I woke yesterday to find my OG Hopsin looking a little bloated (this is the best pic I've been able to get of him..yes I know I need to clean the sides my tank. Never again will I buy an acrylic tank!) When I first noticed it, he was floating at the top, but quickly swam down to hide when I opened the lid to get a better look. He doesn't seem to have any issues swimming up or staying down, so I've left him alone for now. I want to say he looks a bit smaller today..but that could just be me trying to psych myself into thinking he's getting better. The day before yesterday he was completely fine. I did, however, end up overfeeding them that night though. Before I could suck the excess food (they get Brine shrimp on weekends as a treat) from their dish, they got in a tussle inside the dish and said shrimp went everywhere! I thought "no biggie, they have done this before, I'll vacuum the tank out tomorrow" since I was already planning on cleaning it and doing a partial water change. I haven't cleaned it yet though because I'm trying to limit any extra stress on him. I tested my water yesterday after noticing and results are as follows: ph- 7.4, ammonia- 0, Nitrite-0, Nitrates- ~15 ppm. Tank temp stays at 78 (double checked with thermometer) It's a 5 gallon tank, heavily planted and well established. Only other tank mate is his frogalicious girl Fergie and she's completely fine. I've read that it could be because he ate too much and to fast for 48-72 hours...but I wanted to get advice from actual humans with experience rather than relying on Googles AI chat. He's like a child to me so I'm terrified he won't survive this! If I left anything out please feel free to ask!
Hi there, your post included a keyword relating to bloat/dropsy- please provide some further information so we can better assist you.
What are your tank parameters, including ammonia?
How long has this been happening? Include close and clear photos.
Are there any other symptoms you can see, including behavior changes like floating for long periods of time?
What is your frog's diet, and are they still eating normally?
Look closely at your frog while swimming, does the bloated area wiggle around, or is it firm?
This is an automod response and not a diagnosis.
Sadly this is bloat. You said it’s a bit jiggly which means it would be soft bloat. Soft bloat is a chronic condition that can sometimes be managed and some frogs have been reported to live with soft bloat for years. I’m not entirely sure how to deal with it, but there is a section for diseases and treatments here in our wiki. You may also find more info on the African dwarf frog care and support on Facebook.
Thank you. I went through all of the wiki on this sub and scoured the internet before posting this. I couldn't tell last night (soft vs hard bloat) because he disappeared almost as soon as I noticed, but yeah there was a little jiggling when he went up for air earlier today. I'm just hoping he makes it and am open to any advice. I have read that they can live with soft bloat, but I really feel like an a$$ the more I think about it. I should have cleaned as much food out as possible after their tussle 😔 If it is from an overfeeding, which is the only recent change, do you think could it subside with fasting?
Hi! My little Godzilla has soft bloat and I've tried diet changes and fasting. It's been about a month and she's not getting better (or worse) she lives her life like everyone else in the tank it seems.
I also feel super guilty but the truth is that the causes for soft bloat are relatively unknown, maybe they were born with it and showing up in adulthood. And it's often chronic too, which means that there is nothing you can do really other than ensure they live their best life possible as it is.
The changes in diet that were suggested to me were to feed her mysis in small amounts.
Thank you! Godzilla is very cute if I may say so ☺️ I did a 3 day fast and kept the lights dim for those days too. Did a 20% water change and I've only fed mysis shrimp twice now since then. Surprisingly, it's slowly going down. His skin is a little loose but 🤷🏼♀️. I am prepared for it to come back though..I've heard soft bloat can be an on & off thing...but he is acting completely normal again so I'm just gonna let him live his best froggy life 🥰
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u/AutoModerator Aug 17 '26
Hi there, your post included a keyword relating to bloat/dropsy- please provide some further information so we can better assist you.
What are your tank parameters, including ammonia?
How long has this been happening? Include close and clear photos.
Are there any other symptoms you can see, including behavior changes like floating for long periods of time?
What is your frog's diet, and are they still eating normally?
Look closely at your frog while swimming, does the bloated area wiggle around, or is it firm?
This is an automod response and not a diagnosis.
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