DIY Backyard Fish Pond Update – Bring on the Frogs!

We’ve had our 300 gallon fish pond for a full year now. It is now teeming with plants and critters, so much that I’ve had to prune back plants and shuffle fish. Our goldfish spawned at the beginning of summer, but unfortunately none of those fry grew into adult fish. I suspect the mosquito fish, goldfish and tadpoles made dinner of them. I brought in a large batch of tiny fry thinking they were goldfish, only to discover they were more mosquito fish once they grew out. We also lost our one coy. It jumped out of the pond onto bricks in the blazing heat. It is now fertilizing a rose bush. Fortunately it wasn’t a fancy coy, just a small one we bought at a Petco. Two of our fantails also disappeared without a trace. I’ve replaced these fish with a gray fantail and a mix of random goldfish. It’s hard to limit your goldfish purchases when they are less than forty cents a piece.

Starting in the spring, we added several groups of tadpoles. We found some on craigslist, some at a nursery, and some from local ponds. Through some internet research, I also learned that there are limits on what you can take from the wild. We were uncertain whether we would have any make it to frog stage due to the competitive nature of the backyard fish pond, but several did! It seems we have a couple bullfrogs and a green frog. We also heard a few tree frogs singing a couple months ago, but they’ve gone silent as the summer heated up. Early this summer, I also added a 20 gallon pond over by the firepit in the woodland garden to move the mosquito fish into as they were overbreeding in the main pond. To our delight, a frog moved over to that pond as well. 

I was concerned about the number of fish in the pond and the impacts on nutrient levels, so I bought a test kit. My water was clear with good nutrient levels and appropriate pH, so it seems all the plants are doing their job at cycling the nutrients. I also replaced our homemade filter box with one very similar to this one: pond boss FM002 Universal Pump Filter Box. 

Even before we had the ponds, we had mosquito problems, but it’s a total mosquito fest in the woodland garden due to damp and shady conditions. I finally treated all the standing water spots with Summit Responsible Solutions Mosquito Bits. The fish are supposed to take care of mosquito larvae, but we also have several bird baths and a rainwater cistern. 

At the beginning of stay at home orders, the weather was so perfect that we sat out and watched the fish for long periods of time. I made a game of catching the mosquito fish. Summer heat brought in mosquitoes, sweat and general discomfort, so we’ve lost interest in sitting out there, and it grew scraggly. I was thinking we needed to add another water feature or something to open it up. Today, there was finally a break in the heat. Today after more pruning, moving rocks in from other garden perimeters and replenishing the mulch, I think I’m happier with the state of the pond and don’t need to add anything. When fall comes in full and the perennials die back, I’ll mulch the beds well and see what other rocks or potted plants can spruce it up. 

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