# tadpole setup



## wesly2007 (Jul 6, 2007)

so im curious to see your setups. im going to be aquiring some tads soon and I wanna see how your taking care of them. 

I cant access the search function from my phone and I dont have access to the internet at my house. my phone is the only way to access the internet.


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## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

Here is mine but a disclaimer I has no idea what I am doing when it comes to tadpoles these are my first ones from my frogs and do far they are doing ok in this slap together setup.


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## goatdude (Apr 24, 2009)

here is what your looking for

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/br...18641-show-me-your-heated-tadpole-setups.html

I basicly use 10 fish tank with glass lid. use egg crate to raise the cups above the water level. put a basic fishtank heater(walmart) on the botttom and fill with water. just enough to cover the fishtank heater. for the tadpoles. I used the same cups i'd use to make fuit flys but with a basic lid. then i'd poke 5 holes in the top. fill half way with spring water, add part of a leaf. feed as needed and when it poped both it front legs i'd move them to a walk out tank. 

the walk out tank is a basic shoe box sterilite container. half sphagnum moss half water. i also put a few small leafs in for cover. you will know when to pull them to there temp tank when they stay on the land part for 24 or so.


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## kgb (Aug 2, 2011)

^i wouldnt suggest that... ive lost tads that way... 

Best way is to have them in individual plastic containers at room temp. Possibly in a larger container if you wish. Keep it simple. Mine just sit on the ledge next to my vert tanks. Never lost a tad this way.


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## NickJR (Jul 28, 2011)

room temp and your tads will take forever. you need a heated tadpole setup in my opinion

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk


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## Jungleboy (Dec 24, 2011)

NickJR said:


> room temp and your tads will take forever. you need a heated tadpole setup in my opinion
> 
> Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk


If we keep our dart frogs eggs and tadpoles at a certain temp, won't we end up with a lot of the same sex. I keep mine at room temp and they morph out around 3 months. The key is water changes and proper diet in my opinion.


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## SMenigoz (Feb 17, 2004)

Jungleboy said:


> If we keep our dart frogs eggs and tadpoles at a certain temp, won't we end up with a lot of the same sex. I keep mine at room temp and they morph out around 3 months. The key is water changes and proper diet in my opinion.


Not so sure of this statement about sex/temperature relationship, and there are a number of froggers who do no water changes at all (I'm not one of 'em). I've not heard of temperature determining sex in the frog hobby as is the case in geckoes. I believe room temps with fluctuations is better than constant temps, but that's just my opinion.
Scott


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## eyeviper (May 23, 2006)

There is no evidence of sexual determination in amphibians through environmental temperatures. There is evidence of gene expression through environmental factors which is seen in many many organisms. heat may be one that can cause a sex characteristic to show due to changes in hormones and enzymes within the body. Just for knowledge sake check this out, it happens in humans (fetal response to environmental conditions passed via nutrition intake, hormones, enzymes, and the like during gestation)

Annie Murphy Paul: What we learn before we're born | Video on TED.com

now I am not comparing humans to frogs but as a whole we are made of very similar materials and in general body functions (cell metabolism, hormone, enzyme dispersal etc)

In the wild tads deposited in small pools, often far below the canopy. Average rainforest temps range from 72-80ish. humidity is high all the time. With canopy shading, deposit pools may get a little sun but most likely none. As we know, waters heat capacity makes it quite stable and would keep tad pools slightly lower than ambient temps and buffer against nightly swings (slightly for the pool size). A temp of around 73-75 unless in sunlight would make more sense to me and may be considerably lower from shading, evaporation, and conduction. I keep a heated tad set up but the temps are low, its more to protect against my cold house. air temp is at 73 ish. I think temps too high would result in artificial expression of a sex and could result in heavy one sex clutches. food for thought.


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## illinoisfrogs (Apr 16, 2010)

Jungleboy said:


> If we keep our dart frogs eggs and tadpoles at a certain temp, won't we end up with a lot of the same sex. I keep mine at room temp and they morph out around 3 months. The key is water changes and proper diet in my opinion.


proper diet, yes........water changes, no......


