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LA Pic
Frog tadpoles are greenish brown.  Toad tadpoles are black and morph very rapidly.

LA
Toad tadpoles are quite small and quite black. 

LA
Frog tadpoles are dark brown.  They blend into the mud very well.

Appeal.  Ain’t he cute?  And he wouldn’t hurt a fly.  He can’t.  He lives under water.  But when he matures, he’ll eat any bug that moves.  As a tadpole tho, he is totally harmless in your aquarium.  By the way, the term “tadpole” means “toad head.”

LA Pic
Tadpoles adapt to nearly any environment.  They make good scavengers.

Cost.  Never expensive.  Most goldfish farms want to get rid of these potential fish eaters, so they ship them out at a low price.  The bullfrog tadpoles cost a bit more, but tadpoles cost less than 90% of the fishes on the market.  When these tadpoles grow into bullfrogs, they eat fish – lots of fish.

LA Pic
Some tadpoles learn to turn over and eat flake food off the surface.

LA Pic
Tadpoles also like blanched summer squash.

Food.  In the wild, these guys eat algae, plant leaves, and anything else they find on the bottom.  In captivity, tadpoles eat the same thing (if they have to) but prefer fish food – a much more nutritious menu.  Oddly enough, they do best in planted aquaria.  They enjoy chewing on plant leaves a little bit but much prefer fish food.  Tadpoles grow much faster in captivity than in the wild.

LA Pic
Tadpoles becoming frogs soon.  Guy on left nearly ready to get out of the water.

Good Competers.  Tadpoles can smell food in the water.  They quickly learn to swim to the top and skim food off the surface.  They turn over and swim belly-up to reach the floating flakes.

LA Pic
Couldn't hurt a fly at this stage.  Later, he'll love to eat them.

Good Mixers.  Tadpoles get along with anything except predatory fishes, such as oscars.  Nippy fish can torture them but most dislike their taste.  They try them once and spit them right back out.  The tadpole does not always survive this taste test.

Toad Tadpoles: You find these little black tadpoles -- Toad Tadpoles -- most often in shallow, temporary pools – even a tire track in a dirt road.  Full-grown toad tadpoles max out at about one inch.  Since they stay tadpoles only six weeks, you will never see them for sale.  Female toads in captivity will spew out thousands of eggs.

LA Pic
Bullfrog tadpoles grow to twice the size of leopard tadpoles.

Bullfrog Tadpoles.  Bullfrog tadpoles grow twice the size of regular frog tadpoles and take at least two years to change into frogs.  They morph quicker in your tank than in the wild.  You feed them better and keep them warm all winter.

LA Pic
Don't crowd your tadpoles like this.

Water.  Aged tap water works fine.  Add NovAqua to remove the chlorine and any heavy metals.  Dropping them straight into your aquarium with your fish works fine.  Tadpoles grow best when uncrowded.

LA Pic
Some critter nipped the end of this guy's tail off.  It seems healed just fine.

Tadpole Killers.  Few fish will eat tadpoles.  The biggest threats to these guys are turtles, crayfish, and waterdogs.

Breeding.  Most North American anurans (toads and frogs) hibernate during the winter.  They breed in communal ponds shortly after the spring thaw.  Males attract females by singing the Budweiser song.  Females lay their eggs in a protective jelly-like mass.

LA Pic
The metamorphosis begins.  This tadpole will change to a land critter soon.

LA Pic
No front legs yet.  Still a leopard frog tadpole.

LA Pic
Looking more froggy.

LA Pic
Just a tad bit of tail left.

Metamorphosis.  Everyone enjoys watching tadpoles develop their legs, absorb their tails, grow great big eyes (and great big mouths) and turn into frogs.  How long does this take?  They’re on their own schedule.  You cannot watch the process too often.  Unfortunately, frogs are harder to keep than tadpoles.  They eat only live prey (and most will eat your fishes).  Most frogs kept in regular aquaria sooner or later tire of swimming and drown.  They need something to crawl out on -- anything.

LA Pic
Once your tadpole morphs into a frog, he can and will eat fish as well as insects.

LA
Not sure he really wants to make the change.

LA Pic
Tail nearly gone.  He's 95% frog today.  He needs to find land soon.

Other Comments.  On the average, frog tadpoles make an interesting addition to most aquaria and terraria.  They will not harm other creatures and add variety to any community tank.  LA.

© 1997, © 2003, © 2004, © 2005, © 2006, © 2008  LA Productions.

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