One of the trendiest fish you can own these days is a Betta fish. If you have an interest in frogs, you have probably noticed African dwarf frogs and possibly clawed frogs at your local fish store. For the purpose of this article, we will discuss the African dwarf frog. How interesting it would be to have an African dwarf frog living in the same tank as a betta fish. This leads us to the following question…
Can African dwarf frogs live with Betta fish? Dwarf frogs and Betta fish can live together. Both aquatic species prefer similar environments which makes this unlikely pairing a good match to have in the same aquarium. African dwarf frogs and Betta fish have a similar diet which improves the likelihood of them getting along.
Can African Dwarf Frogs Eat Betta Food?
As just previously mentioned, these species will eat similar foods which makes them ideal tank mates. Let’s look at the dietary requirements for both species as far as recommended food sources.
African dwarf frogs prefer a diet of bloodworms with some Mysis and Brine shrimp. Since these frogs spend quite a bit of time on the bottom of the tank, using food that is in pellet form will benefit your frogs.
Betta fish will eat the same things, your frogs will eat. Bloodworms, frozen Mysis and Brine shrimp. There are also Betta pellets you can purchase to ensure they get the proper nutrition.
Make sure when feeding the Betta fish and dwarf frogs you can visually see that the frogs are getting food. They might try darting up to the top of the tank and grab some food while they breathe some air. If you feed when the frogs are laying in the bottom and they don’t notice what is going on, they could miss out on eating depending on how fast your Betta is scooping up the food.
It is important to know the amount of food these aquatic pets should be fed at any given time. It isn’t very much. Feeding 2 to 3 pellets or the same amount in another food form per fish or frog is more than enough! If it is bloodworms, you might be able to feed them less.
As with feeding all creatures in your tank, you do not want to feed them more than they can eat at any one time! If there is still food floating or laying on the substrate, it is a good idea to get it out of the tank so you don’t have ammonia issues.
What Should the Water Temperature be for a Betta Fish and Dwarf Frog?
African dwarf frogs do best in waters with a temperature of 68 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit (20 to 26 degrees Celsius). You can have the water cooler for these frogs, however, they do prefer the water on the warmer end of the range.
I have come across some sources online that state Congo frogs prefer water up to 82 degrees Fahrenheit. I feel going to 82 might be to warm and would not going over 80. The fact that these frogs can be placed in warmer water is great news as Betta’s also prefer their water temperature warmer.
Betta fish should be kept in water at approximately 74 degrees Fahrenheit or approximately 23 degrees Celsius. They can be kept in even warmer water up to 78 and over. That being said, I feel if the range you have in your dwarf frog and Betta tank is between 74 and 78,, it will be the perfect temperature for both species.
If you need to purchase a heater, please check out my Heater product recommendation page.
What Should the PH be in a Betta and Dwarf Frog Tank?
If you are using reverse osmosis water for your tank’s water changes, the PH should be about a 7 for the RO water.
Your African dwarf frog should be in a tank where the PH is kept between 6.5 and 7.5.
Coincidently Betta fish live in water with PH levels ranging from 6.5 to 7.5 as well.
This is great news if RO water has a PH of 7. The PH level of 7 means the water is neutral. Not too acidic and not too alkaline, just right.
To ensure your PH level stays around 7, try planting live plants. Plants will absorb carbon dioxide produced from fish waste and excess food left in the tank. The carbon dioxide will lower PH making water more acidic whereas your plants will bring the PH back up by absorbing the carbon dioxide.
Making sure your tank has good surface agitation will promote the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen to again help neutralize PH levels. Air stones work great for this. If you need a good air pump for an air stone check out this one on Amazon.
Can I Put an African Dwarf Frog and Betta in My 5 Gallon Tank?
A 5 gallon aquarium is just big enough to keep one or two small aquatic species. Since we are talking about dwarf frogs and Betta fish, we now have two small aquatic species. If you only had two species in a 5 gallon tank this would be a nice pairing.
Both the frog and the Betta can be a bit nippy when the mood strikes them so I would make sure to have some hiding places, including live plants for both of them to feel safe and secure in the small tank.
If you are in the market for a new aquarium please check out my Recommended aquariums page where I help you pick a great aquarium.
Yes you can put an African dwarf frog and a Betta fish in a 5 gallon tank.
This doesn’t mean that 5 gallons is a good size for fish because it really is on the small size. There is a misconception that Bettas can be kept in small bowls or vases because of the way they are marketed and sold in stores. These fish will fight amongst each other, especially the males. Having one male per 50 gallon display aquarium probably isn’t possible when the store brings in 50 Bettas at a time. The store is limited to how many freshwater aquariums it can use for Betta fish.
This is why they are kept in very small sellable containers. This does not mean they should be kept in those tiny containers or even put in small vases which some people will do.
Do African Frogs Like to be Alone?
Technically, you could have just one frog in your tank, however, after doing some research online I found out that the African Dwarf frog appears to do better in groups of three. I am not sure how someone decided that the number should be three instead of two or possibly four.
Regardless, I would say it is okay to have just one frog in a tank if there is only one fish. If there are multiple fish, then I would recommend having the three minimum dwarf frogs. This would mean that you are going to want a larger aquarium. I am thinking 15 gallons minimum for a few frogs. If you can accommodate a tank larger than 15 gallons, then do that.
A Caution with These Two Species Together
Even though a dwarf frog has no teeth and they don’t see very well, if you have a Betta with flowing fins, it could be a problem if the frog is hungry.
A dwarf frog will try to eat something taunting it, like a Betta’s fins, if it is hungry and caught off guard. I don’t believe the frog would purposely try to nibble on your fish, however, because of poor eye sight and hunger, it might try to eat flowing fins.
Chances are nothing would happen even if the frog did nibble but if the fin got caught, it could tear.
Conclusion
One reason I really like the pairing of these two species in the same aquarium is that they both prefer to have water that is somewhat still. Having strong currents makes it tough for either of these aquatic pets to swim effectively.
Their diets are fairly similar and they will do well if they are the only one of their kind in the tank. It could be a tank as small as 10 gallons and they will do just fine.
They are both very unique creatures that an owner can spend hours watching and enjoying every day.
If you have Goldfish and want to know if African dwarf frogs would do well with this fish, I recommend you check out my article on the topic, which can be found HERE.
Want to know if aquarium frogs bite? If so check out my Do aquarium frogs bite article.
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