# swollen tads (2)



## briley5 (Sep 27, 2012)

I have 2 intermedus tads that are very "puffy". I only could find 1 post of the tad that looks like mine, But mine appear to have it up into there body's, and can not find anywhere on google to buy ringers solution. One tad was raised by the parents in the film canister and 1 outside the tank in a deli cup. Can anyone help me find this solution and shed some light on why this might be occurring? Thank you in advance.


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

Hi Brenda,

I've experienced the same phenomenon with my vanzolinii, green sirensis and benedicta. Almost all the tads this has happend to have survived for me, but not all. I've noticed it usually only afflicts younger tads in their first few weeks old. However, I dotn think their age, per se, has anything to do with it. Its a timing thing. A tadpole cup, is just a minature aquarium (without filtration). The filtration in an aquarium has a very critical job to do. Most people assume it mechanically removes fish poop and waste by catchign it in a filter pad of some sort. That is only a small part of it. More important is the biological filtration that goes on within the filter. A colony of bacteria forms on all surfaces within contact with water, especially moving water. That bacterial colony feeds in the nitrites and ammonia produced by the fish as waste. The bacterial colony converts the waste into nitrates, a much less harful product. This bacterial colony takes a few weeks to get going and grow. I think what is going on in our tad containers and why are tads are swelling is a build up of ammonia and nitrites in our tad cups because there has not been enough time to set up an adequete bacterial colony. Its for this reason I do two things now. #1, I rarely, or only partially clean tad cups after a tad morphs out. I simply rinse it with dechlorinated water and refill it (dont let it dry out). This is to keep the bacterial colony alive. #2 I keep 1-2 live oak or indian almond leaves in with all my tads. Again, when a HEALTHY tad morphs out, I take the leaf out rinse the container and it goes right back in the water to keep the bacterial colony alive for the next tad. If a tad dies in one of the cups, the leaf goes in the trash and the cup gets totally cleaned. No more bloating tads. Also if you get a tads in this condition. Cease feedign for a few days, and flus the old water and add fresh water.


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

And I should ad, in older tads, which yours appear to be, this could be soem sort of bacterial infection totally unrelated to everything I just mentioned


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

If you are serious about the Amphibian Ringers...go online for the components...you may have to get them compounded into a powder form, and you reconstitute as needed. We need someone to come up with this in a stable enough form...are the makers of Repashy products listening? Or would there be obvious vet. issues...?


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

IME air bubbles in tads can be caused by over feeding, I only feed mine 1-2 times a week.


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## jharris08 (Dec 26, 2011)

I had 7 yellowback tads and 1 out of the 7 had bizarre swelling where the front legs would develop...I decided to keep it as an experiment, and it morphed out just fine. the swelling started going down when the front legs started developing and its a normal froglet now. I still dont know what was going on


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## heatfreakk3 (Oct 15, 2008)

I've had a couple citronella tadpoles have this problem. I had 1 with this problem last season, and it morphed into a froglet but then shortly died (the swelling did not go down after it morphed out). Then this season I have 2 with this problem. 1 died in the morph out container before it made it to a froglet, the other is still a tad with its front legs popping in right now.


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## briley5 (Sep 27, 2012)

pdfCrazy said:


> Hi Brenda,
> 
> I've experienced the same phenomenon with my vanzolinii, green sirensis and benedicta. Almost all the tads this has happend to have survived for me, but not all. I've noticed it usually only afflicts younger tads in their first few weeks old. However, I dotn think their age, per se, has anything to do with it. Its a timing thing. A tadpole cup, is just a minature aquarium (without filtration). The filtration in an aquarium has a very critical job to do. Most people assume it mechanically removes fish poop and waste by catchign it in a filter pad of some sort. That is only a small part of it. More important is the biological filtration that goes on within the filter. A colony of bacteria forms on all surfaces within contact with water, especially moving water. That bacterial colony feeds in the nitrites and ammonia produced by the fish as waste. The bacterial colony converts the waste into nitrates, a much less harful product. This bacterial colony takes a few weeks to get going and grow. I think what is going on in our tad containers and why are tads are swelling is a build up of ammonia and nitrites in our tad cups because there has not been enough time to set up an adequete bacterial colony. Its for this reason I do two things now. #1, I rarely, or only partially clean tad cups after a tad morphs out. I simply rinse it with dechlorinated water and refill it (dont let it dry out). This is to keep the bacterial colony alive. #2 I keep 1-2 live oak or indian almond leaves in with all my tads. Again, when a HEALTHY tad morphs out, I take the leaf out rinse the container and it goes right back in the water to keep the bacterial colony alive for the next tad. If a tad dies in one of the cups, the leaf goes in the trash and the cup gets totally cleaned. No more bloating tads. Also if you get a tads in this condition. Cease feedign for a few days, and flus the old water and add fresh water.


