# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Breeding, Eggs, Tadpoles, etc >  Habitat for tadpoles?

## Sidney08

We caught two tadpoles yesterday and they are in a tank with the water along with sticks and dirt where we got them from. Is this a good idea? It's free standing water so it's not downstream of anything. The dirt does not seem to be settling very much so we want to make sure they are in "good" water. Should we remove the dirt and put something else on the bottom, or leave it empty except for the above water section for when they are older?

Thanks!

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## beyond colour

For my tadpoles i raise them in seperate glass containers (1/2 quart mason jars), i put in a piece of java moss and a live water plant, and i use spring water. The java moss is will grow algae and the tadpole will feed on that in between his regular feeding, the live plant is used to help filter the water and provide an extra sense of security, The indian almond leaf (or an oak leaf can be used) Will leach tannic acid into the water that will act as a fungicide to help prevent mouth fungus.

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## Sidney08

Thank you for the response! It sounds like I need to get some real stuff  in their tank! Do you put anything on the bottom such as rocks, dirt,  etc?

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## Sidney08

More questions....

Why would you not use the water and sticks from the place we got them from? Could we be doing harm to them by doing this? Do you treat the spring water first? Also, is there a recommended live plant that is best for tadpoles?

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## Brian

A danger for using materials from the pond you found them in is that sticks, plants, etc, may be harboring predators or the eggs/young of predators. Make sure things are rinsed a few times and check frequently for any unwanted visitors.

We should also be clear on the kind of tadpoles you have. This section of the forum is actually a sub-forum for Dart-frogs and other wee exotic frogs. Advice for the care of dart tadpoles won't be quite the same as for our North American natives. Have you been able to identify your tadpoles?

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## beyond colour

> More questions....
> 
> Why would you not use the water and sticks from the place we got them from? Could we be doing harm to them by doing this? Do you treat the spring water first? Also, is there a recommended live plant that is best for tadpoles?


I do not treat the water first the spring water has no chlorine. Any water plant you use should not have been used with fish or other frogs. The ones you get at petco or petsmart will be fine as long as they are in the packages and not from the tanks. As far as using rocks or soil in the bottom of the glass, i do not use anything. It makes it easy to syphon the detritus and i dont know any benefit of using it other than decoration.

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