# Tadpoles ate my Shubunkins!



## funky1 (Jun 18, 2008)

Ow do,
Last year, I had 4 shubunkins in my garden pond. All was well until around about May time, I noticed all the tadpoles in the pond where following them round - eating their eyeballs and nibbling them all over as they swam. I was furious as you can imagine! (all 4 died). Any idea how I can prevent this next year? I even tried putting a little mincemeat into the pond to distract them but it didn`t work. And obviously, besides keeping the pond covered with net all year round (which I don`t wanna do) to keep the frogs out, can anyone recommend anything else that may help???


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## spend_day (Apr 10, 2008)

i thought tadpoles were herbivores sure they went newt larva (which are carnivores), getting rid of any easy access into/out of the pond. keeping higher alge levels if there tadpoles or aquatic inverts such as bloodworms or daphnia if it newt larva, getting some bigger fish (which will eat the tads or larva) otherwise there's not alot u can do except physically removing the tads/larva when u find them


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## Grond (Jun 17, 2008)

Tadpoles _are not _herivorous! They will occasionally eat fish if there are too many tadpoles for the size of pond. Easiest way is to remove the spawn, but think this is technically illegal......:whistling2:


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## Marinam2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I've never heard of this happening but if your pond was swamped in tadpoles i can imagine a fish easily being over powered.

Firstly you need to remove ALL spawn from your pond and move it some where else or offer it to someone with a newly set up pond who wants frogs.

Marina


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## funky1 (Jun 18, 2008)

spend_day said:


> i thought tadpoles were herbivores sure they went newt larva (which are carnivores), getting rid of any easy access into/out of the pond. keeping higher alge levels if there tadpoles or aquatic inverts such as bloodworms or daphnia if it newt larva, getting some bigger fish (which will eat the tads or larva) otherwise there's not alot u can do except physically removing the tads/larva when u find them


 The pond is really healthy - full of daphne, bloodworm (which I didn`t put in), jokers, great diving beetles, caddis fly larvae, pond skaters - there`s always been a really good balance. It is pretty much a natural/wildife pond, not an ornamental one, and up until last year the shubunkins had their place in the eco-system. Agree with Marinam2 that there probably were too many tadpoles in though, so gonna seriously thin out the frog spawn this year then. The tadpoles even stripped a baby bird to the bone that had fallen in overnight. So it seems pretty obvious now, that the balance between food and tadpoles had been distorted.
Thanks for all the replies - they`re appreciated.


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## Heppy (Apr 11, 2007)

Theres been a serious decline in british amphibians, please do not destroy the spawn, if your gonna move it take care not to damage it and put it somewhere where the tadpoes will still flourish.


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## funky1 (Jun 18, 2008)

Heppy said:


> Theres been a serious decline in british amphibians, please do not destroy the spawn, if your gonna move it take care not to damage it and put it somewhere where the tadpoes will still flourish.


Oh yeah, I would anyway!!! I love all things to do with wildlife - that`s the sole reason I made the pong tbh, to have as a wildlife one. The tadpoles belong there - the fish are my introduction so the tadpoles take priority! There are a few ponds near me that could do with a bit more life, so the taddies/spawn will go in them. 
I`ve had all 3 British native newts so far in my pond - even though it`s only 3 years old. Only ever saw a 1 great crested newt for 2 seconds last year and never seen it before or since (even though it`s a fairly small pond). I felt honoured!!! The 1 thing - for some bizarre reason - that I`ve not had/found in my garden yet is a bog standard toad! Very weird! I know they spend the vast majority of their time on land, but I`m always in amongst my plants/rocks/logs and still haven`t come across one.


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## alpharoyals (Nov 21, 2007)

Im no expert but maybe the fish came out of winter a bit stressed and maybe had some parasites or ulscers and the tadpoles were pecking on them? and it just ended up being too much for the fish to handle?
Is there a lot of leaf matter falling in the pond over the winter or un-eaten food?

I hope this can shed some light rather than look like im picking holes in your fish keeping skills :blush:


p.s, I must agree, a net on a pond ruins the natural look and I hate them too!!!


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## JuiceeLucy (Dec 21, 2008)

i'd go see a doctor if i were you mate


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## Natonstan (Aug 9, 2008)

Sounds like my pond thriving with bloodworms and stuff, all my fish got eaten by a friggen herren! Woke up early to hear the dog barking, looked out and the huge bird was munching down my Koi! he'd ate all adults only had babys, luckilly there still growing big now :lol2:


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## carpy (Nov 13, 2007)

spend_day said:


> i thought tadpoles were herbivores sure they went newt larva (which are carnivores), getting rid of any easy access into/out of the pond. keeping higher alge levels if there tadpoles or aquatic inverts such as bloodworms or daphnia if it newt larva, getting some bigger fish (which will eat the tads or larva) otherwise there's not alot u can do except physically removing the tads/larva when u find them


have you ever seen the size of newt larvae? Native newt larvae are almost microscopic when they first hatch into larvae. indeed even the newly morphed adults are miniscule. even thousands swarming wouldnt result in a visible occurance in a pond


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