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Advise regarding frogspawn

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Davee19891 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 29 Mar 2015 at 9:55pm
Hi, woke up yesterday to discover 1 small clump of frogspawn and another larger clump with it. Having fish in my pond I decided to put the spawn in an old fish tank full of pond water and leave it next to the pond so that the tadpoles can metamorphosise without being eaten by my fish. Was this a good idea? And is the tank big enough for the spawn? I have attachés a photo the spawn is on the left. (I have left the smaller clump in the pond as I was worried that the tank was too small for it all,May buy a net to try and seperate them from fish?)
Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, Dave :)
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will View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote will Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2015 at 9:10am
Hi - well done for rescuing the spawn.  My recipe for rearing taddies is as follows:

buy a large (1m by 1m ideally), plastic container with a shallow depth (around 20cm max) and as large a surface area as possible to allow gas exchange - otherwise your tadpoles will all die. 

Add tap water but allow this to stand for 24hrs before adding spawn so chlorine etc dissipates. 

Add layer of pond sludge to bottom of plastic trough/container, to introduce microflora which the tadpoles feed on.  Also add filamentous algae that harbour additional microflora that taddies eat. 

Introduce the spawn and place in a sunny position with chickenwire over to prevent blackbirds and cats eating the tadpoles.  You will need to thin the tadpoles out as they grow - especially when they reach c20mm and become very active swimmers.  Release some of these (maybe they will be able to survive in your fish pond depending on a)fish species b)density of fish c) amount of cover for them) so you have c1 or 2 hundred only in the tank - any more and they will be overcrowded and a)will not grow properly and b) will easily die from lack of oxygen or accumulation of wastes.

Watch them like  a hawk and clean out tank every week or two.  As they start to get hind limb buds add TINY amounts of flaked fish food for extra protein.  Move them to shallow water with damp 'land' - moss, soil etc as soon as the front limbs burst through or they will drown.  Finally release them onto land in long damp grass ideally at sunset and make sure the grass doesn't get mown the next day!  Two years later and your first squadron of males will turn up to breed, most females take one more year.  Good luck.  PS - can you dig another pond which is fish free?
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GemmaJF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2015 at 11:02am
Excellent summary Will. I use rain water instead of the tap water as I have it available. But otherwise, that's the way I do it. Wink I've got lots of large free swimmers in the pond now, safe from the marauding newts.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GemmaJF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2015 at 7:29pm
Collected a second batch today from a second donor pond, approximately 200 yards from the first pond. Amazed to find the spawn had barely hatched. Been monitoring this population for over 20 years and never seen it so late to get going. So I now have huge free swimmers in the pond and a bunch of barely hatched newbies to bring on in trays. Confused
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote will Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Mar 2015 at 7:41pm
'Excellent summary Will' - thanks Gemma.  The spawn in my pond has barely started to make the change from full-stop to comma - 2 fresh clumps laid today as well..  We really need a little warmth!
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Davee19891 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davee19891 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 31 Mar 2015 at 11:04am
Thanks will. That frogspawn has been in the small (599x400cm) tank for about 3 days now, will it have died? Or do I still have time to move it to a bigger tank? Thanks
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