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What do tadpoles eat and can I help

NewBoy2NewBoy2 BristolPosts: 1,811
in Wildlife gardening
My small pond is full of wriggling tadders and I wondered if anyone feeds them or if it is necessary

Secondly for two days there has been a rotting smell and some gas bubbles coming from the pond

I have poked about but no large objects like dead rats

? Any suggestions friends

I am sure Nature will take its course

FOXES...Had a couple of Noisy Amorous Foxes in the back garden 3 nights ago at 3.45 am
Everyone is just trying to be Happy.....So lets help Them.
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  • Pete.8Pete.8 Billericay, EssexPosts: 9,869
    Don't know about the tads, but the bubbles are probably from stuff rotting on the bottom of your pond - not necessarily anything to worry about, but you could try one of the sludge-buster products (I use Blagdon in my w/l pond). Ideally net out dead plant material etc in late autumn.
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • DampGardenManDampGardenMan Posts: 1,054
    There was a bit of discussion on this here.

    My conclusion is that a BLT ticks most of the boxes :smile:
  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 21,143
    A BLT you put a sandwich in your pond😱😀
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • DampGardenManDampGardenMan Posts: 1,054
    OH has put the L part in, but they're ignoring it at the moment ...
  • floraliesfloralies Haute-Garonne SW FrancePosts: 2,171
    I read somewhere that they liked cooked lettuce leaves?!
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,293
    They eat vegetation for the first few days, algae, pond plants etc, but then turn carnivorous.
    When we kept some in a tank at school we would suspend tiny shreds of mince and watch them all feeding, but in an established pond they will find their own food.
    In a new pond they might struggle a little but the strongest ones will eat the smaller ones if necessary, so some will survive!
  • Anna33Anna33 West SussexPosts: 299
    When I had tadpoles in a previous garden, I fed them* with fish food (the flakes). They always finished them!

    (*I had a paint tray pond - completely by surprise the frogs used to lay spawn in a paint tray so I did my bit to keep the tadpoles alive)
  • Green MagpieGreen Magpie Posts: 806
    Yes, ask someone who has a fishpond to give you a handful of pond pellets or flakes, that will keep the tadpoles happy.
  • paul-15paul-15 Posts: 10
    i feed my pond which has minnows, tadpole, water snails and all other sorts of creepy crawlies every two day with fish flake and twice a month i feed the live or frozen blood worm and live  Daphnia this seems to keep everyone happy.
  • PosyPosy Isle of Wight.Posts: 3,601
    They do love fish food. I think raw meat in a pond would go smelly and foul.
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