Frogs again

Pond pics

I took some pictures of the frogs, fish and pond with a real camera instead of just with my iPhone. The water is staying clear and the fish are doing really well. There are a few comet gold fish and some koi in there. I know that the pond can handle the koi at the size the are right now because they are only three inches but it will only be able to sustain about 3 full grown fish so it looks like I’ll be digging a new, bigger pond next year. It’s a good thing I know exactly where I want to put it.

New baby frogs!

When I set up my pond I had a friend’s son catch four frogs for my pond. I didn’t expect the frogs to breed because I figured that the fish would eat any eggs or tadpoles that were created, I was wrong, life found a way. I was outside just now and I counted five frogs. Two large frogs and three little ones. I’m sure the large ones are originals but the little frogs looks new. I’m amazed that they managed to survive getting eaten.

Here are some pictures.

The frogs!

Here are pictures of the frogs in the ponds. I had a friends son catch some frogs at a pond near his house. They seem to be pretty hoppy (see what I did there) because they seem to be hanging around. It was about a month ago and they’ve definately gotten bigger.

I’ll catch them and either send them back to the big pond they came from (I mean that literally not the one in the sky) or figure out how to move them inside. I could set up a fish tank with the water hyacinths. I already buy small crickets for my lizards, I could buy fruit flies…I’ll have to think about it. I’m attached to my froggies. That and I know they are healthy. I’d hate to introduce frogs from a pond at this point and risk introducing something that could get my fish sick.

The Rain!

All this rain! My pond has come close to flood stage twice. I made a newbie mistake and didn’t create an overflow drain. As soon as the weather gets better I’m going to head outside and try to figure out a way to put in an overflow. I have some 1″ hose I just need to figure out how to install it so that the water will drain the right way.

My Pond

Here is the pond I’ve been working on this summer. I obviously need to do more with the rocks around the edges. The ones I have here were free. I want to layer flat field stone so it hangs over the water to hide where the black shows but that will have to wait.  It’s about 8 feet long by 6 feet wide and 18 inches deep. It has water hyacinth, curly rush, umbrella palm, dwarf cattail. I have a grass that I’m not sure of the exact name and a red leaf plant that I’m also not sure the name of. I have two comet gold fish and a some koi. There are 3 frogs. (that I’ve counted) The pond is filtered with a 500 gph pump running through a Tetra Biofilter that I added a charcoal layer using mesh bags filled with media. It also has a bell fountain in the center and a fish spitter off to the side so there is no stagnant water. The water is clear and the frogs haven’t left so things are looking good.

I plan to bring the fish and plants in this winter and next spring I’m going to dig down to 36″ so I can winter the fish outside next year.

I’m an experienced fish keeper 15+ years.