Breeding Techniques for the Black-spotted Frog

Prepare a paddy field with high, flat terrain far from noisy areas such as urban districts, and disinfect it, then install pipes and escape-prevention nets. Then select male and female frogs at a 1:1 ratio and place them in the pond, inject water to a depth of 40cm, and set up an insulation shed to let them breed. After hatching, feed them well and change the water regularly so the tadpoles can grow up. Once the tadpoles have grown, basic management work such as escape prevention, water fertilization and pest and disease control will allow them to grow into adult frogs.

Key points of black-spotted frog breeding techniques:

1. Site selection

The breeding site for black-spotted frogs must be at a certain elevation; do not breed them in low-lying areas, to avoid flooding. There must also be an adequate supply of clean water nearby. The site is generally best chosen as a paddy field with high, flat terrain far from noisy areas such as urban districts. After choosing the site, disinfect it and remove natural enemies from the paddy field, such as leeches and crayfish. This prevents harm during the tadpole stage and improves the hatching rate of the seedlings. Then do the pre-embedding of pipes to prevent water leakage, lay ground nets to prevent the black-spotted frogs from escaping, and take bird-proofing measures to create a safe growing environment for the black-spotted frogs.

2. Artificial breeding

First we need to place black-spotted frogs in a 1:1 male-to-female ratio into the breeding pond. Keep the water level in the pond at about 40cm, and put in a few foam boards as places for feeding and for the black-spotted frogs to rest. After October arrives, because the temperature drops, the insulation shed must be set up well. And because the temperature difference between day and night is fairly large, attention must also be paid at night to raising the water temperature. Through these methods, the hibernation time of the black-spotted frogs is shortened, the development period is extended, the gonadal development of the black-spotted frogs is promoted, and the breeding time is advanced. Then control the breeding method properly according to the actual situation, mainly natural breeding and artificial induced spawning. April to June each year is the main breeding time for black-spotted frogs.

3. Raising tadpoles

After successful mating, tadpoles hatch in about 3 days. Newly born tadpoles should be properly fed rotifers, egg yolk and the like as feed, sprinkled into the water. Then after about a week, feed them feed specially made for tadpoles, or make your own from fish meal, soybean meal and so on. Control the rearing density properly: in the early stage, stock about 800 tails per sq m; after two weeks reduce to about 400 tails; and for the final large tadpoles keep about 200 tails per sq m. Then feed at least twice a day, controlling the feeding amount according to the tadpoles' body weight and keeping it at about 8%. After about a month the tadpoles enter the metamorphosis stage; at this time put some plants such as water hyacinth into the water to make it easier for the tadpoles to come ashore. Finally, pay attention to changing the water regularly to ensure water quality, with the water level kept at about 30cm.

4. Raising adult frogs

At present the main method of raising adult frogs is paddy field farming. This is because adult frogs can feed on the pests that harm rice growth, and the excrement produced by the black-spotted frogs can in turn serve as fertilizer to provide nutrients for the rice. Therefore the amount of chemical fertilizer and pesticide applied can be reduced, lessening environmental pollution. Both rice and black-spotted frogs are natural, green foods. However, attention must be paid to escape-prevention measures, and frog ditches must be dug to facilitate the growth of the black-spotted frogs. For the rice, choose varieties with strong fertilizer tolerance that are not prone to lodging. The time for releasing adult frogs should be controlled to about half a month after the rice seedlings turn green, releasing about 3500 adult frogs of about 15 grams each per mu.

The above is the related introduction to black-spotted frog breeding techniques, and we hope it is helpful to everyone.