Tadpoles, what do they eat?

A week or so ago we rescued a great pile of frogspawn from a big puddle on the bridleway. Just as well we did as it has all dried up now and they would be dead!
We put them in a half barrel in the garden and I see that they have hatched out nicely.
However, I don't know if there is enough for them to eat, there are plants and some algae and stuff, but I would be interested to know if they need anything else.
(sorry for being thick!)

I don't know much but I would think the plants and algae are what they will eat. As the water is static I think I would pour a bit more in from a stream or something from a height to get a bit more oxygen in there and of course as they grow they will need some means of getting out of the water. Be careful you don't tip a trout in with the stream water though

lol
will make a point of keeping all trout in the kitchen. Was thinking of topping up with water out of the rain barrels, & they have stones and things to get up on so hope all will be well. There are loads of them, will probably eat each other if there isn't enough room for them all.

Feeding
A tadpole's diet depends a bit on the species, but most are herbivores. Frozen and thawed leafy lettuce or spinach (such a romaine) is a good staple (some people recommend boiling, but this can cause loss of nutrients; once frozen it is usually mushy enough to feed). Good quality flake fish food and crushed algae tablets (available at aquarium shops) can be offered, and you may even be able to find tadpole food at pond shops. Feed small amounts a couple of times a day. Excess feeding will create water quality problems. If possible, try to find information on the tadpole feeding habits of the species you are raising to make sure you are feeding them adequately.

Note: the tadpoles should not be handled as their skin is very sensitive to the natural oils and traces of soap or chemicals on our hands. Always rinse your hands very well before doing any tank maintenance, feeding, etc.

Hope this helps

I used to keep tadpoles in a baby bath in the garden when i was a kid and we used to tie a piece of cooked chicken onto string and hang it on a stick so it was just in the water. The tadpoles used to eat it all (they seemed to love it!) and we had lots of little froggies that used to come back year after year. I think we also gave them fish food pellets too. Enjoy the baby froggies! I used to love playing with my baby frogs they are so cute when they are tiny and just lost their tails!