# Tadpoles



## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

We had loads of frog and toad spawn in out pond in February / March.









And they have now turned into hundreds of these....they seem to be doing really well.


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## Russ (Feb 7, 2006)

Nice to see. We have no pond but often see many very small frogs in June. Funny how we never see the huge ones that you would like to mop up the slugs. Do you have large frogs that hang around to do you a favour?


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

We have gold fish and orf, they make light work of the taddies!


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

pg tips said:


> We have gold fish and orf, they make light work of the taddies!


Is that right PG?

There are also 5 gold fish in our pond; will they eat the tadpoles? I don't want that to happen, so how can I prevent that? I value the tadpoles more than the gold fish....

One of the gold fish looks a bit bloated and has gone a bit slow (you can grab him with your hand!). Is that because he's eaten too many tadpoles?

Paul


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

They will absolutly eat the taddys Paul.....

Mac will kill me for this but when I was at school there was a big fish tank with goldfish in the science lab, there was also a tank with lots of tadpoles









We used to bet on how long a tadpole would last in the 'shark pool' it wasnt very long


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

If you want grown up frogs you'll have to remove the fish........ and quickly, all my tadpoles got eaten a week ago.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Time for an update on my tadpoles









I have protected and nurtured my tadpoles better than my own children







Any goldfish that got near them was immediately scared away 

Two months later, I have a healthy population of little frogs...those taddies really loved the fish food I was hurrling into the pond everyday. These few taddies and little frogs were the result of just one sieving...there must be hundreds in the whole pond
















Cheers

Paul


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

My tadpoles are doing even better this year than last....those adult frogs were very busy back in February









Tadpoles 2007....I think we're going to be seriously overrun with little frogs this year....I think I'm looking after them too well.







We reckon we have about 2000 - 5000 in the pond; they are everywhere; and the gold fish don't seem to know what to do.


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## murph (Aug 14, 2006)

It looks like frogs legs might be on the menu this year.


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## Alas (Jun 18, 2006)

Hate to put a dampener on this but we have some pretty thick frogs who every year spawn in the large puddles on the forestry road where I take the dog. This year due to the dry weather it's down to one puddle left and if it doesn't rain by Sunday -









Still that may stop the thick gene frogs.


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

That's a hell of a lot of frogs


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

Silver Hawk said:


>


Aha....the infamous French frog viz iz legz....and the little green beret!


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

I've been on this Forum too long...started this topic in 2006, so here is my fourth year of posting tadpoles etc.....2009's crop so far:

Glad to say, doing really well! This year, I'm leaving the pump & filter off until the taddies have all grown up...I managed to kill them all last year by having the pump suck them up and deposit them in the filter...it was not a pleasant job cleaning out the filter later in the year. 

And great to see toads mating and leaving their trails of toad spawn.


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)




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## spankone (Sep 17, 2008)

can i see a full shot of the pond I love this sort of thing. i've always been told if they can breed in there then your ding some thing right. my gold fish got it on in my first tank years ago. but 4 years on since then i've had nothing


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## Russ (Feb 7, 2006)

Nice to see. Have I said that before?.... :lol:


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

spankone said:


> can i see a full shot of the pond I love this sort of thing.


There is one further up this page. 



Russ said:


> Nice to see. Have I said that before?.... :lol:


Yes. :lol: ... See you in 2010.


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## thunderbolt (May 19, 2007)

Stunning photos Paul.


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## mjolnir (Jan 3, 2006)

That's a lot of tadpoles. Must be great to see them all doing so well.

Shame about last years crop 

Do the majority get picked off by bigger things than them or do you have a point when your overrun with frogs?


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## minkle (Mar 17, 2008)

Nice frogs Paul, had a pond back home, there was a shallow bit for frogs, etc so the fish could not get to them. Our fish were not too bothered anyway really. Eventually we had to fill the pond in, far, far too many frogs and spawn after about seven years, we took five bucket loads to a local reserve and dumped them one year 

Got a pond down here now with newts and some fish, no frogs yet.. :sweatdrop:


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## squareleg (Mar 6, 2008)

Great thread, Paul - and well done you for nurturing the little blighters. I'm always amazed by gardeners who have a pond and who complain about slugs... but still insist on keeping fish - my Mum included. I've told her old her dozens of times: get rid of the fish (light batter, salt and vinegar) look after your tadpoles and job done - no more slugs!

Please keep us updated.


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

mjolnir said:


> That's a lot of tadpoles. Must be great to see them all doing so well.
> 
> Shame about last years crop
> 
> Do the majority get picked off by bigger things than them or do you have a point when your overrun with frogs?


Hi Rob, yes, it is great to see them...I get a lot of enjoyment from following their progress each year. The fish eat a lot of them taz...and they seem to prefer the taste of taddies over their food  , but lots of places for the taddies to hide. So yes, we do have a lot of frog and toads in our neighbourhood...two squashed toads on the road the other night :sadwalk:



minkle said:


> Got a pond down here now with newts and some fish, no frogs yet.. :sweatdrop:


Not this year then Mike...ours usually turn up at the end of February.



squareleg said:


> Please keep us updated.


Will do Nick!


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Ours was full of frog spawn last month, no toads. Checked at the weekend and it's all gone and the taddies are no where neare as developed as yours (probably too cold up here in the Arctic!). We have very hungry fish so there won't be many froglets!


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

I'm prepared to accept that this may lead to trouble next year...or even later this year. 

It seems I have been supremely successful in raising my tadpoles this year...the gold fish haven't stood a chance....they are completely mesmerized by the shear numbers of taddies --- they cannot focus on one to eat it. In fact, I am a little concerned for the fish, since this plague of taddies doesn't give the fish any chance to eat the food  .

What is most amazing to me is how the taddies respond to the food. In the morning, there are a few taddies swimming around on the surface, but within 3 minutes of adding the food, they all surface and all hell breaks loose and the fish dive for cover.

In fact, they don't seem to want to grow legs...maybe the realize its a cushy number being a tadpole in my pond. :lol: Another update when I have mini frogs.


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

Bleeding hell Paul  don't suppose you've ever thought about turning your hands to frog farming


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

PhilM said:


> Bleeding hell Paul  don't suppose you've ever thought about turning your hands to frog farming


From 1934:

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/01/03/...d-frog-raising/

 :lol:


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## PhilM (Nov 5, 2004)

You're sitting on a goldmine with all those and just think in this new trendy world we live in you could even market them as "Organic" :lol:


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## Russ (Feb 7, 2006)

Nobody for miles around you must have a garden pond. :lol: Time to extend I think!


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Ours have all gone, fish ate the lot of them!


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

pg tips said:


> Ours have all gone, fish ate the lot of them!


No matter Paul....once you deck over your pond (







), the frogs would have been trapped anyway. :lol:


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

:lol: Frogs seem to cope with change, they seem to like living under my shed!


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Silver Hawk said:


>


Isn't that the Timex Dynabeat Frog Paul? Battery goes in the pop off cover at the top there :grin:


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## mjolnir (Jan 3, 2006)

Silver Hawk said:


>


That is a lot of tadpoles.

I think Phil's right. Your onto a winner.

I had these in a restaurant a while ago. I was a little apprehensive when ordering them but they tasted great :yes:










They do need to grow legs first though


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