Using Plastic Storage Boxes as Frog Ponds?

[dogstarheaven]

hi

i have made a pond using two old plastic storage boxes that i have sunk into a raised bed 4ft away from 2 trees, and they are 2.5ft wide by 2ft long and 2ft deep which are laying side-by-side, giving double the capacity. i am also in the process of making some ledges to go along the sides as this will provide some sloping access for the frogs. i don't have the means to provide a pump, but i will be putting in some pond plants that will keep it fresh. I also have 2 cats but i will be putting a mesh cover on top of the pond to prevent them getting to the frogs (if doesn't work, i shall make a large dome/pen to cover it). at the moment, i am allowing the water to detox for a week as to eliminate any chemicals, then i shall put some spawn in (with some of it's original pond water it arrived in). unfortunately, the pond is sited so close to trees as it's the only space i have, or else the pond will be sited on top of a concrete path. i do understand that there will be autumn leaf fall which i will be prevented as there will be a cover on top of the pond.

i want to know if i am doing the right things by encouraging some of the basic principles for a frog pond? if not, can you advise me the best way possible please.

many thanks in advance

[Hedge Witch]

It sounds good, but a picture paints a thousand words and all that , can you post one for us?

They will prefer plenty of long grass or plants to hide in round the edges.

The sloping ledges sound interesting - how are you doing this?

[meinchewster]

Originally Posted by dogstarheaven

hi

i have made a pond using two old plastic storage boxes that i have sunk into a raised bed 4ft away from 2 trees, and they are 2.5ft wide by 2ft long and 2ft deep which are laying side-by-side, giving double the capacity. i am also in the process of making some ledges to go along the sides as this will provide some sloping access for the frogs. i don't have the means to provide a pump, but i will be putting in some pond plants that will keep it fresh. I also have 2 cats but i will be putting a mesh cover on top of the pond to prevent them getting to the frogs (if doesn't work, i shall make a large dome/pen to cover it). at the moment, i am allowing the water to detox for a week as to eliminate any chemicals, then i shall put some spawn in (with some of it's original pond water it arrived in). unfortunately, the pond is sited so close to trees as it's the only space i have, or else the pond will be sited on top of a concrete path. i do understand that there will be autumn leaf fall which i will be prevented as there will be a cover on top of the pond.

i want to know if i am doing the right things by encouraging some of the basic principles for a frog pond? if not, can you advise me the best way possible please.

many thanks in advance

Firstly, well done for being interested enough to make the effort.

Ponds as a rule are better away from trees, because of shade and because of falling leaves so bear this in mind. Also raised ponds are ok for some wildilfe but ponds at ground level allow less mobile animals to colonise.

The net idea is a good way of preventing the cats, however, frogs need to be able to come and go to the ponds and not be trapped by netting, the netting could also prevent aquatic inverts colonising as many will fly as adults to water.

My best advice would be to place the sunken containers to a sunny sighton your garden and provide plenty of undergrowth close by (to provide cover from the cats), you can do this by leaving long grass etc.

Try to plant native plants only if you can.

I would plave some bricks in your containers so anything that wishes can crawl out and not get trapped in the containers.

Good Luck.

[dogstarheaven]

here are the above pix of the pond that was installed on the 24th March. Over the past week, the water has become a lot clearer and not with the green slimy foam on top. i think that this is on its way to stabalising itself now, and i'll not worry about it anymore as i was about to buy some barley straw to clear it. the pond was originally going to be in 2 boxes but decided to use one bigger one at 1m x 0.70m x 1m depth approx.
the plants installed are some kind of reed which may need to come out as it might be too big for this small pond, some kind of iris, eau de cologne mint, duckweed (yes, it's an invasive, but will be properly controlled). canadian pondweed was naively put in, but realised it was a native, so i pulled that one out. the tadpoles seems to be thriving, but none have legs so far, i think it's in partial shade so they only love it when the sun's out and they're by the sides of the pond where they're basking in it.
somehow, my cats haven't really taken an interest in the pond/taddies, but when they're more conspicuous then the netted frame, that i've made will go on top.

[Tursiops2]

Hi dogstarheaven, and a belated welcome to WAB (sorry, I missed your earlier posts)

A very commendable effort there. I've always felt that those boxes had potential, just never had the chance to try one out.

A few thoughts though:

1. I doubt if the cats will be much of a threat to tads/froglets while they remain in the water - it's when they emerge on to land that they become most vulnerable. Plenty of plants and a few shelters around the pond will reduce that risk.

