What happens to tadpoles over winter?

[WilsonKKW]

What happens to tadpoles over winter?
Kathy

[Benign Vanilla]

"WilsonKKW" > wrote in message
...
> What happens to tadpoles over winter?

Tadpol-Icles?

BV.

[Ka30P]

Bullfrog tadpoles and some greenfrog tadpoles winter over in the pond, just
like fish. They need a hole open in the ice.


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[Ed J]

I don't think they need any hole in the ice. I have hundreds of bullfrog
tadpoles in my farm pond. It gets frozen over solid for months in the
winter. The tadpoles do quite well and change to bullfrogs during
their second year.

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"Ka30P" > wrote in message
...
>
> Bullfrog tadpoles and some greenfrog tadpoles winter over in the pond,
just
> like fish. They need a hole open in the ice.
>
>
> kathy :-)
> algae primer
> http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[Ka30P]

EdJ wrote << I don't think they need any hole in the ice. I have hundreds of
bullfrog
tadpoles in my farm pond. >>

'Farm pond' being the operative words here.
Most ornamental ponds are under 1,000 gallons.


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[Ed J]

True, but it does not make any difference to the tadpole.
The smaller ornamental ponds do not freeze solid either. The
tadpoles go dormant or hibernate or something. They do
not need open water to breathe.

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Ed J edj22 at attglobal dot net
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"Ka30P" > wrote in message
...
> EdJ wrote << I don't think they need any hole in the ice. I have hundreds
of
> bullfrog
> tadpoles in my farm pond. >>
>
> 'Farm pond' being the operative words here.
> Most ornamental ponds are under 1,000 gallons.
>
>
> kathy :-)
> algae primer
> http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[Ka30P]

EdJ wrote >>True, but it does not make any difference to the tadpole.
The smaller ornamental ponds do not freeze solid either. The
tadpoles go dormant or hibernate or something. They do
not need open water to breathe.<<

I have to respectfully disagree. It is a smart precaution to have a space of
open water in the winter. For a couple reasons. Garden ponds have a lot of
organic matter to the amount of water they hold - consisting of critter waste
and plant debris. This mix of stuff decomposes over the winter and gives off
gases which can be toxic to the pond's inhabitants. Garden ponds usually have a
much higher animal to water proportion so while a large pond can deal with the
waste and debris and freeze over, a garden pond becomes toxic. Also natural
ponds have an influx of water from other sources during the winter and lined
garden ponds are closed systems. Without a hole open in the ice the pond
inhabitants can die as the gas cannot dissipate. Often times a new pond can get
'away' the first winter without this precaution but the subsequent winters will
catch up with it.
Tadpoles, like frogs, are ectotherms, or what we used to call cold-blooded.
They slow down in the winter, go dormant, hang out, lay around. They do take in
oxygen, but very little. They need the warmer temperatures to get their engines
going. Their skins are relatively porous and they will absorb whatever toxins
are laying around.
There are a few frogs who produce a glucose in their bodies that allow them to
'freeze' solid but these are frogs that hibernate on land under the ground.


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

[Ed J]

When you are right, you are right.........

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Ed J edj22 at attglobal dot net
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"Ka30P" > wrote in message
...
> EdJ wrote >>True, but it does not make any difference to the tadpole.
> The smaller ornamental ponds do not freeze solid either. The
> tadpoles go dormant or hibernate or something. They do
> not need open water to breathe.<<
>
> I have to respectfully disagree. It is a smart precaution to have a space
of
> open water in the winter. For a couple reasons. Garden ponds have a lot of
> organic matter to the amount of water they hold - consisting of critter
waste
> and plant debris. This mix of stuff decomposes over the winter and gives
off
> gases which can be toxic to the pond's inhabitants. Garden ponds usually
have a
> much higher animal to water proportion so while a large pond can deal with
the
> waste and debris and freeze over, a garden pond becomes toxic. Also
natural
> ponds have an influx of water from other sources during the winter and
lined
> garden ponds are closed systems. Without a hole open in the ice the pond
> inhabitants can die as the gas cannot dissipate. Often times a new pond
can get
> 'away' the first winter without this precaution but the subsequent winters
will
> catch up with it.
> Tadpoles, like frogs, are ectotherms, or what we used to call
cold-blooded.
> They slow down in the winter, go dormant, hang out, lay around. They do
take in
> oxygen, but very little. They need the warmer temperatures to get their
engines
> going. Their skins are relatively porous and they will absorb whatever
toxins
> are laying around.
> There are a few frogs who produce a glucose in their bodies that allow
them to
> 'freeze' solid but these are frogs that hibernate on land under the
ground.
>
>
> kathy :-)
> algae primer
> http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html