In article , K
writes
Lynda Thornton writes
Hello

I was given a small container full of frogspawn by my little boy's
nursery as they had loads spare from their pond and we have a barrel
type pond in our garden. I wasn't sure how deep it was OK for frogspawn
to be?

On my way home the other day, I came across frogspawn in the middle of
an area of mown grass ;-)

Presumably laid in a puddle in the recent rain.

When I tipped it in, although I was careful, it did sink quite a
way down, the barrel is about 18" deep and the same diameter and the
spawn is quite visible but several inches below the surface, will it be
OK?

Yes
I've got heaps of it, extending from about a foot down to an inch or so
above the surface.

After it's been around a few days, it tends to sink to the bottom. The
next stage is for tiny slug-like proto-tadpoles to sit around in dozens
on the remains of the jelly. At this stage, if you look very closely,
you can see their external gills.

Also, when/if tadpoles appear will they need feeding and what's best?

They'll start by eating the remains of the jelly and then move on to
anything they can find in your pond, probably algae, though they are
omnivores. If it is a reasonably established pond, they should have no
problems.

Thanks for any advice - from an anxious frogspawn carer!

Don't worry too much. The frog population can maintain itself if every
pair of frogs manages to get two tadpoles to maturity. They lay hundreds
of eggs. It doesn't matter if a few don't make it.

Hi

Thanks for that, it was helpful and I won't worry so much, I'll just
keep an eye on them. The spawn is at the stage of small black shapes
rather than tiny dots in the jelly, and hopefully the mini-tadpoles will
be emerging soon. The pond has been outside here since we moved over 18
months ago and has a miniature water lily in a basket on the bottom and
quite a lot of blanket weed growing on the sides as well - do they eat
that at all? I cleared loads of it at the start of the winter but it's
growing back rapidly now I assume with the warmer weather and more sun.
I hope they will find enough to eat in there - someone else has
suggested goldfish flakes once there is no jelly left to eat and if
there are loads of tadpoles, but I don't want to foul the water or cause
unwanted bacteria etc.

Lynda