# Show me your heated tadpole setups...



## kyle1745

Ok I am looking for examples of heated tadpole setups either bulk automated systems or just heated rubbermaid containers.

I am thinking my tadpoles are getting a bit too cold, say around 68-70 this time of year. Id like to find an easy way to get them back up around 74-75.


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## Dancing frogs

you can raise temps a little by covering the cups with a sheet of plastic, so you don't get the evaporative cooling going on.
I got that tip from Pat Nabors's website.


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## elmoisfive

Kyle,

I'll take a photo later but what I've been doing is to place the tadpole deli cups in an empty 20 gallon long complete with glass top and fluorescent light strip on a 12 hour on/off timer. I normally keep them in there for the first 4 weeks which appears to be the critical time in terms of temperature....at least that is how it has worked out empirically.

The 20 long holds 48 16 oz deli cups stacked 4 high. Seems to work reasonably well. 










Photo added

Bill


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## gary1218

This has worked out GREAT for me so far.

http://www.dendroboard.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=23115&highlight=sterilite


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## kyle1745

Interesting...

Gary yours pics were the ones I was thinking about. Im wondering how well this would work on a larger scale. I use larger rubbermain containers, and would like to heat them a bit.

I am wondering if I gave up a section at the bottom for water and a heater if I could keep them up around 74 or so. Im thinking the 68 is a bit low.


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## sbreland

I dosomething similar to Gary's setupbut just a little different. I have a sterilite bin with two or three inches of water in the bottom and then a heater that I got from WallyWorld lying flat on the bottom. The heater is small and is designed for a 5 gallon fish tank and is pretty cheap (about $12), but the cool thing about it is that it is preset for 77 or 78 degrees and self adjusts to that temp. I then take individual 9oz clear solo cups and place a single tad in each and then set the cup in the water. As long as the water in the cup is deeper than the water in the bin the cup will sit flat on the bottom of the bin and won't tip over or float around. The heater then heats the bin water which in turn by conduction heats the water in the cups. Since the plastic of the cups probably dampens the conduction just a bit, the temp in the cups stays right at 76-77 all day long everyday, no fluctuation. The last thing I do is keep the top on the bin when I am not working in there to keep heat escape to a minimum. For eggs I have an elevated platic crate platform similar to what Gary showed over top if I need to keep eggs or if they are in film cans I can just stick them on the sidewalls of the bins. It has worked great for me so far and I haven't had any instances of SLS and spontaneous death after placing the tads in the cups is less than 5% and 9 outta 10of those that do die go in the first week, so they may have already been weak to begin with. I don't have a pic of my setup yet but I will get one in the next day or two. The only drawback to my setup is that I can only get about 22-24 cups in the bin, but simple fix to that is to just make a secodn since they are so cheap to do. Total cost for one bin is just under $20 ($12 for heater, $5-6 for the bin, and $1 for a bunch of cups). I'llpost that pic in a day or two for ya and hope that helps.


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## kyle1745

Ok cool, I think I can use the bins I have, and will just need to pickup a couple of heaters.


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## spydrmn12285

Is there anything wrong with cutting small holes in the cups, keep them steady through holes in egg crate, and do weekly water changes through a bulk head drainage system?

I would think this would be easier unless there are issues with tads using the same water...


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## sbreland

That is possible and very doable, but some people have suspected that tads secrete/excrete hormones into the water to supress the growth of others. I don't know if there is any truth to that, but to be honest with you the setup is so simple that doing a bulk water change is almost more hassle than it's worth. To do it the way you are talking about would change out the water pretty effectively, but it would still leave tad poop and food residue in the bottom of the cups that would degrade the system. The only way to get that out is to either use some kin of vac system, make it so each cup as a mesh bottom that the holes are small enough to keep the tads in but let the garbage out, or just dump the cups periodically. It takes me literally about 1 minute to fill up 20 or so cups and then just transfer the tads from one cup to the next. The only catch I have found is that I like to let the new cups sit in the bin water to warm to about the same temp as the cups the tads are already in so they don't get shocked by the drastic change in temp. Total time (minus the warmup) to do a water change and move the tads from one cup to the next is about 5 minutes. I really like the system and it is very simple but efficient.


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## gary1218

I do my water changes exactly the same as sbreland. Gives you a chance as well to get a good look at each tad as you're doing the water changes to make sure they're all OK.


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## joeyo90

sbreland said:


> I dosomething similar to Gary's setupbut just a little different. I have a sterilite bin with two or three inches of water in the bottom and then a heater that I got from WallyWorld lying flat on the bottom. The heater is small and is designed for a 5 gallon fish tank and is pretty cheap (about $12), but the cool thing about it is that it is preset for 77 or 78 degrees and self adjusts to that temp. I then take individual 9oz clear solo cups and place a single tad in each and then set the cup in the water. As long as the water in the cup is deeper than the water in the bin the cup will sit flat on the bottom of the bin and won't tip over or float around. The heater then heats the bin water which in turn by conduction heats the water in the cups. Since the plastic of the cups probably dampens the conduction just a bit, the temp in the cups stays right at 76-77 all day long everyday, no fluctuation. The last thing I do is keep the top on the bin when I am not working in there to keep heat escape to a minimum. For eggs I have an elevated platic crate platform similar to what Gary showed over top if I need to keep eggs or if they are in film cans I can just stick them on the sidewalls of the bins. It has worked great for me so far and I haven't had any instances of SLS and spontaneous death after placing the tads in the cups is less than 5% and 9 outta 10of those that do die go in the first week, so they may have already been weak to begin with. I don't have a pic of my setup yet but I will get one in the next day or two. The only drawback to my setup is that I can only get about 22-24 cups in the bin, but simple fix to that is to just make a secodn since they are so cheap to do. Total cost for one bin is just under $20 ($12 for heater, $5-6 for the bin, and $1 for a bunch of cups). I'llpost that pic in a day or two for ya and hope that helps.


i really like that idea i may have to steal it


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## defaced

I would check out flexwatt tape. To heat each bin individually. 

