Trouble with Frog Spawn??

[MartinParsons]

The frogs came back early this year, before we had time to repair a leak (probably made by the heron) we had - loads of healthy spawn. Once we had managed to find and repair the leak we filled the pond with mains water probably about half its total volume. Now we have mucussy curtains drifting just below the surface (similar to what we sometimes get after hatching but there are no tadpoles) and the whole pond is murky. Have we killed all the frog spawn off, should we clean up and let it settle for next year? We have no fish but we do have Newts and those we value highly. Help!

[healfdan]

From your description doesn't sound good. Having said that, keep an open mind and try removing some of the jelly and if there are no tadpoles attached dispose of it. Using a fine mesh net, dip close to the sides and guide the net in a figure of eight movement three or four times. With luck, any tadpoles feeding lower down on the side of the pond should be netted. If this doesn't produce satisfactory results, I would still monitor the pond regularly for signs of tadpoles, especially on a sunny day when tadpoles are more likely to come to the surface. Should you find tadpoles be prepared to move at least some of them to another receptacle to improve their chance of survival.