Tadpole Tanks

[Ben M]

hi, every year, i collect some frog spawn, and grow it into frogs. but i was wondering what would be the best setup for the tadpoles. i have an empty 26l tank, and i have a choice of either 6mm gravel, or sand. i also have a small sponge filter. so, would the sand or gravel be the best for them? is the filter necessary? and should i fill it with water from my main tank? i could also use some large tubs and buckets, but i have no filter for them. i feed the tadpoles tropical fish flakes, and live foods (insects). would this be ok for the tadpoles? obviously, when they turn into frogs, i will drain a lot of the water out, and have some land sections. and how often are water changes necessary?

cheers

 

[Jenste]

sand is best - - tadpoles are largely filter feeders - - so you want an established tank - - lots of moss balls work great because as you put in powdered food - - it traps the food, which makes it easier for the tadpoles to eat and the remaining food slightly decays, which makes organisms grow in the water to feed off the decaying matter, and the tadpoles eat these organisms.
while they are completing the transformation from tadpole to frog, they stop eating as their body is getting the nutrition from the tail its absorbing.

you actually don't want pristine water, but you want to keep the nitrites low. you want it slightly dirty enough for "things" (micro organisms) to grow for the tadpoles to munch on!

 

[Ben M]

cheers, i don't have any plants though, would that be a problem? i could put some rocks in for micro organisms to grow on, would that be ok? and i don't think any plants would grow, as the tank doesn't have a light, although i could leave it outside with the lid off.

cheers

 

[Jenste]

if you could get a few moss balls i would recommend it - - they feed off nitrites/ammonia which helps your water quality, and i find they make a world of difference with any fry tank - - and they can thrive with very little light

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i'll have a look for some. do you know of anyone selling any?

cheers

 

[Jenste]

where are you located

 

[Ben M]

i'm nr hornsea/beverley east yorkshire

cheers

 

[Jenste]

oh....im in the states....im sure you should be able to find some fairly easily--- i find them all over - - what i do with my fry tanks is I take one big moss ball and rip it into smaller chunks - - the fry seem to like the extra cover this gives them

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i'll post in the wanted section.

cheers

 

[kizno1]

you can get cheap moss balls on ebay.

 

[Truck]

Moss balls do nothing towards removing ammonia, something like hygrophila polysperma would be much better.

Moss balls grow so slowly that their nitrogen requirement is minimal.

 

[Ben M]

oh, so are any plants necessary then. i can't put any light/nutrient demanding plants in, as there is no light on the tank, and i'm not going to add ferts. would it be an idea to cover the whole of the bottom with a piece of turf, because where the frog spawn is, it's just a flooded part of a field.

cheers

 

[keithp]

I can tell you what tadpoles love to eat, i've raised bullfrog tad's! Frog & tadpole bites, crushed goldfish flakes, crushed algae wafers, boiled romaine lettuce, and when they developing back legs they eat frozen bloodworms too.

 

[Ben M]

thanks, i'll try them.

cheers