If you have alot of bins, it may be worth while to buy a smaller rack (like a 36" one), enclose it with plastic, and heat the whole rack via a light or heating pad. I keep my roache colony in a covered plant rack. The tub with the roaches is heated by a heating pad and the temp inside the rack is easily 3-5 degrees higher than the room. I'll get temp measurements and a pic tonight.


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## kyle1745

I found some nice small submersible heaters at the local Miejer for $9.99. 50 Watts and should be plenty for this use. I bought 1 for now to try and may pickup more this weekend. I forgot to pickup eggcrate today so maybe I will have time tomorrow to do that.


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## sbreland

Sorry, realized I had forgot to post these pics. Like I said, simple. This is the imitator bin (not that I have them separated by type, just so happens all that are in here is imis!) and the temp is right around 76 or so. The heater heats the water by conduction and then heats the water in the tad cups. Easy, cheap, and the temp never fluctuates (unless the power goes out).


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## kyle1745

Thanks...

Do you keep it covered? Any idea on the air temps in there if you do? Im hoping to get the air temp up to about 74-75 and then keep the tad containers over the water. I setup my first test one tonight and need to get the temp set right first.


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## sbreland

I do keep it covered, but haven't paid much attention to the air temps. I'll go throw a temp/humilog in there and see and post it later tonight or tomorrow.


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## kyle1745

I just checked mine and it is close, made a minor adjustment and hopefully I can get my tads back in the containers tonight. So far it seems like it is going to work well... Now to just get the other containers going.


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## stchupa

Stace is your setup under a light source? Or near?


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## sbreland

Neither. A little light from the tanks on the racks above comes down but they aren't lit. They receive ambient room light, so they aren't kept dark, but they don't get direct light. I have thought about trying both putting them under light and also keeping them shielded form light to see if it would change anything or make a difference, but I think too much light might have adverse effects while no light probably isn't good either. I kinda just like it the way it is and since the success has been pretty good with it I am kinda living with the "if it ain't broke..." rule.

Kyle... air temps in the bin are the same as the water... right at about 76-77. I guess that is kinda logical since that is the same principle that many of us use to heat vivs with a water feature. If it matters, humidity stayed at about 90% and the 1 degree temp difference range is just because it takes a few minutes to compensate for temp change in the air once the heater kicks on.


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## stchupa

I hear you on that.

Looks like it's working well. But the reason I ask is if you keep the container covered you're causing at least a slight deviation in the CO2 build up. I was thinking, because I do something simliar, that if you had light you would have algae bloom, keeping any gas ratio from skewing. In my case I have plants, moss and algae growing, along with leaves that also give them a place to reside when the want to get away from the light.
I wouldn't say it's the 'best' way of doing, but it ain't broke that's for sure.


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## gary1218

sbreland - I noticed in your pics you have a film cannister stuck on the inside. Is that there in case the tads get out and decide to breed


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## sbreland

I take off the lid at least every day or two, so CO2 never really builds up.




gary1218 said:


> sbreland - I noticed in your pics you have a film cannister stuck on the inside. Is that there in case the tads get out and decide to breed


Nope, that's for the eggs inside  . I can't always trust my imis not to make a snack out of eggs (I have a 1.2 ratio) so I tend to pull the eggs out occasionally if I see a few clutches go by that have a missing egg or two. A lot of times I leave them and let them transport, but this particular group seems to like to eat eggs so I pull em with them pretty often.


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## *GREASER*

One of my problems is that the temps in my house are all over the place. And besides the temps being unstable they also get very low at night. I think most importantly right now I need to bring the temps up that my tads are kept at. So the setups that you guys were showing with the tad cups submerged in heated water is something I have wanted to try. But if the temps in the room arent stable I would think that it would still alter the temps of the tad setup. If the room gets hot the water would run a little hotter or if it got cold then the tad water would run a little colder. 

Im just having problems with tads morphing with sls or finding them dead in there cups with sls not long from coming out of the water. So I hope that keeping them at more stable warmer temps will help.


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## kyle1745

While temps maybe important I think there is a pretty good range that they are ok in. Much like the frogs between 70-80, but don't forget many other things are most likley more important.

-parent health and supplementation
-tadpole food
-water quality


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## sbreland

I don't know about the rest, but mine stay within a degree or two of the range all year (or at least the part I have had it set up so far). I first tried this in August of last year, and the temps stayed right near 77 or 78 all month. It has been -500 or worse outside here this winter so my house has stayed a lot cooler than it normally would, but we keep the heat set at 61-62 in the winter and the temps in the bins haven't fluctuated. Honestly, I think this is one of the most stable setups you can have short of some type of environmental control in the bin. It's quick, easy, cheap, and best of all it works.


