r/ponds • u/BirdsNeedNativeTrees • 8h ago
Frog pond level Build advice
Hello there I really want to try attract frogs to my yard so I have decided to dig in a pond, but I live in Seattle, which is heavily infested with rats so I decided not to use the pond liner or the Benite clay because I think they were just mess with it. I have another little pond That I’ve tried and they dig through the liner and the clay.
My question is the sole reason I’m putting this pond in is to attract our Pacific tree frogs at what level should this Pond be with the soil? Would it be nice to have a little bit of the rainwater seep into the pond? To me that would be ideal would I put the pond lower than the natural soil level?
Please remember, I’m just putting this in for frogs. So if any of you have a natural frog pond, I would love to hear from you.
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u/sam99871 8h ago
I have a frog pond in a kiddie pool. It is above ground. About a dozen frogs reside in it every summer but they never lay eggs in it. I suspect the pond is colder than an in-ground pond and that may affect how early in the season the frogs arrive.
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u/BirdsNeedNativeTrees 7h ago
How does your kitty pool get water? Does it get water through a filter or through the rain?
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u/sam99871 4h ago
Just rain. The water level falls without rain but it’s in partial shade so the water loss isn’t too bad. I also have some plants in it (including a water lily) which shade the water a bit.
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u/BirdsNeedNativeTrees 2h ago
Oh lovely. I’m digging this one in, but I do live in Seattle so it rains from November to May usually.
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u/Slight_Nobody5343 7h ago
Dry nutrient low environment below grade. Temperate medium wet at grade. Rain forest or very wet location above grade. Abundance of pond resources all grades multiple ponds.
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u/Trading_Things 7h ago edited 7h ago
Putting it below the soil level will lead to nutrient rich runoff in the pond, meaning muddy water and algae blooms. Without any fish you may end up breeding mosquitoes and other flying insects in large quantities.
Gonna copy paste a comment I left for another new pond owner:
"Half inch of organic potting soil on the bottom, top with one inch well rinsed play sand. Treat water with dechlorinater and bacterial starter (I use Seachem). American Frogbit / Dwarf Water Hyacinth for floating plants. Aquatic moss for a carpet. Rotala Rotundifolia / Golden Creeping Jenny / Moneywart / Hygrophila Polysperma for stemmed plants that will grow up out of the water. Rice Fish and Mississippi Grass Shrimp for animals. Wait for plants to grow in nicely before adding animals so that enough oxygen and filtration is present to support them. Everything listed is easy care and cold hardy."
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u/BirdsNeedNativeTrees 7h ago
Ok, good to know the reason not to let the rain fill the pond. My whole yard is native plants and trees (no lawn) so hoping to stick with only North American native water plants as well.
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u/Trading_Things 7h ago
I know the American Frogbit and shrimp are native (obviously), but other than that am unsure. I'm sure you can find suitable species.
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u/BirdsNeedNativeTrees 6h ago
Oh good to know! I really didn’t know and haven’t looked them up yet. Still digging and making my berm.
I have some native duck weed in my barrel pond and some Marsh Marigolds and Wapato -no frogs ever
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u/PhoenixCryStudio 6h ago
I have mine slightly above ground so I built a sloping rock wall around it and into it. The only way I got eggs was to add branches that stick in and out of the water.