# Tadpole with air bubble



## mark c (Jun 17, 2010)

I found one of my variabilis tadpoles floating dead this morning, with a couple of bubbles in its belly. It was one of the older tadpoles I have, about 3 1/2 months. I never noticed it floating or showing signs of bubbles before. 

The other tadpoles do not appear to have bubbles either. They sit at the bottom of their containers, just like this one did. They are in 24-ounce containers (3 cup), with 1.5 to 2 cups of RO water, and just before feeding, I replace 1/4 to half of their water with a baster, and particulary try to vacuum up the debris at the bottom. 

I suspect that I am feeding too frequently and must slow it down. I have been feeding them about every 3 days. I have been giving each of them 1 tetramin granule, 1 zoomed tadpole bite, and a small flake of the ocean nutrition. 

Too much food?


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

I had this happen recently with an imitator Tadpole. I did a nearly 100% waterchange and stopped feeding. Problem corrected itself overnight after the water change.


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

I agree. Clean water did it for me, too.


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## mark c (Jun 17, 2010)

And I thought maybe the frequent water changes were the cause. The rest will all get a 100% water change, regardless of how healthy they look. 

Then, I will feed less frequently. How much or often should thumbnail tads be fed?


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## frogmanroth (May 23, 2006)

this is a bubble, for the record i don't change water at all, and this only happens once a year about, it hard to say what causes it, 



















I feed once to twice a week, i am feeding on average 1000-1300 tads a year, but this year has been really nice this may be about 2500 tads.


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## mark c (Jun 17, 2010)

Wow, 1300 tads can't be wrong! What kind of water do you use? 

If lack of water changes did not cause the bubble, that means the actual cause may simply be that I overfed it. I have been feeding way more than once or twice a week. More like about 3 times a week.

Anyway, I did a 98% water change on all my other tadpoles (a staggering nine of them) and will not feed them for 24 hours. 

It is interesting to note that on frogforum.net, I found a tadpole care sheet that does not recommend tadpole tea or tannins at all for thumbnails. They use distilled water with java moss only. Their reasoning is that thumb tadpoles are up high in bromeliads where rain constantly replaces their water with basically distilled water. They are not down amongst the leaves like more terrestrial species.

Mark


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## frogface (Feb 20, 2010)

frogmanroth said:


> this is a bubble


Is it wrong that I laughed at your bubble tad?


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## mark c (Jun 17, 2010)

frogface said:


> Is it wrong that I laughed at your bubble tad?


Yes, forty lashes with a wet tadpole for you.


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## frogmanroth (May 23, 2006)

I have good water where i live so i just use tap water aged and given a shot of black water extract.

yeah its funny when you have lots of tads you just chalk up deaths to survival of the fittest. I think its really funny myself its funny to watch it swim up side down.


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## ShelbyFFS (Apr 30, 2012)

That is a lot of tadpoles. I assume you have a lot of frogs.

If you only lose so few you must be doing it right.


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