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## trinacliff

Stace, how long are your imi's taking to morph? I'm just interested to know this so I can compare to mine which I keep room temperature. I also like to adhere to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule of thumb, and so far my very simple method has been working well for all my thumbnail tads...but I would be interested to know if there is a significant difference in the amount of time it takes them to morph at different temps.

Take care,
Kristen


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## sbreland

I haven't been keeping exact track, but it appears to be about 7-8 weeks or so. Leucs and azureus have taken a bit longer, but I guess that's just them. I have an imi tad that is about to come out of the egg that will go in the bin in the next day or two and I will write it down so I remember and can guage it. One other factor that I think really influences that is the amount fed. I lately have been feeding more and just doing 2-3 water changes a week and they seem to be growing faster, but it could just be my distorted perception of time so I will keep a little more accurate records for a bit so I can offer up more concrete answers.


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## *GREASER*

sbreland said:


> I lately have been feeding more and just doing 2-3 water changes a week and they seem to be growing faster


Some people think that doing alot of water changes is over rated and unnecessary. Someone once told me that they morphed a panuana lamasi and never made a water change. I believe that it was reared in a 32oz deli cup. Im sure this was an exception and it prob wasnt feed so much that there was alot of built up food waste. I think that the make up of the water has more to do for the quality of it then the amount of tadple waste.


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## sbreland

True, but doing more water changes allows for you to feed more without the buildup of waste or decaying food. I have been using two types of food lately, tad bites and a flake food I got as a sampler when I ordered my naturose. They let the bites linger for a bit but they just love the fakes and will eat them to no end, to the point I get pufgy tadpoles if it's all I use. If I didn't do frequent water changes the water would look like crap. A lot of people believe that SLS problems are due to a variety of factors not just including water quality and temp. By using the setup I do and doing 2-3 times a week (more often just 2) I hope to knock out those issues, and as of yet have had no problems with SLS. I have no doubt that some people gt away with never doing water changes, but more often than not to do it it would take less feeding which means longer morph times or smaller froglets. Either that or having a setup which has something that feeds on the waste such as plants in the setup. For Epips, a setup with a large amount of water and some pothos and philos and a heater would probably accomplish the same thing, but obviously the separate rearing needs of dendros makes that hard to do. For the time, money, and effort involved I am happy with this system.


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## kyle1745

Just an update after a couple weeks at better temps.

I have noticed that they seem to absorb their tails a bit faster and I am keeping the legged tads on top of the heated containers so they are about 72 or so. I am heating the containers to about 74-75 and so far it seems to be helping.

Just a note on the water changes. I think it depends on what foods you are using and how much you are feeding. I change the water weekly and feed weekly.


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## dragonfrog

Hey Stace,
Do you have a product name for this fish food you feed the tads?




> I have been using two types of food lately, tad bites and a flake food I got as a sampler when I ordered my naturose. They let the bites linger for a bit but they just love the fakes and will eat them to no end,


Thanks


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## zBrinks

Id be curious too, as Ill have my first tads in a week or so.


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## gary1218

Here's what I've been using. I think you would be hard pressed to find a flake food with a better ingredients list.










I use the veggie flakes for the kelp & spirulina.


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## *GREASER*

kyle1745 said:


> Just a note on the water changes. I think it depends on what foods you are using and how much you are feeding. I change the water weekly and feed weekly.



For sure. The amount of water you rear your tads at will play a big role in this. The people who use little baby food jars will have to change the water just about all the time comapred to the people who you 32oz deli containers.


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## kyle1745

You may also want to check out some of the foods here:
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/

Some of the ones I may try:
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c1/c3/ ... s-c13.html
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/ZooPla ... s-c61.html


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## sbreland

dragonfrog said:


> Hey Stace,
> Do you have a product name for this fish food you feed the tads?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I have been using two types of food lately, tad bites and a flake food I got as a sampler when I ordered my naturose. They let the bites linger for a bit but they just love the fakes and will eat them to no end,
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
Click to expand...

http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c4/New ... e-c56.html

I am not positive, but I think that this is it. Like I said, I got a sampler of it with my naturose that I ordered but I think that is it. The label was paper and got a little water on it and all the colors bled so I am not positive, but I seem to remember that it contained beefheart but I will try to figure it out tomorrow. The stuff Kyle added on here looks great and i might pick up a few of those to allow some variation. I can't wait to see the colors on em once they grow up so we'll see.


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## dragonfrog

Thanks Stace.

I just ordered the one above that Kyle shows. Got 2 pounds of the one with Naturarose in it. I will let you know how it works.


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## kyle1745

2 lbs? Thats a TON of it.


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## dragonfrog

I am trying to think positive Kyle. If I have lots of food, I will have lots of tads!!!!

Oh, and a ton is 2,000 pounds!!!


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## kyle1745

LOL...


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## Tripod

kyle1745 said:


> Just a note on the water changes. I think it depends on what foods you are using and how much you are feeding. I change the water weekly and feed weekly.


Feeding only once a week?

What size containers are your tads in and are they "dirty" with algae?

How much food do you place in each container each week?


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## kyle1745

Mine are mostly in 16oz containers and I normally feed tadpole bites, which do not cloud the water much. Also not a lot of algae and the tads do well.