2. The box is rather deep, deeper than it needs to be - the greatest biodiversity occurs in shallow water.

May I suggest a modification to your design? Rather than using the bricks to create a ramp for access/egress, use them to build a retaining wall that partitions off about 2/3 of the box, and fill the void created with sand and/or pea shingle to create a gently sloping "beach" effect, extending from above the waterline to, say, 30cm-40cm below. This will create shallow water which you can plant with marginals, increasing the variety of wildlife attracted to the pool, and providing a covered route for froglets to get to land. Wait till next winter to do this though, there's no point in disturbing what you've got this year.

3. If this is in a raised bed, have you made provision for frogs to access the bed from ground level?

4. I presume the box is made of UPVC? If so, you will find that it will ultimately perish from exposure to UV light. Not a problem in the short term (you should get a few years good service), but the material will become brittle and susceptible to damage as time passes. Still, easy enough to replace, I think.

5. Yes, get rid of the "reeds". If it's Greater Reedmace (also known, incorrectly, as "Bulrush") you definitely don't want it in there, it will take over.

Good luck
T2

[dogstarheaven]

thanks for your replies so far. i've appreciated all the support and tips you have given me. they've been indispensible..

for tursiops2:
> the raised bed/access issue - there will be a log pile by the side of this from the back of the bed for access and providing shelter too.

> short-life span of box - yes, i knew that this will have to be replace every 4/5 yrs or so. it's just that i'd like to make a pond w/o going thru' too much expense and also to recycle what i had. i don't have much DIY know-how, y'see and didn't want to construct something that would take up too much time/effort also. in an ideal world, i would love to have a proper liner and have shingle, and lots of space but as a city dweller, i'm having to cope with the restrictions that i have.

> the depth of the pond i am aware of and have been thinking of raising the main level to a more sloping gradient. if you think it's best to wait till the winter period, then i shall wait till then.

> the reed may be one of the commonest reeds such as the bulrush, but as these plants were kindly donated by a local community garden (working on permaculture principles, so presumably they're generally in keeping with british natives) i wasn't too sure what it might be as no-one could tell me at the time (i had to research this later to find out what the others were!). yes, i shall rid of this once it gets too big for the pond, providing it can wait till winter time! since the photo was taken, i have also got more mint and a new arrival of a small marsh marigold plant installed. so hopefully i won't need anymore plants now as the pond is looking quite lovely right now. quite clear tho' i won't yet say, crystal-clear but hopefully sometime in the future! btw, the taddies have been eating the duckweed and i'd say there's about 50% left of it.

> lastly, re. the cats that i have. well, the netting will be put on top just as a temporary deterrent but i know frogs are land-based, so there will be plants that will be put in throughout the bed of differing heights. atm, they're still growing in the greenhouse waiting till the frosts are past before i can plant them out.

one question i'd like to ask, and that is - will it be neccessary to put out a meat-based food for the tadpoles once their legs are formed ie., beef mince/worms/snail/slug/dry cat food (organic!!) or, will i let nature takes its own course and let them eat whatever they find. i haven't really noticed if there are other creatures in the pond other than an orangey-looking small beetle. apparantly, the pond where the spawn came from had allsorts (no id's on them tho' but i did have 2l of water from there) inc. pond snails. maybe there are some but they're so minute that i haven't noticed. what do you think??

as a wildlife novice, i want to do my upmost to do everything possible to make this pond work and hopefully, i would have my garden a-buzz with life soon. if the frogs don't metamophose due to the imposed restrictions that they endure then at least there will be other water creatures that can safely inhabit there.

[Rob_D]

Hi Dogstar, Firstly, very well done for building a pond. Every garden should have one of some sort.

As I have a very small (and rented) garden, I initially didn't want to build a proper pond and had the same idea to use 2 storage boxes! But when I tried it, I realised I could not link the two boxes. Effectively I would have had two small ponds, but both very deep. (With hindsight it was never going to work.....I'm usually much wiser after the event!!!). In the end I bought one very small, but reasonable price, pre-fabricated one which has shallower areas built in. It's going to take time to get really established, but there is a little frogspawn in already, and the birds seem to like it.

Whatever you chose to do, I wish you great enjoyment and success with the wildlife in your pond.

[dogstarheaven]

hi rob_d

thanks for your vote of confidence. i'm currently a lil' worried about the water again. it's been a week now since it's become stagnant, and i don't know whether a new pond water has it's ups n' downs, where it gets clearer and then murkier and back to clear again. i dunno. i haven't changed anything about it since the spawn/plants were installed a month ago. the water level has gone down since it's been quite dry lately (an inch or so less, but shan't worry about it till summer time when i'll top up when neccessary).

anyone with any ideas why it's not clear again?
ta

[Tursiops2]

Dogstarheaven
I've tried sending a reply to your last PM, but all I get is "Page not found". Is your Inbox full?

If you go to my profile page, you can send me an email from there and we can continue the discussion less indirectly.
T2