Koi Pond and Frog Eggs Relocation Program
In my spare time, I'm a novice koi pond hobbyist. Which as it turns out, involves a whole lot more education than what I had originally expected when you factor in managing levels of acidity/alkalinity, ammonia, salt, nitrates, chlorine, etc. Bundle that with the required armchair koi vet degree and quarantine environment that you'll need to respond to infections and injury (on top of knowing the types of koi by their proper names, pond filtration equipment, predator control, the types of plants that will be compatible with the pond ecosystem, etc.) and it gets...complicated, but still fun. This week's lesson-in-progress is how uninvited guests in the form of amorous amphibians one day, can turn into thousands of frog eggs the next day. At first glance the rope of eggs looked much like a cluster of plant roots, but after closer examination, it's clear that they are frog eggs. The koi managed to eat the majority of them before I had time to relocate them to a small water feature we have in the yard (pictured in this post). Now, we wait and see if tad poles will develop -- I understand that it takes a week or more.
I opted to intervene with a relocation because they are native to the area and offer value in the form of insect and slug control -- which our garden and mini fruit orchard will appreciate. Tho' some argue that frogs can introduce adverse conditions to a koi pond in the form of unfriendly bacteria or parasites. My pond has a UV filter that helps to manage bacteria, but it won't kill parasites. I've yet to experience a parasitic infestation, so I know little about responding to and managing one.
My frog-loving 6 year old nephew will be visiting for a couple weeks in about 10 days, so I'm hoping the timing will be right for him to observe the emergence of tadpoles...assuming a higher-ranking creature doesn't discover their hide-out.
Update (June 21): Tadpoles emerged today: http://flickr.com/photos/lskrocki/2597620655/
Our experience with kids and tadpoles is as follows:
1. Kid has fun catching them.
2. Kid bring home a container of them.
3. Kid enjoys the magic of life as the tadpoles turn into frogs.
4. Tadpoles mature into frogs and escape container.
5. Two weeks later Dad finds little frog jerky while putting on shoes.
Posted by Kevin on June 19, 2008 at 03:52 PM MDT #
Mmmmm...frog jerky-liciousness. Ewwww...wait. What am I saying?
Posted by Skrocki on June 19, 2008 at 04:36 PM MDT #
Cool idea to keep the frog eggs and not destoy them. I have a small pond and waterfall in my backyard. I have put 4 small goldfish and 2 small koi in it for my 10 yr old son to enjoy. I walked outside this morning to feed the fish and discovered a large amount of
really tiny frog eggs. I was hoping to leave them alone and let nature take its course. Any thoughts on this?
Posted by Deb on July 07, 2008 at 06:44 PM MDT #
funny post!
Posted by Florida moving company on August 20, 2008 at 09:33 PM MDT #
Oh this is way tooo coool lah..
http://www.breederkoi.com
Posted by syhadi on December 02, 2008 at 11:31 PM MST #
I've found numerous egg masses in my koi ponds. Most are transparent gelatinous masses .. Some are white opaque.
I want to move these masses from the koi laden ponds to ponds which are essentially, shallow, one to two feet deep, and fish free.
Any particular care involved.
Depth of water for example ?
Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thank you ,
Don
Posted by 67.76.93.119 on April 11, 2009 at 01:06 PM MDT #
I omitted the name and email on the previous post . Sorry ..
Posted by Don on April 11, 2009 at 01:08 PM MDT #
Hi Don,
My relocation efforts resulted in some success if you consider the eggs would have quickly become a koi buffet had I not moved them. Many became frogs and most of them became tadpoles that never fully developed before the first frost. I'm no expert on the topic but have a look at this: http://www.ajc.com/services/content/living/homeandgarden/stories/2009/04/06/backyard_frog_pond.html
HTH,
ls
Posted by Skrocki on April 14, 2009 at 02:06 PM MDT #
I've had a Koi pond now for just over a year and I've enjoyed this new hobby from day one. A week ago I noticed we had a new resident- the 4 legged kind that hops- ( just in case you were wondering, it's not a bunny). My children are delighted about their new "pet" and my husband thinks it's a great addition to the pond. I of course do not share such sentiments as I am TERRIFIED of frogs. I won't go near the pond and I'm almost scared to go in my backyard.
How can I effectively get rid of the new resident without killing the Koi. More precisely what can I tell/ask/ demand that my husband do to get rid of this free loader called a frog???? Is there anything less complicated than the relocating technique?
Posted by Rosie on July 18, 2009 at 08:04 AM MDT #
It was very thoughtful of you to preserve the eggs. I'm sure your nephew will be impressed.
Posted by Melisa Koi Pond Fish on October 15, 2009 at 08:14 AM MDT #