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## nyfrogs

here is my heated tadpole set up. i changed over to this about 3 months ago becuase my tempe were all over the place(64-75) and it would take up to 5 months to morph. now all my species are like clockwork at 8 weeks except my leucs they take 6-7 weeks. i feed tadpole bites and a comercial food from gary i dont know what it is called but it puts size on these guys! i have never had SLS and have produced over 150 froglets here are some pics


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## bobtpa

Amazing set-up. What temp do you keep it at?


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## nyfrogs

i keep it at 78 but the water in the tadpole cups doesn't break 76


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## Tripod

Great setup.

How often do you do water changes?

How often do you feed?


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## nyfrogs

Tripod said:


> Great setup.
> 
> How often do you do water changes?
> 
> How often do you feed?


 i feed every other day and water change 1x a week


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## bobtpa

How do you assure that the water you use for water changes is the same temp? Do you have a second set-up with "clean" water?


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## nyfrogs

bobtpa said:


> How do you assure that the water you use for water changes is the same temp? Do you have a second set-up with "clean" water?


bob i am not that concerned about the water being 5-10 degrees different it hasnt hurt the tads to this point. i keep gallon water jugs under my computer desk and i assume the water is near 70.


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## gary1218

NICE job Stan


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## Steve

I morphed out 9 Auratus tads, did it communally in a 10 gal tank, half full of water, a cheapo heater to keep the water at 76 with lots of aquarium pondweed, half an inch of gravel in the bottom, and a disposable charcoal filter that runs off an air pump.

I fed tetra fish flakes every day, the tad bites never got any interest and pre treated the water with an anti fungal fish remedy that is heavy in Methylene blue. I never changed the water and got great size tads with no SLS.

It's not the same league as you guys are in but i would certainly do the same again. (Unless i was rearing 150 tads :shock: :shock: but the chance of me ever having that many is optomistic to say the least!!)

Regards

Steve


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## Tripod

I just completed a RubberMaid setup today with an eggcrate false bottom and a $13 Walmart 78 degree preset, submersible heater. The setup can hold up to 36, 16 oz. deli cups stacked three high.

I was hoping to find an container with a transparent lid to allow enough light for algae growth, but after searching four different stores I was unable to find one with adequate dimensions. I settled for one with transparent sides and an opaque top.

I have four age groups of azureus tads ranging from 3 months to 3 days old. I am anxious to see how well this setup regulates their morph time.

I am also switching to "crisp" type fish flakes (less waste by-product and easier to measure out) along with Frogbites for feeding.

I hope to have some positive results and comparisons to report back within a month or two.


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## dragonfrog

> Some of the ones I may try:
> http://www.brineshrimpdirect.c...s-c13.html
> http://www.brineshrimpdirect.c...s-c61.html
> _________________
> Kyle


Well guys, I got my 2 pounds of fish food from Kyle's above website suggestion and just for a size comparison, this is how much food there is.....










The LITTLE blue thing on the top of the HUGE bucket of fish food is a NORMAL size container of fish food. What the hell was I thinking!!!!

You know 2 pounds of anything is not really that much, but when you are talking about 2 pounds of DRY, weightless, fish food, that is a lot of fish food. It is a good thing that I have an outside fish pond with lots of Koi that will love this stuff. I will also probably be giving it away FREE to who every I sell frogs to!!! For the next 10 years!!!

As for the fish food, the tads seem to love it.


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## Tripod

Hey, Kyle...

This thread appears to be a great candidate for the "Best of..." list for the B,E, & T forum.


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## jeffdart

where did you fill the water to in the tub for the tadpole setup? up to the eggcrate?


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## jfehr232

Bringing this back.....Just to see if anyone can add thier new setup???


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## RPN

jfehr232 said:


> Bringing this back.....Just to see if anyone can add thier new setup???


Good Idea, cant beleive I missed this one. Here is mine. 
Its a 40 G Breeder and holds 72 cups. 
Tank temp is constant 71 degres. 
It has an external fluval filter that pumps water in one side and is sucked out the other.
This set up has been working flawlessly for me.


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## mtolypetsupply

RPN, I like that! How did you do it? Tell us more! What filtration media do you use? Where did you get the tad containers/of what are they made? 

I have an old ehiem canister that's just waiting to be used... if only I get enough tads to warrant that!


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## jfehr232

Yea, I second that. What type of cups are you using? Details of how you did everything would be great. It looks professional for sure.


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## RPN

Thank you for the comments and interest, I will try and cover the whole system. If I miss anything important please ask away. Hope this helps.

Here is a full tank shot.









Here is a photo of the heater inside the tank.









This is the filter pump. The only media in the trays are media balls in one and 2 almond leaves in the second one. I change these every 2 months when I change the water. I change half the system's water only. Never full water change for me. There is no carbon as this removes the tanins.

















These two pictures show you the cups I made myself and the PVC foam rack to hold the cups in.
The tubes are 1.5" acrylic tubes with one end capped off and the other has an acrylic ring glued onto the top. This stops the tube from sliding through the rack. I have drilled approx 15 holes in each cup, 1/2" from the bottom of the cup up. The hole size is .080" . As tads move they stir up the bottom of the cups and it washes out the holes. Or I simply lift the cup up and push it down in the tray, this creates a vacum and fill cleaning the cups of debris. VERY SIMPLE. The filter handles the rest. As you can see the debris and detris in the bottom of the tank, this is mainly oak and beech leaves. These are also blended in a blender and added to the cups. Great tanins and food IMO.

















