tadpole

I have inherited one tadpole in weed put into my new (7 week old ) pond.

Tadpole has now survived 3 weeks and is getting plumper.

Should I feed tadpole small bits of meat or do I assume he will be sustained by little life there is in new pond?

Two adult frogs have also found way into pond - will they eat tadpole ?

Should I take tadpole out until he is grown or leave him to take his chances ?

Advice......... please

Pippa

I am a novice with ponds and tadpoles...

I also have tadpoles for the first time.  I re-filled a small garden pond last autumn and in early March/Late Feb I noticed a large amount of frog spawn (I live in the West Midlands).  Unfortunatley my pond leaks and I have been re-filling with water and adding some 'fresh start' pond treatment - I don't know if I am adding too much or too little but so far the tadpoles are doing well.  I am now only 'topping up' with a very small amount of the fresh start and am using my watering can instead of using the hose - will the tap water be ok without the fresh start/can I use too much of the fresh start ?  (It needs topped up once a week at the moment.)

I only added a couple of airiating plants when I re-filled the pond.  It has a big bush and trees nearby and they have provided leaves at the bottom of the pond.  It looks like there is some vegitation growing on the op of the pond (very small light green 'leaves').  I added some barley hay when I noticed the frogsawn to try and keep the water ok.  I have no idea if this is enough for the water health and that of the tadpoles.

An adult frog  returns to the pond and sits in the water every couple of days...and the tadpoles look very large now (but still with no legs).  I noticed one that was dying yesterday and hope its not due to the water quality ? The tadpoles appear to be black but the one that was dying looked brown/reddish.

Is there anything else I can do - should I be feeding the tadpoles/is there enough food for them.  There must be at least a hundred or so in the pond - and its small (around 3ft by 4ft - I wasn't planning on the tadpoles !).

Should I be doing anything to make sure they are ok in terms of how I re-fill with water ?

Nicola,

I have spoken to Nick Meade the London Pond doctor at Froglife, this is his advice:

Don't use the Fresh Start or any other chemical treatment it is not needed.

For your size of pond adding an inch of fresh tap water daily will not cause problems.

You can stand the water for 24 hours in a container with a large surface area if you need to add more, this is enough time for the chlorine to evaporate.

Add some emergent plants, this will help keep nutrients levels lower in the pond avoiding future problems, if the pond is in full sun, 2/3rds full of plants would be ideal.

He also said it was probably unnecessary to add any food if the tadpoles are growing well.

If the duck weed persists and covers the pond, it is a sign that the pond is too nutrient rich. Adding chlorine in the long term from tap water will only make this worse.

Hope this helps

Gemma

Thanks David, that gives a much clearer picture

Gemma

Hiya folks,

Nicola, have you traced the leak yet?  Assuming it is not evaporation, could you get hold of some large containers (spare but clean wheelie bin, ideal), maybe some storage tubs and such?  Transfer as much pond water as possible and plants/aquatic life to this temporary storage.  Clean out the sediment, again keep it if possible.  Inspect the 'empty hole in the ground' for obtrusive tree roots etc.  If no roots or projections are obvious, re-line the pond with a pond liner.  Replace the kept water, plants and such.

It is very difficult to understand anothers problems from afar, may I suggest you seek the help of a experienced pond keeper in your local area.  Don't be fooled by retail outlets and such.

best wishes

dave n dogs