# How often do you feed your tadpoles?



## spinycheek

I was doing every day, but it looks like the algae mix I'm using is still there after a day, would the tads eat the 1-day old algae? Perhaps, less food every day is better than a large meal every 2 days???


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## frogparty

I feed 2x a week
once with tetra microcrabs (cyclopeeze)
once with ocean nutrtion spirulina flakes


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## D3monic

cool good to know cyclopeeze can be used. Lord knows I got enough of that in my freezer for the pipefish.


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## spinycheek

wow, 2x a week, that's easy.


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## frogparty

cyclopeeze is a good color booster


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## hexentanz

I add new food when I see the old food is gone. Which in my case has always been every two days.

I use a blend of blenderized fish flakes, algae flakes, freeze dried brine shrimp & red mosquito larvae.


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## Woodsman

I follow the method that Patrick Nabors uses: water changes once a week with a good feeding of human grade Spirulina (also, once a week). Tadpoles also need a much larger amount of water than most give them. This method has worked very well for me over the years.

Richard.


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## JoshK

I feed about every 5-6 days and it works pretty well. In the beginning I fed more often but it led to nasty water and the tads didn't grow any faster or morph out any larger. I feed new tads less food, but more often, probably twice a week for the first two or three weeks.


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## joshsfrogs

All our tads are fed once a week a mix of tadpole bites, sera micron, and repashy superpig.

All housed in 32 oz deli cups and water is topped off, but never changed until they sprout front legs.


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## Arrynia

hexentanz said:


> I add new food when I see the old food is gone. Which in my case has always been every two days.
> 
> I use a blend of blenderized fish flakes, algae flakes, freeze dried brine shrimp & red mosquito larvae.


back when I was breeding, that's the routine I followed....in general it was every 3 days or so.


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## jfehr232

I think amount of food, competition, and environment can have an impact on the growth rate and stronger froglets...Just my theory


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## earthfrog

I feed the youngest ones spirulina/chlorella algae mixed with 20% ground P-Pel sinking pellets. (Here is what's in them: Protein, Min. 44%; Fat, 8%; Fiber, 6%; Ash, 6.5%; Moisture, 4.5%.
I feel it's important to know the percentages of what's in the processed food since many distributors don't tell you how much ash is in the product, and that's bad for tiny frog kidneys.)

They are not fed until their first bowel movement is seen, then I feed them the above diet only a couple of specks at a time until motility is increased, usually adding a second feeding by one week of age.. 
Then I double that until two weeks of age. (This is all approximate, by the way.)
After two weeks, I feed them 30% powdered algae and 70% ground P-Pel sinking pellets---this time, a tiny pinch at a time every 6-7 days (or about 1/32 tsp).
Once the back legs pop and the front legs begin to form, I feed twice that often. 
(During all this, I siphon off the wastes without removing all the water at any given stage of development, I use commercially-prepared blackwater extract and use drinking water purified by ozonation and carbon filtration.)

In a year of breeding, no SLS or defects so far...


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## Marc

I feed one or two times a week, varying my tadpoles food. I feed each tadpole two tadpole bites. (for food size example). I also include a piece of indian almond leaf for them to nibble on. Around the time of their morphing the leaf is just a skeleton. They eat not only the leaf itself but also the bacterial slime that is breaking down the leaf. (Their eating of the bacterial slime as well as the leaf, was explained to me by a very knowledgeable dart frog breeder). They are also eating the bacterial slime off the side of the containers too, so I don't do water changes, nor scrub this off. 

They are also kept inside a tadpole incubator, so there is almost no evaporation from their containers. I use a submersible heater set at 72F inside this container.

The main trick is to not overfeed! If there is food left over the next day, I feel a person is feeding to much. This food will only rot in the water and cause pollution. 

I also always have a small clump of java moss in each of my containers to maintain water purity. I feel java moss is a must. It takes very low light conditions and is very easy to grow. I feel they might be feeding on this java moss too.

Marc


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## frogfreak

Woodsman said:


> I follow the method that Patrick Nabors uses: water changes once a week with a good feeding of human grade Spirulina (also, once a week). Tadpoles also need a much larger amount of water than most give them. This method has worked very well for me over the years.
> 
> Richard.


What size container's do you use for your Tinc tads Richard?


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## spinycheek

Thanks for all the replies! 

Right now they are in 32 oz cups with lids, kept at a pretty constant 74 degrees (I keep my house on the warm side, so I don't need heaters). Each cup has 1 tadpole and one almond leaf piece. The water is tadpole tea I brew from indian almond leaves and tap water. I have been changing the water every 2-3 days because the tadpoles poop an unbelievable amount!!! I feel it would be best to suck out the poo with a turkey baster, this really shouldn't impact bacteria on the cup/leaf surface. 