As you can see I also store my eggs in here. Its a perfect environment for them. Its all contained and makes my life easy.


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## MeiKVR6

I'm hesitant to post up after seeing RPN's masterpiece! 

Here's mine: 









Just keeping it simple since I don't do much frog breeding, myself. In the summer one holds LGs and the other holds frogs.  The extra thermostats really help keep things steady. The mechanical thermostats that come with hovabators are awful.


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## jfehr232

Thanks for the info...Great setup!!


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## smilexelectric

Whered you get the styrofoam with all the holes to put the cups in?


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## RPN

smilexelectric said:


> Whered you get the styrofoam with all the holes to put the cups in?


Its PVC foam board. I cnc machined it with the holes in it.


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## FrogNick

RPN said:


> Its PVC foam board. I cnc machined it with the holes in it.


are the tubes 1.5" long or wide? what are there width?

thanks


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## RPN

The tubes are 1.5" diameter and 4" long. Hope that helps.


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## Jeff R

I'm using 64 8oz. plastic canning jars. There elevated off the floor of the tank and there is a Duetto filter below for movement and biofilter. I've put rocks in the cups to weight them down or they are slightly buoyant and shift. I've drilled holes around the outside bottom. I want to do a manual water change once a week but I foresee there being an issue with the cups not filling fast enough and causing them to float. I may be drilling holes in the bottom too. I still need to add a heater and a glass lid.


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## Fishman

armed2teeth said:


>


I like this, how did you drill all of those jars? What size tank is that?


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## Fishman

While we are all looking at these shared space tad rearing set ups. What about the issue of hormon limiting? How is it dealt with in all of this shared water?


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## gary1218

Fishman said:


> While we are all looking at these shared space tad rearing set ups. What about the issue of hormon limiting? How is it dealt with in all of this shared water?


My thought as well.

I was at Aaron's place when he spent a lot of time putting together a fancy system like that. A month later when I went back to visit he had trashed it because of the growth inhibiting hormone "thing".


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## Jeff R

I drilled with a Dremel tool. It took about an hour to do all 64. 
The tank is 48x12x9H. I got it at some LFS bodega, cheap, I just had to clean it up.

For hormones, once weekly water changes would reduce the problem. UV sterilizer would probably work too.


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## Fishman

I don't think that UV would treat the hormon issue, pathogens yes, but hormons I don't think since that is more of a chemical reaction. I could be wrong though.


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## Baltimore Bryan

I've got a pretty easy, simple set up. 5 gallon tank with about 3-4 inches of water on the bottom heated by a submersible heater. Then I built a "stand" with 4 cut pieces of pvc as legs and eggcrate . I stacked all the individual cups with a single tad in each on top of the pvc stand, put a lid on the tank, and a small striplight. Works great, "reservoir" water temp is constantly 78 year round, and the tadpole water doesn't fluctuate much either. Never lost any tads and never had sls from any in this setup. Hope this helps.


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## snmreptiles

If we are going with tried and true...Done it this way since 2004! It's not heated however. I have been looking to figure out a way to get this done, but volume of tads make me wonder why change it??










Mike
Welcome to the home of


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## frogfreak

^^Hey Mike

I hope you have another shower 

Looks good!


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## snmreptiles

LMAO...lived in the house for over 2 years before this shower was used for it's original purpose, and that was only because my wife broke her foot and lived on the main for for about 8 weeks...


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## RPN

snmreptiles said:


> If we are going with tried and true...Done it this way since 2004! It's not heated however. I have been looking to figure out a way to get this done, but volume of tads make me wonder why change it??
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Mike
> Welcome to the home of


Does each cup have a lid Mike?
So you have to lift out the trays to feed into each container and repeat the same for water changes?
That looks like alot of work and time I would not have.
How do you do it?


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## snmreptiles

There are no lids on the deli cups! You have to lift the top level off to feed and do water changes! We only do water changes every other week or so! 

This time of year I have a little more time due to the colubrids being down for brumation. I work 50+ hours a week as a restaurant manager and have a ten month old, so time is a little on the small side, but you figure out a way to make it all happen! : )


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## asch803

i am going to try using a rubbermaid container w/ a fish tank heater and then as many 16 oz cups i can fit (i'm thinking about 30). Some questions: how high should i keep the water in the rubbermaid container and in the 16 oz cups? how do i do the water changes and what percent of new water each change? do i keep the "fresh or new" water clean and not add any tadpole tea or a little sphagnum moss? Also, should it be unfiltered water or is ro/di ok? 

To this point, my tads are taking 4-6 months and most are morphing out small but healthy. I've seen some other people that have them morphing out must sooner and larger. My house gets down to mid 60s at night and only to 69 or 70 at best in the winter. In the summer the temp is about 72 or 73 at the highest. So i'm thinking a consistent temp of about 77 or 78 might really help. 

Thanks!

