FROG TANK 2026!!!
leapfrog to the latest postOnce again, horny and irresponsible amphibians have deposited their hapless offspring in my dechlorination tub, which means it's time for the third iteration of FROG TANK.
The tank is in a new location this time around, as it'd been sitting empty since I dumped it ahead of the highly unusual freeze we got earlier in the year. Instead of its usual spot beneath the shade canopy beside the pond, I've relocated it beneath a shady tree, far from foot traffic.
This year's challenges
You're not supposed to discuss what might be causing this shift in the yearly weather patterns here in the Free State of Florida™ but I'll say that this has been the driest "wet season" yet in my 14 years of living here. I'm already dumping about 40 gallons of water into the pond a day to keep the water level up for the rooted plants, so I'm going to have to protect the little guys from both heat and drying out. I'm gonna need more tubs.
Day 0: Friday, July 3, 2026
I found the eggs during my usual morning dechlorination tub dump. I set the tank up beneath the plumeria tree and added some fallen coconut tree fluff and half-dried papyrus stalks to the bottom to dampen the sound of the pebbles I added on top. A bit for visual interest, a bit for hiding spots, a bit for jumpstarting organic growth. The stalks ended up floating to the top which I guess I should have expected. I also added a couple gallons of pond water because I wasn't too sure the remaining chlorine level was safe for the container size (chlorine will kill frogs and many other aquatic animals!).
I added the eggs to the tank and then set up a barrier to block the intense afternoon sun (the yardwaste bin, for now).
By dusk the first tadpoles were already wiggling around.
Day 1: Saturday, July 4 2026
By morning all the eggs have hatched. The tadpoles are mostly congregated in groups near the surface of the water and not moving around much. Some are resting atop the free-floating papyrus stalks. They are tiny, bluish slate in color with branching external gills.
In the afternoon I noticed two tight clumps of tadpoles with lots of movement going on within. Guessing that they're feeling overcrowded, I added two more big globs of algae to provide food and cover and they seemed to like that.
By evening they are active and spread evenly throughout the tank. Good luck during the flash bang toxic smog holiday my friends.
Day 2: Sunday, July 5, 2026
Smoke hangs in the air from last night's pollution festivities. There are rafts of bubbles on the surface of the water that could be from any number of things. There are many tadpoles swimming into the the corners of the tank, so I tossed in the tops of two papyrus stalks to provide more resting areas and dumped in a few more gallons of pond water.
The tadpoles are much plumper than they were yesterday and the tails have filled out. The external gills have already been covered up, so I feel less like a knob for not noticing them in previous seasons.
Day 3: Monday, July 6, 2026 
Bit under the weather today so I didn't observe the tank much. However I did get there in time to see them devouring a little moth that had fallen in the water. At least it went quick!
Day 4: Tuesday, July 7, 2026
The tadpoles are quite hungry now. They'd eaten almost all the algae so I added two more big globs from the pond. I also fed them some leftover wet food, which usually goes to the pond fish after the cats have decided there's no more gravy to lick off of it. The tadpoles tore it apart and swam off with the little bits in their mouth.