Ira Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 If I had the supply I'd feed them every day, I've been rationing them though. But, if there are only a few fruitflies or none wandering around the tank, dump some more in. If there are a handful or more wandering around, don't put anymore in. That's one advantage of live food like that, it just wanders around until it gets eaten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 mm ok.. they have teeny little back legs coming through on most .. I think I might order the culture now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 The tadpoles can eat meat but trashy stuff such as hamburger meat can kill them. Scraps of good meat or bits of liver can be used, but using meat means that you need to clean it more often. I would suggest cleaning them every two days. My five whistling tree frog tadpoles managed to turn the water to slime if left three or more days without cleaning in their golfish bowl. Twenty to thirty may (depending on the volume of water) need daily cleaning to achieve a high survival rate. Where were these tadpoles found? Unless they came from Northland or the south island then they're probably golden bell frogs as these are the most common. If they came from Northland or te south island then they could be whistling tree frogs. You can tell which type they are from the colour of the thighs on the adult frogs. Golden bell frogs have a blue tinge to the thighs while whistling tree frogs have orange ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 2, 2004 Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 If the little back legs just emerged then you still have several weeks to get fly cultures established. The frogs will live for several days after emerging without eating anyway, absorbing their tails. They won't eat during this time as they seem to not develop hunting instincts until they're a few days old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 Ahh thanks Interfecus. They seem to be eating the tropical flake food when it sinks to the bottom. I might get some lettuce and boil that for them as well. At the moment none have died and they all look energetic. Another good thing is that they should all come out of the water at roughly the same time, as they all have tiny legs. I will do water changes every day. Just gotta be careful to look for the boatman! He came with the tadpoles LOL. I am going to put him in my outside barrel. I am digging a pond for the to-be-frogs now, and going to plant it all this weekend with moss etc. Are there any plants in which you don't recommend I put near the pond? I will keep the tadpoles in the tank, that way I can monitor if any are dead etc. In the pond, what will they eat though? Because I don't think flies etc will go around there? Maybe I should catch flies and put them in the pond thing... if I put flower's etc bee's might come and they can eat them as well I got these from Miranda (well near there) and I saw a froglett. VERY light/bright green. Not the brown ones that I have seen in your pictures. I will post some pictures anyhow when they come out. Thanks, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 2, 2004 Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 Hmmm, I suspect you'll have a hard time culturing enough fruit flies for 30 tadpoles. If you did want to keep lots of them then it would be possible by culturing the flies in 1.5L soft drink bottles. Keep the medium quite shallow though or it becomes impossible to get the flies out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 ok, I will culture them in soft drink bottles (I have heaps!). I wish I had frogs now though, there are so many houseflies out now that it isn't funny. Interfecus, is there any questions (on the 2nd page, last post) that you can answer? Thanks, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 Yay! Just finished the hole. Going out tomorrow to buy the plants etc. Going to buy moss, for ground cover. Chris- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 If you're making an outdoor pond then the frogs will pretty much feed themselves. You only really need to feed them if they're kept indoors. Outside most of the food would escape even if you did feed them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 For the plants, you should avoid anything that could be poisonous near the pond. Plants or trees that shed a lot of leaves shouldn't be near a pond or the water will become mucky very quickly. Another important thing to note with the pond is that no fertilisers may be used anywhere near it. Fertiliser is toxic to them and even if they survive then they would flee any contaminated pond. I once went to an organic vegetable grower's place and they used the frogs that lived in their greenhouse to tell whether fertilisers had contaminated anything. The frogs would leave every time a contaminant was introduced to the greenhouse, telling them that something was wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 Thanks mate!! You info is helping me out a lot ... but ... how do I keep the frogs in the pond :<? I don't really want them to hop away :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 It is possible to make them stay in the pond, but you'd need to put soft mesh netting around the entire pond, covering all sides and the top. This would look extremely bad in most gardens, and would cost quite a bit and take a lot of effort to put in. With mesh you would also restrict the number of insects reaching the pond so you'd need to feed the frogs. With a frog pond, you really have to dump them in and hope for the best. I don't know of any feasible way of forcing them to stay there. If the pond is well cared for and has plenty of plants growing in it then at least some of the frogs should remain there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 Ah damn ! I was thinking about the fence with shade cloth... and just dumping a container full of flies in (they can't escape tho). Maybe I will have to keep some inside as well :\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 What do you propose to do in a few months when winter comes. Can't keep them IN the pond then. They'll need somewhere satisfactory to hibernate. