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frog spawn: |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17  View other posts by James |
Posted: 25 Mar 2005 Hi everyone. I'm a new member. I found thousands of spawn in a manmade pond in a small park across the road from East Finchley tube in London. I took a couple of clumps home with me because I find them fascinating to watch. I was just wondering if anyone knew how sensitive spawn are to movement. Would they have been damaged in any way from being trasferred into a tank from their pond? I've tried to be as gentle as possible. I got some awesome photos of some of the breeding adult frogs, of which there were at least 100! Never seen anything like it before. Amazing James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 25 Mar 2005 James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 25 Mar 2005 James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 25 Mar 2005 James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 25 Mar 2005 James |
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TVFrog Member Joined: 18 Feb 2004 No. of posts: 31 View other posts by TVFrog |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 Hi James, Thanks for your excellent pics - good to see such a healthy population so close to London. Transfering shouldn't damage the spawn, I wouldn't think. Have you noticed this population in this site before?? Cheers, M. |
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peastick Member Joined: 21 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 4 View other posts by peastick |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 James, you are unlikely to damage well swelled up spawn, just try picking it up and see how much more comes with the little amount you intended!. You mention a tank, how big is it?. One cubic foot of water represents 6.25 gallons. If the tank is planted up with weed and sediment well in advance of introducing the spawn it should be good for bringing on a dozen taddies per cubic foot of water. As they grow you will nodoubt beaware they get carnivorous, I find crushed fish pellets and a tiny(size of your fingernail) bit of dog food now and then will satisfy them. Also leave the bloodworms, daphne and small snails in the tank. They are all part of the eco system. Once the legs of your froglets are growing and the tail is receding you need to consider letting them escape as naturally as possible. |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 Hey everyone thanks for your replies. I've only moved into this area in the last 6 months so I've never inspected the pond I found the spawn in before. The tank is pretty tiny so I'm not expecting to be able to keep large numbers in there at all. Fortunately the pond is just down the road so I can go down there regularly to release some tadpoles back as they hatch and grow. Thanks for the advice re feeding. I noticed thismorning that the individual spawn are no longer spherical. They seem to be losing their shape... and thismorning I even noticed one undeveloped black embryo just fall from the clump to the bottom of the tank. What does that all suggest to you guys? Thanks in advance! James James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 I just took these photos of my spawn. Perhaps ya'll could tell me whether they look healthy? (There's another pic on page 2) Thanks! James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 James |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 26 Mar 2005 Hi James, The non-spherical shape of the embryos (like a comma) is a sign the spawn is fertile and developing. You have also had your first hatchling! They do drop to the bottom when they hatch and will stay there for a day or more hardly moving, nothing to worry about it is a normal part of development. They will then start to move a little and attach themselves to the gelatinous coating of the spawn that is left behind. This will be their first meal. I found cat litter trays are a good method for raising tadpoles. They have plenty of surface area and this avoids problems with oxygen deficiency. You can also raise quite a lot as litter trays are much cheaper than aquariums. It is also a good idea to do regular water changes when raising a lot of taddies, don't just use water straight from the tap though, pond or rain water is better. If you have to use tap water stand it for at least 24 hours preferably 48 to let the chlorine evaporate else it will be lethal to the amphibian larva. The best common frog metamorphs I ever raised were fed mostly on lightly boiled spinach (available in the supermarket), but other methods suggested are fine. Good luck with them. I used to live in London and was often surprised by where frog spawn could be found. Blackheath, Queens wood in Muswell hill, some in Finsbury Park.. amazing when the ponds were surrounded by roads and buildings. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 02 Apr 2005 James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 02 Apr 2005 Hey Everyone here's some pics of my latest hatchlings! Enjoy! James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 07 Apr 2005 James |
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James Member Joined: 25 Mar 2005 No. of posts: 17 View other posts by James |
Posted: 07 Apr 2005 Here's a pic of one of the latest hatchlings. It's incredible actually how fast they grow! They are just 2 weeks old and already have the beginnings of hind legs developing. Fascinating! James |
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