Aquatic Frogs And Fully Aquatic Frogs : (15 Interesting Facts)

Frogs are known as amphibians with many species with different habitats. We only see tree frogs, semi aquatic frogs, or land frogs around us. Did you know there are aquatic frogs that are always in the water?

The fully aquatic frogs are African clawed frog, African dwarf frog, Western dwarf clawed frog and Western clawed frog. These frogs spend their time underwater and are not on land as much as other frogs.

To find out how aquatic frogs live in water and rarely on land, we must know how to care for them if we want to be a pet. Let’s read this article to the end.

Are There Frogs That Only Live In Water?

Yes, there are. One of them is African dwarf frogs. Most of their life is underwater. It only occasionally goes to the water surface to take in air. The fully aquatic frogs use their lungs because they don’t have gills like fish.

The aquatic frogs are tiny and do not weigh more than a few grams. You can find African dwarf frogs in the streams, creeks, ponds, or shallow rivers of central Africa.

If you have trouble finding them underwater, look at the bottom of the water and close to mud that has the same color as their body. It will help them as coloration blends and stay away from predators.

If you want to take the best aquatic frogs as a pet, don’t be in the same tank with aggressive fish so that the frogs are not less competitive and are easily attacked by their tank mates.

Aquatic Frog Types

Aquatic frogs have several types differing in their genus and place of origin. The Pipidae frogs or family of aquatic frogs can adapt to life in the water. Adult frogs can feel vibrations and movement in the water.

The table below lists the 4 genera of fully aquatic frogs in the Pipidae family.

Some of the frogs above are small aquatic frogs with tiny bodies and weighing less than a few grams. You can put a lot of aquatic frogs in a tank. They still have enough room for them to swim even if you only have a 10-gallon aquarium.

Are Aquatic Frogs Good Pets?

The types of frogs that live in water can be good pets because they are easy to care for, and can live for a long time. Even though their bodies are small, they can survive in water with minimum requirements, although you have to pay attention to a few things to take care of them until they get their best condition.

It will be interesting and awe-inspiring when you see the small water frogs swimming around the aquarium with their webbed feet. These frogs are hardy animals that can survive in cold weather. Aquatic frogs can adapt to various food sources, although sometimes they can eat young frogs.

Ensure to provide adequate feeding, comfortable habitat, and non-aggressive tankmates. Their life expectancy can be more than 10 years if they are given a healthy life and a positive environment.

Do Aquatic Frogs Need Land?

No, they don’t. Although fully aquatic frogs are amphibians, they only need to get out of the water to take in air to breathe. They spend their entire life underwater despite having no gills.

If water frogs are forced to stay on land, they may breathe, but their bodies have never adapted to stay on land like other frogs. Do not force tiny aquatic frogs to be on the ground for any reason.

If you want to change the aquarium water, save some water or transfer it to another tank. Caring for frogs that live in water is the same as caring for fish with various requirements.

How Long Do Aquatic Frogs Live?

The average life of aquatic frog species is five years. If you can give them a decent life by paying attention to their health, diet, and water quality, they can live up to 20 years.

The way to give frogs a healthy life is to provide 8 to 12 hours of light every day to match the natural environment. You can use lights that can automatically turn on in the morning until noon before the lights turn off or reduce the power to regulate the temperature in the tank.

Pet frog that lives in water originates in tropical climates. If you live in a country that doesn’t have a tropical climate, you can use an aquarium heater to keep the frog-tastic temperature.

What Do Aquatic Frogs Eat?

Worms and brine shrimp are good food for frogs that live in water. If you are confused about what to feed at the beginning you treat, you can give bloodworms or blackworms. When you are an adult, look for the right pellet for frogs such as frozen bloodworms or other worms.

What do aquatic frogs eat? Ensure the pellets given can sink into the water. Underwater frogs spend their time under tanks. If the food floats, the frogs will find it difficult to reach the food.

