Gold African Clawed Frog

Gold African Clawed Frog

Xenopus laevis – Gold/Albino Morph

The Gold African Clawed Frog is a fascinating, fully aquatic amphibian with a bright golden-yellow to cream colouration. They are hardy, unusual and entertaining to watch, spending virtually all of their time underwater.

Despite their slow, relaxed appearance, they are opportunistic predators and will happily eat smaller fish, shrimp and other animals that can fit into their mouth.

🌟 Why Choose a Gold African Clawed Frog?

• 🐸 Unique aquatic amphibian – A fascinating alternative to keeping fish.
• 💛 Beautiful golden colouration – The gold/albino form is much lighter than the wild-type frog.
• 💧 Fully aquatic – No land area is required.
• 🍽️ Excellent appetite – Usually enthusiastic feeders.
• 🧠 Interesting behaviour – Uses its hands to help push food into its mouth.
• 🌿 Plant safe – Generally won't deliberately damage aquarium plants.
• 👀 Great display animal – Fascinating to watch as it explores the aquarium.

📏 Size & Appearance

Adult size can vary considerably between sexes.

• Males: around 5–6 cm
• Females: around 10–12 cm
• Maximum: approximately 14–15 cm

Females are noticeably larger and rounder than males.

The Gold African Clawed Frog has a pale golden, yellow or creamy body, with lighter eyes and skin than the wild-type form. Like other Xenopus, it has large webbed hind feet with three small black claws on each foot.

🏠 Housing

A spacious aquarium with plenty of floor area is ideal.

For an adult, we would recommend around 75–100 litres or larger, particularly for a female or where multiple frogs are being kept.

The aquarium should have:

• Secure, tight-fitting lid
• Good biological filtration
• Gentle water movement
• Open swimming space
• Hides and shaded areas
• Easy access to the surface

A secure lid is extremely important as African Clawed Frogs are surprisingly good escape artists. They are fully aquatic and should not be allowed to spend extended periods out of water.

🌡️ Temperature

Aim for approximately 20–23°C, with stable temperatures being more important than trying to keep the aquarium particularly warm. Guidance recommends avoiding prolonged temperatures below 16°C or above 24°C.

Unlike many tropical aquarium animals, Gold African Clawed Frogs do not need tropical temperatures.

💧 Water & Filtration

Good water quality is essential.

• pH: approximately 6.5–8.0
• Ammonia: 0
• Nitrite: 0
• Nitrate: keep low with regular maintenance
• Flow: Gentle to moderate

Use a good aquarium dechlorinator when preparing tap water.

Avoid excessively strong filtration currents, as these frogs generally prefer relatively calm water.

🪨 Substrate & Decoration

Take care when choosing the substrate.

Fine sand or a bare-bottom aquarium is preferable to small gravel, as African Clawed Frogs can accidentally swallow loose gravel while feeding. Small stones can potentially cause intestinal blockages.

Smooth rocks, aquarium wood, caves and other smooth decorations can be used to provide hiding places.

💡 Lighting

No specialist basking light is required.

Normal aquarium lighting on a consistent day/night cycle is suitable, although strong lighting should be avoided if there are no shaded areas available.

Floating plants and aquarium plants can provide useful cover and make the frog feel more secure.

🍽️ Diet

Gold African Clawed Frogs are carnivorous/opportunistic feeders.

Suitable foods include:

• 🪱 Bloodworm
• 🦐 Mysis shrimp
• 🪱 Earthworms
• 🦐 Brine shrimp
• 🐟 Small pieces of suitable fish
• 🐸 Quality aquatic frog pellets
• 🦐 Other suitable meaty frozen or live foods

They locate food using smell and vibrations in the water and use their front feet to help push food into their mouths.

Remove uneaten food after feeding to help maintain water quality.

🐟 Tank Mates

This is an important consideration.

Although they can appear peaceful, African Clawed Frogs are predators and will attempt to eat fish, shrimp and other aquatic animals that are small enough to fit into their mouths.

For this reason, a species-only aquarium is the safest option.

If kept with other frogs, they should be similarly sized, as young Xenopus can also display cannibalistic behaviour when poorly fed or housed with significantly smaller individuals.

🌿 Plants

Gold African Clawed Frogs are generally safe with live aquarium plants.

Plants can provide:

• Natural cover
• Shaded areas
• Security
• Additional structure within the aquarium

However, because these frogs are active and relatively powerful, delicate plants may occasionally be disturbed simply through their movement.

🐸 Handling

These are primarily display animals rather than animals to handle.

Their skin is delicate and handling can remove protective skin secretions and cause unnecessary stress. If the frog needs to be moved, using a submerged container is preferable to grabbing it by hand.

🧹 Cleaning & Maintenance

Good filtration combined with regular partial water changes will help keep the aquarium healthy.

Because African Clawed Frogs can produce a considerable amount of waste, keep an eye on:

• Water clarity
• Ammonia
• Nitrite
• Nitrate
• Uneaten food

Siphon waste from the substrate during water changes.

⭐ Important Notes

Do not confuse a Gold African Clawed Frog with an African Dwarf Frog.

Gold African Clawed Frogs are Xenopus laevis and can reach around 10–15 cm, whereas African Dwarf Frogs remain much smaller. They also have very different feeding and compatibility requirements.

They are also very capable predators, so a Gold African Clawed Frog should not be treated like a conventional peaceful community aquarium animal.

One important UK point for your shop: Xenopus laevis is recognised as a non-native/invasive species in Great Britain, and government material specifically identifies concerns around escape, establishment and disease transmission. Because you're operating in England, I'd recommend checking the current legal position and any applicable licence/exemption requirements before selling or transferring these frogs rather than relying solely on general aquarium-trade practice.