One of the people I contacted from the WA Museum Tadpole Register was (another) Lisa and she shared with me her frog pond story. It shows how passionate frog lovers can be!
Our story started out fairly simple – we have a fishpond with a multi-stage filter, part of which is an old concrete laundry tub, set higher than the pond and creating a waterfall into the main pond. Several years ago, we found that motorbike frogs had laid eggs amongst the vallis in these tubs. Unfortunately, many of the tadpoles went over the edge and into the waiting mouths of the fish below. Well, that wouldn’t do!
So we got an old corner-style bathtub and set that up (without a pump) and stocked it with vallis and western perch (a very small native species that doesn’t eat tadpoles because their mouths aren’t big enough!). That worked fine until the herons and egrets found the pond – the birds thought it was an open-air restaurant. A mesh “box” over the top stopped that.
In the mean time, frogs were still breeding in the fishpond filter – and those that didn’t go over the waterfall were turning into frogs. Even some that did go over the edge managed to evade the fish and turn into frogs! And of course, the fish food was equally palatable to the taddies so they grew pretty quick…
So when we found out about Frog Watch, we joined up right away – frogs return to where they grew up and we were knee-deep!
The biggest problem we have had is turning down people who live too far away. (According to the Frog Watch information, tadpoles shouldn’t be moved more than 2-3 suburbs away and shouldn’t be transported into a different “region” e.g from the Coastal Plain to the Hills.)
We haven’t had any other types of frogs make our place into their home. I suspect that is because all of the ponds (yes, there are now three) have fairly steep sides. I suspect other frog species would prefer some shallower water or even water-logged soil for breeding.
However, what we have found is that the frogs need some sort of shelter (e.g. water plants) and protection from marauding birds. Some small native fish (e.g. the western perch) will help control the mosquito larvae so you don’t create a serious bug problem (note that the tads won’t eat the mosquitoes!).
When we run the bore, the sprinklers also provide some top-up to the ponds (without adding chlorine and the other chemicals that are in the mains water). This also helps to cool the water down a bit. Speaking of which, if the water is too shallow, it will heat up to much and too quickly, so at least part of the pond should be reasonably deep.
Put all those together, get yourself a “starter pack” of tadpoles, and you’ll soon be knee-deep too! knee-deep, knee-deep!
