What do tadpoles eat ?

I have three green frogs in my little pond and a couple of weeks ago I noticed that there were little transparent like tadpoles. I also had tadpoles from toads earlier in the season and these were completely back.

It is the first year that the green frogs have made an offspring.
Some days ago I noticed that the amount of tadpoles were very much decreased.
Is it possible that my goldfish which are in the same pond have been eating them ?

Because I feared that this was the case I managed to find 3 more of the tadpoles and have put them in a big salad bowl, with some river pebbles and a few strings of water plants. But now I am somehow worried that they might starve in there.

Does anybody knows what tadpoles eat ?
Thanks a lot!

And this is its mama!

Tadpols eat algae, mosquito larve,some moss. gold fish flakes ground or broken up a little will do. They will eat a wide range of regular fish foods, as long as it is broken up enough that they can get it in their mouth. I have some in a ten gallon aquarium. There are some in the pond but my koi are between 16" and 30" so I'm keeping some inside, as it seems that otherwise I have only been able to find one or two to make it to maturity. We have one loan bull frog that don't seem to be the least bit afraid of us. Yesterday I was working on reconecting hoses on the UV filter. He just sit and watched me. as I would move my hands for a screwdriver, or the other hose. he would turn just enough to keep my hands in full view. It made me chuckle to myself, and be darned if I wasn't talking to him as well.
I think he has his favorite spot, and darned if he wants to move very far from it.

Randbponder,

Thank you very much for your professional advise!
It is just what I needed!

Is your bull frog not a danger for your other frogs and your koi's?
I've heard that he would eat anything which fits into his mouth;
fishes, little mammals, birds, snakes and even other frogs.

I used Tetra Floating sticks (available at Wal*Mart) to feed tree frogs in a large size plastic salad size bowl with some azolla floating on top. The bowl was in a protected area outside and in shade. I also changed out the water from time to time with water that had been sitting for a while to get ride of the chlorine. They did fine.

I have a friend who loves tree frogs so I gave her the maturing tadpoles. She put the tadpoles in her water garden container pots with a means to get out of the pot when they matured. Last I heard, she was finding them here and there in her yard.

Randbponder, that is a funny thing about your bullfrog. I have about 10 new ones in my pond they are just losing their tails, too big for the Koi & Goldfish to eat & the fish are too big for them to eat, maybe they'll establish a balance. I do have 100s of skeeter fish & they would probably eat those first. The last 2 years I had a large toad that actually used one of those silly ornamental toad houses. He was always there or across the lawn under a sage. I named him Ernie. He didn't seem very afraid of me. I often time scrached his head & he stood still for it, he seldom moved away from me. There are no other toads here, so I think heshe went in search of a mate. I have not seen Ernie this summer at all. I kinda miss him. Bj

Yes when he gets a little bigger He or she could be a threat to the smaller koi. On somebodys forum they included a picture of a full grown bull frog with a black bird in it's mouth, about half still sticking out. So I guess whatever tempts it it will probably try for.
I know I lose hundreds of littly fry to the koi themselves. so a few more to a frog or two. won't make that much difference. Of course some of the little ones, I'm looking at frequently are real prize winners. They have all the colors in the right places. Then I have a few that are all white. whith the small gray spot on their heads. just like they are suposed to I am trying to get some with the round red patch on the head.
I don't really have the ponds set up to increase the chances of that. YET. But I can dream, ha ha ha.

I only have 2 Koi & they are getting pretty big, the rest are gold fish & they are sizable too. They were the .10 feeder fish at Wallmart 3 years ago. I don't know how fast these B. frogs grow but those Koi are growing pretty fast. One we thought was a gold fish last summer has turned into a beautiful orange & black & is nearly a foot long. My neighbor has ponds & was fish-sitting my gold fish until I got my pond done, when we brought mine back + babies we thought they were all G. fish. Except one white & gold Koi. Which he didn't want. Turned out one of the babies was a Koi. They were all in his 2 ponds together, so who really knew what was what? His Koi are huge! & he has a lot of them 30 or so. I don't think I want that many Koi, I like the G. fish they are a little more expendable. His Koi spawn but he has Blue gills & Catfish that eat the babies so he usually doesn't have Koi babies.

