Tadpole update: Thanks all for your continuing input. I am worried if I am supplying the needs of these critters. This morning all eggs seem to be hatched and hundreds of tadpoles are...

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Thanks all for your continuing input. I am worried if I am supplying the needs of these critters. This morning all eggs seem to be hatched and hundreds of tadpoles are attached to the entire outside of the container at the water meniscus. In the image below you can see their heads are slightly above water level. I have put some boiled lettuce (apparently boiling breaks down the cells making feeding easier). Some have gone on the leaves whether they are eating or resting I cannot tell at the moment. I will be shopping for a larger tank today with aeration in addition to the makeshift ones I am using now (an early Birthday present) and will add some rocks for resting places/breathing places. I am thinking I can use the tank for other critter studies when all these ones have gone back to the pond.

A small part of the tank edge.

(Download)

shagbat Loc: London

Hi Brenda, I assume your tank is indoors, as soon as the temp. rises they hatch rapidly. I understand that young tads feed on algae, so a handful from a local pond would be useful. Also, there are proprietary tad foods available from aquatic garden centres, I have no experience of them, but guess they're algae pellets, similar (identical!) to those for fish. As I type, the amorous amphibians are starting to 'perform' in my pond. They spawn on the 15th Mar. every year, one could set a calender by them! Good luck!

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Thanks shagbat, that sounds good advice. I have put some water plants in the tank which probably have algae growing on the leaves, the tadpoles seem very attracted to them, whether it is for food or something to cling to I don't know. I will add more algae as you suggest. That is quite something that your amphibians spawn on the same date each year, a day length thing I suppose. I image the temperature in London is fairly stable, we have quite a variance here in Margate.

shagbat Loc: London

It generally goes on for a week Brenda, more spawn appears each day. Interesting that they choose the same date each year. I have close ties to Shetland and every year their frogs spawn 2-3 weeks earlier than ours, (London) the opposite to what I'd expect. In my the local ditches, spawning time does not coincide with my pond spawning. How Mother Nature works!

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

As I think was mentioned earlier, if these turn out to be newt/salamanders, they would develop a requirement for meat even as tadpoles. I know that axolotl tads become quite carnivorous as soon as their yolk supply runs out. But if so, what they would need would be in the form of very small particles. Suggestions:
1. raw meat, ground to tiny bits. Avoid preservatives.
2. brine shrimp (from brine shrimp eggs sold at pet stores). These are kept in water to hatch (this is what I would feed to axolotl larvae, long long ago).
3. fish food made of brine shrimp or something similar.

Of course, such food would be added in very small amounts, watchfully.

They sure to grow up fast, don't they?!

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Thanks again Mark, yes fast growth, from egg to tadpole in a few days, wow.

tinusbum Loc: east texas

EnglishBrenda wrote:

. . . yes fast growth, from egg to tadpole in a few days, wow.

i'm glad they stop

good shot

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

I had some tadpoles that hatched from eggs last year. Fed them Romaine lettuce.

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Screamin Scott wrote:

I had some tadpoles that hatched from eggs last year. Fed them Romaine lettuce.

I have been giving mine lettuce, I cant see if they are eating it or not but they all love to lounge on it.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Brenda I am curious as to what you will do when those cute little tadpoles start growing into frogs. Perhaps open a frog leg restaurant? If you kiss them all perhaps one will turn into a prince but most likely not. Just curious...There is probably a pond somewhere close where you can let all the little hoppers go.

Good luck,

Dennis

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

dennis2146 wrote:

Brenda I am curious as to what you will do when those cute little tadpoles start growing into frogs. Perhaps open a frog leg restaurant? If you kiss them all perhaps one will turn into a prince but most likely not. Just curious...There is probably a pond somewhere close where you can let all the little hoppers go.

Good luck,

Dennis

Hi Dennis, we have 2 small ponds in the garden but there are no other natural water sources near us except the sea. I understand they always go back to the pond in which they were spawned when they are ready to spawn as adults so I will let them go here. I believe the survival rate is quite low but I will do what I can to protect them.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

EnglishBrenda wrote:

Hi Dennis, we have 2 small ponds in the garden but there are no other natural water sources near us except the sea. I understand they always go back to the pond in which they were spawned when they are ready to spawn as adults so I will let them go here. I believe the survival rate is quite low but I will do what I can to protect them.

WHEW!!! I was so worried for the cute little amphibians. I knew you would do the right thing. Have a great day.

Dennis

nanaval Loc: Cornwall

Hi Brenda I have some tadpoles I have hatched out. Mine are outside and I put rain water in theat had a lot of algae in and they are feeding on that and growing...

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Well done, I am using pond water which has algae in it, it is all rain water collected from a large plastic roof of a car port in addition to what fall straight into the pond. We also have a large plastic water butt to collect rain water so I shouldn't run out of it until summer.

relbugman Loc: MD/FL/CA/SC

Tad food suggestion: get a small jar of a mixed baby food meal, the kind that is pureed. Put a bunch in a plastic bag and squish it flat, about 3-5mm thick, and freeze it. Break a few small chunks off the frozen plack and drop in the tank (not much, depending on how many tads -- more for your hundreds!). I use a meat-and-veggie mix (corn, aspar. spinach, beans, or a fruit, plus chicken, pork, beef in mixed dinners). They nibble it off the frozen chunk as it thaws. Whack the frozen bag on a table to break the food into small pieces, and keep in the freezer. Makes an easy and nutritious food that does not foul the tank provided you don't add too much at a time. They are fun to raise. Put in a floating piece of wood, weighted at one end to make a shallow ramp, for the teenagers to climb out as their tails reabsorb.