Tadpole Care Tips

  • Water temperature should be between 77-80F.
  • Water should be moderately hard. Avoid soft water such as distilled water unless you are remineralizing it.
  • Dechlorinator is essential if using tap water. Seachem Prime is a good one.
  • Water height should be around 5 inches for at least the first couple of weeks. They have to come up to the surface frequently to breathe, and in deep water this is tiring. The water level can be raised later but it is important to have lots of resting places the higher the water. This can be achieved by adding some plants near the surface, such as pothos or bushy plants like guppy grass.
  • Feed 1-2X per day as much as they can eat in 40 minutes at a time. Tadpoles are grazers and should eat primarily vegetable matter for most of their tadpole stage. Towards the end, their digestive tract remodels to be carnivorous. They can eat almost any fish food, but we use and recommend Repashy Gel Food, Soilent Green formula. The gel food allows for longer grazing. They will also enjoy lettuce leaves, cucumber pieces or small portions of steamed broccoli. It is good to rotate through some other greens along with the Repashy, because using Repashy exclusively can make the water have an odor.
  • Speaking of odors… tads can be a bit smelly! Running a carbon filter cartridge really helps with this. This filter is our preferred choice, because it can work with a low water level and can be sized according to your tank. The carbon really helps get rid of that fishy smell.
  • Performing a 25% water change every so often promotes growth and also helps prevent odors.

Morphing Tadpole Care Tips

  • In time, you will see back legs develop. The tadpoles are very close to morphing when their head develops a square shape. This is due to their arms growing under their skin by their cheeks. When the tadpoles have grown their front and back legs, they will be coming out of the water any time.
  • Ensure there is a place for them to crawl onto dry land. A flat piece of cork bark is perfect for this, because the cork bark floats.
  • Keep a screen on the aquarium so the morphing froglets do not hop away.
  • Check for new froglets every day. Remove the ones that have absorbed their tails. Froglets can fall into the water and drown if they are not removed soon after morphing.
  • They will not eat until their tails have been absorbed. Once that happens, they should be removed to a new grow out tank. The grow out tank needs a secure lid that increases humidity but allows air to pass through, and a moist substrate. You can use a damp paper towel for the bottom.
  • Feed the froglets small insects. You can use ¼” mealworms, ¼” crickets or ¼” dubia roaches as a good choice.
  • Make sure the froglets stay hydrated by misting them with water 2x per day and keep their paper towel/substrate moist. Baby frogs dry out very quickly!

Congratulations! At this point you have become a successful tadpole grower!

Now it’s time to learn about how to care for your juvenile or adult White’s tree frog. To do that, please see this guide.