium, as they are super active. But they are very particular regarding not to disturb their mates in a tank. Their typical behavior is identical and owner-friendly.
In total, Cory-doras has around 100 species, whereas all of them come with the exact requirements. Before that, we would like to tell you that Pygmy Corydoras (C. pygmaeus) and Julii Corydoras (C.julii) are the best matches with your pet (African Dwarf Frog). You can find them easily in any ordinary supermarket.
If you provide them with proper diet and care, they can live up to 12-16 years, which isn’t common in most species, so try to give them suitable attention.
3) Honey Gourami:
- Scientific name: T. chuna
- Origin: South Asia
- Appearance: Dark-colored body
- Tank requirement: 10 Gallon
- Size: 2.5-3 inches
- Temperature: (24°-27°C)
- Temperament: A bit reserved
- Diet: Omnivore
Gourami comes in small in size, with a very calm and reserved nature. But there is a significant gender difference between them. Females are comparatively more peace-loving and shy, whereas; males are aggressive. If you want to keep Gourami in the tank, make sure not to have more than one male. Otherwise, it will not easy to calm down the environment in the tank.
However, they look so attractive and give a beautiful view of your tank. They are very curious about their surroundings as they move a lot all around, exploring plants, animals, and much more. As they are reserved for their comfort, you can insert a big-sized plant to make them feel secure.
In our suggestions, we can say that orange-colored Gourami makes a great match with the African Dwarf frog, so definitely go for it.
4) Zebra Danio:
- Scientific name: D. rerio
- Origin: South Asia
- Appearance: Smart bodied specie
- Tank requirement: 20 Gallons
- Size: 2.5 Inches
- Temperature: 18 – 24 degree Celsius
- Temperament: Calm
- Diet: Omnivore
Zebra Danio is the rarest and unique species right now in our list of African dwarf frog tank mates. They love to stay excited and roam all over the tank by exploring it. They are beautifully designed with lots of sharp color patterns on their body.
According to their size, you can keep them in 10 Gallon tank, whereas it is better to prefer a 20 gallon (70 liters) aquarium. Because when you are placing different species in one tank, you should be very particular regarding their basic needs, including all other stuff.
Zebra is a good mate cause of its activeness. It is tranquil and does not produce any irritating sound, which is peaceful for your pet. However, the pH they required is (6 to 7.8) at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. By the way, whatever you will give them, they will readily eat that.
5) Neon Tetra
- Scientific name: P. innesi
- Origin: Brazil, Southeastern Colombia
- Appearance: Super small, with blue stripes on the body
- Tank requirement: 5 Gallon
- Size: 1-2 inches
- Temperature: 10-28 degree Celsius
- Temperament: Incredibly peaceful
- Diet: Omnivore
You might hear about it before because it is one of the most famous species, which is exceedingly peace-loving, even it attracts an African dwarf frog. They both have compatibility to live in one tank without even bothering each other unnecessarily.
Neon tetras want to live in a social community as their very loving companion. You can place more than 5-6 fishes of this species without any fear. A 5-gallon tank will fit perfectly for their requirements and is enough to make them happy.
6) Cardinal Tetra:
- Scientific name: P. axelrodi
- Origin: South America
- Appearance: They look very similar to neon tetra
- Tank requirement: 15 Gallon
- Size: 2.5 – 3 inches
- Temperature: 21 – 29 degree Celsius
- Temperament: Schooling
- Diet: Omnivore
Other than size, the Cardinal tetra is almost the same as the Neon tetra. It has a well-maintained size and can grow up to 3 inches. It has beautiful bold and blue colored strips that look remarkable in water. They only needed the tank water to be slightly acidic and lukewarm with a PH level of 5 to 6.
The exciting part is it is very pocket-friendly; you can even purchase multiple Cardinals to keep at once. Also, if you place good-sized plants, they will likely breed, which is a reliable option if you want to increase their number.
Conclusions
This guide regarding; “African Dwarf Frogs tank mates” has complete details with lots of suggestions for your better experience. However, do not forget that this species isn’t aggressive nor demanded. You are required to feed and take care for happy living. Make sure, their companions would be faithful rather than disturbing dwarf life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, that’s a big Yes! African dwarf frog is a very community-loving species, so you won’t face any problem after placing some appropriate mates in a tank. You can better choose 2 – 3 aquatic species with high compatible nature. They need to be quiet, non-aggressive, and peace-loving animals.
2- 3 African dwarf frogs can live happily together, but it also depends on the size condition of your aquarium. A 5-Gallon tank is perfect for two pets; however, if you want multiple frogs, including their mates, you prefer a 20-gallon tank.
Gravels play a significant role in African Dwarf Frog life. You should fill the bottom of the area with lots of gravel. Remember that the size must be big enough, at least from your pet. So, they will not become able to eat them.
They have susceptible skin, so you just better look at them. Touching the African dwarf frog is strictly prohibited as the unknown sweat, germs, or oils on our hands could harm them. Also, they cannot survive more than 10-12 minutes without water.
Usually, it is difficult to recognize the difference in appearances between the genders of African Dwarf frogs. From size to colors, and shape everything is the same. Other than that, the post-sub-dermal glands (white dots) on the lower portion of legs are properly visible in males. You can identify them through the glands.