Aquatic toads can be given the same food as fully aquatic frogs, or you can bring insects or spiders. If you have trouble, try providing dead prey that can sink. Do not make it difficult for toads or frogs to eat, and measure food according to size.

Can Aquatic Frogs Live With Betta Fish?

If you want to put betta fish and aquatic frogs in one tank, ensure the temper of both. If you put them in one tank and they can live together without any violence, you can safely put them without fear of one of them being disturbed.

If you have dyed aquatic frogs, try pairing them with the betta fish you just bought. Watch their interactions for a few minutes, whether they aggressively approach each other. Or maybe they are just curious about each other. Separate the aggressor from the tank, and find a suitable partner to avoid any harm.

Most pet owners prefer to keep semi aquatic frogs pets in a tank with fully aquatic frogs because they are still one species. They are less likely to act aggressively.

Can Aquatic Frogs Live With Goldfish?

African dwarf frogs can be in a tank with goldfish, which requires tank temperatures between the 70’s. Both of them will be fine together without interfering with one another. Dwarf frogs are more peaceful than other frog species, except for other frogs.

Goldfish have bodies that may be larger than pet frogs that live in water. Although it looks more active, goldfish will not attack frogs for no apparent reason. They can be aggressive when hungry, but only to the point of nibbling and won’t do anything worse than that.

Frogs that live in water all the time are easier to live with than other frogs. If you put a smaller frog, there is a chance that the adult frog will eat it.

Can Aquatic Frogs Live With Fish?

If we already know that aquatic frog types can live with betta or goldfish, then there will be no problem if you put other types of fish, as long as the fish you choose are not aggressive.

You can choose small fish that can swim around in groups. It can be entertainment for your frogs as tank mates. Small fish that are almost the size of small underwater frogs will look stunning in your aquarium, circling the tank non-stop.

Find the aquatic frogs for sale along with the fish you will choose. Ask the pet store for requirements between frogs or fish. If they have something in common for food, care, and any specific requirements. You can choose to treat them both in one tank.

Why Do Some Types Of Aquatic Frogs Bury Themselves?

Maybe you are confused if you have aquatic frogs as pets and see them bury themselves in the mud. This behavior is a response to environmental stimuli. It occurs when fully aquatic amphibians pets have migrated, courtship, hibernation, or their defensive system.

Whatever aquatic frog types you have, they have the same behavior. Try to pay attention when you put the frog into the new tank. If they are looking for a place to hide, it is a behavior to adapt to a new environment or avoid predators.

Are There Fully Aquatic Frogs?

Yes, there are. African dwarf frogs and African clawed frogs spend their lives underwater and only come to the surface if they want to breathe. Many do not believe that frogs that live in water. Because they know frogs as amphibians that can live on land and in water.

Look for aquatic frogs for sale near me, and keep them in the aquarium with the fish. Don’t be afraid to let the aquatic frogs in the water, because that is their natural habitat. Do not force them to get out of the tank so as not to endanger their lives.

What Are The Fully Aquatic Frogs Species?

If you have seen the table of some of the names of mini frogs that live in water, you can see that some of these types can be cared for in the aquarium with your favorite fish.

Occidozyga lima, Xenopus laevis, Hymenochirus boettgeri, Xenopus tropicalis, and Pipa Pipa are the Latin names of aquatic frogs that you can find in pet stores.

Don’t be confused about looking for aquatic frogs care because caring for underwater frogs is not much different from caring for fish. You need to provide the proper temperature, food that can sink to the bottom of the tank, and tank mates that are friendly with each other.

How To Keep Fully Aquatic Frogs Healthy And Safe?

Try to buy complete equipment for aquatic frogs Petsmart, such as tanks, food, heater, substrate, and all other aquarium needs. If you can replicate their habitat like their natural environment, it will be easier for you to increase their life expectancy.

Having a water frog pet will seem strange for the first time because you will be surprised to see frogs that have been in the water all their lives. If you are used to caring for several aquatic frog types, you can take care of several frogs at once in the same tank.

