Unknown Creatures.

[Dj23]

I'm a newbie to this forum so I have no idea whether any of my questions have been answered anywhere else, so I apologise if I repeat anything.

I'll tell some history first, I built a pond in my back garden well over 6 years ago and ever since I have left it be. I've never cleaned it out, it's had all sorts in it, drowned hedgehogs, little children falling in, dead leaves etc. I know this isn't good so I went about doing a spot of gardening yesterday. I cleared around the pond so that I can view what goes on inside, a large frog was stuck so I helped them out, they hopped off into the bushes.

Anyways, I got a fish tank a while back, cold water, and every now and then I have to cut the plants back to keep it looking tidy, instead of throwing these plants away, I place them in my pond. I though they would just die and pollute the pond even more, apparently not, they've kept growing, which I'm pleased with.

Now I picked one of the plants up yesterday and really thin, long worms swam away extremely fast, I researched them and have come across the opinion that they are harmless in my pond? I'll just have to prevent my cants drinking from it now.

Now my main question is that today I went to look in the pond, and somehow, out of nowhere these tadpole like creatures have appeared. I know what tadpoles are, I did all the biology in Primary school and watched them grow into frogs/tadpoles in class, but these are different. They don't swim, they wriggle, and they like to stick to the walls of the pond and plants. There are quite alot of them.

They look like a really small sausage with a tail, they aren't round/circular like a tadpole. Does anyone have any idea what they are?

And also, minus the water beetles and snails that live in my pond (and occasional frog/toad and newt) does anybody have any idea what else may be in there?

(I tried taking a photo but my quality is so poor you cannot tell.)

[Jim Ford]

Originally Posted by Dj23

They look like a really small sausage with a tail, they aren't round/circular like a tadpole. Does anyone have any idea what they are?

Rat-tail maggots - a fly larvae?

Jim

[Johnny Redgate]

If you mean they move through the water with a wriggling action (i.e. not wiggle along the bottom or sides of the pond) then I would guess mosquito larvae.