Andy


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## elianto

While we are all looking at these shared space tad rearing set ups. What about the issue of hormon limiting? How is it dealt with in all of this shared water?

hey all
it is the first time i stumble across considerations on hormonal inhibition connected to tadpole development and i'd like to know more.

if anybody can point out any publications or thoughts on the matter, i'd incredibly appreciate it.

eli


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## pashetti

this is mine 
i have take soma idea from RPN 
i have make a little acquarium under the tadpole with caridina red cherry and a toons of moss and acquarium plants ,i have an acquarium heater fixed at 24 celsius degrees ,sorry for my bad english but i'm an italian guy 









Uploaded with ImageShack.us


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## FrogNick

pashetti, where are the tadpole cups from? I’m trying to find something suitable.


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## pashetti

FrogNick said:


> pashetti, where are the tadpole cups from? I’m trying to find something suitable.


I use urine container i have buy online 100 pieces for 30 euros


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## FrogNick

Would you mind telling me the dimension please how wide are they?

Many thanks


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## pashetti

large 62.5 mm high 73 mm


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## Venutus1

I whipped this up for my variabilis tads after reading this thread .
So far, the undergravel filter system in it is working fantastic.
It was a little tricky cutting and slotting the 10 plastic boxes on the tablesaw, though.


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## Jason

Not really heated, but it is in the frog room under a light so it stays fairly warm.


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## McBobs

Jason said:


> Not really heated, but it is in the frog room under a light so it stays fairly warm.


Hey Jason. Some of your pictures arent showing up...


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## Jason

McBobs said:


> Hey Jason. Some of your pictures arent showing up...


Yea, what's up with that?


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## alex111683

What type of water do you guys use. I can see just using tap water for the water that is heated and heating cups that don't have holes drilled. What about for the actual tads, what kind of water?


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## gary1218

alex111683 said:


> What type of water do you guys use. I can see just using tap water for the water that is heated and heating cups that don't have holes drilled. What about for the actual tads, what kind of water?


dechlorinated tap water for me


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## Baltimore Bryan

alex111683 said:


> What type of water do you guys use. I can see just using tap water for the water that is heated and heating cups that don't have holes drilled. What about for the actual tads, what kind of water?


I just use tap water. I adjust the pH a bit and add a couple drops of blackwater extract. My tap water comes out with no chlorine or chemicals, and the pH straight from the tap is about 4 since I'm on well water. 
Bryan


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## saruchan

I used regular aged tap water just filled up a jug of it and let it sit for day. Then added it to a cup with a tad inside. I bought 3 tads from a fellow DB member and all three came out fine.


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## Chris Miller

Here's what we do:

Since we keep only Ranitomeya I wanted something that would mimic what the frogs experience in the wild in phytotelemata. The containers are 50 mL beakers with slits cut in them set on egg crate above heated water. There are misting heads above the beakers that run several times a day and the extra water overflows and helps flush proteins off the surface of the water. The misting water isn't heated. There's a bulkhead on the tank for draining. The tank pictured is a 15 gal, though we've now upgraded to a couple 40 breeders.










More photos here


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## Quaz

Feeding those individual cups looks like a pain.


elmoisfive said:


> Kyle,
> 
> I'll take a photo later but what I've been doing is to place the tadpole deli cups in an empty 20 gallon long complete with glass top and fluorescent light strip on a 12 hour on/off timer. I normally keep them in there for the first 4 weeks which appears to be the critical time in terms of temperature....at least that is how it has worked out empirically.
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## alex111683

Quaz said:


> Feeding those individual cups looks like a pain.


Exactly what I thought when I saw it.


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## goatdude

with these heated setups with fishtanks and glass lids. does the humity grow way up and fog the glass. my 10g is and wondering if that is good or bad


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## jbherpin

goatdude said:


> with these heated setups with fishtanks and glass lids. does the humity grow way up and fog the glass. my 10g is and wondering if that is good or bad


As long as temps remain stable(within optimal ranges) the humidity will cause no problem and will in fact help to maintain a steady temp. IMO. I would not worry, and just monitor temps regularly.

JBear


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## BBoyette

I was thinking of trying to construct something similar to this..
Terrarium, gifkikkers, fruitvliegen, sproeiers - Dutch-Rana Online - PRIJSLIJST LARVENSYSTEEM


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## Suzanne

Here is a budget DIY version of that larvae system from Rana. It is made from a plastic sock drawer (one that has many compartments to sort socks) and a under-the-bed box. 
Larven opkweek container - Gifkikkerportaal - Forum - Weblogs - Jos van den Brand

The description is in Dutch, unfortunately, but I hope the pictures speak for itself. Otherwise, PM if you need translation help


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## Suzanne

By the way, I use a similar system. The time it took my ventrimaculata from hatching to morphing went down with 58%, and 66% for the vanzos.


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## Jason

RPN said:


> Its PVC foam board. I cnc machined it with the holes in it.


Does anyone know where to get PVC foam board?


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## jason21

Jason said:


> Does anyone know where to get PVC foam board?


Sintra PVC 2 mm

not cheap stuff though 

Home depot has some PVC boards up to 6" width that may work as a substitute.
S-4-S 309 PVC - PVC0309-08 at The Home Depot


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## Jason

Ok, I am almost completed with my set-up, but I need some help. I wanted to use 10 oz Solo cups for this but I can only fit 40 in a tank. I can't seem to find anything smaller that does not have the same top size as the 10 oz cups ~3". I really wanted to find something I knew I could go out and purchase if I needed more. Now I am at the point where I think I need to get something that works but is more durable. 





































