# Birrova surprise from my FBTs



## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Ok, so as it turns out, one of my new additions is a female after all...:whistling2:

To my shame, I didn't spot the eggs (hidden amongst the weed) at all; the first I knew of it was seeing the tadpoles hanging on the tank sides. I've scooped out most of them into a small separate tank- they'll have to be split up as they get bigger- and I'm intending to use fish colour food from the beginning, to make sure they colour up. I've got 50 or 60 tads at the mo- we'll have to see how many actually make it...


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## kirsty-kay (Nov 19, 2011)

WOoohoooo how about pics would love to see them grow..... Cross your fingers my lot get their act together lol


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

kirsty-kay said:


> WOoohoooo how about pics would love to see them grow..... Cross your fingers my lot get their act together lol


Heh, still don't have a decent camera- but I'll see what I can do. Flipping inconvenient, actually, as I was halfway round reorganising the living room for the new rack. But still a bit thrilling- both me and the boyf still have that childhood joy in tadpoles!:lol2:


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## kirsty-kay (Nov 19, 2011)

I went to see some at our local rep shop loved it could of stood there all day watching them lol.... Can't wait for mine the hoovering and washing up will be out the window if they do lol .... Try hard for pics would love to see them!!


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ha this is wicked mate,just best 'o' luck with them Ron, this is really cool well done matee.
oh buddy i don't think any of us loose that childhood tadpole thing,thats why were still here:2thumb:.

Ron a little thing that might be of use regarding the colour, a good mate of mine from up north called Rich uses something called New life spectrum amphibian formula tad food,mate i have seen pics he posted of the colour difference between parent reared and hand reared (astounding),might be worth looking into.It's something i've been meaning to try out ourselves for ages,and will do very soon.
ok he's looking out for darts not firebellied,but it might still be applicable,got to be worth mentioning,even though i know nothing about your little guys
congrats buddy
Stu


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Ha this is wicked mate,just best 'o' luck with them Ron, this is really cool well done matee.
> oh buddy i don't think any of us loose that childhood tadpole thing,thats why were still here:2thumb:.
> 
> Ron a little thing that might be of use regarding the colour, a good mate of mine from up north called Rich uses something called New life spectrum amphibian formula tad food,mate i have seen pics he posted of the colour difference between parent reared and hand reared (astounding),might be worth looking into.It's something i've been meaning to try out ourselves for ages,and will do very soon.
> ...


Deffo worth some research, Stu- thanks for the lead! I give my adults canary colour food (via gut-loading), but it seems pretty crucial to get it in early, so I'll check it out.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Well, it seems my local petshop sells the Spectrum stuff- or something like it, anyway. :2thumb:

Tads are twice the size, now, and actively feeding on algae (from the weed) and the fishfood. To my surprise, not one of them has pegged it yet, and they seem to be developing at a steady rate. We have them in three tanks, now, two at the flat and one at the boyfs place. I'm putting a pic on my profile...:flrt:


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

hi
may i ask how you keep your tadpoles,do you use a filter or air stone,
thanks.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> hi
> may i ask how you keep your tadpoles,do you use a filter or air stone,
> thanks.


No, I'm pretty reluctant to use them with most 'phibs, but especially FBTs, as they don't like water movement much. I use regular partial water changes instead.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

thanks for replying,
the reason i ask is because i have mine in a tank by themselves,
but there seems to get a film on top of the water where its still.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> thanks for replying,
> the reason i ask is because i have mine in a tank by themselves,
> but there seems to get a film on top of the water where its still.


An airstone probably wouldn't hurt much, if you want to use it.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

ok thank you.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

If they morph in time, I might take some to LukeLondon's do in April- does a fiver a pair sound reasonable? I'm really not used to flogging frogs, so I have no idea. And they will be tiny.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

that sounds cheap,up here in london one will sell between 5-15 pounds.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> that sounds cheap,up here in london one will sell between 5-15 pounds.


Yeah, that's roughly what I paid for the adults. But these will be tiny morphs, if all goes to plan. And I won't be able to be sure of their colouration, to be honest, although I'm trying.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

are yours mixed colour adults ?


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Yep- both peppermint green and bronze- most of them have decent belly colours though- and I colour feed them, anyway.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

gosh i don't feel so bad about mine now, thanks.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> gosh i don't feel so bad about mine now, thanks.


Explain?


