Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The recent flooding rains resulted in lots of tadpoles! The ones I found were in flooded pastures that will be drying up soon. I just couldn't resist "rescuing" some of them. Some I put in our [non-working] outdoor fountain and some are in my son's aquarium [no fish] which is aereated. I read to use dechlorinated water, so have done that. Feeding them algae wafers.

We are having fun watching them! Didn't realize it could take them months to morph into frogs, though. Have no idea what kind of frogs they are - they could be mixed as I collected them from several sites. There are Southern Leopard Frogs in that area. Have a few questions:

1. Is there a recommended tank size-ratio for keeping tadpoles? I probably have WAY too many, but ...

2. Will their food requirements change and when? What do you all recommend feeding them?

3. As they grow, assuming I have more than one kind, when should I start to notice species-specific differences? Can they all be kept together?

I'm sure I'll have more questions later. My area of expertise [more or less] is box turtles, so amphibians are new territory for me!

First of all, taking them from the wild is not the best idea. It messes with the balance of food and prey. (illegal in many places as well)

Also mixing species is a bad idea, and can cause many problems including bacterias, fungi, cannibalism, etc.

Too many in a tank will cause health issues as well if not eventual death. Overcrowding is the main cause of loss in captive tads. Too many means the water quality will be lacking.

Feeding them could be a problem as well, because different tads feed on different things, and sometimes each other.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/BIGHYDRO

OK, so now that we've established that I'm irresponsible, I think any further comments along those lines constitute an "off-topic" rating!

Come on guys, the reality is, I still have these little baby frogs to care for and would very much like some advice on how to best care for them!!

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Well, I don't really care if you want an off topic rating what so ever. I did give you some very basics, like overcrowding, mixing, etc. If you don't want to take that advise, then so be it. Kinda hard to give much more advise seeing how different species have different requirements and we have nothing to go on. How about some pics, description,...something.

That's like me going onto a mechanics forum and saying "I have a truck that won't run...how do I fix it?"

Sorry you don't have a ton of replies, but this part of the forum is a very slow section.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/BIGHYDRO

Where did you find them anyhow? That might help to ID the species. Knowing the species will help with knowing how to care for them, and time frames on when they would morph.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/BIGHYDRO

Defy destiny, morph'em out! Nature is cruel and inefficient. Some species thin themselfs out with a hormone. You can look around for starved animals later to judge the damage you might have caused. I do this all the time with green trees to help make up for the ones lost to predation by the "Cuban" tree frogs that are here eating them up. Its good practice for learning how to morph frogs. The Nature knows best guy is right on care and overcrouding. His information on "frogs keeping" is allways good. If you want to get real caried away put one per dixie cup! Vic

After lots of observation, I'm almost certain the tadpoles are all the same kind, with some color and slight size variations. Did some research on "tadpole morphology," and they ARE looking like Southern Leopard Frogs. These are common in the area the tads came from.

Hope the pics are helpful. They are about 1" to 1 1/2" long. I estimate they are 3-4 weeks old and are devouring the algae & seaweed food I give them (but not each other). Maybe someone can help with a more positive ID?

Award winning pictures you have there! Good luck defying destiny. Vic

Very nice shots indeed. Leopard tads take around 3 months to morph out. I hope they do well for you, but also hope you will release many of them come early spring. Most leopard frogs in the wild last less than a year, and that's if the even make it through the morph before being preyed on.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/BIGHYDRO

Thanks! On average, how big will the tadpoles get and do they reach their full "frog" size before they morph? A few of these guys are as big as my thumb!

Just moved them to a larger tank with better filtration.

Plan to release them where I found them.

Hey, we're starting to get legs!