Anyone have an idea of where I can find something like these that have a 2.5" mouth or less?


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## JeremyHuff

Jason
Check this place. You can get them without lids
Parkway Plastics - Clear Plastic Jars with Black Lids, White Plastic Jars and White Tops, Clarified Plastic Jars and Natural Caps, PET Spa Jars and Plastic Bottles with Colored Closures and More


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## Pumilo

Quaz said:


> Feeding those individual cups looks like a pain.


Kind of a necessity. Chris does all thumbnails and they are pretty cannibalistic. Need to be kept separated. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/breeding-eggs-tadpoles/62641-communal-tad-death.html
Doug


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## koolparrot

So what do you guys do when they need to get on a bit of land? I was thinking of a two stage thing (still dont have Frogs and prboly wont for a year or so) and haveing the tads going in containers in water (like above) and then putting them in tanks that have been cut off from one another so they dont share the same water and then adding a little plexi glass ramp for them to get on land. Anyone ever tried this? My consern would be they would dry up on the land part. But that can be fixed with a continual drip.

Kp


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## pashetti

Jason said:


> Ok, I am almost completed with my set-up, but I need some help. I wanted to use 10 oz Solo cups for this but I can only fit 40 in a tank. I can't seem to find anything smaller that does not have the same top size as the 10 oz cups ~3". I really wanted to find something I knew I could go out and purchase if I needed more. Now I am at the point where I think I need to get something that works but is more durable.
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I use the uman fluid container like urine test


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## ExoticPocket

I so a picture of I guy who was raising some newts and he needed to keep them warm. What he did was got a long not that deep plastic container. Filled it with water and then put the larvae in whatever container he was using and then heated the water. So he little deli cups size(probably bigger) containers sticking out of the water and had a heater in the big container.


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## Colleen53

Appreciate this thread still very informative for people like me that is learning how to raise tadpoles. Thank you all!!!


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## varanoid

Definately one of my favorite threads here at Dendroboards. Keep the setups coming people.


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## D3monic

Ok, I was reading this thread earlier today as I need to make a heated set up. I stopped pulling for the winter because my house was so cold and dry. 

Any how, I was looking at the tree fern thread and there was a link to this website where I stumbled accross these and they just screamed tadpole cup holders http://www.calwesttropical.com/index.php/products/orchid_growing_pot_tray

Would make stacking nice as you could pull 12 cups out at a time to get to the next layer. Not sure how well a deli cup would fit in there but if anyone is ordering from them any time soon its worth a thought. I probably won't for a few weeks.


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## AaronAcker

Jason said:


> Ok, I am almost completed with my set-up, but I need some help. I wanted to use 10 oz Solo cups for this but I can only fit 40 in a tank. I can't seem to find anything smaller that does not have the same top size as the 10 oz cups ~3". I really wanted to find something I knew I could go out and purchase if I needed more. Now I am at the point where I think I need to get something that works but is more durable.
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Hey Jason, wondering if you just used bakers racks w/ cups at a 45 angle when they were ready to climb out? Only reason I ask, was wondering if you kept them in the cups? 

As far as cups, the plastic jars would most likely be a great source, but you could also try the 32oz cups sold at Home Depot for fiberglass mixing. They are a bit more rugged then the deli cups.


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## pl259

AaronAcker said:


> Hey Jason, wondering if you just used bakers racks w/ cups at a 45 angle when they were ready to climb out? Only reason I ask, was wondering if you kept them in the cups?


I'm not Jason, but for the few tads that I raise in cups, I throw in some plant material for them to climb up and out on. Easier and less risky than the tilt the cup thing. It also helps to cull out the weak tads.


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## D3monic

Not as fancy as some of the other set ups but this is something I slapped together last night. My room is too cold, tads growing too slow and eggs stopped developing so I had to do something. I lost a bunch of stuff because of how cold and dry my room was. I eventually stopped pulling eggs for teh winter. Hopefully this will work better. 



















Eventually I will order some of these trays so I can stack cups as development picks back up now that I am pulling eggs again. 

http://www.calwesttropical.com/index.php/products/orchid_growing_pot_tray


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## D3monic

D3monic said:


> Not as fancy as some of the other set ups but this is something I slapped together last night. My room is too cold, tads growing too slow and eggs stopped developing so I had to do something. I lost a bunch of stuff because of how cold and dry my room was. I eventually stopped pulling eggs for teh winter. Hopefully this will work better.
> 
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Hmm, temps seem to be holding at 72.9 even though the small heater is supposed to keep them around 78. Do you guys think this is too cool? I got a heater for 2-5gal and theres only about 6 gal of water in there. I could try the next size larger but would hate to have it keep the water too warm.


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## poison beauties

they will morph slower but likely bigger. I have had my water temps as low as 70 but rarely above 74,

Michael


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## frogfreak

Hi Mike

Mine never get above 72F in the winter and they do just fine. Around 74-76F in the summer.


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## nyfrogs

i used a 42" wrapping paper sterilite. i siliconed PVC to the bottom and laid light difuser on top. the tads are in 1oz cups. heater set at a constant 78-80. i changed water every other day with a turkey baster. i had a 98% morph rate using this.


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## Colleen53

Very impressive and simple set-up!!


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## AaronAcker

I like it. Very nice


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## Jason

A work in progress.