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## illinoisfrogs (Apr 16, 2010)

NickJR said:


> room temp and your tads will take forever. you need a heated tadpole setup in my opinion
> 
> Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk


I keep mine at room temp....in the summer months they morph at a little over 2 months.....in the winter it takes 4 months.......I don't notice any kind of difference in the froglets, however......

A heated tadpole setup is nice, but there's nothing wrong with room temperature....


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## wesly2007 (Jul 6, 2007)

I think im going to use a heated setup. having had several saltwater tanks I think I have everything to put a nice one together. I will be picking up 5 vittatus tads and 3 leuc tads. im super excited. I have been reading alot of posts on raising 

so last april I bought 3 azureus juvies 1.2 and three days ago I got a clutch of about 10 eggs. im thinking this is a large clutch for the first time but it didnt look like any of them were good.


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## illinoisfrogs (Apr 16, 2010)

You're going to need a big setup for those azureus tads! They usually breed like rabbits once they start!


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## kgb (Aug 2, 2011)

Obviously there are many 'right' ways of raising tads. It does make sense to me that growth may be a bit longer at room temp versus 75-76. My first tad setup was with the tad containers suspended on egg crate in water with an aquarium heater heating the water at a constant 75. I lost two tads that way so i took some advice and just left them at room temp without incident. Water changes is up in the air... i leave my containers open so escapee fruit flies fall in a become food for the tads, after evaporation, i end up adding a bit over water every week or so. But i dont change the water completely. Im not opposed to an incubator style tad storage device with a night drop thermometer and such. Sounds like the best way to keep temps close to natural. Just my 2 cents


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## wesly2007 (Jul 6, 2007)

illinoisfrogs said:


> You're going to need a big setup for those azureus tads! They usually breed like rabbits once they start!


I have a 40 breeder I will use for this. im thinking I will have to seperate the pair after a month or 2 to fatten up the male because he is small to begin with. this should give the tads enought time to morph and free up some space.


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## C172Flyer (Nov 3, 2011)

I keep mine in individual cups at room temperature. Ive been feeding them twice a week and no water changes, so far Ive lost one tad out of 30. Yes those azureus will lay like crazy once they get going. I usually get anywhere from 8-14 eggs every 10 days, when they are laying.


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## WeeNe858 (Sep 13, 2010)

So people have been running into more hicups with heated systems? Bummer.. Looks like I need to tinker with my set up..


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## wesly2007 (Jul 6, 2007)

I went and got some 9oz clear solo cups im hoping will work as tadpole cups. what do you think will they work?


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## wesly2007 (Jul 6, 2007)

will they work?


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

WeeNe858 said:


> So people have been running into more hicups with heated systems? Bummer.. Looks like I need to tinker with my set up..


I think one of the biggest issues is probably sticking thermostats leading to overheating. You could drastically cut that risk by using a Ranco Electronic Temp Controller. ETC Supply



wesly2007 said:


> I went and got some 9oz clear solo cups im hoping will work as tadpole cups. what do you think will they work?


They'll work, but I prefer to go bigger so I don't have as many issues with water quality. The smaller the body of water, the easier it is too foul it out with a pinch too much food. I like to use at least a 16 oz cup.


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## mydumname (Dec 24, 2004)

To add to dougs post....you could also backup your thermostat with another thermostat. Check out reptile basics for info on this.


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## wesly2007 (Jul 6, 2007)

Thanks for the input guys. I will defonately change to bigger cups. I will also get onw of those units you suggested pumilio. unfortunately I cant afford one right now but will eventually get one.

thanks


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

wesly2007 said:


> Thanks for the input guys. I will defonately change to bigger cups. I will also get onw of those units you suggested pumilio. unfortunately I cant afford one right now but will eventually get one.
> 
> thanks


Personally I raise mine at frogroom temperature. I use my Ranco to control the temp of the frog room itself and the tads are simply on a shelf at ambient temperature.


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