# Tadpoles, Eggs, Mold, Bubbles - Please Help



## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

So my Thumbnail Vents have had a series of bad clutches.

4 Clutches - All the eggs turned gray and or looked to have gotten mold maybe with some kind of bubble around them.

The newest clutch had 7 eggs.

4 were bad and 3 produced tadpoles.

The tadpoles do not move though.

I read somewhere here that they will play dead for a few days so you should not throw them out.

I did see one of them wiggle for a second or two.

I am wondering if this is a bad batch of tadpoles too.

It looks like they are connected or sitting on top of the egg they came from.

The area that they are in is kind of cloudy too.

What should I do?

I have included some pictures.

Please click on the pictures to make them bigger. I do not know how to add them into the thread. I only see how to add them attachments. Sorry about that.


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## azure89 (Jan 5, 2009)

I would leave them alone, it doesn't look like they have even hatched yet


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

What do you mean they have not hatched yet?

They all have tails now.

And one just wiggled again.


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## carola1155 (Sep 10, 2007)

just because they have tails does not mean that they have hatched yet.

The one definitely has not hatched, the other two appear as though they probably havent either. It is tough to tell from the pictures. 

you have them in way too much water, it should not completely cover the clear jelly mass around the eggs.


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

Tom's right, listen to him.


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

They don't appear to be hatched to me either. You can see the jelly mass floating around them. I do wonder whether or not that amount of water will make a difference in their hatching. A while back I read a post by Chuck (Manuran) who wrote that he submersed his eggs. After digging, I found it...
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/br...tches-bad-eggs-no-tads-help-2.html#post679457

...and I can attest to the fact that his eggs become some spectacular frogs! I've thought about trying this...but simply haven't had the guts!


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

So how deep should the water be?

It is currently about .75 inches.

Should I take out the dead eggs or leave them in there?

I do not want to risk killing a tadpole by taking out dead eggs. (That goo they are in is very very thick).

But I do not want the mold that is on the dead eggs to spread to the tadpoles either.


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## WendySHall (Aug 31, 2010)

I think the majority of the people on here (myself included) try to stay somewhere between just barely touching the edges of the eggs to about half way up the egg. If you decide to remove some of the water, I would leave them in the container they're in and use a turkey baster to suck it out. 

I wouldn't worry too much about the bad eggs. If the developing eggs are going to become good tads...they'll do it whether the bad eggs are there or not.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

So how long will it be before they officially hatch off the egg?

What should my next step be?

Do I separate them?

I think I heard that they are cannibles and will eat each other.


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## whitethumb (Feb 5, 2011)

it usually takes about two weeks from egg to hatch depending on the temperature in the room. you can tell when they hatch because they're no longer curled and you would see them in a striaght line. once they hatch put them into seperate containers with a little java moss for cover or they can nibble on that when they're hungry


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## Hashbaz (May 14, 2011)

that Frog Guy said:


> So my Thumbnail Vents have had a series of bad clutches.
> 
> 4 Clutches - All the eggs turned gray and or looked to have gotten mold maybe with some kind of bubble around them.
> 
> ...


I think that you misunderstand a few things about the eggs your are looking at. The little brown spheres are only the "yolk" of the egg. The egg itself is clear and about 5 times as wide as the yoke. There is usually sticky slime around the eggs. The yolk is what turns into the tadpole. The tadpole forms on the top of the yoke (which will look like the tadpoles are "sitting on top of the egg they came from").

The eggs are quite big allowing the tadpoles to wiggle and almost swim while still in their egg. Since the eggs are clear, the slime is clear, and your water is clear it is sometimes hard to tell when the egg has hatched. Before they hatch, you will notice that the entire yolk has been absorbed - they won't look like they have fat tummies anymore. Like others have said, you will know when they have hatched because they will straighten out. Their tails/bodies will be curved (in a C shape) when they are still in their eggs.

Good luck with your tadpoles. They are lots of fun.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

Thanks guys for all the help.

Should I be changing the water everyday or anything like that?


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## lhu659982 (Aug 31, 2012)

I don't change my water completely. I keep extra water near where I keep my tads so that it is similar is temp. Then I use a turkey baster that I purchased from a dollar store to suck out the detritus aka waste from the bottom which only takes out about a 1/4 of the total water. To which I replace a "precise" eyed up amount of water to fill it back up. When you feed you can tell how much the tads are eating by how much waste they make. Also, I would like to add that with my tads I have noticed that the more I feed them the quicker they morph. And as far as I'm aware I haven't noticed them being sickly or "different" because of it. (They just get huge.) I had someone once tell me my tads looked like bull frog tads.  

There's tons of good posts on here about water changes you may have to dig for them though. Hopefully this helps.


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## that Frog Guy (May 13, 2012)

1 of my 3 tadpoles hatched!!!!

It is straight and swimming around.

What do I do now?

I know you guys said to separate them.

What is the safest way to separate them? Was it with a Turkey Baster?

What do I feed them?

How much water do I put them in?

I am so excited.

How long before they get legs?

How long before they turn into frogs?


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## carola1155 (Sep 10, 2007)

I'm just going to edit your post with the answers in blue:


that Frog Guy said:


> 1 of my 3 tadpoles hatched!!!!
> 
> It is straight and swimming around.
> 
> ...


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