Before the arrival of the ACFs, I did keep a leopard froglet and several guppies in that tank. She has since been moved to the tank up in my bedroom so I can watch her antics as I'm trying to fall asleep. She was in that tank for about 3 weeks. This is part of the reason I had figured the tank was stable, as everything was perfect when she was there. But she eats crickets, not pelleted foods, and she is a very mannerly eater.. she is also a lot smaller, at only 1 inch or so of body length (not long after morphing), and the ACFs are well over 3 inches of body length.
I have been testing ammonia levels, nitrite levels, PH levels, etc every few days, and have been using products that remove ammonia and nitrites when required (Amquel+ and Ammolock), though I have so far not seen the ammonia/nitrite levels get any higher than moderate. I will do another 50% change tomorrow night, and likely two more next week. The tank needs to be pretty good by next Thurs, as I'm going into the hospital for major surgery and will likely be kept in between 4-6 days. I do have a friend coming in to look after my critters, and if pressed, I could get him to do a 50% change in that span, but I don't want to put him out too much. He has aquaria at home and knows what to do.
I'm afriad live plants might not work with my two Clawed Frogs.. these ACFs are diggers, and they routinely 'uproot' the three plastic plants I have in there now. I don't know how well a plant would survive having it's root system dug up every few days. Do you know of any very hardy aquatic plants that might be able to survive this froggy fetish for uprooting plants? My two frogs seem to be mobile quirks.
I thought about borrowing a used filter from a friend's long-standing and well cycled tank.. would that be an idea that would introduce the beneficial bacteria into my tank, or would it just increase the risk of disease? I can't use the filter from my other big tank, as I keep firebellied toads there, and they produce toxins that will kill fish and other frogs from their skin, and can't take it from the tank in my bedroom, as it is new too.
Thanks for all the help, everyone. I'm starting to narrow down what is going on here, and helps a lot.
Sara