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

mine mixed after the divide collapsed,and the fire bellies and yellow
have produced much spawn,and someone said i should flush it,
but i couldn't bring myself to do it,and the tads are growing well.
.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> mine mixed after the divide collapsed,and the fire bellies and yellow
> have produced much spawn,and someone said i should flush it,
> but i couldn't bring myself to do it,and the tads are growing well.
> .


Oh, yes, I remember!

Well, the difference between mine is regional morphs, rather than species, but as I recall, you didn't know for sure they were crosses, anyway.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

no not hundred percent,guess i'll just wait and see what colour they are.


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## CHATAfrog (Feb 27, 2012)

sorry to appear dense, what's the 'do' you might bring some to?


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## twydell (Jul 29, 2008)

Ron I'd be happy to adopt a trio or 2 when they're ready oo:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

CHATAfrog said:


> sorry to appear dense, what's the 'do' you might bring some to?


A 'Phibs gathering Lukelondon is organising- PM him for details.

Of course this does depend on me successfully raising them...


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> A 'Phibs gathering Lukelondon is organising- PM him for details.
> 
> Of course this does depend on me successfully raising them...


Successfully raising them:whistling2:
stop being so self effacing and do the do bro :lol2: and tell us how as ya go :lol2:
sorry kiddo couldn't help meself :blush:
Stu


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Successfully raising them:whistling2:
> stop being so self effacing and do the do bro :lol2: and tell us how as ya go :lol2:
> sorry kiddo couldn't help meself :blush:
> Stu


:lol2:

Well the _first_ tads are growing well- but the :censor: have only gone and produced some more! Have they not heard of Family Planning? :devil: Frankly, the new ones are just going to have to take their chances in the main tank, for the mo, as I don't have any more spare space or tanks. Batch #1 are really doing well, getting fat and sassy, and eating well on algae, bruised dandilion, watercress, cooked vegetables and Spectrum colour food (thanks for the tip, Stu!:2thumb I'm thinking they will turn out to be bronzes, as the (definite) mother is bronze with some green patches, and the (probable) father, my largest bronze male, is the one I've seen trying to mate with her most. I just hope they will take on her belly colour- bright scarlet, rather than his- washed-out orange. The colour feeding should help, though.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Tads are still doing well- relatively *huge* now, lol. They are showing the first buds of hind legs, and going up to the surface for air quite frequently now, so we're starting to lower the water levels and also put thicker clumps of weed in, so they can rest near the surface, if they want to. Exciting times! :2thumb:


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> Tads are still doing well- relatively *huge* now, lol. They are showing the first buds of hind legs, and going up to the surface for air quite frequently now, so we're starting to lower the water levels and also put thicker clumps of weed in, so they can rest near the surface, if they want to. Exciting times! :2thumb:


awesome well done buddy its always especially heart warming to me when i hear of the so called beginner species (i don't totally hold to the concept) being bred its very cool to me this,
damn we gotta get you posting some pics dude !!!!!!
Stu


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## kirsty-kay (Nov 19, 2011)

Excellent news that tads are doing well Ron!! I ve been busily having a go at a semi planted viv for mine, as in live moss that I collected and hopefully has taken root, my lil green girl has gone so bright since its great now I just need some tads like you


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

kirsty-kay said:


> Excellent news that tads are doing well Ron!! I ve been busily having a go at a semi planted viv for mine, as in live moss that I collected and hopefully has taken root, my lil green girl has gone so bright since its great *now I just need some tads like you*


Just wait till yiu have to clean out the little :censor:s every second day- you won't be so keen then! :lol2:

Still doing well, BTW, the 'buds' are now definite legs, although still tiny. A local shop sells fruitflies, fortunately, cos feeding them when they change is going to be a hassle. I'm thinking of collecting 'wild' moss to keep them on, since it will also have it's share of snacklets.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Ok, so the little :censor:s are determined to catch me flat-footed; this morning, my usual check showed that the back legs were getting a bit more hefty- and tonight a good 50% have front legs- and some are already showing signs of tail reduction!

