Tadpole help

[Digifrog]

Hello peoples

I need a little advice. I built a pond 2 years ago (a small one) in my garden and it is the first time I have seen a fist sized clump of frog spawn in it. There's that, and I rescued 2 amourous frogs and more frog spawn in my watering can (don't know how one, let alone 2 got in there) along with another fist sized clump of frog spawn. These I had to empty into the pond also because they certainly would have perished, being unable to get back out.

Anyway with 2 fist sized clumps of frog babies in my small pond I want to ensure that there will be enough food for them when they hatch. What can I add to my pond to make sure there's anough food for all? I heard adding some fish flakes could be good and also small bits of lettuce has been suggested(?).Any advice will be welcomed.

Thanks in advance.

Scott. Bristol.

[Kayleigh]

They love chopped up worms...yuk

[yellowhammer]

At birth taddies are herbivorous and will graze the algae on the sides of there pond. As they grow they become carnivorous and you could give them Daphnia or tubifex worms from an aquarist supply shop. They will eat fish flake but be careful not to overfeed and spoil the water quality.

[Digifrog]

Chopped up worms? Yum.

Thank you. I've seen the tubifex worm food on the net...

...looks like brown sugarcubes. Is that what I need? I thought powder/granual form would be better. The cube would just sink to the bottom and go unoticed.

From what I've gathered so far, tadpoles need food that floats as well as sinks? And lettuce has been mentioned quite a bit, though there's some ambiguity on whether it should be boiled (to cleanse it) or to freeze it (something to do with releasing the nutrients more easily). Maybe I should boil it then freeze it. I might get some fish flakes too so they can have dessert.

Any further suggestions or clarifying will be greatfully recieved. Thanks again.

[GuyF]

When we had some tadpoles in a water butt a few years ago we put in small chunks of bread and there used to be quite a few coming up and feeding from it. Also when they got older I think they ate ham but I can't remember.
Guy

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by Digifrog

Chopped up worms? Yum.

Thank you. I've seen the tubifex worm food on the net...

...looks like brown sugarcubes. Is that what I need? I thought powder/granual form would be better. The cube would just sink to the bottom and go unoticed.

From what I've gathered so far, tadpoles need food that floats as well as sinks? And lettuce has been mentioned quite a bit, though there's some ambiguity on whether it should be boiled (to cleanse it) or to freeze it (something to do with releasing the nutrients more easily). Maybe I should boil it then freeze it. I might get some fish flakes too so they can have dessert.

Any further suggestions or clarifying will be greatfully recieved. Thanks again.

NO!!!! REAL ONES ..YUK

[Lords and Ladies]

I don't think you really need to supplement their food if the pond has been established now for two years.

In the early stages, if you don't think you have enough algae/plant matter, you could try adding a few broken up peas. Not too many though. Alternatively, most fish shops sell the yummily entitled 'algae wafers' that people use feed to Plecos (a type of algae-eating tropical fish).

Later on some general fish food (I'd have thought the sinking kind would be best but it all sinks in the end ). I've always steered clear of tubifex worms as they have a bit of a bad reputation, living in pretty unhygenic places and carrying parasites.

[Kayleigh]

Tadpoles will eat anything, last year the starlings dropped some bread in the pond the taddys swarmed on it. They also like squashed water snails. This is when the tadpoles are older not when they have just hatched. When they get bigger they will eat each other if you do not feed them. I like to feed things they will find in the wild and natural. Ie the snails and worms. The newts eat the chopped worms and snails too.

[Digifrog]

Thank you everybody.

Well so far...algae wafers sound good for the youngest.
Fish flakes and a bit of bread for the more developed.
But as they get older, to prevent them from eating one another I want them to eat meat protein. I think tubifex worm feed might be an option? You say they're unhygenic but the ones pictured above are cured and processed in a way it could be beneficial(?) I mean those cubes are vitamin enhanced and the tub does have a picture of a frog on it. (The only thing I guess is what to give the oldest tadpoles if I cant give them crushed snails etc.)

The ponds established state is not really the issue here though. It's that I have 2 fist sized clumps of spawn in a 120 litre (full) pond. Which is relatively small.

Ham? Bread? If all else fails I'll just throw in a full english breakfast.

[Lords and Ladies]

There probably isn't any problem with tubifex from a reputable source. In the wild they tend to do well in polluted, effluent-rich water. It just puts me off them a bit, especially when there are alternatives. I'm sure the tadpoles would like them but given the choice I'd sooner be handling daphnia, bloodworms, earthworms etc.