It is a 33 gallon long. It will be a planted tank I think too. At least that is the plan. 










The hardest part was finding the right size container to maximize space. I also decided to use clear plastic so plants under can get light.



















The acrylic does not float, kind of neutral, so it has to be supported. I tried PVC board on the left, but that was not enough to float it. I looked for everything. I wanted it it to be somewhat aesthetic. I was thinking cork or something else, but as of now I have settled on foam backer rod. You find it in the cement area.

I wanted the acrylic to float, so it can adjust with water levels due to evaporation or water changes.


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## frogfreak

That looks awesome, Jason!

Am I seeing 48 cups?


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## Jason

There will be 3 separate trays, 20 each tray, so 60 cups.


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## BOOSHIFIED

Absolutely loving these tadpole/planted tank setups


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## Jason

Well......you learn from your mistakes and I hope to pass it on. For whatever reason, I found several tadpoles dead. I will not be doing the set-up like this anymore. Possibly fungus or the fungus got them after.

It may have been too hot. I had CF lighting (about 8") above the tank, because I also wanted to do a planted tank. It may have been the water, it may have been something else. 

Either way, I will keep the planted tank and just go back to the single tadpole set-ups. I very rarely lost a tadpole that way, it was just a little more time consuming and they seemed to take forever to morph in the winter months.


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## BOOSHIFIED

Jason said:


> Well......you learn from your mistakes and I hope to pass it on. For whatever reason, I found several tadpoles dead. I will not be doing the set-up like this anymore. Possibly fungus or the fungus got them after.
> 
> It may have been too hot. I had CF lighting (about 8") above the tank, because I also wanted to do a planted tank. It may have been the water, it may have been something else.
> 
> Either way, I will keep the planted tank and just go back to the single tadpole set-ups. I very rarely lost a tadpole that way, it was just a little more time consuming and they seemed to take forever to morph in the winter months.


First glance at your pictures were your tads getting enough air? Looks like you have way too much moss(algae?) in there.


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## WendySHall

BOOSHIFIED said:


> First glance at your pictures were your tads getting enough air? Looks like you have way too much moss(algae?) in there.


That was my first thought when I saw the pics too. I would think that much moss would make it difficult for them to get to the top. I know they have gills, but... 

It's a pretty cool setup. I'd hate to see you give up on it if it may be an easy fix.


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## Jason

BOOSHIFIED said:


> First glance at your pictures were your tads getting enough air? Looks like you have way too much moss(algae?) in there.


Good question, do they need air? I have had tadpoles in cups with a lot of algae not in this set-up that do just fine. Some of the ones that did die were in cups that did not have anything but an oak leaf. 

I think it is more of a heat issue, that I am not sure I can solve with my current lighting.


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## JL-Exotics

Are you sure on the size of your cups? 1oz is quite small... those look more like 4oz cups maybe?? 



nyfrogs said:


> i used a 42" wrapping paper sterilite. i siliconed PVC to the bottom and laid light difuser on top. *the tads are in 1oz cups.* heater set at a constant 78-80. i changed water every other day with a turkey baster. i had a 98% morph rate using this.


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## motydesign

well lets bring a year old thread back to life, lets see whats been made since last year?
here is what i did.
set at 80 F capable of about 60-80 tads at time in 3oz cups, internal fan to prevent stratification, led lighting to promote growth of aquatic plants.


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## NickJR

very cool love it. how is it heated?




motydesign said:


> well lets bring a year old thread back to life, lets see whats been made since last year?
> here is what i did.
> set at 80 F capable of about 60-80 tads at time in 3oz cups, internal fan to prevent stratification, led lighting to promote growth of aquatic plants.




Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk


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## randommind

NickJR said:


> very cool love it. how is it heated?
> 
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> 
> Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk



http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/br...76702-fridge-tad-incubator-quick-build-3.html

See his last post


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## motydesign

thanks for posting the link 
i was really hoping to see how others are doing this?


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## StickyTongues

Great Thread! I have a few ideas i wanna try now.

Danny


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## nilraf

Thats a very clean design, I like that it can be displayed as a functional tad rearing place. I like things to look polished like this! Keep up the good work!


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## frograck

I want to show off and tell you guys a little more about the heated tadpole setup I use.


























My first attempt at a heated tadpole setup used a 10 gallon tank and 32 acrylic containers








Clear Plastic Boxes with Lids | U.S. Plastic Corp.
I liked how neatly the 32 containers fit in the tank.
I did not like the price of the containers($1.85ea plus shipping), the height of the 10 gallon tank (wasted space on my rack), or the fact that when you put four 10 gallon tanks on a 48" bakers rack it leaves a few inches of wasted shelf space and the tanks hang off one edge (they are 20 inches long and the rack is 18 inches deep).

So I set out to look for a different solution. 

I found these
Clear PET Square Bottles | U.S. Plastic Corp.
and used a hot-wire cutter and a voltage regulator to chop off the top to look like this








I then searched many stores and all over the internet before I found the KIS 26 quart omni box. 3 of these boxes fit perfectly on a 48"x18" bakers rack and each box neatly fits 40 of the square plastic bottles (tadpole cups).









I've been using this setup for over a year and have morphed over 100 tadpoles from these containers. I'm really happy with my heated tadpole setup, and so I bought the containers by the hundreds and offer the setup at www.ThefrogRack.com

~Joe


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