Carnivores of the tank floor
African dwarf frogs are fully aquatic carnivores. In the wild they pick at insect larvae, tiny crustaceans and worms in the mud of slow water, and a community tank diet should mirror that: small, meaty, sinking items they can locate by smell and snap up whole. They have no teeth for chewing and poor eyesight, so anything too large, too hard or floating out of reach effectively does not exist for them. What the fish eat at the surface is decoration as far as the frogs are concerned.
The staple foods
A quality sinking frog or tadpole pellet makes the dependable base — small, soft when wet and formulated for amphibians rather than fish. On top of that base, thawed frozen foods bring the variety and feeding response pellets alone rarely trigger: bloodworms are the near-universal favourite, with brine shrimp, daphnia and mysis shrimp all taken eagerly. Live foods such as baby brine shrimp or grindal worms are excellent occasional additions and their movement solves the problem of a frog overlooking a still meal. Rotate two or three foods across the week rather than feeding bloodworms alone, which is a treat-heavy diet rather than a balanced one.
Getting the food to the frog
In a community tank the menu matters less than the delivery. Sprinkle-and-hope starves frogs while the fish feast, so place their food on the bottom directly — ideally onto a small dish or cleared patch — with a pipette, or drop it right in front of each frog. Feed the fish first at the surface to occupy them, then tend to the frogs. Remove uneaten frog food after an hour or so; meaty foods decaying in gravel foul the water of a tank these frogs are sensitive in.
Portions and condition
A few pellets or a small clump of worms per frog, every day or every other day, suits most adults — dwarf frogs have small stomachs and overfeeding bloats them and dirties the tank in equal measure. Judge by shape: a healthy frog is gently plump behind the front legs; one with a swollen, ballooned belly, or one floating listlessly at the surface, is unwell rather than full, and bloating in particular warrants prompt advice from a vet experienced with amphibians. Skin shedding eaten in private, regular trips to the surface for air and steady attendance at the feeding spot are the everyday signs of a frog doing well.
Because their meals sink out of sight and happen quietly, frog feeds are the aquarium chore most easily forgotten by a household. KinsLe's Care Teams lets you schedule the frogs' feeding days as duties with the menu attached, marked complete with a timestamp once each frog has eaten.