Friday, July 30, 2010
Summer 2010
There are a few up-grades this summer. Water lettuce replaced the water hyacinths from last year, because those buggers really got out of control. Unfortunately the lettuce went nuts too. I didn't see Mr. & Mrs. Buffo Americanus, but I sure heard them screeching during the night. Their activity is obvious by about a zillion tadpoles in the lower pond.
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The Swamp Level
New Residents June 30th 2009
Today I added two Leopard Frogs to the swamp level of my setup. I have some doubt that I will ever see them again, because they are the most skidish critters I have ever seen. We had to chase them all around Petco in order to catch them in the first place, and when I tossed them into the pond, they dissapeared under the water lettuce that covers the surface. My guess is that they will always be watching, and when I approach the pond, they will jump back into the water for the cover of the plants. If I am ever able to get a picture of thee elluxive hoppers, I'll post it here for your amazement.
Leeky Liner May 15, 2009
Yikes!!! I found a leak in the liner of the swamp level. Bummer!! I should have expected it, because I used some cheap plastic sheeting instead if buying the good stuff. I decided to try to replace the liner in one day's work Not a very good idea. I started by catching all of the critters and placing them in a largre plastic tub. Next I took all of the gravel out of the swamp and put it in buckets in order to wash it before returning it to the new pond liner. I pulled up the old plastic and installed the new heavy liner. I started to fill it and pull it into shape. as it filled up. After it was full, I ran the recirculating pump to mix in some aged water from the other two levels. I rinsed all of the gravel and returned it to the new swamp and replaced the plants and critters just as it was getting dark. It was a long day to say the least.
Disaster!! May 1, 2009
This morning I noticed a few of the goldfish in the lower pond doing the back stroke. The rest of them didn't look very happy either. I checked around on the Web, and discovered that toad tadpoles can be toxic to fish and other critters that might snarf a few of them down. They taste bad, so most fish will not eat enough of them to cause serious problems, however the water can become toxic as well. Well, the upper pond has all of my wife's Koi in it, and I was concerned that they could be in jeopardy too. I dipped out ten zillion tadpoles from the lower pond and put them in a large aquarium in the garage where I could watch them develop. I plan to release them into the wild, when they morph. The entire system hold about 1500 gallons, so I have begun to perge the toxic water out by adding a couple of hundred gallons of fresh water a day in order to make it fish-friendly again. There are still plenty of tadpoles left in the swamp level, so I'm sure that I'll get a batch ot toads again this year.
April 29, 2009 One Zillion And Counting
Yikes! I never would have guessed that so many of the eggs would actually hatch. There are tiny tadpoles everywhere in the plants. they are kind of difficult to see at first, but if you stir the water a little bit with your finger, they swarm around it a giant cloud. The whole matter begs the question, "What am I going to do with all of the toads, if only half of the tadpoles actually morph?" I understand that the toads like to eat bugs, so I suppose that a half a million or so would be a good thing, but the way things are going, the yard is going to be wall to wall, if you know what I mean. Maybe what I have here is a "food chain problem." Hummmm, I heard that the Hog-nose Snake kind of likes to snack on a toad now and then. Mabe I should..... Nah.
June 15th
He Looks Pretty "Toady" To Me
April 26, 2009 My First Newcomers
I was all set to head out to my favorite creek to gather up some tadpoles, when I heard some really creepy sounds in my back yard just after dark. I knew that I had heard it before, but I couldn't remember just where. Well, I went to the internet and began listening to the "sounds of wild life" wherever I could find them. I stumbled onto a site where frog calls were recorded, and I began to run down the list. Sure enough, there it was. It was the mating call of Bufo Americanus (the common American toad). The next day, there they were, four of them. They were skinny dipping in my new pond, and when they decided to go home, they left behind oodles of eggs in long gelatinous strands all over the place. Needless to say, I'll not be going after tadpoles this year.
Well, it's April 20th, 2009
I reworked the lower pond over the winter months. Winters are very mild here in Arkansas, so I was able to have all of the improvements done in time for the springtime activities. I relocated the beach area in order to give the newly morphed toads a way to get into the protection of the shrubs before the birds could get them. I also added the turtle island for a baby red ear and a baby softshell that I was given by people who know how crazy I am. I have stocked it with plants from the local streams, and they have taken hold quite well.
It's A New Frog Year
It is March 23, 2009, and I'm getting ready for another try at frogs / toads in my back yard pond. Last year I managed to get a zillion tadpoles to make the "switch," but the local birds made short work of them. This year I am going to try to out smart them. I have provided access to a lot of cover consisting of shurbs, ground cover, and other stuff, so I think the little guys will have a better chance to hide. I am also working on a net to cover a good part of the pond and the "rough," so that the flying guys won't be able to get to the hoppers as easily. By the way, I don't think that the birds go all of my crop last year, because there are quite a few medium sized toads poppping up here and there in the yard so fat this spring. I'll post some pictures soon.
Sunday, June 15th, 2008
Well, they aren't very big, but there are a zillion of them. I can't figure out if they are interested in going back into the water or not. They seem to like to hop around in the gravel, and if I give them a little scare, they don't head for the water. Perhaps they are some kind of toads, and water isn't very high on their list of priorities. They sure are nifty. I hope that as time goes on, they will get a little bigger.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
I have been out of town for the weekend, and while I was gone these little guys began to sprout some legs. Their body size has increased quite a bit, and most of them are showing some signs of rear legs starting to develop. I have been feeding them lettuce that I have frozen to soften the leaves. They literally swarm over the stuff when I toss it into the pond. I haven't noticed any front legs yet, but I'm sure that it is only a matter of time. The picture doesn't show much detail, however I have a camera with a macro feature on it, and I'm going to try to get a little closer in the next few days.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Several of the larger critters have begun to show signs of rear leg development. These guys are about 4 times the size of the others, but I am not sure if they are all the same typs of tadpoles. I didn't notice the larger ones when I put the whole bunch in the pond originally. None of the smaller fellows are showing any legs yet, so it could be that they are all the same, and the the big ones are more mature stages of the small ones. The next few days should tell the tale.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
I have been trying to pay attention to the growth rate of these little critters, and it looks like they are really progressing quickly. I haven't noticed any legs yet, but body size is increasing rapidly. I feed them lettuce and spinach, and they literally swarm on the stuff. They began at such a diminutive size that it was difficult to study them very closely, however that's going to change very soon.
Friday, May 30, 2008
I have built a triple decker system. At the top is a 24" x 4' x 10' pond with several Koi in it. They are between 12" and 14" long. There are also a dozen or so 4" gold fish in there with them. The next level is for the native fish of the area. It is 3' x 5' x 15" deep. There are blue gills, catfish, striped bass, and a couple of red ear sliders in there. The lowest level is about 10' x 6' x 8" deep. This is where the tadpoles are located along with a variety of aquatic plants. Water is circulated from the frog pond over a substantial waterfall into the Koi pond, and then in flows over a small waterfall into the native pond. From there it runs down a lazy stream back into the frog pond. The whole thing works works fairly well. Fresh water is added to the Koi pond automatically every morning to compensate for evaporation during the heat of the day.
