Reptile & Amphibian Forums

As you all know, my clawed frogs have bred this past week. The tadpoles are forming rapidly, and are now uncurled and look like a bunch of tiny white leeches sticking to the sides of the aquarium. I would say that there are about 200 of them in my 20-g long tank.
I've read so much conflicting info on the net; change the water only 25% at a time, every other week, or on another site, change all the water daily! Yikes. Has anyone ever raised these, and what methods worked for you?
Also, how about feeding? I read that you can grind fish flakes into tiny pieces and they can eat that, but not to overfeed or the water will be too polluted and they then cannot breathe properly. they are filter feeder tadpoles, that is kinda strange. I have not fed yet cuz they are still using their egg yolks. This breeding was a surprise, but I know a few reputable pet shops around me that will gladly take some of these guys off my hands, and I plan on keeping a dozen or so, so I want them all to live.
Help!
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*~Ginevive~*

No, but I have also read some articles, because I have a pair of redeyes, and greentree frogs.

I believe keeping the water clean ( I would do it everytime it's needed it, I know with redeyes, a friend of mine cleaned his container every other day ! And most importantly, aeration, is a big factor!

As far as eating, you read alot of different things about boiled spinach and such but also, This is good info below

*** Top and semi-bottom feeding tadpoles should be offered a variety of floating flake fish food along with some small amounts of sinking foods. Bottom feeding tadpoles should only be offered food that sinks to the bottom. Examples of bottom feeding foods are algae wafers and shrimp pellets.

I sure hope they all make it, take care,

Eve

Hi I got this off VIN (the Veterinary Information Network) It was posted by Becky Lundgren, but I am not sure if she wrote it or not. It looks like a care sheet for African Clawed Frogs from the VIN library. Anyway here it goes: (I just cut and pasted the section on tadpoles and mating, I figured you know all the other stuff)

Tadpoles
The broad, shallow aquatic expanses which are home to the Xenopus assure minimal contact between healthy frog larvae and adults. But in captive situations the two must be kept completely separate; even freshly metamorphosed Xenopi will quickly make a meal of sibling tads if given the chance. Clawed frog tadpoles have catfish-like barbels and swim in a head-down position. They have somewhat different requirements than their metamorphosed conspecifics. In particular, they are exclusively filter-feeders with no rasping mouthparts. Thus, unless food circulates freely in their water as micron-sized particles it cannot be utilized. To assure the proper degree of fluid circulation around each tad, their tails vibrate continuously in a manner reminiscent of a gray flame burning beneath the water. No matter how large or small the tank there should be no less than 1 pint of water per tadpole. Powdered egg is an ideal food, but goldfish flakes ground extremely fine with mortar and pestle may be used as an alternative. Each tad should receive only enough powder per day to lightly cover a 14-point capital letter O. Overfeeding tads poses a real danger to the animals, as their gills cannot process needed oxygen when the water is clogged with particulate food. 98 % of tadpole water must be changed once a day, even if it appears to be perfectly clear. Clawed Frog tads are extremely delicate and should not be touched or netted. Their beating hearts and coiled silvery intestines are clearly visible through transparent skin. Xenopi often produce a high percentage of genetically defective offspring.

Mating
Xenopi are sexually mature at 10 months to 1 year. At that time sexing is easy. Males vocalize frequently during evening hours, have a smooth rump, are 1/2 the size of females, relatively skinny, and develop dark mating pads on the undersides of their hands and forearms. Females are chubby, almost entirely silent, and possess a cloacal extension; they range between 3 and 6 inches snout-to-vent.Mating via inguinal amplexus can take place at any time but is more common during the spring; up to four matings per year have been reported for compatible couples. Many interesting and provocative techniques have been attempted to encourage mating, but the results remain controversial. One factor is clear, however: the frogs must be given substantially more room than usual. For 2 males and 2 females, 5 to 50 gallons of water at a depth of 8 to 9 inches is adequate. Water should be kept as clean as possible, and its temperature should be around 70 degrees F. Mating often takes place late at night when the frogs detect no other activity, so it is challenging to observe. Sticky eggs are cast loose singly, with hundreds extruded during a 3 to 4 hour period. Within obviously narrow limits, the speed of metamorphosis is directly proportional to the water temperature. The average interval from egg to froglet is about 6 to 8 weeks.Metamorphosis is a critical event, since the entire circulatory, digestive, and nervous systems are reorganized in a short space of time. The keeper must be particularly concerned about the radical change in eating habits: while Clawed Frog tadpoles must filter-feed, the short gut of newly transformed juveniles (and subsequent adults) can only accommodate visible solid food. To insure only appropriate fare is offered, the following should be carefully observed. Massive morphological changes will be noted soon after the front limbs appear, and the tail's energetic vibrations will slow and finally stop. During this period, feeding with powdered food should continue as usual. However, when the tail clearly begins to degenerate the frog is deriving nourishment from it alone, and feeding is not necessary. In this very brief interim, lasting on the average of 4-5 days, when the animal is balanced on a developmental edge between tadpole and frog, no external nourishment can be absorbed. Soon, the tail shrinks to nothing but a small stump. At this point adult food should be offered. The newly metamorphosed frog's first regular meal should be particularly appetizing: a few small slivers of lean, raw beef are good. The period between formation of the front legs and first acceptance of solid food is around 10 days.Xenopus froglets are fragile creatures small enough to fit on an average-sized postage stamp; tads are considerably longer. Their rear legs are so transparent the femurs can be seen clearly. Over the next few months the frog's natural coloration will appear, and their legs will become opaque. Simple vocalizations from males may be heard as soon asmonths after metamorphosis.
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Stacey