How to grow algea?

Question

i have a bunch of tadpoles and i am keeping them in large buckets. (i had to because we were emptying the hot tub so i wanted them to live) i asked a quesiton before about what they eat and how to care for them. i found out that they eat algae as tadpoles. ive gotten some algae to grow, but i dont know how. i was wondering if the sun would cause algae to grow , or leaves put in the water? please help, i need to know how to make algae grow.

p.s.: anymore tips on how to help them grow would be heplful thx!

Answer 1

Mostly sunlight+water = algae.  It may help if the water has good ph, a little nitrogen, a little phosphorus (fertilizer), and a few trace elements.  Changes in proportions of ingredients and temperatures may influence the species of algae you get, but you are likely to get some kind of algae if you do not clorinate the water or otherwise kill them.  A pond store might help, or possibly your agricultural extension agent.  

If you *Can't* get algae to grow (?) you might try feeding the tadpoles some other plant, like broccolli or something.

You may wish to start the algae in a seperate tank, if you want to do things like add fertilizer or change ph, becuase they might make the frogs sick.  Then add the tadpoles after the algae is started.