Tadpole care for Ranitomeya variabilis

Ranitomeya variabilis pairs don't care for their tadpoles after dropping them into a bromeliad. So, you have two options: leave them to see what happens, or take the tadpoles out of the bromeliad and raise them yourself. For a long time, I chose the second option, raising tadpoles until I had about thirty young frogs. I recommend this approach to any new frog enthusiast because it allows you to follow the entire process closely.

Ranitomeya variabilis tadpole in Bromeliad

My tadpole recipe is as follows:

• Fill a small container with 2-3 cm of water.

• Add 2 x 2 centimeter of dried catappa leaf.

• Add a spoonful of "Quappentee," either ready-to-use or diluted from concentrate.

• Add a small amount of Java moss for the tadpoles to hide in.
  

I feed the tadpoles a tadpole food pellet once a week and change the water weekly.

After six to eight weeks, depending on the tadpole's age when it was found, the magic begins. First, they start to develop their coloring, followed by the appearance of rear legs, then front legs, and finally the shrinking of the tadpole tail. At this point, I tilt the water containers at a 45-degree angle so the froglet can easily emerge from the water, and I cover the container with a lid that has holes in it. And then...

Ranitomeya variabilis froglet, just metamorphosized