tadpoles

[BrokenBiker]

i have had a quench bucket in the garden for about 2 months now...its full of grinding dust that has rusted, bits of scrap that have fallen i etc...the water is relatively clear but still, the sides of the bucket are coated with rusty particles, as is the bottom...

whilst out there today my 3 year old came out to see what i was doing and threw a plastic ball in, as i pulled it back out i noticed things moving in the water. there are hundreds of them and to me they look like tadpoles, tiny little things, about 5mm long, a dot on one end...

question is, will they be ok in the rusty water? if not, how can i move them to cleaner water? ive not got a problem with them being there, i will just fill a new bucket up to quench in if i need it, but as they are there i may as well give them every chance

 

[123hotchef]

They won't be iron deficient that's for sure might become super toad

 

[the snooper]

They are probably mosquito larval Google a picture to compare

 

[xmetal]

They are probably mosquito larval Google a picture to compare

I agree.

 

[the snooper]

And once you've confirmed they are, destroy them you don't want your nipper getting bitten by one when it matures

 

[BrokenBiker]

have just googled it...they dont look like mossie larva...they are all black and look like slightly bigger versios of these

 

[the snooper]

 

[BrokenBiker]

yeah that looks more like them...i shall leave it a few more days and check again see if they have changed

 

[the snooper]

Could a frog have got into the bucket and back out again ?

 

[BrokenBiker]

Could a frog have got into the bucket and back out again ?

very possibly...there is pletny around for it to have gotten onto and then into the bucket, and the water level was only about an inch from the top when it was originally filled...we have had tadpoles in the garden before, i had an old inflatable pool that was dumped at the bottom of the garden and all the creses filled with water and ended up with tadpoles in, but they were much further along when we noticed them

 

[Wendelspanswick]

It's late in the year for taddies, the ones round us are losing their tails and forming limbs, about the size of a 5 pence piece.
Although someone pointed out to me that taddies can remain as taddies for a couple of years till the conditions are right for them to metamorphosize (spelling).

 

[pedrobedro]

Mosquito (gnat) larva most likely. Watch them swim and they go end over end we used to call them whirligigs when we were kids. They come up to the top to breathe then twirl off back down again. Tadpoles wiggle side to side.

 

[the snooper]

It's late in the year for taddies, the ones round us are losing their tails and forming limbs, about the size of a 5 pence piece.
Although someone pointed out to me that taddies can remain as taddies for a couple of years till the conditions are right for them to metamorphosize (spelling).

Never heard of remaining any longer then 13 or 14 weeks

 

[bigegg]

How high up are you bb?
Frogs spawn into late june in upland/northern areas, but tend to spawn late mar/ early april around here.
Most likely to be fly larvae as above - frogs usually return to their birth pond to breed. Its VERY unlikely a pair of frogs would breed in a bucket - they spawn as they breed, not lay fertilized eggs.
Its possible that someone has put some spawn in the bucket, but MUCH more likely its fly larvae.
In fact, ill bet you a quid that its NOT frog or toad spawn

 

[slim_boy_fat]

They look like taddies to me.

 

[the snooper]

They look like taddies to me.

What you've been round

 

[brightspark]

be fly larvae if its in a bucket I get em if I leave buckets out with dirty stagnant water in . tip em out

 

[cocker]

If they are brand new tadpoles there should be a load of snot still in the bucket

 

[brightspark]

If they are brand new tadpoles there should be a load of snot still in the bucket

what do second hand ones look like

 

[slim_boy_fat]

yeah that looks more like them...i shall leave it a few more days and check again see if they have changed

Cover the bucket with something with a very fine mesh to trap whatever they are, then all will be revealed.....