I love hearing about the drama at your pond. Your stories always make me laugh.
CW's Back Yard Water Garden Begins!
- Thread starter combatwombat
- Start date
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2020
- Messages
- 2,994
- Reaction score
- 3,166
- Location
- Pacific NW
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
Ok. Clarp appears to be settling into his new digs in the pond. Now, how long does it take a 8" carp to eat 400 frogs?
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2020
- Messages
- 2,994
- Reaction score
- 3,166
- Location
- Pacific NW
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
Quick update:
1. Clarp has not been seen since the day after we released him to the pond.
2. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard continue to visit almost every day.
3. I’ve embarked on a mission of frog habitat reduction. It involves a lot of spray foam.
4. String algae continues to quickly clog any effort at a prefilter on the intake and very difficult to backwash for reuse. Next attempt will be some layers of 1/4” mesh just to catch algae and leaves. Shouldn’t clog too quickly and be easier to clean.
5. I bought a little Shelly Uni processor and a water pressure voltage sensor to try to create dynamic water level reporting for the reservoir.Shelly will read and report voltage from the sensor where I can convert to a percentage and use it to send myself alerts or run automations.
1. Clarp has not been seen since the day after we released him to the pond.
2. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard continue to visit almost every day.
3. I’ve embarked on a mission of frog habitat reduction. It involves a lot of spray foam.
4. String algae continues to quickly clog any effort at a prefilter on the intake and very difficult to backwash for reuse. Next attempt will be some layers of 1/4” mesh just to catch algae and leaves. Shouldn’t clog too quickly and be easier to clean.
5. I bought a little Shelly Uni processor and a water pressure voltage sensor to try to create dynamic water level reporting for the reservoir.Shelly will read and report voltage from the sensor where I can convert to a percentage and use it to send myself alerts or run automations.
Clarp needs a few friends. It sounds like your wife and daughter have grown attached to Clarp. I believe they will also be attached to any fish they pick out, in spite of prior reluctance to allow fish to populate your amazing pond. Goldfish do eat algae. And rescuing from the "feeder" tanks at pet stores feels really good.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2020
- Messages
- 2,994
- Reaction score
- 3,166
- Location
- Pacific NW
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
In case anyone doubts how loud the frogs are. It's like having someone revving a motorcycle in the backyard all night long. I love the little buggers, but I had to get out of the hot tub early last night because they were giving me a headache. haha
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2020
- Messages
- 2,994
- Reaction score
- 3,166
- Location
- Pacific NW
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
j.w
I Love my Goldies
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2010
- Messages
- 33,090
- Reaction score
- 20,351
- Location
- Arlington, Washington
- Showcase(s):
- 1
- Hardiness Zone
- USDA 8a
- Country
My goldfish eat the frog eggs and the tiny tadpoles! Mating season frogs come from afar it seems to hook up, then most leave and I only have a couple that stick around long.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2020
- Messages
- 2,994
- Reaction score
- 3,166
- Location
- Pacific NW
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
j.w
I Love my Goldies
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2010
- Messages
- 33,090
- Reaction score
- 20,351
- Location
- Arlington, Washington
- Showcase(s):
- 1
- Hardiness Zone
- USDA 8a
- Country
Oh my! I think just around this time and maybe thru May. Might just be cuz my pond is not huge like yours is? I only ever see tadpoles in my little frog pond I made. None ever in the fish pond. I used to have a floating plant ring where the frogs would lay eggs in the fish pond but I took that out. Bathtub pond too gets them. Never even hear frogs unless it is a warmer day. Cold days not a croak! My snake comes around each year and wow he/she has grown! This time it did not run from me. Raised his head like a rattlesnake like it was ready to strike!
Hey @combatwombat how are your milk crates holding up? Any settling or breakage over time?
the toads and frogs are honestly my favorite part of my pond.
except for two nights ago when i woke up for some reason at 3:00 am and then couldn't fall back asleep because the toads would not shut up.
except for two nights ago when i woke up for some reason at 3:00 am and then couldn't fall back asleep because the toads would not shut up.
j.w
I Love my Goldies
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2010
- Messages
- 33,090
- Reaction score
- 20,351
- Location
- Arlington, Washington
- Showcase(s):
- 1
- Hardiness Zone
- USDA 8a
- Country
Wonder is the toads and frogs complain about humans when they hear them getting frisky? Did I just say that.................oh my
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2020
- Messages
- 2,994
- Reaction score
- 3,166
- Location
- Pacific NW
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
I'm not able to inspect most of them, but I've not noticed any settling, no. There is one area of the reservoir where I can see one column of crates top to bottom, and they look the same as when I installed them.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2020
- Messages
- 2,994
- Reaction score
- 3,166
- Location
- Pacific NW
- Hardiness Zone
- 8b
- Country
They don't keep me from sleeping, and I actually like to hear them at night. I'd just like to find a way to have a conversation on my deck/patio without having to shout when we're 4' apart. haha
My latest idea is an RC boat with automated controls that just drives around and crashes into the shore line at random starting at dusk. Scary enough to a frog to shut it up and random/sentient-seeming enough to not be ignored by them after 5 min. like everything else I've tried. Have I mentioned the time I saw a frog sitting on top of one of my rubber snakes?