And for feeding, I'll drop it down to every 3-4 days, based on the average of what I've been hearing. I'm solely using Spirulina/Chlorella based on Patrick Nabors' advice, but I might mix in some animal protein foodstuff as well.


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## DCreptiles

I feed all my tads a high grade fish flake mix with bloodworms and tadpole bites. I feed them this mix twice a week and I toss in fruit flys that are left over from feeding. I don't do water changes anymore, I just add new water when it's low and I fill it all the way back up.


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## frogparty

Yeah, I gotta agree on the no water changes. So much easier, just topping off the water is so convenient.


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## spinycheek

How much poo builds up? My tads are lettin' go an amazing amount of poo, I couldn't imagine 2+ months worth


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## garweft

What species of frog tadpole are you raising?


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## markbudde

I feed my imis 1 tadpole bite at a time, replacing it once its gone, until they grow back leg buds. Then 2 at a time until they morph. Its better to let them stave occasionally than to overfeed and foul the water. I haven't had any problems using tadpole bites as the only food source. I just make sure to discard the tadpole bites every 6 months or so with new ones.


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## Imperial_Aquatics

interesting the comments on water changes or lack of. 

For my tadpoles, I use a recirculating water system. Instead of messy, time consuming cups that need frequent water changes, I use a water recirculating system in a "1/2 15gal" aquarium.

It's from a design by Brian, of Brian's Tropicals, another sponsor here. Basically the tank has a heater, a power filter to maintain water circulation, and an overflow for water changes. Each tadpole is in a small acrylic cylinder with a bottom mesh to allow poop and food out, but keep tads in. The scup sit on a piece of egg crate, propped up from the bottom of the tank with 1" square plastic cubes.

This allows for water flow under the cups. 

I want to change water, I just turn a valve, 30 seconds later I'm done. And I can put almost 50 tadpoles in a space 12" x 24"

Using the tropical fish approach in that tadpole urine and feces breaks down into very unwanted biological conditions in a tank with standing water, as would be recommended with fish, I do frequent partial water changes. 

twice a week or more depending on number of tadpoles in the tank.


FYI: I feed as often as I see them "seeking" as they get larger it's pretty much daily.


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## james67

how do you prevent potential transfer of pathogens with this system? this is what prevented me from attempting this type of set up.

james


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## Imperial_Aquatics

james67 said:


> how do you prevent potential transfer of pathogens with this system? this is what prevented me from attempting this type of set up.
> 
> james



This same kind of question pops up frequently among tropical fish hobbyists when you talk about using recirculating water systems, as all tanks end up sharing the same water. Honestly the risk is at best minimal. In 20+ years of doing this with tropical fish, I've yet to see a single incidence of disease transfer. Of course good quarantine procedures and husbandry techniques plays a very large role in avoiding problems.

I won't go into specific details about preventative steps like UV Sterilization, chemical filtration etc. but they can all play factors in reducing risks.

With the frogs, like with fish, all the steps you take to assure good health in your animals leading up to them laying eggs aids in reducing the risk. 

1. Good Quarantine.

2. Fecals.

3. maintenance.

If you have passed quarantine with no symptoms of pathogens, passed fecals with a clean bill of health, and follow proper maintenance, the chances of infections, bacterial or viral go down substantially.

So now you have your frog room, running happily for several months. Unless you are maintaining very strict biological containment protocols, all of your tanks will end up sharing the same biological makeup. Molds, fungus, bacteria, viral etc.

Is it possible to have something go horribly wrong with this type of grow out system? sure. ANYTHING is possible. Is it likely if you are following good husbandry practices? not really. I've been hearing for 20 years that recirculating water systems were bad, it hasn't been a problem yet.


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## joshsfrogs

> how do you prevent potential transfer of pathogens with this system? this is what prevented me from attempting this type of set up.


There really shouldn't be that much (except for coccidia) that would pass from parents to tads, so any pathogens would come from food/water/plants/cups/etc.

I don't know how researched it is, but I have heard that tads can shed chemicals that give them a leg up on their siblings which could be exasperated in this kind of mass system.


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## Imperial_Aquatics

joshsfrogs said:


> I don't know how researched it is, but I have heard that tads can shed chemicals that give them a leg up on their siblings which could be exasperated in this kind of mass system.



the same claim is made with fish keeping, which is why breeders make frequent large water changes. It keeps any potential risks at bay and works quite well. Very large volumes of fish can be raised quite happy, healthy and large, even with a large bio load of fish per gallon.

The same would apply to frogs as well.


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## spinycheek

garweft said:


> What species of frog tadpole are you raising?


D. auratus



The single water body seems interesting. I've contemplated setting one up, but laziness always got the best of me


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