I am not (yet) defeated, however; I already have some ordinary household tiles soaking to provide propped-up landing spots (soaked to remove any inconvenient lime); I'm planning to use them rough-side up, for purchase, and cover them with Java moss saved from the last clean-out of the clawed frog tank to ensure the toadlets don't dry out. In emergancy, I have tropical woodlice as a possible food source, plus hopefully I can persuade my Beloved flrt::flrt::flrt:!) to give me a lift on the weekend to the one local shop that sells fruitflies, plus I will try small wild woodlice, and see if there are any bean/rice weevils for sale at Lukes' bash *next* weekend. Aaaaaand breathe...:whistling2:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Lots of little toadlets climbing the glass, now- I have to be really careful when I open the tanks. They are rather enthusiastically eating the fruitflies I bought today, plus gut-loaded and colour-fed micro crickets. Realistically, I think they will be still to small to take to the London 'phib meet next weekend, but they are doing well, anyway.


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## REDDEV1L (Nov 27, 2008)

Ron Magpie said:


> Lots of little toadlets climbing the glass, now- I have to be really careful when I open the tanks. They are rather enthusiastically eating the fruitflies I bought today, plus gut-loaded and colour-fed micro crickets. Realistically, I think they will be still to small to take to the London 'phib meet next weekend, but they are doing well, anyway.


 :2thumb: good good

Shame you don't have a decent camera for some piccies tho :Na_Na_Na_Na:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

REDDEV1L said:


> :2thumb: good good
> 
> Shame you don't have a decent camera for some piccies tho :Na_Na_Na_Na:


:Na_Na_Na_Na::Na_Na_Na_Na::Na_Na_Na_Na: to you too!

I'll have a go with my phone, when I get a chance- but you know it's not going to be National Geographic quality...


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

doesn't matter,would love to see yours.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

umm just wondering..would you be able to feed them ants
from the garden ?


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> umm just wondering..would you be able to feed them ants
> from the garden ?


I expect so- black ants, at least- red ones are probably too 'zingy'! They are doing fine so far on fruitflies, micro crickets and tropical woodlice, though.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

always nice to have a verity.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> always nice to have a verity.


A bit early in the season, but all small frogs (and even some not-so-small lizards) *love* aphids (green or blackfly):2thumb:

And hatchling spiders always go down well, too.


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## snowdragon (Feb 21, 2010)

*just seen your thread*

WOW WOW
well done ron amazing you didnt tell me you had loads od babies 
they do suddenly surprise you by spawning as its usualy at night .
i have kept my leggy tad in tubs with tights pulled over the top cut a hole in the tight you can pass food through the hole then just seal it with a clip . theirs no holes for food get out also the froggies can not get out . 
well chuffed for you like yourself i just change water i dont have movement as the tads dont like it put you can try a little bit of pond oxgenater weed in there as well ,,,,, scot :2thumb::no1:


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

Ron Magpie said:


> And hatchling spiders always go down well, too.


i can cope with most bugs,but spiders,along with big crickets
are too much for me,it's all i can do to feed the tree frogs,and the 
big FBTs the big crickets.
hopefully got the fruit flies coming tomorrow.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Bro you don't have a compo bin do ya?
Ron, i honestly don't think i can chuck any small food ideas at ya that you wouldn't have already thought of,aphid are still in real short supply here too,bugger init your a month too early mate. glad that wood culture is helping abit,springtails might just multiply fast enough to buy a bit more time,buddy which ff are you feeding? Ron i have no ideas of what size of froglet your feeding or what its like to be hit by 60 kids this early in the year,its a vast quantity of grub to find on the wild front,i wonder about the use of a seive and leafmould,time consuming but stuff is there. All this might be irrelevent,i just thought fun doing a tiny bit of brainstorming...trying to put myself in your shoes and how to deal with this,damn you should have done this last year,now we are full bore trying to keep up ourselves with the madness we have created here,hanging on for dear life for what the tincs will really eat when they get going.
Brings out the REAL stockmen this stuff hey mate!!!
best of luck and well ya know what I'm going to say

BRING IT ON :mf_dribble:

Stu


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## aberreef (Aug 10, 2010)

Well done on raising these so far: victory: 
Mrs aberreef is constantly looking for something interesting to keep in her classroom and I'm thinking these may fit the bill (anything that gets her more interested in phibs has got to be good:whistling2.

