African Dwarf frog eggs.

[Anonymity82]

Okay, I've seen them mating and laying eggs for the past few months since I got them. They were in a smaller, barer tank and the eggs were eaten with a day. Now they're in a bigger tank and many of the eggs have actually turned into little embryo tadpoles and one of them even hatched!

I have no idea how to care for them and the internet isn't giving me much either so I was just hoping that maybe someone on this wonderful forum could enlighten me or share experiences.

Knowing that I can't take care of 50 babies I pretty much only collected a dozen or so eggs that looked very developed and put them in a betta cup. What now?!

 

[Travis K]

http://aquaticfrogs.tripod.com/id4.html

Not the same species but iirc developmentally they are basically the same.

 

[Anonymity82]

Thanks. Not sure what I'm going to do. I don't have the room to raise them but I don't want to kill them wastefully either. I wish I had something to feed them too.

They're really neat looking. These tiny little wiggly critters with no apparent face.

 

[VickyChaiTea]

Breeding African dwarf frogs is actually really uncommon, and keeping the tadpoles into adulthood is rare. They're very delicate and hard to keep alive. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[Anonymity82]

Breeding African dwarf frogs is actually really uncommon, and keeping the tadpoles into adulthood is rare. They're very delicate and hard to keep alive. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

Hehe, well I decide to let the ghost shrimp have at them. I've read a lot about them and the odds were against me. They do make nice little snacks for the shrimp. Shrimp eat blood worms so I don't see why they wouldn't eat them too. I felt bad at first BUT how can I feel bad about tadpoles and not crickets? Lol. Thanks though.

 

[Anonymity82]

Apparently the frogs don't know when to quit because there are more tadpoles and eggs and developing fetuses! Not to mention that at least one of the released infant tadpoles has made it to the next step and has grown eyes, turned darker and is about twice the length it was. I would take him out and put him in a betta cup if I had something to feed him. I've read they'll only eat baby brine shrimp at this stage which I don't have nor do I know how to get. I'm broke as a joke too so I'm not buying anything. Pretty cool to know that they can just grow in a tank. My tank is small and has 3 frogs a 6 shrimp in it but it also has a bunch of fake grass plants and I'm going to get it something else today too.

 

[Louise E. Rothstein]

You might try finely powdered Reptomin sticks-these tadpoles may turn out to be specialized filter feeders that need food powder(s) in water...
although you said that money is tight you might consider substituting a possible food surce for whatever "something else today" you were going to buy.

 

[dtknow]

Above is all incorrect. African dwarf frog tadpoles are highly specialized visual predators.

http://debanlab.org/hymenochirus/

The best way to rear these is to start hatching brine shrimp nauplii. Better yet for the first stages newly hatched daphnia. IME large planted tanks with warm shallow water to concentrate the food work best. The best thing to do is simply start with a mature tank that hopefully has lots of small critters for them to feed on. Don't expect them to feed on the nauplii for a while.

They are not easy to rear-tadpoles are tiny and quite delicate. But it can be done and is being done commercially. Besides, as you are quickly finding out, once you get some that will lay eggs for you you will have lots of opportunities for success or failure!

The best guide to rearing these online that I've seen comes from an admittantly cutesy sounding website-but the information is pretty spot on.
http://www.flippersandfins.net/adfbreedingarticle.htm#tadpoles

 

[bugmankeith]

What about frozen brine shrimp and daphnia? I think it would be cool if you raised the tadpoles to frogs I'm sure people here would adopt them from you.

 

[Anonymity82]

What about frozen brine shrimp and daphnia? I think it would be cool if you raised the tadpoles to frogs I'm sure people here would adopt them from you.

For some reasons the babies need live food. I actually have like 4 more in there. They're getting through that first stage but there's nothing for them to eat in the second.

They just keep doing it! I hear him singing! All the time. It's cute but since I got the tank with a ton of hiding spots these eggs have been developing.

---------- Post added 11-21-2012 at 12:12 AM ----------

Above is all incorrect. African dwarf frog tadpoles are highly specialized visual predators.

http://debanlab.org/hymenochirus/

The best way to rear these is to start hatching brine shrimp nauplii. Better yet for the first stages newly hatched daphnia. IME large planted tanks with warm shallow water to concentrate the food work best. The best thing to do is simply start with a mature tank that hopefully has lots of small critters for them to feed on. Don't expect them to feed on the nauplii for a while.

They are not easy to rear-tadpoles are tiny and quite delicate. But it can be done and is being done commercially. Besides, as you are quickly finding out, once you get some that will lay eggs for you you will have lots of opportunities for success or failure!

The best guide to rearing these online that I've seen comes from an admittantly cutesy sounding website-but the information is pretty spot on.
http://www.flippersandfins.net/adfbreedingarticle.htm#tadpoles

Yeah, I don't think I'm ready to do all that. This little tank I bought has been hell. I should have never changed the tank they were in! It looks nice but it's just been one thing after another.

 

[Anonymity82]

I do feel terrible for these tadpoles. They're swimming around but they're obviously getting hungry. I wish I could feed them. I would add a couple of ghost shrimp if I didn't have a few cherry shrimp in the tank. I'm pretty sure the ghost shrimp would find them.

How do I euthanize them? Should I just let them starve? I'm kind of hoping they'll find food and maybe move on to the next level but I'm 99% sure they wont. I'm still surprised they're alive though. I can't believe how far they made it.