Ok.. I have a 40 gallon water tank outside for my horses. A frog I guess laid eggs in it and now I have probably 40 tadpoles in the tank. I had more but I guess most of them died. I covered the tank and have put a little fish food in it. I don't know what to do because in two days it is going to be 20 degrees outside and the water ALWAYS freezes every year. Do I move them inside the house in a small aquarium? Do I move them into the cold shop and put a little heater in the tank? Or do I just put them all in my big pond and hope they don't get eaten by the fish/turtles?

What would you suggest? Please help soon so I can save them!

Also, how long will it take them to become frogs? Please help...

Hi cwoods,

I do not know the answer to your question.

People usually come on the site later in the day. Perhaps they can answer you.

Have you checked out Robyn's information pages?

Cwoods, I don't know anything about frogs but here is a link for some pages about them on Robyn's website:
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/frog.htm

Maybe you can read through those and find an answer while you are waiting for the right person to post an answer.

Good luck!

If the trough will freeze solid even with a de-icer or aerator, then you have three basic options. The first is to find another pond for them where they can safely overwinter. You say you have another pond. How big is it? Do the fish and turtles safely overwinter in it? How big are the tadpoles? The fish and turtles will eat the tadpoles if they're small but only once it's warm enough. They won't eat when it's cold. The second option is to overwinter the tadpoles inside at room temperature and feed them all winter. The third option is to find a place (garage, basement) where the temperature is above freezing but below 50-55 degrees F so they can hibernate safely. That option requires less work then keeping them active.

See http://www.fishpondinfo.com/frog3.htm for more details about overwintering frogs and tadpoles indoors. They basically get the same treatment except you don't have to worry about tadpoles hoping out!

Some species of frogs turn into tadpoles in just a few months like tree frogs so you probably don't have those. Green frogs, pickerel frogs, and leopard frogs take a full year to turn into adults. Bullfrogs take two years.

I hope that helps a little!

Thanks for your help! Yesterday I took all my little tadpoles out of the water trough and moved them into a 10 gallon glass aquarium that I put in my shop. It gets REALLY cold in the shop and the water is still likely to freeze some. However, I have a temperature thing in the water so I can minitor and I have a small heat lamp that I can put on top of the lid if I need to. I also put a little airstone in there plugged into a small pump. I took some pond water, leaves, algae, floating bark.. put it all in there and they seem to be happy. The temp says 60 degrees. After Wednesday it is supposed to get down to 23 at night time.. so should I turn on the little heater? What water temperature is too cold for tadpoles?

Also, do I feed them anything? I put the algae in there and a pinch of goldfish food. Maybe I should just leave them alone now unless I think the water is freezing.? Does that sound right? I wonder when they will become frogs? I read somewhere 8 to 12 weeks when the weather is warm. Then I hear it might take a year!? Wow! Maybe this summer I will put them in my pond. I have almost an acre pond with tons of fish/turtles. They all seem to make it, even though my pond usually ices all the way over at least once a winter.

My little tadpoles have grown a bit, they have a long tail, no legs.. still kinda see thru..

What are your thoughts?

All this tadpole talk has given me the giggles! I honestly haven't had much to do with them since I was a kid. I used to catch them and keep them until they turned into little froggies. I guess the biggest concern would be that they can get out of the water once they start to turn as I had a few of my first ones drown, so make sure you have something stable sticking out of the water for them?? I would think they would be better off in your pond but on the other hand I would do the same thing you did, lol, forsure! Not sure it is best for the little guys though?? I enjoy the heroics you are going through to save these little guys, you have a very kind heart.......welcome aboard and keep us posted! Elaine

If you want the tadpoles to be active and eating, put in a heater and keep it 65 degrees F or higher. If you want them to go dormant (not eating so don't feed them), the water should be below 50-55 degrees F. As long as they don't actually freeze, they should be okay so keep the water above 34 degrees F. At 60 degrees F, they may nibble a little here and there but won't eat a lot. A pinch of goldfish flake food once or twice a week should be enough since they also have some algae. Once it's below 55 degrees F, don't add any food.

If you had the kind of tadpoles that turn into adults in a short time, they would have done that by now. So, you probably have tadpoles of one of the larger species of frogs that I mentioned (or whatever big frogs are native to your area).

As KK says, you may need to put land areas into the tank if they turn into frogs. As long as the water temperature is below 60 degrees F, it's highly unlikely that they will change into adults. Just in case, you can buy a small "turtle dock" and float that in the tank.

When the tadpoles were in the water trough where did the horses get water?

I know the answer to that. The water trouph! he-he....

ha! Well, once I noticed the little tadpoles I sectioned that area off so the horses couldn't get to it.. then I put another water trough out there for them. I just went out and checked on my little tadpoles. The water temp says 45 degrees. Right now it is 35 outside. It is supposed to get down to 27 tonight. I hope they don't freeze! I do have a little heater that might do the trick if it gets too cold. Hopefully it wills stay 10 degrees warmer in there little tank... I guess I will find out in the morning! Or if I am just really worried, maybe I will go EARLY in the morning and make sure they are ok. Thanks for all the help!

Horses wouldn't bother the tadpoles. They may accidently get one sucked up in their mouth while drinking but would spit (drop) it back out once discovered! It is amazing to watch a horse graze and see the tiny debris that they able sift out and spit back out while not missing one single blade of grass. People will put goldfish in the water troughs (I never did) to help keep them clean and don't seem to "lose" any.
I know this thread wasn't about horses so sorry didn't mean to hijack this thread. :)

How would goldfish keep it clean? I would think if anything, they would do the oppisite.

That would depend on how many fish were put in. You woud still need to clean it just not as often. The idea is that they would eat the algae and they do. Other things would also get dropped in like small pieces of grain, grass, hay and insects that the fish might nibble on. I would find earth type worms in mine.

I too have known folks who added gold fish to their watering troughs. And for sure eatable debris does fall off the mouths of those drinking.

Maybe I misunderstood, but I understood fish were added as a tool to measure the quality of the water. In other words, as long as the fish were fine, the water was fine for the animals to drink.

JB, that is news to me but it would make sense that if the fish were alive that water would be safe.

In my old circle the line of thought was for the fish to clean the tank of trough. But just like anything else, if you ask around you will always come up with a different reason. Seemed to me that was very true with horse ppl. You ask 10 different ppl and get 10 different answers! :lol:

A buddy of mine ran a water filteration plant. He always had a fish tank with live fish (not gold fish I don't think) in the lab. Constantly being recycled with the treated water. He told me that's one way how they knew the water was good. If the water got contaminated, chances are they would know it by the fish behavoir before anything else.

Yet another answer perhaps.

I always thought when fish were added to an animal watering trough, it was to eat any insect larvae like mosquitoes that happened to be in there as well as eat up any algae growing.

Goldfish will produce waste and certainly make a watering trough dirtier in that sense but, since they clean up any small animals and plants that decide to grow in there, it's worth it?

The goldfish, of course, would prefer a pond with live plants, cover, etc. and not just a plain pond of water with horse (or cow or whatever) saliva added on occasion.

And some probably do it just because the other farmer/ranchers do it. :P

JB, how true that is! Around here one guy plants a field of Austrian Pines and the next thing you know EVERYBODY has them!!
Monkey see monkey do for sure. ;)