# Algae from glass good tad food?



## topaz017 (Jul 30, 2006)

I have a little intermedius tadpole and was thinking the other day when I was cleaning my glass. Would the glass scrapings make good food? He's only a couple days out of the egg. I figure, I have lots of algae on the glass! Seems rather dry and flaky. (I also have Tad Bites for food)


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

I would stick with the tadpole bites, but still a interesting thought... Im not sure I know the answer to if the algea off the side of the tank would work as well.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

They would be a good addition to the diet, just make sure they aren't the majority... keep the tadpole bits as the main staple as they are much better suited. Thumbnails tads especially are omnivores that tend to lean heavily towards nice meaty protein sources... like eggs and bugs.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

Could be a great way to spread parasites.


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## topaz017 (Jul 30, 2006)

Dancing frogs said:


> Could be a great way to spread parasites.



How am I going to get parasites from a tank they were born in?


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

I suspect Brian was referring to the potential of scraping algae from one viv and using it to feed tadpoles from other vivs. However, the possibility exists that you might be sharing something with the tadpoles from their own viv that might not be in your best interest. 

Bill


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## forestexotics (Nov 14, 2006)

I was told algae is not good. They said it will start to grow on the mouth of the tad and likely kill it. I would stick to the tad bites..........Sara


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

elmoisfive said:


> I suspect Brian was referring to the potential of scraping algae from one viv and using it to feed tadpoles from other vivs. However, the possibility exists that you might be sharing something with the tadpoles from their own viv that might not be in your best interest.
> 
> Bill


Yes to both statements.

I have noticed that a viv doesn't start to get algae on the glass till there are frogs climbing around in there...I have a small terrarium that has been set up for over a year and has no algae on the walls.

Lots of better things to feed them IMO, but you never know till you try...someone said that algae makes a great springtail food, but I'd still be concerned about spreading something that way.


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## joeyo90 (Nov 5, 2006)

snyderveight said:


> I was told algae is not good. They said it will start to grow on the mouth of the tad and likely kill it. I would stick to the tad bites..........Sara


i think usually only happens with new inactive tads or ones that are inactive due to being weak im not sure though


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## elmoisfive (Dec 31, 2004)

snyderveight said:


> I was told algae is not good. They said it will start to grow on the mouth of the tad and likely kill it. I would stick to the tad bites..........Sara


Feeding any tadpole too early has the risk of promoting mouth fungus. However algae based foods are fine as part of the diet as long as one considers special needs of certain species (thumbnails, some Epips) for more animal derived protein in the diet.

For the record I use tadpole/frog bites supplemented on an alternating basis with high grade chlorella/spirulina and cyclop-eeze for all tadpoles. Whether it is the best regimen is debatable but it seems to do the trick.

Bill


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Wow, algae growing out of the mouth of the tad and killing it? That's a new one on me. Where did you hear this from?

I will admit that algae is definitely not good as the staple diet for most PDFs, but growing out of the mouth of the tadpole is unlikely.... mouth fungus is very different from algae and usually means that the tadpoles were weak and/or the water conditions were not correct (this is why tadpole tea is important).


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

topaz017 said:


> I have a little intermedius tadpole and was thinking the other day when I was cleaning my glass. Would the glass scrapings make good food? He's only a couple days out of the egg. I figure, I have lots of algae on the glass! Seems rather dry and flaky. (I also have Tad Bites for food)


It would depend on what nourishment is available to the algae in the tank, that would determine what nutrition the tad would be receiving. Chances are (most likely) it to be lacking/exempt of rarer (essential) elements and unaturally high in common make up. Now of course this will vary w/ every single person, every single tank, what's in those, and how old they are.

Now this doesn't (neccessarily) make this algae 'bad' for the animal (again depending on what's in the tank it could be 'bad'/ heaviliy toxified) but imbalanced and of lower grade than "farmed" algae. 