Where To Find Fully Aquatic Frogs For Sale?

Find in the aquatic frogs Petco or local aquatic pet stores. Make sure you know everything about aquatic frogs before you put multiple types of fish in the same tank. If you want to look in the wild, look near the place of origins such as rivers in Africa or Guinea.

How long do aquatic frogs live? They can live between 5 and 20 years, depending on water quality, food provided, and tank mates.

Are Fully Aquatic Pet Frogs Sensitive?

Every aquatic frog types are delicate and sensitive animal. Although not toxic, fully aquatic frogs can carry a lot of bacteria from the skin or the stool.

Even though they live in water, we cannot be sure that aquatic frogs are free from bacteria. When they hide in the substrate or mud, they can attach to any bacteria or parasites.

Salmonella is a bacterium that is often found in aquatic frogs. If you want to hold them for a while, wear gloves. Transferring them to another tank must be done with care and directly into the water. They can’t stay out of the water for too long.

Replace water frogs for fish tanks regularly to reduce the possibility of bacteria and parasites. Clean uneaten aquatic frogs food to reduce the build-up of ammonia in the tank.

Are African Dwarf Frogs Fully Aquatic?

Yes, African dwarf frogs are fully aquatic frogs and only briefly come to the surface to catch their breath. Look for tank mates that are compatible with aquatic frog pets such as betta fish or goldfish to add variety to your aquarium with small animals that can swim around the tank.

Do African Dwarf Frogs Burrow?

African dwarf frogs prefer hiding in the dark to burrows. They are small aquatic frogs that are shy and are more often found under plants, decorations, or the aquarium corner. If they want to eat or breathe, they will swim around before returning to hiding.

African dwarf frogs are suitable as aquatic frogs for pets because caring for them is not difficult, and no special requirements other than the temperature that is equal to the tropical climate.

Are African Clawed Frogs Fully Aquatic?

Yes, they are fully aquatic and rarely leave the water. Don’t let aquatic frogs stay on land for too long, as in the case of semi aquatic frogs. If their bodies are dry and don’t have time to return to the water, they can suffocate and reduce their life expectancy.

Fully aquatic frogs fit in one tank with friendly fish. They will not bother tank mates because they do not like to act aggressively.

African Water Frog Facts

One interesting fact is that African water frogs remain amphibians even though they live entirely in water. For example, African clawed frogs have strong legs to be in the water or on land for short periods. They have webbed feet to help them move when swimming in the water.

Clawed frogs include carnivores that eat living and dead prey, such as worms, tadpoles, arthropods, and more. You can distinguish them from semi aquatic frogs for their resistance in the water.

Aquatic frogs have a strong sense of being in the water. They can sense movement or vibration to detect the presence of a predator or something that could harm them.

African Clawed Frog Vs. African Dwarf Frog

Many pet owners cannot tell the difference between African dwarf frogs and African clawed frogs. The difference lies in the position of the eyes. Dwarf frogs have eyes on the side of their head, clawed frogs have eyes on the top of their head.

Dwarf frogs have webbed feet, clawed frogs have webbed hind feet. From these two differences, you can distinguish aquatic frog types only from their eyes and feet.

These two aquatic frogs are still interesting to know and care for as pets because they are friendly, and there are no special requirements other than the temperature tank that must be right.

Final Verdict – Aquatic Frogs

Having frogs that live forever in water is a new thing for some people. If you have never seen aquatic frogs, then you need to know about African clawed frogs or African dwarf frogs.

Although they are still amphibians, these frogs will only come to the water surface if they want to take a breath. They won’t be on the ground for long. Besides hiding, they will bury themselves in a new environment or avoid predators.

The bodies of water frogs are small and weigh less than a few grams. You can put some friendly fish as their tank mates, and there won’t be any aggressive action.

If they are given the right temperature, friendly tank mates, and the right food, they can have a life expectancy of between 5 and 20 years. They might spread Salmonella infections to Humans. 

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet frog a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️