Purchase tadpoles QLD

[maryanne]

About a year ago I noticed tadpole kits for sale, but due to injury was unable to set up a pond area. I'm ready now and of course the kits are no longer for sale.

I'm in SEQ and plan keep the tadpoles in an outdoor pond that will be netted until the frogs are ready to hop away (Otherwise my dog will swim in the pond and the leaves will contaminate it pretty quickly)

I'm setting up today. So far I have a pond, a large hollow branch (Salvaged from a fire pile) and a pond pump (Should I be using this if tadpoles prefer still water?)

I plan to buy some native fish today, some lomandra and a pond plant or two if I can find native ones that won't mind a bit of shade. Anything else I will need?

And of course, where can I legally get tadpoles? We have a few types of frogs in the area and want to get a species that already lives here.

[Simmo2302]

in Queensland, you can legally keep 8 frogs (2 of 4 diff species) without a licence, IF you catch them from your own property. IF they breed you MUST return the young to the same spot where you caught the adults from within 5 days of them completing the morph. you CANNOT sell them.

you CANNOT remove tadpoles from the wild. you CANNOT buy tadpoles or frogs without a licence.

If you do get a licence, you can buy forgs & tadpoles, but you CANNOT keep any wild frogs at all. You CANNOT keep the bought frogs or tadpoles outside, their enclosure must meet minimum standards as outlined in the QLD amphibian and reptile code of practice......and you CANNOT release any bought or captive bred frog/tadpole into the wild.

[maryanne]

Yes, I am aware of the laws thank you.

If I found somewhere selling them I'd apply for a licence before purchasing.

Did you have any advice on pond set up or anything else helpful for me? I have a post in the Frog Friendly Gardening section detailing what I have set up that no one has responded to.

[Sean]

As Simmo pointed out you cannot release captive frog or move then too a new location. The laws are there to stop the spread of disease such as Chytrid and many others.

If the pond is suitable for frogs they will find it themselves, but it can take some time.

[Liana]

If you want frogs for your garden, the best thing to do is to create a habitat that invites them in. Frog friendly plantings and ponds are helpful, and in time, with the right conditions, you will hopefully have frogs and eventually spawn. I live just outside Brisbane, and by creating suitable spawning areas, we had 5 lots of GTF spawn over the past breeding season... We just maintained the taddies (~1000 in total) and let them morph and do their thing. It is now June and some of them are still taddies, yet to morph. Where the little fellas went we have no idea. As far as I know we have at least 5 adult GTF's around our home.

You could try filling your pond with suitable plants (terrestrial, semi-terrestrial and aquatic), some fish (like blue-eyes) to keep the mozzie larvae at bay and some natural logs and just wait. If you are on talking terms with your neighbour, perhaps do the same at their home. Toad spawn is pretty easy to ID, and if you make the pond so toads can't get in you should be good.

B