# Raising tadpoles



## RawrIsDinosaurForILoveYou (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi, my friend recently discovered loads of frog spawn in his "pond" (its more like a small hole in the ground with water in it) and he wanted to fill it in so they were all transferred to me, I've brought a few clumps inside to make sure that we get a better survival rate and we have quite a few tadpoles that have hatched out already, if anyone has raised them before, did you use a filter?


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## plasma234 (Feb 27, 2013)

I don't know about a filter, but just make sure you don't use tap water. I think doing 50% weekly water changes and chuck some java moss in with them. 

When they get to morphing out time you will need a land section for them to crawl out onto, other wise you will get mass drowning. Get some tad pole food, supplemented with some chopped worms. when they morph they will need live foods like fruitflies, micro crickets or bean weevils, they won't take dead food, it won't trigger the feeding response. 

How big of a tank have you got them in?


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## RawrIsDinosaurForILoveYou (Apr 11, 2009)

plasma234 said:


> I don't know about a filter, but just make sure you don't use tap water. I think doing 50% weekly water changes and chuck some java moss in with them.
> 
> When they get to morphing out time you will need a land section for them to crawl out onto, other wise you will get mass drowning. Get some tad pole food, supplemented with some chopped worms. when they morph they will need live foods like fruitflies, micro crickets or bean weevils, they won't take dead food, it won't trigger the feeding response.
> 
> How big of a tank have you got them in?


Right now they're in a 3ftx2ft, one side is shallower than the other and I've built it up so there is less chance of them drowning, I'm so paranoid about having too much water in there


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Part of one clump will be enough.If they all hatch out you will have hundreds of tadpoles and they will be difficult to look after.You are probably better giving the rest to friends or finding another pond to put the other clumps in.If you can get thirty or forty frogs to metamophosis that will be quite good.


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## plasma234 (Feb 27, 2013)

That is a bigger tank than most keep their proper frogs in ha, at least it is big enough. The water should be 10cm deep. If you have aquarium gravel than just slope it like you have to go 1/3 land, I would then layer sphagnum over then leaf litter. Your a little way off of worrying about that though. 

So 10cm water and 50% water changes and some java moss should keep the water clean. You could try one of those moss balls, but java moss will give the tads somewhere to hide. 

For water you can pick up 5 litre bottles of genuine spring water from sainsburys for just over £1. I think RO water would be too "clean" for tadpoles, unless you start looking at making tadpole tea, by boiling oak/almond/magnolia leaves.


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## RawrIsDinosaurForILoveYou (Apr 11, 2009)

colinm said:


> Part of one clump will be enough.If they all hatch out you will have hundreds of tadpoles and they will be difficult to look after.You are probably better giving the rest to friends or finding another pond to put the other clumps in.If you can get thirty or forty frogs to metamophosis that will be quite good.


We have lots of places for them to go so, we should hopefully be okay for homes



plasma234 said:


> That is a bigger tank than most keep their proper frogs in ha, at least it is big enough. The water should be 10cm deep. If you have aquarium gravel than just slope it like you have to go 1/3 land, I would then layer sphagnum over then leaf litter. Your a little way off of worrying about that though.
> 
> So 10cm water and 50% water changes and some java moss should keep the water clean. You could try one of those moss balls, but java moss will give the tads somewhere to hide.
> 
> For water you can pick up 5 litre bottles of genuine spring water from sainsburys for just over £1. I think RO water would be too "clean" for tadpoles, unless you start looking at making tadpole tea, by boiling oak/almond/magnolia leaves.


Haha, okay, could I boil the water and leave it to stand overnight to make sure there is no chlorine left?

Right now I've got a few days to sort out the water change so, either way :L


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## plasma234 (Feb 27, 2013)

Leaving water to stand removes chlorine but not chloramine, which is actually worse. Some water companies don't add that, you can ring up and ask, I can't be bothered to :lol2: I am lazy and would just spend the money for the spring water, but its up to you really, you have to imagine the nutrients that would be in the pond water and replicate it, so mineral water or reverse osmosis water with boiled with leaves in would go some way to doing that 

have you put these in you tank with a hood and a UV bulb? The UV would be beneficial also


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

colinm said:


> Part of one clump will be enough.If they all hatch out you will have hundreds of tadpoles and they will be difficult to look after.You are probably better giving the rest to friends or finding another pond to put the other clumps in.If you can get thirty or forty frogs to metamophosis that will be quite good.


What I meant is that if you have a few clumps of spawn you will have hundreds of tadpoles.Some will get larger than others and start eating the small ones.A 3 foot by 2 foot aquarium is not that large to raise hundreds of tadpoles in,you will be changing the water almost daily because of the waste that is made by the tadpoles.

I would put the aquarium outside on a thick piece of polystyrene,fill it 3/4 full with water,put some Elodea densa or other oxygenating weed in there and at most put one clump of spawn in it.The aquarium can be put in partial sun,not full sun as the water could overheat.You can start feeding the tadpoles on dandelion or spinach that has been quickly blanched,once they are free swimming,then onto fish pellets once they are about half an inch long.Fish pellets are better than flake because they dont pollute the water as much.If you introduce some Daphnia into the water it will help to keep the water clean.Once the buds are appearing for the front legs you can reduce the water so that they dont drown,they are succeptible to drowning at this stage.Then you can realease the tiny froglets.


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