For a long time I've wanted to keep some African Congo frogs, but I've never had a suitable aquarium - both in terms of compatibility with the other fish/animals in the display, and in terms of the tank itself being escape-proof! This entire display has been designed around the requirements of the frogs - plenty of plants and mopani wood for them to hide in, along with open areas at the front where they can 'bask' when they're not foraging for food. Finally, the cable 'cut-outs' have been secured with plastic 'egg-crate' material, filled with Milliput epoxy putty - just in case...!

Technical Specification

Dimensions:	55cm wide x 41cm deep x 41 cm tall.
Capacity:	Approximately 100 litres.
Filtration:	1 x Fluval 3 Powerfilter.
Heating:	1 x Hagen 200w 'Tronic' heater.
Lighting:	2 x 15w Hagen T8 tubes (a 'Plant-Pro' and a 'Sun-Glo').

Decor and Construction

I have opted for a 'silver sand' substrate, with a fine sprinkling of very small-sized gravel. I have located four pieces of Mopani wood around the back and sides of the tank, with several dark 'cobbles' partially buried in the sand in the foreground. This, combined with dense plant, growth gives the impression of a slow-flowing tropical river.

Fish and Plants Stocked

Fish / Animals Stocked	Quantity
Glass Catfish, Kryptopterus bicirrhis	3
'Amano' Shrimps, Cardinia japonica	3
Congo Frogs, Hymenochirus boettgeri	3

Plants Stocked

Amazon Sword, Echinodorus amazonicus

Java Fern, Microsorum pteropus

Feeding and Maintenance

The fish are fed twice daily - one small feed of either 'TetraMin' flake food or 'TetraPrima' mini granules, and one feed of one of the following frozen foods: Red Mosquito larvae (bloodworm), Tubifex, Artemia (brineshrimp), Daphnia, 'Tropical Mix' (a mixture of all the above). There is always some natural algae growing on the glass and mopani wood for the shrimps to eat.

I do not use any soluble plant fertilisers at all. Every few months I bury a few 'Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Root Tabs' in the substrate near the base of any of the plants that look like they could do with a 'boost'. The idea of these tablets is that they slowly release Iron near the root system of the plant, so that it is taken up gradually. They seem to work very well!

I carry out a 20% water change every 1-2 weeks, to keep nitrates under control. Every other water change incorporates a filter sponge clean, using the water removed from the tank.

Pictures

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