Off to find a caresheet:2thumb:


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## kirsty-kay (Nov 19, 2011)

Omg Ron I ve only been gone a week or 2 and you have toadlets!!!! How many do you reckon?? Mine still not up to much my definite male is quite convinced that one of the others is female I'm not so sure but at least he's calling again. Since I did the semi planted viv they went really quiet so maybe just settling in .... Good luck with babies and hmmmmmm is it worth asking for pics lol


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

I'll try and take a phone pic tonight, if I remember! I reckon I've got about 60 in total; they've had another couple of attempts but I didn't try to raise those- quite enough as it is.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> Bro you don't have a compo bin do ya?
> Ron, i honestly don't think i can chuck any small food ideas at ya that you wouldn't have already thought of,aphid are still in real short supply here too,bugger init your a month too early mate. glad that wood culture is helping abit,springtails might just multiply fast enough to buy a bit more time,buddy *which ff are you feeding?* Ron i have no ideas of what size of froglet your feeding or what its like to be hit by 60 kids this early in the year,its a vast quantity of grub to find on the wild front,i wonder about the use of a seive and leafmould,time consuming but stuff is there. All this might be irrelevent,i just thought fun doing a tiny bit of brainstorming...trying to put myself in your shoes and how to deal with this,damn you should have done this last year,now we are full bore trying to keep up ourselves with the madness we have created here,hanging on for dear life for what the tincs will really eat when they get going.
> Brings out the REAL stockmen this stuff hey mate!!!
> best of luck and well ya know what I'm going to say
> ...


To be utterly honest, Stu, I don't know! :blush: As a non dart keeper, I haven't paid a lot of attention to Drisophila species and varieties; I can tell you that they appear fully-winged, but don't fly- which is a blessing, 'cos the little b:censor:ds get everywhere when I open the culture! :devil:


kirsty-kay said:


> Omg Ron I ve only been gone a week or 2 and you have toadlets!!!! How many do you reckon?? Mine still not up to much my definite male is quite convinced that one of the others is female I'm not so sure but at least he's calling again. Since I did the semi planted viv they went really quiet so maybe just settling in .... Good luck with babies and hmmmmmm is it worth asking for pics lol





Ron Magpie said:


> I'll try and take a phone pic tonight, if I remember! I reckon I've got about 60 in total; they've had another couple of attempts but I didn't try to raise those- quite enough as it is.


Ok, typically crappy phone pic on my profile, now.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

they're really sweet.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> they're really sweet.


As I've said, oodles of times, the whole transformation thing is ultra-cool :2thumb:

At least they seem to be dealing with being landlubbers without drying out and eating readily, which (at this stage) is the critical bit. Still not counting chickens, though!


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

i love seeing the changes in my ones.
the colour is clear as day already.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

More laid tonight. I may be forced into psychobabble.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> To be utterly honest, Stu, I don't know! :blush: As a non dart keeper, I haven't paid a lot of attention to Drisophila species and varieties; I can tell you that they appear fully-winged, but don't fly- which is a blessing, 'cos the little b:censor:ds get everywhere when I open the culture! :devil:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


black body? probably hydie i was fishing as there is a quite significant size difference,so was wondering about whether you would have another opton.
moving flies 101:2thumb:

tools big flat tupperware to tip into at least 6"deep
pint plastic cup with vit dust already in(or fuit for gut type loading cover and elastic band for pint cup malarky:whistling2:
method:

sharp tap to culture downwards
remove lid
invert culture over big tupperware
sharp tap
get the lid back on the culture damn quick
bang the big tupperware down to stop the buggers climbing the sides
now tap into a corner and tip into cup with dust
swirl cup coating ff's and making it more difficult for the sods to climb out
feed flies or re-lid and store till feeding of course bependent on fruit or vit dust
SORTED:2thumb:
no escapees in you tea

Stu


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

That's really useful, Stu, thanks! Nearly all of my two batches have fully morphed now; Dave's (kept cooler) are a bit slower. They're taking both the flies and hatchling crickets, which I'm gutloading with the the same colour/vit mix I'm using for the adults: Spectrum fishfood, red-factor canary food, pinch of Nutrobal and fresh or defrosted carrot, all ground up into a paste in the morter and pestle. From the crickets' reaction, I assume it tastes good- they swarm over it in seconds!:lol2: Too early yet though to tell if the colour-feeding has paid off. The little tinkers definitely think they are treefrogs, though- I have to be really careful when I open the top of the tank, since they climb and congregate there.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

Ron Magpie said:


