I’m looking to build a small toad/frog pond in my backyard, because they eat mosquitoes, and I’m fond of frogs/toads.
I only have a small space, at most 36" x 36" and I want it deep enough so they can hibernate through the winter in NYC, which means maybe it should be 2 - 3 feet deep to avoid freezing to the bottom.
It’s not for looks, its a home.
Any ideas?
Has anyone ever used a solar powered pump? Any ideas or recommendations?
I thought you already had a home.
Yes.
No. Yes.
Gold fish & bats also eat lots of mosquitoes. Sorry, nothing to add re: building a pond and no knowledge of solar pumps.
There is this really thick plastic sheet roofing stuff.
I think it is also called pond liner. As always, google is a smarter friend than me.
Not so sure how deep you need to dig the pond, but 3 feet sounds to shallow to me. Mucky stuff rotting sorta keeps swampy places warm, and lakes are big. A small hole in your yard ( let’s say 8 feet wide and 3 feet deep) might freeze solid and kill your turtles (gotta have them, you didn’t mention it but just saying, making a pond). Oh, and the frogs. Solid is not the best state for most frogs (although some frogs can revive after being frozen solid, most types can’t).
We drove cars on the ice in CT from about Dec to March. Ice wasn’t much more than 2 feet thick ( I watched ice fisherman). Still, I think it is important to have a big mass of water. Small bodies of water will go rock hard 4 feet deep in a snap freeze, while mucky ponds and lakes will freeze down 2 feet. Sorta like a thermal fly wheel. Take this post seriously, Kermit has lawyered up and if you install a to shallow pond, expect a visit from frog protective services, as well as a service from Kermit’s lawyer. As always, remain calm, the deputy’s will just hand you papers and leave. Better to follow my fake lawyer advices though and make your lined pond at least 5 feet deep. Mucky on the bottom. If your frog is disabled ( victim of french attack) , remember you must provide a ramp to the pond for a frog with no legs.
Are you aware that frogs can make a lot of noise?
Think also of your neighbours.
Around here we eat them before they get a chance to catch a mosquito.
Hello Billy,
Just pointing out…
Around south Louisiana (lots of frogs and mosquitoes here)… the Wildlife and Fisheries guys preach getting RID of standing water… so the mosquitoes have less breeding ground. You may have more mosquitoes than your frogs can eat… which would be defeating your purpose.
I am a tropical fish nerd sorta. If you want to get some types of tropical fish to breed, live food is key. Many small fish thrive on s wigglers (aka mosquito babies).
So don’t worry about mosquitoes, just throw in some fish. If it’s just frogs and fish, you will have no mosquitoes.
Now if you follow my advises about having a turtle (so fun), it will eat some frogs and fish. As long as there remain some fish, the water will not breed the flying vampires.
The turtle ramp
Turtles are so fun, because they are determined. I have made ponds where the turtle must climb up a ramp to get a bite of meat from a gnawed up turkey bone. The water turtle can’t swallow unless it is underwater (tortoise can swallow on land, terrapins can not). So this is so funny. How often do you get to prank a reptile ?
Basically, the joke works that when the turtle climbs the ramp and gets a bite, it must drop back into the water to swallow. This becomes funny as the determined turtle will learn to climb extra ramps I tack on.
Turtles are fun. They see me eating the chicken leg, they watch as I tie the bone to the top of the new and improved ramp. Up they go. They will climb complex structures, take a bite , then dive back into the pond to swallow. You just have to start with a simple ramp, but from there they are fast determined learners. It’s kinda funny, especially if you have a pond.
I wish I could say if you feed your turtles well, they will leave your frogs and fish alone. Actually, feeding them just makes them grow faster. Small turtles with fast fish and large frogs is the most durable mix. Expect some carnage.