Why did all our tadpoles die?

[wildatheart]

Had loads of spawn (as usual in the pond), looked to be developping normally, but then when they hatched, they promptly died and sunk to the bottom of the pond. The pond seems fine - goldfish are fine, loads of other creepy crawlies (pond skaters, water fleas, etc, etc), but the tadpoles just gave up the ghost. Anyone any idea what's going on?

Helen

[Kayleigh]

That's awful Helen. All I can think of is the frost may have got them. Or an amphibian fungal infection..It seems odd they have all died.

I think you need to contact frog life for some expert advice. Froglife - conserving native frogs, toads, newts, lizards, snakes

[dragonfly]

HYA same thing happend to me what think its the weather at the moment one day hot next freezing its like us we catch a cold they got to cold and died not stronge enough to servive but i think if you look closely you will still have some left the stronger ones

[demicav]

It can't be good for the wildlife all this crazy weather. Warm one day, snow the next.

[Crowman]

The weather isn't that unusual!!

Don't forget Frogs spawn in February.......how cold is it then?

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Crowman

The weather isn't that unusual!!

Don't forget Frogs spawn in February.......how cold is it then?

My tadpoles are only in a wooden barrel and we had frosts, all mine a doing well so far. Unless yours froze solid, I don't think its the weather. We lost a few of the spawn, it went white, that was due the frost. But the rest have developed normally.

[Stefan]

My tadpoles (and toadpoles :P) are also fine maybe PH of water? I don't know how tolerant tadpoles are of particularly acid/alkali water

[demicav]

Originally Posted by Crowman

The weather isn't that unusual!!

Don't forget Frogs spawn in February.......how cold is it then?

I always thought that Frogs spawned in early Spring, about March/April. That's when I usually see spawn on my local patch, though I have read that it also varies depending on location and climate.

If not the weather then possibly a fungal infection as Kayleigh suggested or maybe they had something inherently wrong with them, does happen in nature sometimes.

[Dogghound]

No not the weather isnt that unusual it should cope with this, the frost wont kill the tadpoles. Are you sure their dead? its normal they sink to the bottom after hatching.

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by demicav

I always thought that Frogs spawned in early Spring, about March/April. That's when I usually see spawn on my local patch, though I have read that it also varies depending on location and climate.

If not the weather then possibly a fungal infection as Kayleigh suggested or maybe they had something inherently wrong with them, does happen in nature sometimes.

My frogs spawned on the 24th Feb. How sad is that, I know exactly to the day