Our pond was filled with tap water Wendy - we then left it a week before putting any plants in, and went to the local marshes with a jam jar on a string and did some 'dyke dipping', bringing back a jar full of water and mini-beasts. It didn't take long for them to 'go forth and multiply' A week later a diving beetle had found the pond and shortly after the damsel flies and pond skaters appeared - think they must have posted good reviews on 'Pond Advisor' 'cos the frogs soon turned up and we've seen one common newt in the water. There's a toad in the garden too, but I think he's been here longer than the pond.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I'm sure that just taking a jar of water with some invertebrates is fine. It needs to be clear and healthy as far as you can tell - taking it from a local source makes sure you're not transferring any problems to a new area.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Well done you for that amazing photo., and thank you for sharing it with us. I am afraid that if a snake made an appearance in my garden I'd run a mile.
Ok the new worry for me is mosquito,how do I stop them from laying eggs in my small wildlife pond?Because last year I was for ever go out with my net scooping them out,I dont have any preditors in there yet as only put tap water in 2 days ago,any idea's?I have seen them solar fountains and read there not that good but then it would'nt be a wild life pond,so i'm stuck!
They love shallow water which heats up quickly Wendy. As the others have said, once you get more wildlife in, they'll get eaten.
I've always used tap water for ponds. We have soft water here but even if you haven't, by the time you've left it for a few days and organised planting and generally tootled about, it will be fine.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Wendy, earlier in the thread you mentioned that on your first attempt the tadpoles didn't develop into frogs. Did you feed them? I know there should be no need to if the pond is established but mine is new, as your pond was, and I have been surprised at how much the little things eat judging from the faecal matter they produce. I took five of them indoors to be able to watch their development more closely and they have produced quite a film of excrement on the bottom of the bowl. I have given them boiled lettuce leaves and will be experimenting with tiny amounts of hard boiled egg yolk soon plus insects such as greenfly and fruit flies once they have legs. Please note that I have less experience than you so my approach may be completely wrong. I mention it because I read that insufficient food in wild populations causes a freeze in development. I can't believe how much the indoor ones have grown in just one week. The ones in the pond are now about 3 days behind their brothers and sisters indoors so temperature must be important as they have been fed the lettuce too.
Ones I had were from my sisters pond,she gave me 20 that was in June last year,only saw 2 of um with legs,others stayed in tadpole state,never really grew,probably not enough food for them,they were'nt interested in the mozzi larvae,or the boiled lettuce i put in any ways don't know what happened to the 2 little froglets maybe they hopped off,or got ate by birds,or died! As for the tadpoles I saw 2 in March come up for air then they darted back down,I moved a lot of algae out of pond,and the water had turned green,because the pond is in quit a sunny spot.I saw no tadpoles so decided to clear all the water out,and the 2 plants I had and rocks a few days ago,and decided to give it another try,It's been a faliure twice now and if it dont work this time Im giving up! Any way good luck with your tads,hope you have better luck than I have!
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Our pond was filled with tap water Wendy - we then left it a week before putting any plants in, and went to the local marshes with a jam jar on a string and did some 'dyke dipping', bringing back a jar full of water and mini-beasts. It didn't take long for them to 'go forth and multiply'
A week later a diving beetle had found the pond and shortly after the damsel flies and pond skaters appeared - think they must have posted good reviews on 'Pond Advisor' 
'cos the frogs soon turned up and we've seen one common newt in the water. There's a toad in the garden too, but I think he's been here longer than the pond.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
There is a pond not to far from us,but not sure if it's allowed to take stuff from ponds is it?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Dove,
Well done you for that amazing photo., and thank you for sharing it with us. I am afraid that if a snake made an appearance in my garden I'd run a mile.
Ok the new worry for me is mosquito,how do I stop them from laying eggs in my small wildlife pond?Because last year I was for ever go out with my net scooping them out,I dont have any preditors in there yet as only put tap water in 2 days ago,any idea's?I have seen them solar fountains and read there not that good but then it would'nt be a wild life pond,so i'm stuck!
Wendy, you can't stop them - but when the other invertebrates and amphibians set up home in the pond they'll eat most of the mosquito larvae.
I react badly to mosquito bites, but I really don't have a problem with mosquitoes in our garden since we've had the pond.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
They love shallow water which heats up quickly Wendy. As the others have said, once you get more wildlife in, they'll get eaten.
I've always used tap water for ponds. We have soft water here but even if you haven't, by the time you've left it for a few days and organised planting and generally tootled about, it will be fine.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Wendy, earlier in the thread you mentioned that on your first attempt the tadpoles didn't develop into frogs. Did you feed them? I know there should be no need to if the pond is established but mine is new, as your pond was, and I have been surprised at how much the little things eat judging from the faecal matter they produce. I took five of them indoors to be able to watch their development more closely and they have produced quite a film of excrement on the bottom of the bowl. I have given them boiled lettuce leaves and will be experimenting with tiny amounts of hard boiled egg yolk soon plus insects such as greenfly and fruit flies once they have legs. Please note that I have less experience than you so my approach may be completely wrong. I mention it because I read that insufficient food in wild populations causes a freeze in development. I can't believe how much the indoor ones have grown in just one week. The ones in the pond are now about 3 days behind their brothers and sisters indoors so temperature must be important as they have been fed the lettuce too.
What do you think?
Ones I had were from my sisters pond,she gave me 20 that was in June last year,only saw 2 of um with legs,others stayed in tadpole state,never really grew,probably not enough food for them,they were'nt interested in the mozzi larvae,or the boiled lettuce i put in
any ways don't know what happened to the 2 little froglets maybe they hopped off,or got ate by birds,or died! As for the tadpoles I saw 2 in March come up for air then they darted back down,I moved a lot of algae out of pond,and the water had turned green,because the pond is in quit a sunny spot.I saw no tadpoles so decided to clear all the water out,and the 2 plants I had and rocks a few days ago,and decided to give it another try,It's been a faliure twice now and if it dont work this time Im giving up!
Any way good luck with your tads,hope you have better luck than I have!