# Tadpole mortality rates



## SpaceMan (Aug 25, 2013)

What mortality rate should I be expecting for ranitomeya tadpoles (post hatching)?

I've been very lucky with the 20 or so R. Uakarii tads I've got, up until recently. About a week and a half ago, I found a ~40 day tad dead, and then in the last 4 days that I've been away on vacation, I lost 2 more, a ~60 day tad, and ~5 day tad. *Another ~45 day old tad (with rear legs) looks to be on the way out *(he seems to be having trouble controlling his buoyancy).

Maybe this is normal, but I'll open myself up to a critique on my process (photos below).

Here's my process:
1. Tadpoles are generally pulled after deposited by parent, but I have been more recently collecting the eggs, and letting those develop in pitri dishes with mixed success.
2. I usually start them in 2oz salsa containers for a week before moving them to 8oz delicups. Lately I've just been putting them straight into the 8oz deli cups. 
3. All containers have a piece of boiled almond leaf, RO water, and a clump of java moss. 
4. I check every 3rd day, clean up any uneaten food and poop in the bottom of the containers with a plastic pipette
5. I feed 1-3 spirulina-dusted tadpole bites (depending on the size of the tadpole)
6. I top up RO water as needed (as I remove a small amount in the clean-up process), but I don't do 50/50 water changes. 

Other factors:
- The temperature over the last 4 days has varied between 66 and 76F. 

A few photos:

Doing the rounds:









How the tadpoles are stored (lids are loosely fit, not air tight):









And here's the tadpole and container of the oldest one that passed:


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

do not use lids. Open top containers only.


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## Chris S (Apr 12, 2016)

If I can make a suggestion:

You need to ventilate your lids, both for air and heat exchange.

You also are micromanaging them too much. I clean them out every 2 weeks if they are lucky. I never suck food out, unless I obviously overfeed. I feed every 2-3 days.

They are tough, and will even eat the almond leaves themselves if you feed too sparingly. I think 100% your mortality is due to lack of air exchange here.


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## Chris S (Apr 12, 2016)

SpaceMan said:


> What mortality rate should I be expecting for ranitomeya tadpoles (post hatching)?


To answer this, I would say you will see the occasional one not make it within the first couple of weeks, but once they start eating, and certainly once they pop their legs, they are tough as nails. I have never lost one past 3 weeks (albeit, the occasional froglet does not make it, or a malformed tadpole may be culled).

If I was to guess, 1 in every 20 Ranitomeya tadpoles I pull doesn't make it. I only pull my summersi these days though, everyone else raises their own.


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## SpaceMan (Aug 25, 2013)

Ok great, I'll remove the lids and figure out some accommodations that don't involve stacking.


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## Chris S (Apr 12, 2016)

SpaceMan said:


> Ok great, I'll remove the lids and figure out some accommodations that don't involve stacking.


I use lids, but I put holes in them (10-15 holes in each lid). It helps combat evaporation. I also do not stack them.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

The air exchange with open top is just heathier for the animals. MORE than makes up for the extra chore of spacing them out and topping off evap water. I HIGHLY recommend frequent @ 40% detritus and bottom water removal via turkey baster. You will lose a much higher % of tadpoles with poor water / ammonia / waste.


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## Kmc (Jul 26, 2019)

Stacking is not a husbandry method, only a storage one.

Have seen many ways that stacking detracts from environmental needs. Not just here, but in many types of caging strategy.

Not saying it cant be done, or that it isnt a spatial reality sometimes, only that attention is called for when stacking animal environs. It can create 'delivery' impacts.


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## SpaceMan (Aug 25, 2013)

I ended up removing the lids and distributing them into 2 plastic bins instead of 1. I have them stacked still, but in a way where they're staggered and air flow isn't being blocked -- I'll post a picture later.

I think I will probably add a small CPU fan to the plastic bin lids so that I have it closed to avoid contamination but maintain ventilation.


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## mayanjungledog (Jun 5, 2017)

You mention that you remove uneaten food every three days - if that’s happening often, you could be over feeding, which can foul the water pretty quickly.


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## eMCRay (Mar 24, 2020)

Agree with everything everyone else has said. The most common time / place to lose tads is right out of the egg / during the egg phase. Some eggs just didn't get fertilized, some eggs just mold over / die, etc. - but once hatched they should be a lot more robust, especially after the first week.

I did lose about half a clutch a few years ago with deli containers that smelled "plasticky", despite being food grade - so I switched to glass mason jars / petri dishes for all my stuff and have not lost a single tad since once it was out of the egg. Lids I put on about "half" / very loosely and they all have holes poked in them.

Another thing - you could add more java moss. Helps remove ammonia / nitrates (but would need more water volume).


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## Kmc (Jul 26, 2019)

On another note Spaceman the first photo looks like the coolest board game ever.


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