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 They hibernate in or near the pond and return the following spring. Frogs can also be captured and taken inside for the winter, but since you're building a pond for them I take it that wouldn't be an option. Many frogs actually bury themselves during hibernation so they may appear to have left, but should re-emerge later. You should probably do some research and make sure that if these frogs don't hibernate underwater there are places nearby in the garden where they can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 ok, instead of trying to lay the black material stuff, I have decided to buy a pre-made pond. I am going to turn it into more like an encloser for 10-15 frogs. Instead of using it as a pond, I will keep it above the ground (easy for transport etc) and put soil with a bit of water in it with little plants like moss etc as groundcover. I am going to put shadecloth over the top to keep them in, and I was considering about putting a lamp (maybe a heat lamp??) over the top so they don't hibernate. It's like keeping them in a tank, except bigger. The rest of the frogs I will take back to where I got them from. Chris- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 Yahoo ! Still haven't lost a single tadpole ! Going out today to buy moss/babytears and a big log which I hope to plant moss into. I am still unsure about plants... I was looking at something like a little fern etc.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 They will hibernate even with heat, their hibernation runs on an endogenous (built in) cycle, independent of environmental cues. This cycle can be entrained to, for example, a different time zone, but they will always require a hibernation period during the year. It'd be nice to know which type of frogs you have for sure. Since they're most likely to be golden bell frogs, they will probably need a period of hibernation. The whistling tree frog (one of my froglets is shown in my avatar), however, can breed all year round. The babies' tears should work well around your pond as is seems to be thriving in my new terrarium under very moist conditions. It does seem to require a lot of light though and is dying in the shaded parts of the terrarium. In the lighted plants it is rapidly expanding and should cover the ground very quickly. The native moss in my terrarium has died so some mosses may not be so suitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 If you get some punga logs then ferns can be planted on them by tying them to the bark until the roots grow in or by making a slit in the bark and putting the base of the fern in the slit. If the slit is cut lengthways on the log then string wrapped around the log on either side will hold the fern in. These would make a great edging to surrond the raised pond and can be bought in lengths of about 2.5m for around $10 if you find the right supplier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted January 3, 2004 Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 ugh, I hate punga logs. Nasty little disintegrating weed and spider magnets. But, I guess they'd be good for a frog pond. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 Sounds good! Didn't really go shopping today as such, but I did come back with babytears and a pretty big bromelaid. How do you recommend I go about the hibernating ... what do they need to be able to hibernate in? Do they go completely to sleep on the top of the soil, or will they bury themselves in the soil? Do they breed even if there isn't a big amount of water? I heard that they will lay there eggs in the Bromelaid plant at the top, where it keep the water but I don't think there would be enough room for taddies up there I guess I will see what they decide to do next spring Thanks for all the info, Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2004 ugh, I hate punga logs. Nasty little disintegrating weed and spider magnets. But, I guess they'd be good for a frog pond. mmm yeh, and they should be easy to grow moss/babytears on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 I found a piece of it in the garden. Cut a bit off and it leaks sap everywhere! Im flagging that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris.L Posted January 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 Now I'm really stuck. I should of though long and hard before I got the pond, but I don't think there's enough room in there to do what I want .. If I can't take it back, I will probably sell it to my parents and get a 4-5ft tank and make it like a rainforest with moss, water (and maybe a water fall) etc. I'll keep you all posted ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interfecus Posted January 5, 2004 Report Share Posted January 5, 2004 I don't know much about the hibernation of the frogs, but the frogs generally either bury themselves in the sediment at the bottom of the pond, hide among a thick cluster of plants in the pond, or bury themselves in the bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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