RAUK - Archived Forum - tadpole

Hi Cade,

Common Frog Tadpoles

Start by feeding on the leftovers of the spawn they hatch from.

They then move onto green filamentous algae often found growing on aquatic plants.

After a week or so they become omnivorous, eating algae and meat in the form of dead invertebrates such as worms and insects.

Common Toad Tadpoles,

Start the same, but mostly only eat algae until they metamorphose

Hi Hunty,

I've seen common toad tadpoles in trouble in garden ponds a few times in the last year or so. I think they suffer from competition from frog tadpoles in garden ponds, appearing very stunted late in the summer. (or maybe the common frogs are inhibiting the growth in other ways??) The best toad ponds I know are relatively large with fish that prey on frog tadpoles but find the toad tadpoles distasteful, giving an advantage to them. Increasing the amount of cover in the garden may benefit adult toads that will use gardens during their terrestrial life.

Dave Bird suggested that frog tadpoles do better if fed a vegetarian diet in another thread, until the back legs develop, I found this gives larger froglets at metamorphosis and would therefore add spinach to the pond until the tadpoles are well developed. Some might suggest that it's better not to feed the tadpoles at all and let the population find its natural peek, though in my opinion, increasing the capacity of a small pond in this way in an urban area is a valid conservation step, your increasing adult population seems to prove this.

Newt tadpoles will only feed on live food such as daphnia and tubifex, ponds with muddy bottoms usually have the highest density, it may be worth trying to introduce live daphnia and tubifex to the pond, these are available for a few pence a bag from aquarium suppliers.

Hi gemma,

i agree with your point on toad tadpoles.They seem to suffer in small ponds and take forever to develop.Locally toads have done better but mainly in fishing ponds and large lakes and again this would stand up to your point on fish predatation.I will try this year on your spinach point as ive never tried adding veg matter.Do you add it raw?as for the newts,my pond though small is very established and is teaming with daphnia all summer,and even as the newts leave there is still a good supply.i think the problem is the terrestrial habitat.it is very built up and although gardens next door is concrete and young newts and frogs stick to it in summer.Also there are no ponds within a mile or so of me so my pond has to self sustain.The newts/frogscame from over 15 ponds in my area as a boy,none now remain,most had breeding Great crested and all teamed with newts being mainly old mineworkings.i have actually set two ponds away who now breed well (frogs) and am lookig to set another away this year.I usually get around 15 to 20 limps of spawn and tend to remove 3 or 4.ive alwso bought my own house now (the pond is at parents) and am in the process of building a pond here based on what ive learned and much bigger than the other.Il be seeding this pond in the spring and so hope to establish another viable population.

John

Hi,

I am new to this forum. I am so excited! I have only had a pond in my garden a little under a year and it isnt a very big one. I just always wanted one, particulalry hoping to be able to watch the activity of frogs (always fascinated).

Anyway, as it got so very cold, and the pond froze over, my son and I took out some of the frog spawn I was chuffed to see, and placed them, in a small tank indoors. We of course followed all recommendations and have every intention of aclimatising them, and reintroducing them back to the pond soon (currently they have pond water, topped up / changed frequently, some weed etc and just introduced them to a bag of Daphnia! However, I am just curious, if I put these matured ones, back into the pond, now or when they are more developed, will they eat the remaining spawn / baby tads?