# Egg incubation and tad rearing



## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

This is for you Phil.
This is what I have done which works for me and may not work for you or be the typical way of doing things.
When I notice a clutch of eggs that has been successfuly laid and fertilized I pull them. If the eggs dont have a yellow tinge to them I know they havent been fertilized and will place them back in the viv and pull them again the next day. After pulling the eggs I will lightly wash off any fecal matter that may be on the egg mass. After this I put them in a petri dish or leave them in a petri dish if it was in a tinc tank. Then I make a solution of 2 drops of methylene blue to 1 gallon of water. I will add water so the egg mass is completely surrounded by the methylene mix. Make sure they are not submerged. Then I put the petri dish lid on and install it in a plastic shoe box with the bottom also covered in the methylene solution. From this point on I dont check them for atleast a week. When the tads are fully developed and remove themselves from the eggs comes the next step.

After tads are ready to be transfered to water I make another methylene mix. This time it is one drop per gallon of water. I use 16oz deli cups with lids filled about half the way up. I feed a combination of fish flakes and tadpole bites. I also do water changes every week and feed about twice a week. With this method I tend to have less issues with the frogs morphing and a faster morph out time. I have tried doing this with just plain water and this seems to work better. When the front legs pop out I put the tads/froglets in a 10g tank with a beach type landscape if you will. One side has about 3 inches of water while the other is above the water and has dry land area. This is the method I have used for years and has been very successful for me. It may work for you and it may not, you will have to try it out and see. Also I use 100% aged tap water as opposed to Ro water or spring water. I feel this gives the extra minerals other water lacks(this is my opinion) and is better for development.
And there you have it. In about 2-3 months you will go from freshly laid eggs to froglets ready to eat flies. I have raised hundreds of tads this way. I do have to admit the water changes weekly are a pain but well worth it. When I would slack on the water changes I noticed lack of growth and other problems with the tads. I think this is the most important part.
I hope you enjoy,
Jason


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

Forgot to mention that with my method I do not mist the eggs. After a couple of days with the lid of the petri dish being on top you will start to see condensation forming which will help keep the eggs nice and moist. Also make sure the eggs never dip below room temperature or the develoomental process will not go right.
Jason


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## BBoyette (Mar 9, 2009)

Jason, are you doing full water changes weekly?


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

Yup, like I said it gets annoying but well worth it.
Jason


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## BBoyette (Mar 9, 2009)

Have you noticed any different results between the different types of tads (mainly meaning tinc tads vs. Thumbnail tads) does it seem to work better in any of the two favor?


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

Jason,

Good stuff...

What are your temps? Steady? Do you use a heater?

oh, and please....no more thread dedications....I've already been "called on the carpet" once of late


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

Sorry Phil. Temps stay steady around 72 and I dont use heaters. I like to keep it where ever the frog tanks are because I know that the temps are steady. As for different morphs, I have not noticed any difference between thumbs and tincs. I have used the same method for both with great results.
J


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## jfehr232 (Apr 13, 2009)

Good advice Jason, As in the aged tap water as in how long? Just curious. Thanks.


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

I usually wait atleast a week before using it. I know they say that the chlorine evaporates within 2 days but I wait longer just to be safe.
Jason


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## carbonetc (Oct 13, 2008)

Chloramine takes much longer to evaporate, but not all water companies use it.

I'd just buy some aquarium dechlorinator. One little bottle costs almost nothing and it's enough for probably every tadpole water change a person would ever do in his life.


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

I dont like that stuff. I would prefer to wait like I do.
J


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

Jason DeSantis said:


> I dont like that stuff. I would prefer to wait like I do.
> J


and yoru reason is??


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

I dont know I have never fealt that it was safe to use. I guess just persoanl preferance.
Jason


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## jubjub47 (Sep 9, 2008)

Philsuma said:


> Jason,
> 
> Good stuff...
> 
> ...


Are you talking about me Phil?

I love the idea of 100% changes weekly, but that does seem like a ton of work. I may do some experiments on a few tads and see how they develop as opposed to their clutch mates.


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

No I was talking to philsuma. But the water changes only take a half hour to an hour a week for about 100 tads. If you get everything you need in front of you and work it nice and fast it really goes pretty quick. I like to have a bucket in front of me to put the old water in and the gallon jug of new water right there also.
Jason


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## dflorian (May 15, 2009)

Jason,

Are you maintaining the room at 72, or is that your typical night time temp?

I'm assuming that your breeding frogs and growout tanks are in the same room. I guess if you keep external temps at 72. When your lights cycle on, the frogs get a daily increase above your thermostats set point.

I've currently got 9 developing variabilis and 4 tinc eggs, so presenting your strategy for me personally is timely.

The eggs are currently developing in a dechlorinated tap water, not one week aged. The water has both Blackwater extract and methylene blue. What you practice and I need to exercise is RESTRAINT! I can't help but check every couple days what they look like under a dissecting scope. I like your practice of placing them in a double enclosure (petri dish and shoebox sized container). Mine sit on a white paper towel on an unlit black bookshelf.

Can wait to have a few in the water!!


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

jubjub47 said:


> Are you talking about me Phil?


Not you Tim. I was the "anonymous" subject of a recent thread and in effect, refered to as either ignorant or a liar 


I keep my egg "incubator" (for lack of better terms) at a constant 76F. It is a plastic KIS (OMNI) showbox bought at K-Mart (not S-Mart) for under $2.00

The bottom of the plastic shoebox has a cut white eggcrate / diffusor and I can sit up to 6 large petri dishes on it. The egg crate allows for several inches of water and a fish tank heater (they do scare me sometimes )

I am "against" plastics and medicines / addititives but I do break down and use meth blue, but only for the first couple days in a weak ice-tea colour dillution...then I switch to aged tap for the mineral "value" like Jason said. If your water contains anything weird, by all means use spring water. My city water is sufficiently hard and I think this helps the eggs / tads.

Steve (sounddrive) has well water, I believe, and says it works well with all his frog husbandry issues.

....some ramblings.....


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

dflorian said:


> Jason,
> 
> Are you maintaining the room at 72, or is that your typical night time temp?
> 
> ...


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## skips (Dec 15, 2008)

what does the methylene blue do for the tads?


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## Jason DeSantis (Feb 2, 2006)

Off the companies website:
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:
Methylene Blue is effective against superficial fungal infections of fishes. The drug may be used as an alternative to Malachite Green for the control of fungus when it is known that the fish to be treated are sensitive. Methylene Blue is safe for use with fish eggs and fry for the prevention of fungal infections. As a secondary use, it is effective against some external protozoans, such as Ichthyophthirius (Ich), Chilodonella and Costia. Click for additional information on the THE LIFE CYCLE OF ICH 
The properties of the drug as an oxygen transporter (it converts methemoglobin to the normal oxygen carrying component of fish blood, hemoglobin) allow it to be used in the treatment of known cyanide and nitrite poisoning of aquarium fishes. It has been suggested that newly arrived marine fish placed in Methylene Blue can have their survival rate increased as Methylene Blue aids in the reversal of nitrite and/or cyanide poisoning.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

short version: prevents mold and fungus.


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