# Waterlandtub As Heated Tadpole Station



## lacerta (Aug 27, 2004)

We had our first frost the other night here in Georgia. My frogroom is in a newly constructed building and has a high-tech mini-split heating/cooling system that has yet to be tested in such extreme weather.
At 08:30 I checked the room and it was a cool 68F. But with the sun streaming into the two south facing windows the temp quickly recovered up to a balmy 75F by 10:30 a.m. I was a bit relieved to know that the system could hold its own when the mercury dipped to 32F outside. Before departing the frog room at 11:00 a.m. I dipped a temp probe into a tad container and YIKES!, tad temps were still holding at 68F :shock: . I just assumed that the brief dip in room temp would not really affect the water temp in the tad containers. The small volume of water was not as stable as I thought. So I looked up some past threads on heated systems and devised one of my own. I had a Waterlandtub that I picked up at Daytona back in August. Was planning to plumb it for later use as the base for a rain chamber. Instead, it is now my new Heated Tadpole Station. Here is how I set it up. Any suggestions for improvement ?

I filled the "land" side of the tub with 7 gallons of water, placed a 100 watt heater (rated for 20 gallons) and a small pump (Rio50).









Then I placed an eggcrate panel over the water supported by 4 inch lengths of PVC. A cutout above the heater gives me access to the heater thermostat. The water level is 3/8 - 1/2 inch above eggcrate. Just deep enough to burp the bottoms of the tad cups.









Beneath the tub is a petcock for draining into a bucket.









With just one side set up it was still not enough room to accommodate my growing number of tadpoles. It was a simple matter to set up the other side. The clear tube on left is a siphon bridge and the black tube on right connects to the small pumb.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

very nice setup!! have you tried housing tads together in a heater fish tank??


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## Baltimore Bryan (Sep 6, 2006)

Looks good. I have a similar setup, but mine is only a 5 gallon tank and has a glass top instead of a heat lamp. Your setup looks good, your tads should thrive. I have raised 8 tads with my setup ( because I just can't seem to get my frogs breeding :roll: ), and all morphed out perfect with no SLS or anything, and all morphed big and within 2 1/2 months. Let us know how it works for your tads. Good luck


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

You may want to try a simple rubbermaid container as with a closed top it would be a more efficient. I run 2-4 of these depending on how many tads I have going with good luck. Simple 50w aquarium heaters heat about 3-4 inches of water.


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## lacerta (Aug 27, 2004)

I thought of using rubbermaids. In fact, I bought two large ones just for that purpose and may set them up later if the egglaying continues at its present pace. The Waterlandtub is made of much heavier material and I believe provides better insulation. I doubled up two panels of rigid foam (R10) for a lid to be used at night. Eighteen gallons of water provides a lot of thermal stability and maintains the tads at a toasty 74.7F around the clock. It has only been a couple days now but I do notice that the tads are much more active with an increased appetite. Can't prove it but I think it has to do with the increased temps. Also I noticed for the first time today that my oldest tads are getting hind legs. I am excited. Raising tadpoles sure adds a whole new dimension to keeping frogs, not to mention a whole lot more work, and more space. Everyday brings new revelations and more surprises. 



> have you tried housing tads together in a heater fish tank??


These are both galacs and tincs. I know some people have great success in raising them communally, but because these are first-time breeders I want to keep them individually so I can track growth, health, and mortality rate. I am taking lots of notes, and experimenting with different techniques to see what works best for me. 

George


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## DF20 (Jul 7, 2007)

where do you buy that egg crate panel ?


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## kyle1745 (Feb 15, 2004)

Home Depot or Lowes, it is fluorescent light diffuser.


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