> That's really useful, Stu, thanks! Nearly all of my two batches have fully morphed now; Dave's (kept cooler) are a bit slower. They're taking both the flies and hatchling crickets, which I'm gutloading with the the same colour/vit mix I'm using for the adults: Spectrum fishfood, red-factor canary food, pinch of Nutrobal and fresh or defrosted carrot, all ground up into a paste in the morter and pestle. From the crickets' reaction, I assume it tastes good- they swarm over it in seconds!:lol2: Too early yet though to tell if the colour-feeding has paid off. The little tinkers definitely think they are treefrogs, though- I have to be really careful when I open the top of the tank, since they climb and congregate there.


your welcome mate,shaz does this stuff blindfolded now without dropping a fly,just for the crack:mf_dribble:,i just stand around in wonderment and carry cultures about.:blush:
We have the same problems with little darts at the top,they might all be following the flies,it will be fascinating to see how the colour supps pan out,i will get some pics one day won't i kiddo:whistling2:...remember i'm getting on abit:lol2:
Ere on the subject of colour enhancement,repashy do one called superpig,it's (the superpig) also a component of the base vit dust we use calcium plus,you really should have a try with this stuff mate,with the number you have on the go i guess at some stage you'll split them,might make for an interesting chance of a little back to back comparative experiment. You've already got a good idea of how highly the dart scene rates these products,its good stuff mate that's for sure,on a personal level our darts are glowing, they cover a quite large colour spectrum now ,only really missing a red frog to have the full rainbow,and that will all be down to that bit of superpig in the calcium plus.The little attachibakka just coming through are really vibrant Ron,more so than the parents,mind that could just be genes as they can range from deep yellow right through to grey,on the back.

Stu


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

I keep hearing loads of good stuff about Repashy- but it doesn't seem to be available retail. No sign of any colour result on the toadlets yet- but that's normal. They normally take a while for the colour to 'fix'.


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## REDDEV1L (Nov 27, 2008)

I bought Repashys earlier incarnation, T-Rex Fire Bellied Toad Dust from Surrey Pets with my latest order of bits n pieces.... and I don't even have the frogs or the finished tank yet !! :lol2:
Not sure how true this is but (according to a yank forum, I think it was) it's the same stuff as Repashy SuperPig, eventhough the label ingredients are slightly different, they're apparently old labels from the original mixture.


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Yep he used to make the T Rex stuff.

Ron a little Carophyll Red in the toads water


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

colinm said:


> Yep he used to make the T Rex stuff.
> 
> Ron a little Carophyll Red in the toads water


Heh, at this rate they'll be bright orange all over! :lol2:


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Almost atomic.


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## soundstounite (Sep 6, 2009)

brilliant nicely done Colin :notworthy::lol2:
Ron,the whole caboodle is available here
www.repashy.co.uk ,just ordered some today

Stu


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## REDDEV1L (Nov 27, 2008)

While on he subject of repashy (whilst going off official topic slightly)
Have you seen the crazy concoctions he's working on at the moment ??

https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.1688205917532.2091207.1009217634&type=3

Just look through the first few lines of his facebook pics and you'll see what I mean... I like the sound of the Bramble premix gel for phasmids (and sticks i'd imagine)


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

soundstounite said:


> brilliant nicely done Colin :notworthy::lol2:
> Ron,the whole caboodle is available here
> www.repashy.co.uk ,just ordered some today
> 
> Stu





REDDEV1L said:


> While on he subject of repashy (whilst going off official topic slightly)
> Have you seen the crazy concoctions he's working on at the moment ??
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.1688205917532.2091207.1009217634&type=3
> ...


I'm definitely going to have to check this guy out. I'm not a fan of complete substitute diets, on the whole, but variety is always good.


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## REDDEV1L (Nov 27, 2008)

I came across this video clip (No idea how!!) a few weeks ago and thought it fits in with this thread nicely.
Took me a while to find it again tho !!!

Here's the vid link - BBC NEWS | Health | The truth about raw carrots

and here's the huge page of info on it... Nutrition Part 1 - Health Properties of the Carrot

Basically... it's a test to see what state of carrot releases what % of beta carotene (in humans)

The results....

Chewed Raw Carrot - 5%
Chewed Boiled Carrot - 60%
Blended Boiled Carrot - 90%

Obviously, crickets and other feeder insects' stomach acids will be different to ours but it would probably be safe to say that blending boiled carrots into a mushy paste _*may *_produce better results than feeding raw in terms of colouration.
(Shame they didn't test blended raw, eh Ron!!)

Anyway... I haven't read that whole page, but will in due course.

