can peacock bass eat cane toad tadpoles?

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Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Apr 14, 2008
63
20
38
Australia
Hey folks, I've got a peacock bass that is nearly ready to go in my pond. In the summer months I have a problem with cane toads (buffo marinas I think) laying eggs in the pond. My native predators seem to avoid these poisonous tadpoles but I'm wandering if they are toxic to peacock bass.
 
Hello; While I do not know the particular answer to your question my guess is that the peacock bass are unlikely to be immune to cane toad toxins.
 
The reason I ask is that the cane toad is native to (among other places) the Amazon basin, which is also the native home of the Peacock Bass.
 
Hey I was reading about the cane toads and reading the history on them, like you said they are native to the Amazon. But I was also reading that they had been released into the Australian in 1935 hoping that they would control the cane beetle population. But things never goes as planned and they turned out to be failures at controlling beetles, but successful at reproducing and spreading themselves. Kinda like peacock bass in Florida, but they did there job! So with knowing that what I would do is just take all the fish out, and drain the pond, spray it out and redo it, and get the toads out! That's what I would do. Can we get pics of the pond? 😁


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The reason I ask is that the cane toad is native to (among other places) the Amazon basin, which is also the native home of the Peacock Bass.

Hello; There are brightly colored fresh water newts around here in the local waters. They are just about bite sized but the native fish leave them alone. I have figured they are toxic or bad tasting as this is a defense mechanism of some amphibians. While I still do not have the answer to your specific question, that they are both native to the same area does not automatically mean the cane tadpoles are safe for the fish to eat. They may be able to co-exist in the same pond?
 
Thanks for your interest everyone. This is the pond. I've since re-homed the barra as he was getting too big and damaging his fins when he'd race around after prey fish.

Whenever toads lay eggs in the pond I try to scoop out as many as I can before they hatch, though I always seem to miss a few hundred. Then I just keep scooping them out whenever I see them.

The fish in there have been there since I started the pond and appear to avoid the cane toad tadpoles. I haven't had any fatalities so far anyway.

Guess I'll just put the bass in there and hope he has the sense not to eat the little bastards.

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Well when I was reading it was saying that the fish learned not to eat them because of there poison! So that also caused the toads numbers to sky rocket! But if u haven't fed toads or frogs or anything like that to the bass I'm sure he wouldn't show any interest in eating them, hopefully! But keep us posted! Hope every thing goes well😁

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Id be more worried about the Mangrove Jack tearing the Pbass apart before the pbass gets a chance to eat the cane toads, i would also assume that upon trying to eat the cane toad it would release its toxins into the mouth of the bass which in return would cause the bass to spit the toad due to taste, i highly doubt the bass would even swallow or hold long enough in the mouth to cause death.

Just on the topic of cane toads i actually have a friend whos dog literally gets a high off licking cane toads, it will find one in the garden bring it back to its bed lick it a few times then run around like crazy for bout 5 mins then it actually goes back for another lick of the toad. Rinse and repeat till the owner kills the toad.

Also if you buy Detol (the antibacterial for wounds) and add it to a spray bottle then spray onto a toad , the toad will melt and die :)

Back on topic of fish, Your pond is awesome and what size is the bass your about to put in there?
 
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