I feel so bad about the frogs in our pond. I think we killed them!
We moved into this house with a pond and waterfall. When we moved in the frogs were deafening in their cacophony each night. We just loved it.
But we have a problem. We have never had a pond in our yard, and after a few weeks we noticed algae growing in a big way.
Light bulb! Maybe that was what that little bag of giant tablets was all about that was left just inside the front door when we moved in! On the bag was a stamp with the name of the pond company. I called, and they said I needed to put one of those giant tablets in the pond where the water runs, and to replace it when it's gone. I asked him about the wildlife using the pond and he assured me it was safe. After all, we drink water with chlorine. Well...
My instincts said it was not good, but I did what he told me to do and now I don't hear the frogs anymore. :-(
I went online and it said they are very sensitive to chemicals. But what I don't understand is why the owners would leave these tablets where we would see them if it might hurt the frogs. They obviously loved the frogs, too, due to numerous frog statues throughout the yard. Geeze, a note on how to care for the pond would have been helpful!
Now I just feel sad.
28 comments:
Don't know what to say to make you feel better. Maybe look up eco systems for frogs as pets, or something similar on the net.
hug,hug, squeeze. ♥
So sorry. I am sure I would have done the same thing but that doesn't help much. Keep researching. I am sure they will return.
Oh, my gosh, you would feel sad. I found a little one squashed in the front door this morning.
I was outside pruning my roses today and had a chorus around me; it was gorgeous!
Just think that they might have found another patch and they'll return when you get the water clear again.
they'll be back, perhaps they've gone off to spawn.
I really enjoyed reading the posts on your blog. I would like to invite you to come on over to my blog and check it out. God's blessings too you. Lloyd
ouch. sorry...hope that it is able to return to a good eco system...suggestion, dont ask BP how to clean it up...
Let's hope they've just gone on vacation. If they were there for you they must have survived the previous owners' attempts to control the algae ...
They can't be gone for good if those tablets had been in use before. Do you see any little corpses around? They might have some kind of resort to visit now and then. One hopes, anyway, that they will come back. Hugs to you!
I don't think you killed them or you would see all their little bodies. I'm sure they'll be back. Perhaps it was just coincidence. Maybe you could try other ways to get rid of the algae.
We set up a pool in the yard when the g'kids were here and after they left we left it set up for a few days. Looked in it one day and it was full of earth worms. Drowned earth worms. 100s of worms. What!? I felt terrible, all my earth worms dead at the bottom of the pool, about 22". What on earth would cause all those earth worms to climb up the outside of the pool and drop in and drown themselves? I still can't figure it out. Had one last year, a pool for the g'kids, and that did not happen.
Oh no. Why would they have those things? I hope they hop back soon....
I agree with Ellen, it may have been a coincidence.
We live near a pond and there are always completely-smushed frogs on our street. I try so hard to avoid them, but the little buggers seem to want to jump under your tires even if you're going 5 mph and swerving to miss.
They'll be back, don't worry too much!
Awww!! That was really bad. Like all other creatures, frogs also need proper care and attention. But that's ok. I'm sure your pond will soon be full of frogs again. :)
They didn't die or you'd see them. They off looking for better digs, maybe more protected, cooler, etc.. Keeping ponds without a balanced life cycle is hard. I'm guessing you have fish and mosquito fish, as well as water lilies and other aquatic plants. The frogs are visitors; they will return.
call a nearby college and talk to someone in the biology dept about it. they should know.
Rosaria has some great advice, Nancy. My parents have a pond on their farm, which was put in by my grandfather. After sixty or so years, it began to dry up. Several phone calls to experts yielded the reassurance that any pond is a natural eco-system, and that it goes through cycles. Perfectly healthy and normal. So you haven't killed your frogs; the pond is merely going through a "phase" and will rebound. Albeit slowly...
I suspect they'll be back. You didn't mention finding any frogs that had been killed by the capsule. In the meantime you can research other ways to keep the pond clean. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary
I don't think the chlorine killed them, we have to net them out of our pool all the time and they are very much alive! I have even found them in the skimmers just waiting to jump up and scare me! They even lay eggs in the chlorinated water ....
Nancy, we too have a backyard pond. Don't worry - you didn't kill them, they just left for a bit. They'll come back. I have raised many tadpoles in our pond and some of them have left! Imagine, leaving their home? Frogs are like that...
Anyway, we get string algae, I just pull it out and throw it in the garden and composter - it is full of nutrients!
I felt better after reading the good cook's comments and hope you do too. I think we can be forgiven for operating out of ignorance now and again so long as our intention is not to harm.
Thank you so much!! You have all helped me to feel much better about this! :-)
Isn't it awful when we do something we think is ok and it results in what you have.... so sorry. Hope that it sorts itself out and you get your frogs back. xx
I live near the woods ... who am I kiding ... in the woods. The frogs sing all Spring. Then, quiet.
It could be that they have gone on. I know there is a stream beyond my fence .. in the woods.
If you haven't seen as someone said .. bodies ... than, it could be like my place where they sing for what seems like forever and then they don't.
Oh, I sympathize! Sometimes when we get frogs in the house and try to rescue them, the really small ones, we unintentionally hurt them. Or the cats bring them in and they're already hurt and our picking them up to rescue them only makes things worse. Light a candle for the frogs, Nancy. It will illuminate their path trough the afterworld!
You've got lots of good advice here, Nancy, and I had no real knowledge to add. However, frogs being what they are, they will be back. (Something you might eventually be sorry about, given how noisy they are!)
well, i'm voting on their just taking a little break for now, perhaps gone to the next pond over for a brief little getaway and will be back soon!
i've been a bit under the weather the past few weeks and have really missed my visits to your new pond here, nancy!! hope you're all settled by now -
Hi Nancy,
How sad hope they come back.
Maybe you can 'import' some frogs from someone elses pond.
Love,
Herrad
Sure it's just that mating season is over? That could be the reason you don't hear anything, either. Be patient. You can probably get some books out of the local library about ponds.
Maybe they'll come back after the chemicals are gone? I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Falling asleep to the sounds of wildlife is one of the things I miss about Puerto Rico!
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