help needed please

[toadpole]

Hi there .....finally after 5 months i now have a small wildlife pond .......it has been a long time in the making as i have needed lots and lots of help as i have severe athritis (so frustrating )....but probably all too late for this yrs frogs and toads...anyway planning ahead for the possibility of any passing newt or toad .....can anyone recommend the safest type of stone that i can put into the middle of my pond and (in the shallows) to use as an island for frogs etc to climb on and for the safety of Hedgehogs that could be used to climb onto if needed ! that will not react with the water ......i hope this makes sense as i have been told some stones react and some dissolve ...so hope somebody can help ...thanks a lot Marion

[dragonfly]

Hya I would say any soft stone would be of no use as it react in some way such as sand stone what i wolud do is go to your local beach or garden centre if you have one take a two pound hammer
strike the stone if it brakes or marks then its to soft if the hammer bounces off and no mark should be a hard stone as its come from the sea needs to be washed and cleanned

[welsh.lensman]

Another possible avenue you may pursue to find suitable stones is if you have a local river that may yield what your looking for, If you do happen to get the stones from a river ensure their thoughely cleaned to avoid cross contamination of diesese or unwanted plants to your pond.

[dampflippers]

I don't think a garden centre would be too happy if you start hitting their rocks with a hammer! lol
I would say don't use limestone as it will make the water alkaline. I would say sandstone might be ok. Granite would be ok.
Avoid concrete unless you are going to seal it (with G4) as it is alkaline and also porous so baby frogs dry up.

If you are putting pebbles and sand in the shallow end, wash the sand first and use sharp sand or horticultural sand instead of builder's sand. Also wash pebbles, and don't choose limestone ones. You may not find frogs sitting on them, but birds will love them for their bathing perch!

Don't forget a rock and or logpile nearby too.

[Wild-Woman]

I'd say granite or a large flintstone should be ok. Or a well stacked pile of flattish flints to form an island.

[paddy]

I've used a lot of flint in the pond - you have to watch for sharp points with your liner though, so be careful placing them, particularly if stacking and putting weight on top.
My local quarry digs a lot of flint up - they let me have a bootful of large stones for a £5 - better - and cheaper - source than garden centres, although they often supply smooth, rounded, liner-friendly stuff.

[toadpole]

thanks all of you for advice ...eventually used a few large cobbles that i had allready and remembered some lovely piece of petrified wood i had from our old tropical fish tank ...the water has tinged a bit brown tho ....and this is why we never used them for long in our tank (even tho we soaked and soaked them for weeks !!!!!!!)but i think it will work beautifully thanks marion