# Frogs & Toads > Dart Frogs (Dendrobatidae) > Breeding, Eggs, Tadpoles, etc >  I got Tads!!

## Michael

I just observed two tadpoles on my _Dendrobates Ventrimaculatus_ 'Understory Line'.  The male was carrying them around.  Okay experts what are my next moves.  I have 5 tubs of springtails ready for a food source.  Should I leave them in with the parents for now or try and remove them.

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## bshmerlie

Do you have any film canisters with water in the tank?  Those work ....if you don't have any give him a small cup of water to place them in.  Or he'll use the broms if there's water in them.  He just needs some place to deposit the tads. If you're nervous about caring for them you could leave them with the parents.  But they will be hard to catch when it comes time to remove tiny froglets from the parent's tank.  For that reason alone I'd say pull them.  They will lay more eggs if you continue to pull them.   :Smile: 

Congrats Dad!

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## Michael

I have some broms sitting around here.  Also film cans and petri dishes.  What water should I use.  I have a RO/DI system so can supply either just RO water or the full RO/DI stuff.

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## bshmerlie

I'd say distilled water. As far as I understand it...in nature the water in the rainforest landing in the broms is clean and pure.  So those frogs that would deposit their tads at higher levels like that you would use the purest water you can get.  Those frogs that would normally deposit their tads in small pools on the forest floor then you would use an almond tea or black water extract. So we are basically trying to raise them in a similar manner like they would be in nature.  And yes I know that there are no film canisters in nature but anything that will give them that small cup feel. Let us know how it goes.

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## Don

Congrats Mike.

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## John Clare

Congratulations Mike!

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## Heather

Wonderful!

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## Grrrit

congrats man! thats awesome. i think i have o. pumilio "cristobal" tads hidden in a brom. i havent seen them or havent seen any being transfered, but the male stands guard during feedings and mistings. if i get close he seems to try to lead me away? 0.o

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## Michael

Do you have one of those little mirrors that extends out on a pole.  Maybe you can use that to try and see into the leaves.

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## Leefrogs

nice mike. 
Congratulations on new babies!!!

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## Michael

I ordered some stuff from Josh for tadpoles so just waiting for it to arrive.  I'll need to setup a rearing area for them as I won't dare leave them in cups on a shelf.  The cat loves to climb and I'm afraid she will knock the cups over.

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## bshmerlie

Aren't tadpoles fun?  So Mike, Are we going to meet up when I come out to Chicago in October?

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## Michael

> Aren't tadpoles fun?  So Mike, Are we going to meet up when I come out to Chicago in October?


Yes they are fun!  

I would love too!  I just need to know what days your coming so I can make arraignment for days off if needed!

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## Grrrit

> Do you have one of those little mirrors that extends out on a pole.  Maybe you can use that to try and see into the leaves.


Haha that's halariously a great idea! I think I have one in a junk tool box I left at my moms when I moved out. Or I can try and talk my dentist out of one next week  :Stick Out Tongue:  he's pretty cool. Just might. Thanks though, I never would have thunk it.

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## Michael

Another question for tad care.  I removed a film container from my tank that had fallen from the glass.   There were three tads still in the protective jelly inside the container.  I want to remove them from the container and either place them in a petri dish or individual tadpole containers.  How much water should be in the containers? 

Here is a image of the tads.

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## John Clare

For _Ranitomeya_ I generally use the either 2 oz or 4 oz deli cups filled most of the way.  Obviously 1 tadpole each.

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## Michael

I would really like to have good news about rearing the tadpoles but I have lost three maturing tads.  I really am at a loss to explain what is happening.  One day they seem fine and the next day they are found dead floating in the containers.  I just found my third one DOA.  I'll try and describe each tad death so somebody maybe able to tell me whats going on. 

I have been raising all my tadpoles in deli cups with RO/DI Water.  At first they were being feed HBH Frog &Tadpole Bites.  The one thing I did not like about this food was after a day the remaining or uneaten portion would develop a white fuzzy coating.  So I switched to Ocean Nutrition Formula One Marine Pellets that did not do this after being in the water.

The first  and oldest tadpole was found floating DOA in the container which I had been feeding the Tadpole Bites.  There did not appear to be anything visible wrong with the tad.  The tad had developed a full set of rear legs and the front ones appeared well developed.  The tail still had not been absorbed very much.

At this point I switched to the second food for all the tadpoles.  No more fuzzy food in the containers.  

The second tadpole was to my inexperienced eye fully developed with excellent coloring and with just the tail remaining and was extremely active.  I setup a new 5 gallon tank that was first filled with coco fiber and then covered with a high quality sphagnum moss.  Everything was very damp and I added some spring tails to the tank for a first food.  I placed the tadpole into a film container and set it at a 45 degree angle so the tad could climb out easily when it was time.   The frog was in this setup for about a week.  I added some more water to the film container to replace any that was lost.  I still feed the tad some of the formula one.  Then one day the frog was found dead in the container.  The water was clear but I did notice about 5 large spring tails in the container water.  Could this have stressed the tad to death?

The last tad was found DOA in the deli cup just a few minutes ago.  I had been watching the development of all the older tads carefully looking for the right time to place them into the film containers and into the 5 gallon rearing tank.  The tail did not look like it was starting to be absorbed.  

I'm just really frustrated as to what is going on.  Is it improper care on my part or is this normal for the first round of tadpoles from a young breeding pair?

Comments are very welcome.

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## Michael

I  have my first Dendrobates Ventrimaculatus 'Understory Line' sucessfully out of the water.  It happen either last night or early this morning.

Here is a image of the little one.

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## KingCam

> I  have my first Dendrobates Ventrimaculatus 'Understory Line' sucessfully out of the water.  It happen either last night or early this morning.
> 
> Here is a image of the little one.


Congrats, it's gorgeous.  I wish I could offer some advice on the death of the others, but I have no experience with this sort of thing.

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## Michael

I figure they actually drowned since they could not climb out of the water.  I was under the impression that the tail needed to be absorbed before they morphed out of the water.  As you can see this one still has the tail.

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## asid61

Could water contamination have killed them? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate buildup?

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## Michael

No I change water on a regular basis.  They needed a place to climb out of the water at this stage.

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## berksmike

Thats a shame - have had similar problems in the past. Its amazing how much tail can be intact when the tads leave the water.
I use small pieces of cork but have also found the plant salvinia auriculata very useful too (especially when raising individual tads in plastic cups)

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## Michael

> Thats a shame - have had similar problems in the past. Its amazing how much tail can be intact when the tads leave the water.
> I use small pieces of cork but have also found the plant salvinia auriculata very useful too (especially when raising individual tads in plastic cups)


Right now I moving them to a larger container that has sphagnum moss at one end.  They climb right out on that.  Just before I figure they will crawl out I seed the tank with springtails.  Man do they multiply fast in that stuff.  Shame I did not figure this out sooner.  I lost some really nice looking ones.  The salvinia auriculata is a nice idea.  I'm using some some standard aquarium plant now who's name escapes me.

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