Q: Will Tilapia Eat Tadpoles?

[DailyLunatic]

I'm guessing tadpoles don't taste very good.

Woke yesterday to hundreds, maybe even thousands of tadpoles in my ponds. I stood on the bank watching for quite a while, hoping to see some of the Tilapia or the one rogue catfish take a few.

No luck. Might be a mouthful as yesterday they were about the same size as the pellets, and today a bit larger. (Do they really grow that quickly?) Tossed a few food pellets in the midst of a cluster in hopes to attract interest.

No luck, again. Tilapia would take the pellets, but ignored the tadpoles. Catfish took a mix, until there were no pellets left, then quit.

I've been reducing the feed hoping that they will grow an appetite, but worried the lone catfish will begin taking fish instead.

Wife says they are Toads, not Frogs, but I don't really know the difference this early.

 

[Colin_T]

Tilapia and catfish should eat tadpoles but the fish might not be use to live food if they have been fed dry food their entire lives.

If the tadpoles are from cane toads the fish might eat a few and that would be it.

Personally I would give the tadpoles somewhere safe to live and grow up because all amphibians are endangered and every frog counts.

 

[Magnum Man]

Tilapia are mostly vegan, and creatures of habit I added some duckweed to one of the tanks yesterday, they hit them, but spit them back out, because they weren’t the pellets they were used to… my buddies, that were in his small ornamental pond probably never ate any… maybe because they were outnumbered… I would suspect adults would eat them, as they will eat fry of their own kind…

 

[Endlersendlers]

Small tilapia will eat them if they get hungry enough. The larger tilapia get, the less interested they are in predation. Catfish will eat them if they are hungry but probably not as long as there is easier food (pellets). As for all amphibians being endangered - cane toads (aka Bufo toads) are most definitely not endangered and a hazard to all kinds of pets and wildlife as they are poisonous and even alligators have died from eating one. If you have cane toads in your area, I would seriously consider not feeling too generous towards the tadpoles and get rid of them (depending on laws in your area) before they turn into toads and wreak havoc in the area.

Edited to add that cane toads tadpoles are poisonous to fish and other animals, remove incorrect statements regarding same, and to add caveat for laws in the area. Many countries encourage getting rid of cane toads as they are an invasive and destructive species.

 

[Endlersendlers]

Common Indian Toad

Duttaphrynus melanostictus English name: Common Indian Toad (aka “Black-spined Toad”) Scientific name: Duttaphrynus melanostictus (formerly known as Bufo melanostictus) Thai name: Kang-kok ban, Khi…

bangkokherps.wordpress.com

 

[Endlersendlers]

Tilapia and catfish should eat tadpoles but the fish might not be use to live food if they have been fed a dry food their entire lives.

If the tadpoles are from cane toads the fish might eat a few and that would be it.

Personally I would give the tadpoles somewhere safe to live and grow u because all amphibians are endangered and every frog counts.

Colin, I’m surprised being in Australia that you aren’t familiar with the devastation by cane toads and how prolific they have been there, most assuredly not endangered!

 

[DailyLunatic]

Yeah, not sure what these are. We have so many, large, and small. Wife says it is Toad, not Frog. To be frank, this site says we only have one 'toad' in Thailand (Common Indian Toad), but I can't tell the difference on some of these listed, and certainly can't based on the tadpole. https://bangkokherps.wordpress.com/frogs/

At a guess, based on adults I've spotted in the area, I would flip a coin between:
Mukhlesur’s Narrowmouth Frog & Asian Grass Frog
but they are very brief glances before the head disappears in the water, and no guarantee they the daddy. Wife, as I said, disagrees & she's the local, so heavy weight should be put on her opinion.

Whatever, the species, I do not fear for their conservation status. I recorded this last year in my Brother-In-Law's just around the corner. THIS is what a typical night sounds like here in my house.

No. I'm not monetized or attempting to promote my channel. I've abandoned it.

-sterling

 

[DailyLunatic]

Before I could hit send on the above, I found several dead fingerlings.
If the spawn I'm seeing is the Common Indian Toad as suggested here and by my wife, and the adult has toxins in their parotid glands as per the article linked, then how dangerous are the tadpoles to the fish if eaten?

-sterling

 

[Colin_T]

cane toad eggs and tadpoles are poisonous if mouthed or ingested by other animals.
no idea about the other type of toad.

before you blame the tadpoles, check the water chemistry for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

-----------------

and point taken on cane toads not being endangered, they are a pain in the (another name for a mule). but most amphibians are endangered.

 

[DailyLunatic]

cane toad eggs and tadpoles are poisonous if mouthed or ingested by other animals.
no idea about the other type of toad.

before you blame the tadpoles, check the water chemistry for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH.

-----------------

and point taken on cane toads not being endangered, they are a pain in the (another name for a mule). but most amphibians are endangered.

I can only check pH, and Ammonia at the moment. All other supplies are still in the moving boxes. I had nothing to do with packing, so don't have a clue which box they could be in, and no way to unpack until we finish the house.

pH is 6.54, and Ammonia is registering as 0.

Not blaming, just asking the question. I have absolutely zero experience with frogs or toads.

-sterling

 

[Endlersendlers]

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2017.22734
Here it says the tadpoles are also poisonous.
Sounds like your wife Is correct and your fish are at risk.

 

[Colin_T]

You could try doing a big water change and see if that helps, otherwise move the tadpoles into their own pond.

 

[DailyLunatic]

You could try doing a big water change and see if that helps, otherwise move the tadpoles into their own pond.

Yeah... Water change is not going to happen for a while. I could drain easily enough, but ponds fill artisanally at the moment. (Sore point between the Wife and I, don't ask)

...and IF I do eventually end up having to take the tadpoles out of the pond, it is because they have risen from a current level of annoyance (tolerated), to that of nuisance (They cause a problem of some sort, and are not tolerated when found), or to that of even threatening/dangerous (active deterrents employed to protect fish, or human life).

Right now, they just ugly, and I'm not going to do anything but continue to investigate. If that changes, then sorry, but not going to contribute to the next generation. They are not endangered _here_. Besides we have plenty elsewhere to keep the snakes happy.

-sterling

 

[Endlersendlers]

Yeah... Water change is not going to happen for a while. I could drain easily enough, but ponds fill artisanally at the moment. (Sore point between the Wife and I, don't ask)

...and IF I do eventually end up having to take the tadpoles out of the pond, it is because they have risen from a current level of annoyance (tolerated), to that of nuisance (They cause a problem of some sort, and are not tolerated when found), or to that of even threatening/dangerous (active deterrents employed to protect fish, or human life).

Right now, they just ugly, and I'm not going to do anything but continue to investigate. If that changes, then sorry, but not going to contribute to the next generation. They are not endangered _here_. Besides we have plenty elsewhere to keep the snakes happy.

-sterling

I’m with you. I would definitely not give invasive poisonous toads their own pond! I give you credit for allowing them time to prove that’s not what they are. You are more generous than I would be in that situation, but then I lost a beloved dog to one of them so have stronger feelings on the harm they can impose.