Is there a problem with frogs?

[KathyL]

Last year, I gave the guys, who have kindly provided me with a lifetime supply of emergency rotifers, a pair of clownfish that they successfully kept in a 10 gallon tank. Some months later, they decided that the fish needed a larger tank, so they moved them to a 20 gallon tank. Soon they were dead. The fish, not the guys. Recently, after months of leaving this tank alone, except to feed it to keep the biofilter alive, I brought them another pair of clownfish. This tank they went into was the same 20 gallon, had been cycled for months, was the right salinity, temperature, alkalinity, etc. The fish died within 3 days. These were pampered tank raised fish that I had kept for years in my system. So what killed them?

The tank had previously housed some frogs. I've never kept frogs, so I was wondering if something about keeping frogs could be toxic to saltwater fish. Any ideas?

[Midnight Angel]

I had a Cuban tree frog that died of old age not long ago. The tank that she was in now has sailfin mollies (way too many for a 20 gallon)in it and they have done fine. It might make a difference what type of frog though. Still though if the tank was bleached the way it should be after having frogs in it (and most likely dirt) it shouldn't matter. Also I would think that the salt would get rid of anything bad. But I don't know for sure.


Amy

[Luis A M]

Toxins from frogs is unlikely...it sounds like a toxic tank syndrome.

[Anthony Calfo]

I've bred more than a few species of aquatic frogs in years back. Some can be quite toxic to other aquatic life forms including fishes (and we know they are to each other... strongly inhibiting the metamorphosis of conspecifics). That said, I don't see any toxin likely being stable long enough to have much of an impact if any at all.

The losses with these chaps could be from Heaven's knows what. Seemingly good water flow but inadequate aeration? Wild temp swings from a sizable drop in temps at night. Folks often don't set their climate control very precisely in living spaces... or their fishrooms for that matter. I am rather insane about that... my fishroom is so wickedly stable that I keep developing eggs in petri dishes for weeks (albeit covered) and they develop as if they were in the aquarium or a mouthbrooders... err, mouth

We could go on. Did they describe any symptoms (signs, technically) before death? If they just keeled over suddenly, its obviously not likely pathogenic. Environmental to be sure.

[KathyL]

The fish were in an office connected to a freshwater fish room for zebrafish, thousands of them. It's a research lab. No variation in room temp, as the freshwater tanks are not heated. Room temp is all they get. Flow is not great in the saltwater tank, but I hardly think that is the problem. There is some flow. I'll ask about symptoms. I was not there.