Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We got one of these as a gift. The frogs are adorable and we love them, but the premise of a tiny, "hassle free" environment for living things is pretty misleading. First: the volume of these is under 1/2 gallon (less if you take into account the amount of gravel in the tank). These frogs, given proper care, can grow to 2.5" long, about twice their size at arrival. They require room to move around. Most knowledgable aquarium stores and websites recommend a ten gallon tank for these guys, to give them room for enough exercise and to minimize their stress. If 10 gallons is a bit "much" the minimum is generally 2 gallons per frog to give them the room they need for movement. Additionally, the smaller the tank, the harder it is to keep water parameters stable. Small upsets in temperature, or a problem with the nitrifying bacteria in the gravel, and the whole system goes haywire. In order to mitigate this, the manufacturer says to only feed the frogs a few times a week. This is not because it's best for the frogs, but because it minimizes their waste (they are copious waste producers, like goldfish) to make the tank easier to maintain. I tested the water in the brand new "EcoAquarium" that we received (it had been home one day since purchase) - I didn't have an ammonia test on hand, but nitrites tested at 2 ppm (toxic to fish - the only reason the frogs were ok is that they breathe air from the surface), and nitrates at 80 ppm. Clearly the bamboo sprig in the "tank" was not nearly sufficient in terms of removing nitrates from the environment. Bamboo, by the way, is not a true aquatic plant, and can easily rot and cause problems in this type of setup when being sold to unsuspecting people who don't know much about it. Just because some animals are tough enough to survive substandard conditions does not mean we should subject them to it. Please do your research before bringing home live animals! The funny thing is, you can get a small tank like a 10 gallon, with proper filter and heater to keep them comfortable, for less than what some of the websites (including this one) are advertising this "aquarium" for. And the larger tank is actually easier to maintain! Our frogs are now happily living in a much larger environment with proper heat and filtration and a fish buddy. They are eating 4-5 times per week (including live and frozen worms), and already seem much more active and happier. I would highly encourage anyone looking into buying these as pets to do some googling for "African Dwarf Frogs" to learn about their ideal care and environment. Keep in mind you can do it right for not a lot of money, in some cases less than this setup. Please don't buy this (or tiny "betta tanks" with no heat or filter, or any other supposed "self sustaining" aquarium). Instead consider teaching kids how to respect the needs of animals by doing it right.