# Tadpoles Dropping Like Flies!



## FlyingPollock (Jan 30, 2012)

What am I doing wrong?

Poland spring water 
Black water extract
Pinch of sphagnum moss
Tad pole bites 1-2 ever few days
Water change 70% ever 2-3 days
Temp is 76-78
Separate 4 ounce cups

I've lost three tads so far, the last one to die had three tiny white dots on him.
Thanks in advance.


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## Nismo95 (Jul 30, 2011)

could be the size container they are in.. Water can foul up pretty quick. No input on the spot issues. how new to breeding are the parents and what type of tadpoles? also, how old are the tadpoles when they perish?


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

why spagnum? That could possibly be an issue...might alter the pH...don't know... but java moss is what you most often read about that is used...


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## CAPTAIN RON (Mar 29, 2010)

What species of frog are the tadpoles from? Over feeding is the usual culprit! Whats the pinch of spag moss for?I use a piece of almond leaf in ea tad cup
(16 oz-1/2 to 3/4 filled) and feed a variety of foods 3 times per week-but if any food is leftover from previous meal,it must be removed via a water change
before feeding.Your temps sound good,i dont know much about poland springwaters pH ,but i like to use ro water with Kent Marines- RO Right added to it,to add needed minerals back into the tads water. Good luck with the rest of them!


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## Judy S (Aug 29, 2010)

Could changing the water so often be too stressful as well?? I use the almond leaves as the greybeards have advised...and the few tads I have DO hide under them as well as need the tanins given off by the leaf segment...


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## FlyingPollock (Jan 30, 2012)

Azureus. 
New parents, second batch.
Tads are a week out of eggs.
Sphagnum acts as a Ph moderator I was told.
I also have a few leuc tads in the same conditions, two days out of eggs doing fine.


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## RikRok (Nov 5, 2009)

A lot of people do it different ways. I really don't see anything wrong with your setup besides the water changes. I know a lot of people do water changes, but in my experience I have never done it, the most I do is top off whenever needed. I keep about 3/4 to an inch of water in a standard fruit fly size cup.

How soon do you drop the tads in the cups after setting them up?

I also use sphagnum, as well as almond leaf though. When I know there are tadpoles coming I set up the cups with water and the sphagnum/Almond leaf and let them sit for a few days before adding the tads, so I don't use the blackwater extract...If I were in your situation I would limit water changes, if anything just syphon the accumulation at the bottom of the cups whenever needed. Again, this is just what I do/would do. I'm not a professional breeder but I have raised quite a few tadpoles and have never lost one yet. *knock on wood*

I can't speculate on the white dots, maybe someone else will chime in on that. A picture would help though. Hope your other tads make it...

Also, do the parents get supplemented?


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## oldlady25715 (Nov 17, 2007)

White dots sound like the fish aquarium disease Ich. Not sure if tads can get.


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## a1pha (Nov 9, 2011)

70 percent water change could be stressful if the water temperatures are not identical

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## aspidites73 (Oct 2, 2012)

FlyingPollock said:


> Azureus.
> New parents, second batch.
> Tads are a week out of eggs.
> Sphagnum acts as a Ph moderator I was told.
> I also have a few leuc tads in the same conditions, two days out of eggs doing fine.


What happened to the first batch? I have seen it take a clutch or three before good tads are produced. Are they showing any signs of growth? In my experience the ones that don't make it are the ones that never start to grow. At 2 weeks you should notice a difference.


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## hypostatic (Apr 25, 2011)

post some pics. people usually notice something that might not be obvious at first


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## FroggyKnight (Mar 14, 2013)

My recommendation would be to use a larger tadpole cup and to preform smaller water changes a little farther apart. I've actually seen a person raise cobalts without changing the water a single time, although I would not feel comfortable trying it. Also, cutting back on feeding a little would help with water quality issues.

I know all this has been posted already, but I might as well reinforce the others thoughts

John


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

Ditto on the the water change. That could be a big shock if the temps don't match. shat type of tads are these? 

I thought sphagnum was very acidic. I've never used it for that purpose so I can't say but that raises a red flag for me as well. How big of a pinch are you using? Some strips of litmus paper could easily clear that issue, though.

Incidentally, I'm one of those guys that never makes water changes. I use 32oz food grade containers. I use Filtered water and every container gets a dried leaf (oak, live oak, magnolia, grape, almond...whatever I have). Temps are stable, but can be anywhere between 70-80 depending on the time of year. I feed once a week, Spectrum Thera +A mixed with frog bites. By the time the frog punch front legs out the water is pretty dirty. I've tried just about every method described on this forum and this works as well or better than anything for me. I used java moss for a number of years and it seems to keep the water clearer and the tads do graze on it, but It just didn't seem to make a difference in the development of the tad.

I don't breed nearly as much as I used to, but out of 100 or so frogs a year, I probably lose 2 or 3, usually to new parents.


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## FlyingPollock (Jan 30, 2012)

I've moved my tads to fruit fly culture cups and the amount of water seems to have stopped the death spiral.

There is a lot of light in my frog room and I'm beginning to think the water quality was being affected negatively by algae/bacteria growth in combination with over feeding; tadpole bites should have been cut in half.

Thanks guys for your help


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## Frog Town (Oct 8, 2013)

I also have a pair of D. Tinctorius azureus that are first time parents. They started laying two months ago and so far I have about thirty tadpoles. I have never encountered white spots on my tadpoles so I can't help you there...

As was mentioned before, people raise tadpoles differently. I make my own tadpole tea using live oak leaves. I take 2 gallons of Crystal Geyser spring water and throw in a handful of leaves and boil them for about twenty-five minutes. I then take that tea and extend it with more spring water. In the rearing containers I use Indian Almond leaves, Java Moss, and decayed Oak leaves that I've taken out of the vivarium and rinsed off. I only use OSI Spirulina flakes that I have sprinkled with Sera Micron Growth Food. I rarely lose a tadpole and when I do it's usually within a few days of breaking free of the egg.

I no longer use Tadpole bites because I've found them to be the culprit in souring the water. I actually change the water every couple days although there are quite a few breeders that never change the water. I just make sure the water is about the same temperature. 

I keep my tads in Dollar Store food containers until they get four legs and then I move them into larger Sterilite containers where I have sphagnum moss built up on one side for them to climb up on. They say to use food grade containers because of the manufacturer's requirements and that they are sterilized. 

It seems like you're doing things right except I wouldn't use the sphagnum moss while they grow out.

Good Luck.


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## John1451 (Jun 6, 2011)

I use all 32 oz cups. RO water and a 2x1" piece of Indian almond leaf. I feed hbh tad dusted in sera micron 6 pellets every Thursday. I never change the water at all and I lose 1 tad in 50. I may begin using java moss but never sphagnum. Someone told me it has acid properties once. I also keep tads in 40gal tote with egg crate bottom and 50watt submersible tank heater. Cups are submerged in water about halfway up the cup. Water is 78 degrees . Hope this helps. Keep at it. There are a bunch of great people on here that have helped me over the past few years. You're at the right spot to get your info


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## Robert.hallam (Oct 26, 2012)

I would stop doing water changes if i was you, from my experience tadpoles love the brownest nastiest water they can get, i use water straight out of my frog tanks for tadpole cups and top off every few days from evaporation and havent lost a tad yet


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Large volumes of water are great. If you can give each tad 12oz, do it. 

I do water changes every other week. 100% change.... I dump all the water out, but leave all the scum on the sides of the cup, and leave their leaf in the cup, then just add new RO/DI H2O. Obviously this water is at the same temp that the water in the tadpole cups was at


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