I have been trying to "flush" the film cans with fresh water, to remove ff body's and waste but never had much luck. I also tried the eye dropper way to suck out the waste, also with not much luck. It ether just stirs it all up or will flush the tad right out of the canister. In the deli cup its a little easier but I sill have sucked up the tad or the little guy will freak out and stir it all up. I have almond leaves that I brought to a boil the covered and let steep, to make the tad tea. Then put a piece of the leaf and the tea with some extra spring water in all the cups. I also added some java moss to each cup.
I'm at a loss as to whats wrong, or what I'm doing wrong. Other than my not being able to keep the water clean.


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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

briley5 said:


> I have been trying to "flush" the film cans with fresh water, to remove ff body's and waste but never had much luck. I also tried the eye dropper way to suck out the waste, also with not much luck. It ether just stirs it all up or will flush the tad right out of the canister. In the deli cup its a little easier but I sill have sucked up the tad or the little guy will freak out and stir it all up. I have almond leaves that I brought to a boil the covered and let steep, to make the tad tea. Then put a piece of the leaf and the tea with some extra spring water in all the cups. I also added some java moss to each cup.
> I'm at a loss as to whats wrong, or what I'm doing wrong. Other than my not being able to keep the water clean.


I use 3ml plastic pipettes purchased from Carolina Biological supply to suck out feces and un-eaten food 1x/week. The pipettes are easier to control and too small to inadvertently suck up a tad. I then top off with aged tap water. This has served me well.

Edit: I completely ignored your topic, sorry. Check out this thread on a similar condition, specifically the post by Ed, and the follow up to that post by the OP. It seems that a ringer's bath solved the problem. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-health-disease-treatment/91092-puffy-legged-tad.html
You can buy amphibian ringers from carolina biological supply. It is rather inexpensive.


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## briley5 (Sep 27, 2012)

Thank you, yes that was the post I was referring to. I have ordered the ringers solution and keeping my finger crossed. I spent the whole day on the phone trying to find a vet that will take a look at it but they all tell me it's a tad pole some make it some don't !!!! I don't even know how to respond to that!!


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

Brenda, I've read through this entire thread but I'm still not sure exactly what you're doing right now. So, I thought I'd just tell you what has worked for me...

Until this is cleared up, do complete water changes every day. I use plain spring water with no additions whatsoever to the cup. Also, do not feed anything. That's it...just a tad in a cup with water. 

I know it seems mean as all get-out...but it usually works.

I would put the tad in something larger than a film can for this. A larger body of water will be easier to change and keep the water quality up between day-to-day changes.

Hopefully within a few days you'll start to notice some changes for the better.


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## briley5 (Sep 27, 2012)

WendySHall said:


> Brenda, I've read through this entire thread but I'm still not sure exactly what you're doing right now. So, I thought I'd just tell you what has worked for me...
> 
> Until this is cleared up, do complete water changes every day. I use plain spring water with no additions whatsoever to the cup. Also, do not feed anything. That's it...just a tad in a cup with water.
> 
> ...


I have moved all my tads to the ff containers and was changing with tadpole tea but if you think it will help I will just do the fresh spring water. I'm hoping my ringers will be here tomorrow, I will keep you all posted. Thank you for all the replies and advice. Don't know what new froggers would do with out you guys.


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

Yes, just daily complete changes of fresh spring water. No tadpole tea, no food, no leaves...nothing else. This has worked to clear it up for many people here. Once it has cleared up, you just need to take it very easy on the feedings and be careful to not overfeed.

Besides the one thread that was linked to...I've never heard of Ringer's Solution being used. I'm curious as to how you are planning to implement it.


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## Bcs TX (Sep 13, 2008)

Here is the thread Wendy: http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/general-health-disease-treatment/91092-puffy-legged-tad.html
In the end it was water quality.


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

Yes, I already found that thread and read it...thanks tho, Beth. 

I imagine that many (if not all) of those reasons for this happening that Ed listed won't be able to be helped by either the plain water method or the ringer's method. Even if you could get the tad to where it appeared normal, it would still have the same problems as a froglet. (Example: liver damage)


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