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Topic starter
A few weeks ago we built a small wetland 'pond' area in a rough corner of the garden. It's basically three micro ponds, linked by vegetation and an old tree stump that is too big to remove. Basically it's a bit of a jungle!
Anyway, a week or so ago I noticed some frog spawn in them, and then today actually wriggling tadpoles. This is glorious news as last year was slug central - fingers crossed their days are numbered. Also who doesn't love a frog?
I've never had a pond before, let alone anything as exiting as tadpoles so I am wondering what if anything I should do.
I see online that you can feed them with fishfood once they are big enough, and boiled lettuce while they are tiny. Or they will eat pond weed and algae (there is weed in the ponds and I can easily get more). Possibly I need to change the water, or add rainwater?
Any tips for healthy tadpole/froglets appreciated!
Posted : 02/04/2025 7:13 pm
Git - had my pond 18 months and no sign of tadpoles!
we do have a newt though! 😜
Posted : 02/04/2025 7:30 pm
Make sure that they can get out onto dry land when they've grown up
Posted : 02/04/2025 7:38 pm
Tadpoles are awesome. No need to feed them, let nature do its thing. As long as there is water and algae they’ll be fine.
Well, some of them will be fine... Frogs lay so many because only a small proportion make it.
Posted : 02/04/2025 7:40 pm
Aye, just leave as it is and let nature do it's thing.
Posted : 02/04/2025 7:47 pm
Only use rain water or 3 day ran mains water to too it up.
Tadpoles love cucumber and feeding them can help with keeping the numbers up. most of my young frogs get taken by black birds believe it or not the magpies have a pop at getting them too.
Loads of cover and long grass really help the young frogs hide. They are my favorite garden residents now I love the croaking and kicking them out the kitchen when I leave the patio doors open
Posted : 02/04/2025 8:05 pm
Topic starter
Ok thanks all, good information. I've made a chicken wire dome over the ponds to protect them, the grass is rough so there will be good cover too.
Posted : 02/04/2025 8:57 pm
Frogs lay so many because only a small proportion make it.
Yup and also because cannibalistic behaviour is completely natural. The tadpoles start off being vegetarian and as they develop become carnivorous, some will develop much faster than others and the early developers will feed on the late developers. Certainly that is the case with common frogs, I'm not sure about other species.
we do have a newt though!
Newts are usually the first amphibians to arrive in a new pond. Whilst frogs and toads are famous for returning to the pond of birth, unless presumably they stumble on another one on the way, newts are known to actively seek ponds. I have heard it said that newts can literally smell bodies of water.
Posted : 02/04/2025 10:02 pm
or 3 day ran mains water to top it up.
Unfortunately that doesn't reliably work any more, chloramine is used now in many areas which does not gas off like the old chlorine used to.
You need to use Seachem Prime or similar. It's very very cheap and lasts forever, you use only a few drops per bucketfull.
Posted : 03/04/2025 9:21 am
Git - had my pond 18 months and no sign of tadpoles!
we do have a newt though! 😜
You'll never get permission for an extension if it might disturb a newt!
Posted : 03/04/2025 11:19 am
I heard that frogs and newts don't get on, not sure how true it is but we've never had the latter and have a massive horde of frogs.
Posted : 03/04/2025 11:43 am
