By breeding and then releasing tadpoles, you not only get the chance to observe a fascinating transformation, but you also bring more frogs to this world - frogs that eat annoying insects such as midges, mosquitoes, flies and more. To keep them healthy and make sure their morph goes smoothly, you'll need to have the right environment and the right notions.
Steps
Step 1. Get a container of your choice, such as a tin baking tray, or a puddle if you are going to keep them outdoors
Note that you will need shade for about 3/4 of the time.
Put some gravel at the base, and a couple of large stones
Step 2. Keep the water clean
Tadpoles need clean, chlorine-free water. Bottled or distilled water is ideal, but if it's tap water let it sit in a container for 24 hours.
- Some recommend using water from the pond where you collected the tadpoles.
- Do not use tap water; has many chemicals that can harm tadpoles. If you want to use tap water, leave it in an uncapped container for 24 hours to allow time for the chlorine to dissipate.
Step 3. Boil some romaine lettuce for 10-15 minutes, drain and cut into small pieces
Give the tadpoles a pinch every day.
Other types of lettuce should work too. Either way, use only the softest leaves
Step 4. Have patience
The transition from eggs to tadpole takes place over a period ranging from 6 to 12 weeks. Keep this in mind and don't panic when it gets cold; in winter the tadpoles grow more slowly. The ideal temperature is between 20 and 25 ° C.
Step 5. Prepare for their metamorphosis
When your tadpoles develop legs you will need a container with soil to allow them to move out of the water, or they will drown.
Advice
- Put small herbs and plants with their roots still attached to the water so the tadpoles can cling to them and eat the roots. Make sure these plants have not undergone recent pesticide treatment, as this would kill the tadpoles within a day.
- Chop and freeze the lettuce, and spread it out in pinches.
- Tadpoles can also eat regular fish flake food - but only in small quantities, as it is not ideal for them.
- Dead tadpoles are gray (if your tadpoles are black), almost zombie-like. They float on the surface of the water and can be easily removed.
- Keep about 5-10 tadpoles per liter of water. You can keep more, but they may die faster or eat each other.
- Try to change only half of the water at a time to keep the pH balanced. A kitchen measuring pipette is ideal for this task, and disturbs the tadpoles as little as possible while easily removing debris that congregates at the bottom of the container - but it's only optional, not many tadpole / frog owners have one!
- If you have tadpoles of African clawed frogs or dwarf frogs, then an area of land will not be needed because all stages of these amphibians are fully aquatic.
- Sometimes you can find tadpoles in deep pools.
Warnings
- Don't feed the tadpoles as they develop legs. At this stage the tadpole uses its tail as food and becomes an adult frog.
- Be careful not to get sunscreen, soap, lotion or anything like that in the water, as it will kill the tadpoles. Especially the pesticides !!!
- Check your area's regulations before catching wild tadpoles or releasing frogs, especially if you're using flake fish food. Growing up in the aquarium, tadpoles get used to a different environment with different types of diseases, which could wreak havoc among the local fauna.
- Avoid exposing tadpoles to direct sunlight; indirect light is acceptable as long as it doesn't heat the tadpoles too much - remember, 3/4 of the time in shade.
- Do not overfeed the tadpoles. Doing so could cause the water to become cloudy, which can suffocate the little ones. It will also dirty the water - leading to highly probable aquatic infections.
- If you live in an area where mosquito-borne diseases are a problem, make sure your outdoor pool doesn't become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
- If you are growing your frogs outdoors, you may find yourself a permanent frog farm.
