tadpole

Hi Cade,

Common Frog Tadpoles

Start by feeding on the leftovers of the spawn they hatch from.

They then move onto green filamentous algae often found growing on aquatic plants.

After a week or so they become omnivorous, eating algae and meat in the form of dead invertebrates such as worms and insects.

Common Toad Tadpoles,

Start the same, but mostly only eat algae until they metamorphose

Hi Hunty,

I've seen common toad tadpoles in trouble in garden ponds a few times in the last year or so. I think they suffer from competition from frog tadpoles in garden ponds, appearing very stunted late in the summer. (or maybe the common frogs are inhibiting the growth in other ways??) The best toad ponds I know are relatively large with fish that prey on frog tadpoles but find the toad tadpoles distasteful, giving an advantage to them. Increasing the amount of cover in the garden may benefit adult toads that will use gardens during their terrestrial life.

Dave Bird suggested that frog tadpoles do better if fed a vegetarian diet in another thread, until the back legs develop, I found this gives larger froglets at metamorphosis and would therefore add spinach to the pond until the tadpoles are well developed. Some might suggest that it's better not to feed the tadpoles at all and let the population find its natural peek, though in my opinion, increasing the capacity of a small pond in this way in an urban area is a valid conservation step, your increasing adult population seems to prove this.

Newt tadpoles will only feed on live food such as daphnia and tubifex, ponds with muddy bottoms usually have the highest density, it may be worth trying to introduce live daphnia and tubifex to the pond, these are available for a few pence a bag from aquarium suppliers.

Hi,

I am new to this forum. I am so excited! I have only had a pond in my garden a little under a year and it isnt a very big one. I just always wanted one, particulalry hoping to be able to watch the activity of frogs (always fascinated).

Anyway, as it got so very cold, and the pond froze over, my son and I took out some of the frog spawn I was chuffed to see, and placed them, in a small tank indoors. We of course followed all recommendations and have every intention of aclimatising them, and reintroducing them back to the pond soon (currently they have pond water, topped up / changed frequently, some weed etc and just introduced them to a bag of Daphnia! However, I am just curious, if I put these matured ones, back into the pond, now or when they are more developed, will they eat the remaining spawn / baby tads?