7 replies to this topic

[brooks]

Hi Folks!

I have a pond (12' x 6') in my backyard where I have the typical aquatic plants. Frogs arrive on their own every year and later I see the eggs, but I've noticed that tadpoles either do not appear or die off. I'm uncertain of the cause. I have read that pine needles, which the wind blows in, may be a culprit due to a chemical release. I use non-chlorinated water. Any ideas of why the habitat appears to be unhealthy? What should I be doing at this time of year to rectify the situation? THANK YOU.

[koiguy1969]

hi brooks...welcome to our group. no fish in the pond huh? cant say whats killing your tadpoles.. i get more frogs than i care for, and i never see them till fall when i drain the pond to take my fish inside to the winter pond. i occasionaly see one or two but mostly just hear them jumping back into the water when i approach.

[oldmarine]

Hi Brooks,

Do you any kind of filtration? If you have a water garden with no intention of having any fish, at the vary least you should have a skimmer or pre-filter just to filter out the pine needles and anything else that may fall into to your pond.

I live in the southend of Tacoma, and I have neighboring trees that drop some fir needles in my yard and pond. My pond is smaller than yours but I have Shubunkins, water lilies, and some bog plants. I have a 10 gallon skimmer/pre-filter and a 27 gallon bio-filter that keeps my pond quite clean and clear. In preping for this spring the only thing I haven't done is a partial water change. Despite that, my pond water is quite clear right now.

Happy ponding,

Rich

[brooks]

Hi koiguy1969:

Appreciate your interest.
At my former residence there was an old concrete pond in the shape of a rowboat which attracted bullfrogs every summer and there were plenty of lilies. Watching the tadpoles mature was great for everyone. Obviously, the conditions were correct there, but here -only 12 miles away- the tadpoles do not survive. I've been tempted to totally clean out the pond and start with new rocks, plants, etc., but that could be a wasted effort. The old pond actually required no maintenance and had no filters, aerators, etc.

[oldmarine]

Brooks,

If your pond is a black pre-formed pond, it could help by removing any rocks laying on the bottum. The will harbor debris and it will rot which will contribute to the problem you have described. By adding a filter just to pick up anything floating around in your pond loose would help.

Happy ponding,

Rich

[koikeepr]

I get hundreds of tadpoles each spring, but I end up with only a few frogs. I get the feeling that most just get eaten by the local birds and other nearby pond life, and a bunch must get sucked into the filter system. I don't know if the fish end up eating any of the tadpoles, but I would not be surprised if they do when the t'poles are smallish still. I think it's just nature being nature.

[Tacoma]

Hi Brooks!
I am in Tacoma/Lakewood and looking to find a pond with the WA.tree frogs.
Tadpoles should be there now. Any ideas on a place to catch tadpoles for my pond?
-Chuck

[SE18]

I wonder if the tadpoles are being shredded up by the pump fan thing that spins around?