Just thought i'd share :2thumb:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

REDDEV1L said:


> I came across this video clip (No idea how!!) a few weeks ago and thought it fits in with this thread nicely.
> Took me a while to find it again tho !!!
> 
> Here's the vid link - BBC NEWS | Health | The truth about raw carrots
> ...


That's really interesting dude- I'll start nuking them first. They'll be easier to blend, then, too- win, win! :2thumb:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Well, the babies continue to grow, and are beginning to colour up :2thumb:
Annoyingly, the boyfs batch seem to be both bigger and fatter :devil:. There have been losses (which I expected), but the survivors seem pretty healthy, and are squaffing loads of fruitflies and bean weevils, as well as woodlice, aphids and tiny crickets. In future I'd give them more room, and plan ahead on the food front (I really wasn't geared up for such small frogs), but I'm cautiously pleased.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

On the downside, I have sodding (can I say 'sodding'? If not, s:censor:g) fruit flies everywhere! Pogrom in process.. :devil::devil::devil:


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## marcuswinner1 (Sep 24, 2009)

Since you got flies everywhere now Ron you may as well get some Darts:2thumb:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

marcuswinner1 said:


> Since you got flies everywhere now Ron you may as well get some Darts:2thumb:


:lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2::lol2:


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## bbav (Oct 17, 2007)

marcuswinner1 said:


> Since you got flies everywhere now Ron you may as well get some Darts:2thumb:


sshhh that's going to be my excuse to the wife...
Start breeding fruit flies for our babies then pull the "we need to get something to eat all of these flies :whistling2:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

bbav said:


> sshhh that's going to be my excuse to the wife...
> Start breeding fruit flies for our babies then pull the "we need to get something to eat all of these flies :whistling2:


So long as you don't mind them on your arms, your face, your work surfaces, your wine (*major* crime!), even your computer screen... For insects that don't fly, they are amazingly intrusive- even more so than crickets.

I'm becoming quite fond of the bean weevils, in comparison...


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

may i ask where you get the beetles from ?
thanks.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

ephiedoodle said:


> may i ask where you get the beetles from ?
> thanks.


LukeLondon was nice enough to give me a whole culture, at his last gathering, which has turned out to be incredibly useful!:2thumb: I can send you some for postage or maybe meet up and just hand some over (since you're in town). PM me.


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## ephiedoodle (Oct 22, 2008)

pm sent


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## Tuti (Apr 23, 2013)

Hi,What was your result with these? How many survived out of 60 and did they colour? 
I have tiny froglets that seem to be going well at the mo, approx how old were yours when they started dying?
I also Hate fruitflies, the sooner they're off them the better, even found one in my fridge, almost threw a total tantrum!
Tina.


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Tuti said:


> Hi,What was your result with these? How many survived out of 60 and did they colour?
> I have tiny froglets that seem to be going well at the mo, approx how old were yours when they started dying?
> I also Hate fruitflies, the sooner they're off them the better, even found one in my fridge, almost threw a total tantrum!
> Tina.


Had more than sixty, in the end! I sold about 40, still have the two smallest; boyf has about 15 (he won't sell, lol!)
Some of mine died in the tadpole stage, some more shortly after metamorphosis- after that, they seemed pretty bombproof. None of them coloured up as much as I would have liked, despite feeding various colour foods- which has put me off even trying to raise them this year. I will probabaly hoik out a few and try again, though.


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## Tuti (Apr 23, 2013)

Thank you for your response, feel like i got to the end of the story! was holding out for a good ending which it sounds like you achieved! I heard that it can take a year for the colours to show, I'm far too impatient for that! I have my fingers crossed for mine, every day I get up and they're all still okay is a blessing  some are getting a bit tubby now which I love. 
Next year I will only keep a small handful of frogspawn and actually enjoy the experience, instead of feeling slightly overwhelmed!!


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Tuti said:


> Thank you for your response, feel like i got to the end of the story! was holding out for a good ending which it sounds like you achieved! I heard that it can take a year for the colours to show, I'm far too impatient for that! I have my fingers crossed for mine, every day I get up and they're all still okay is a blessing  some are getting a bit tubby now which I love.
> Next year I will only keep a small handful of frogspawn and actually enjoy the experience, instead of feeling slightly overwhelmed!!


I thought I was being conservative (*small c*) with mine, and I still raised too many, really- time and cost-wise, they took up way too much. It was (and is) a bit of a thrill, though, going through the whole process.


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