12 replies to this topic

[IdioticMouse26]

Here's the story: 

 

I found a clutch of eggs near my home on stream that was EXTREMELY polluted. I rushed to save the eggs and moved them to a container with clean water. I initially thought they were just frog tadpoles, but when they hatched the look different. I'm starting to think they are salamander nymphs, but when I searched up salamaders in South Korea, none of their eggs matched mine! 

The egg clutch was a big clump of eggs, not like the stringy ones I found online that Salamanders in Korea supposedly lay. 

Please help because while I am planning to release them to a clean stream, it's going to take me a bit and I would like to know what to feed them.

 

They've hatched about a day ago. 

Any tips on raising them would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

Images:

 

 

 

 

Thank you!!

[AntsGodzilla]

Here's the story: 

 

I found a clutch of eggs near my home on stream that was EXTREMELY polluted. I rushed to save the eggs and moved them to a container with clean water. I initially thought they were just frog tadpoles, but when they hatched the look different. I'm starting to think they are salamander nymphs, but when I searched up salamaders in South Korea, none of their eggs matched mine! 

The egg clutch was a big clump of eggs, not like the stringy ones I found online that Salamanders in Korea supposedly lay. 

Please help because while I am planning to release them to a clean stream, it's going to take me a bit and I would like to know what to feed them.

 

They've hatched about a day ago. 

Any tips on raising them would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

Images:

PXL_20250318_091413966.jpg

 

 

PXL_20250318_091441165.jpg

 

 

Thank you!!

I'm also pretty sure these are frog tadpoles. Give them natural light, but don't leave them in full sun. For their food, feed them organic fresh lettuce or baby spinach, but make sure to wash it first. And of course, you can feel free to feed them fish food. For their habitat, make sure the water is clean, and add a layer of aquarium substrate (small rocks, ect), and plants for them to hide in (java fern and java moss is usually cheep and easy). If you are planning to release them all at the same time, make sure to have a few large rocks that peek out of the water for land, as some will grow faster than others.

[AntsGodzilla]

Erm double post.

Edited by AntsGodzilla, March 18 2025 - 12:35 PM.

[IdioticMouse26]

They're frog tadpoles? It's great if they are, because they're much easier to keep because they aren't picky about what they eat. But I've never seen a frog tadpole with gills?

 

Still, thanks for the info!

[bmb1bee]

Have you considered the possibility that they might be newt larvae? Frog tadpoles don't seem to match and you mentioned salamanders don't either, so perhaps it's another kind of amphibian.

[IdioticMouse26]

Have you considered the possibility that they might be newt larvae? Frog tadpoles don't seem to match and you mentioned salamanders don't either, so perhaps it's another kind of amphibian.

Are newts and salamanders different? Also, I could be wrong, but I don't think there are any newts in South Korea.

[bmb1bee]

Are newts and salamanders different? Also, I could be wrong, but I don't think there are any newts in South Korea.

Yeah, they're pretty different. It's probably not the most reliable source, but a good start would be to check iNaturalist for the different amphibian species observed in your area.

[bmb1bee]

Also for feeding, you could try offering some bits of algae if there are any clean sources available. Giving them water fleas and other small invertebrates would be good too.

[jaysocal]

Young frog tadpoles have gills.

[IdioticMouse26]

I'm really confused on what to do. 

If they are frog tadpoles, i want to raise them a little longer because their food is easy to get. But if they are newt/salamander larvae, it means i need to feed them a carnivorous diet, which I can't provide.

There is another stream really close by that I could release them, but it's also pretty dirty. Not as dirty as the one i rescued them from, that stream had orange(!!) water. But the other stream, while its colour looks clean, has a lot of garbage in them.

 

Also, ontop of the food problem, some of the eggs didn't hatch and now they're rotting in the water! Plus, some weird polluted gunk came with the egg cluster because of the polluted water. I tried my best to remove the gunks and the dead eggs, but I'm too afraid to continue because it seems like the tadpoles are pretty stressed. Any idea on removing the dead eggs without much stress on the tadpoles?

 

What should I do?? Right now, I've given them some lettuce but I don't think they're showing much interest.

Edited by IdioticMouse26, March 18 2025 - 6:33 PM.

[bmb1bee]

You could pour the water into another container and try to keep the rotting stuff in the original container. As for food, you could try collecting water from the second stream to see if there's any visible microorganisms they could eat.

[IdioticMouse26]

You could pour the water into another container and try to keep the rotting stuff in the original container. As for food, you could try collecting water from the second stream to see if there's any visible microorganisms they could eat.

Good idea! I'll try that tomorrow(I would try it today but I think they are too stressed)

[IdioticMouse26]

Young frog tadpoles have gills.

Yup! Your right. Their gills disappeared.