BJS How big is your pond? We all like pics. heh heh heh. I will need to either get a long seine or drain the pond again to get all the little ones out again next spring. I have two ponds joined together by a very short bog and stream. The upper one is 10' x 12' 3 & 1/2' deep. The lower one is 15' x 30' and ranges frpm 2 & 1/2' down to 3 & 1/2' by the water-fall.
I have around 30 full time resident koi, and at least 2 or 3 times that many babys any where from 1/2" to 6". I usually find people who want some. I have sold some. However it is usually more fullfilling to give them to someone who will apriciate them.
I have three that are very close to 29" to 30" and the others are around 16" to 18"
That actually puts me a wee bit on the overload side. I make sure I have adaquit agitation to keep the oxygen level up.

Pretty, Mine is not that tidy, it's a mud bottom so things really grow in it. I'll have to get a couple of good shots when the sun is on it. I don't think I have any good pics of it. I found a pic of it. Check it out!







Just kidding that is our local lake! Gotcha! Following is a pic of my pond

We were on our way to the big lake one AM & the little lake had this weird fog laying on it. Here's a shot of my mud pond but not a very good pic. I'll also include next the stream pool & the koi pond as it stands right now. Bj

The mud pond is fed by 5 small springs, so far I have never had to add any water to it. The stream pool is just a hole I dug along a creek that goes through my yard. My dogs favorite place to drink & cool off, she's a Boxer that thinks shes a Labrador a Boxador, I guess! LOL!

You can see the mud pond just below the stream pool, that is near the lower boundry of our property. The Koi pond which will be lined & kept in check, although still with fresh running water from our stream, is up farther in the yard, this is what it looks like now. I do have the liner I just gotta get in there & get it in. Just too many things to do! Bj

Bjs the lake pic is really a nice pic. Think if I had a cabin there I'de call it "Close to heaven"
I think your pond will shape up soon. I've had ours in and in use for around 10 years and it still needs the liner covered around the edges. Then that waterfall came to be this spring. after part of the old one caved in when the pond was empty for cleaning.
I have to clean the upper one yet, but I've gotten a bit lazy this summer. The heat was getting to me.
Have a few other changes to make as well. I plan to put in a short stream bed. to help with the filtering and more room for bog plants. as far as the number of koi I know I have too many for the size pond. I really can't keep a good count. I have two that are around 26", probably10 that range from 14" to 18". Then I get lost from there. as I can see many that are around an inch up to 6". I will be able to thin them down next spring though. I will take a few to the IA RU.. I have some promised already. I will try pick out some of the best ones. then I have a neighbor that has some blue gill and that is where the bad colors go.
Those that are nearly black with the mixed up colors.

Nice pic of fish faces, I like the white one facing the camera! Ponds can be a lot of work can't they? Bj

Sometimes yeah. Then again you get to sit back and look at your work, relax and watch the birds take a drink in your big birdbath ((*-*)). Or in the morning sit out by the pond having breakfast. and throw the fish some cheereos. or something of the like. Watch them race one another to get the treat first. and just lean back an have another cup of coffee. Of course not thinking what it has cost to get it this far. yep play must pay. But we need to enjoy something or life could be a draggg.
Here is pic of the little croaker. that just sets and watches me

Are minnows baby fish? I have them in my pond and they only get so big then it's like they disappear. I was wondering if they just changed colors and was in my herd of fish. Does anybody know?
Jeri

Wow your Croaker is much greener than our frogs, ours are very dark almost balck, & mine are way to skiddish to get a pic of. I can find them after they leap & squeek if they stay on the top, but too many moves & they are gone under.

I don't think this one is very old yet. I think it will get a little darker . his actual size is about 3" not counting legs. Probably don't know he's a frog. and just one of the many koi. ha ha ha.
Had a lepard frog come join him. but don't think it stayed, as I only saw that one once.