By having the algae heavy on more commonly available sources (Nitrogen) you sway the protein content of the plant (increase), which isn't 'good'.... wrong protein. Then you can take a look back on the source of the ,N' (which may be artificial (really not 'good').

If you know what's in the tank, you know what's in the algae, if you know what's in the algae, you know what makes your frog(s).

This would fit easily/nicely in a Nitrogen thread. Too much, so better just get to the point and attack the question.

You don't really want to go out of your way to feed something 'hollow' to your tad. Just scrape it off and leave it to recycle back into the viv.


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## Ronm (Oct 1, 2006)

But what do you think of this...

http://www.poisonarrowfrogs.nl/index2.htm

go to the page ' kweek' (left site of the page)

Scrolling down this page there are two cups with larvae, they are from the same clutch, but (so the writer informs us) the bigger larvae were able to eat the algae stuck on the cup.

Ron


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I don't know if its the algae, or the fact that they have something constant to eat, not just what is fed to them. I noticed a size difference in my E. anthonyi tadpoles after adding wild almond leaf skeletons (after being boiled to make tadpole tea) and noticed a size difference... I believe this is partially due to leaf skeletons being part of their diet in the wild, as well as the fact that they are constantly eating... I also noticed that with the tadpole tank having few to no tadpoles in it for a while, the first tadpoles in it again after the "break" tended to grow very fast and very large compared to later tadpoles... too little light for algae, but the surfaces where slick with a thick bacterial layer... its been noted by other keepers raising thumbnail tadpoles that they simply rinse the individual tad containers and put in fresh water between tads... it can be a couple weeks before a new tad is put in... but this tad from an "established" container grew larger and better than a tadpole in a new container... I have added rocks and plastic plants to increase the area for the bacteria to grow, and am careful about stocking levels so it isn't overgrazed.

I believe its a matter of having something constantly to graze on, more than algae. Having seen a number of tadpole deposition sites in the wild (mostly from photos, but a few in person as well) I just don't see much algae in most cases... but I stuck my finger in enough bromeliad axils to know they were very slick with a layer of bacteria. Grossed out some fellow backpackers while I was at it showing them the slime


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## Ronm (Oct 1, 2006)

Corey,

Does this mean, you don't clean your tadpole cups?
Ron


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I don't personally use tadpole cups, my frogs either are raised in tank (dendrobates) or in tadpole community bins (epipedobates). The tadpole bins are not cleaned beyond an occassional siphoning, and are kept running between clutches. Only tadpoles from the same tank of parents are put into the same tadpole bin... this is mostly for organizational purposes so I know not only what the froglets are (anthonyi morphs all look the same at that stage) but this also would in theory keep pathogens from one tank from being introduced to tadpoles from another.

The person describing his tadpole cups that mentioned the size difference between tadpoles from the cups that were just rinsed did something similar... the cups were marked and the tads put in those cups were always from the same parents. The cups were only totally cleaned and disinfected when a tadpole living in it was not healthy. Totally cleaning and scrubbing the cups would remove the beneficial bacterial layer, and the tadpoles were from eggs removed from the tank of animals that were healthy, so there wasn't a large health concern.


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## stchupa (Apr 25, 2006)

Ronm said:


> But what do you think of this...
> 
> http://www.poisonarrowfrogs.nl/index2.htm
> 
> ...


I think very highly of it. I practice (for the most part) basically the same thing, though I don't bother to experiment w/ it anymore. I appreciate the ones still willing to, so the information remains fresh and available.

Now because the tads are bigger in the one allowed to grow algae is not mostly do to them eating it (although it surely play a small part). But not shocking tads w/ varying/spikes of quality in water. It's 'good' to let them graze leisurely on fresh growth, but that's because it grows w/ the tad for those purposes. No real chance of contamination, where as there might be w/ scraping algae of the tank sides and then takin to. I don't let the tads go hungry in these conditions (not that they would go hungry anyway) since I don't want them over supplimenting on algae to their soothe their hunger. I try to always keep them well feed and the algae as over grown as possible.


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