Feed & Easy Care Instructions

The best method is to wet the tip of a toothpick or unfolded paper clip and dip the tip (¼" maximum) into the food bag and then into the tank through the hole in the top.  Your fish need very little food to sustain them.  They can be fed daily or every other day and can easily be left for a weekend without food.

First feed fish described above, than drop 1-2 pellets from the bag labeled Frog Food through the hole in the top. Aquatic frogs rely on a sense of smell to find the food so it may take a little while for your frog to find the pellet. This feed has been specially formulated for these frogs. As with the fish, feeding can be done either daily or every other day. Treats, such as live or frozen brine shrimp or tubiflex worms, can be purchased at a local pet store but be very cautious to feed only tiny amounts to avoid polluting their home. What you purchase can be frozen, used at later times and will probably be enough to last for many months.

You will know that your are over-feeding if the water gets cloudy or you see food floating around more than five or ten minutes.  If you overfeed consistently, you will need to change the water more often or your fish and plants may die.  Fish always look hungry.

The tank only needs to be cleaned when the water becomes cloudy and/or there is debris covering the rocks, plants or tank.  We recommend you change 25% of the water every month, even if your tank is clean.  Use only bottled spring water at room temperature for your aquarium.  The chlorine in tap water will kill the AquaBabies and the bacteria on the rocks!

First remove the plant and set aside, then carefully pour the water into a bowl, using a cup to catch the water with the fish.  Once the fish are out, discard the rest of the water, being careful to save the rocks.  Rinse the rocks with the spring water until clean and use a paper towel to gently wipe down the sides to remove any algae.  Add some new water and the cleaned rocks and anchor the plant end under some rocks.  Try to spoon out most of the old water around the fish in the cup before adding them back into the aquarium.  As the water evaporates, add bottled water between cleaning.

Most of the oxygen in the tank comes from the air and not the plant.  The plant does give off oxygen during the day but more importantly it uses the fish waste as fertilizer.  Your plant is used to living in low light conditions, but some light is necessary.  If your tank is in a dark corner, it may not get enough light, but if placed in a window, the water will need to be changed more often because the algae will grow.  Aquatic plants are vigorous growers and may need an occasional trim.   Pinch off and discard excess growth.

We use an assortment of small compatible fish types that are raised specifically for our aquariums.  You may have danios, guppies, white cloud minnows, swordtails or barbs.  Your fish are not wild-caught and should never be released in the wild.   Most of the fish we use have a one to two-year life span and will not get any larger than 1-4" long.  You will notice different types of fish will have different behaviors, this is normal.

Some tanks will contain one or more snails.  They will clean up any excess food and they will assist keeping the tank walls clean by eating algae.  As it grows larger the snail may start eating part of the plants.  They also lay eggs that look like gelatinous masses on the sides of the tank or the stem of the plant.  These should be removed or your fish tank will become a snail nursery.

You may become concerned your fish and/or frog are under-active, over-active or aggressive with their tank mates. Fish in the company of others may become territorial, even if they are a very peaceful species. Aquatic frogs are happiest when provided a place to hide and do not move a lot unless after air or looking for food. Either the decorations provided with your tank or a couple clean, rinsed rocks can provide perfect hiding places for both less dominant fish and the frog. Because all your AquaBabies pets are "cold-blooded", their activity will increase and decrease with the temperature. The "FrogLand" Website has a lot of good information about caring for your frogs.

For the avid reader and curious AquaBabies owner, we have an expanded version of this manual available by using our order form.

1) It is common for cats and dogs to consume the fish food, keep this in mind if you have pets.
2) If you place your AquaBabies too close to a window in direct sunlight, algae will quickly grow on the sides.
3) Many people wash the gravel in tap water thinking only the fish need to be protected from chlorine.  The microorganisms in the gravel are very sensitive to chlorine as well.
4) Occasionally a fish may die for many reasons.  This is a natural occurrence of living things.  Your fish will probably live longer under your care than in the wild where there are diseases and predators.
5) Fish do not get lonely and one or two fish are fine in your little tank.
6) Frogs need more feed than fish, if your frog seems to be getting smaller, increase the number of pellets.

What If I Need More Supplies?

You may buy replacement supplies from us or a local tropical fish store.  We recommend you only use small fish species that have a high tolerance to temperature ranges.  Avoid goldfish because most are generally too large to keep your tank in balance.  A good quality flake fish food can be crushed and used as a replacement.   For your convenience, you can order directly from our Web site.  Some types of fish and frogs can only be shipped during warm months.