http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... CN0202.jpg
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc18 ... CN0201.jpg

has anyone had this happen before ?
it see like the tad swallow an air bubble and is floating on the surface

its still alive.

That is how they maintain their bouyancy and it helps their lungs to develop. It is a normal activity.

That's not the swallowed air bubble, its one that forms in the inbetween spaces of the abdomen. I've had that before in some tads, to the point where they would end up belly up cause they didn't want to fight it anymore. When i asked questions about it on dendroboard and talked to various people, the general consensus was that its a result of dirty water and bacteria. 9 times out of 10 it can be cleared up in a couple days once a tad is moved to cleaner water.
Hope that helps
Sib

It is not normal activity.
Like Syble said it is do to water. 9 out of 10 times. Most often this will clear up in a few days if you catch it soon enough.
Change your tad's water ASAP and hope for the best.

Tadpoles rising to the surface and taking a gulp of air then descending back to the bottom is normal behavior. Maintaining a bubble of air within their gut assists them in swimming.

If they remain at the surface because of a bubble forming within their tissues - that is not normal and as Sib says a sign of distress for which the conventional wisdom appears to be change the water.

Sorry for any confusion.

Most tadpoles are bottom feeders, and sprinkling food on the surface of the water can cause problems. The tadpoles will rise to the surface to eat the food, and often they gulp air in doing so. This can lead to 'air blisters', as pockets of air get trapped in the tadpole's body, usually a fatal condition. To avoid this, after sprinkling the food on the water, I used my trusty plastic watering can (the frog breeder's other favorite tool) to sprinkle the surface. This breaks the surface tension and the food is mixed throughout the water volume.

More great information here http://www.fdrproject.org.au/pages/dise ... mptoms.htm

sorry for the late update .

i move the tad after noticing the gas pocket to smaller deli cup with new water
and what u konw few out later its gone.

now is all good

Congrats Bakaichi, thank you for the update. Hope everything works out well for your tad. Keep us posted.