I've had galvanized stock tanks as ponds for years and haven't had to have a wooden foundation or any kind of foundation. I just sit it on the ground. If it's not level, I spread some sand or dirt (dug up from another part of the yard) under it until it is. One time it settled a bit after I had to put a good bit of dirt under it, so I just drained it and put a bit more where needed to level it back up. No biggie. Didn't take long. Those stock tanks last for years. Since they're designed and manufactured for ranch use, they have to stand up to a long time of weathering and wear. If they didn't, ranchers wouldn't keep buying them. That's why you don't see many ranchers using those rubbermaid tanks ~ they don't hold up nearly as well. I also like the fact that once I scrub a new one out with vinegar and then dish soap to remove any leftover oils or chemicals from the galvanizing process, I don't have to worry about anything off-gassing into the water like I do with plastic or rubber. I've never tried koi in there as I've always read that it wasn't big enough. Even in the eight foot round one, though I have been tempted in that one since it's almost the thousand gallon recommended minimum size for swimming. What's stopped me is I know if I get koi, once they grow large, I'll either feel guilty every time I look at them in the stock tank or will have to come up with a bigger pond for them to live in. (Hey! Maybe that's a way for me to justify getting the 10' wide stock tank. ;) I've never had a filter on any of them either and haven't had pea soup problems, but I usually go heavy on the plants and light on the fish. I have these in the pastures and pens for my livestock as well and keep a goldfish or two in them to keep the mosquitoes out. Let me tell you, those goldfish grow HUGE from all the food ~ not only the mosquitoes, but little pieces of grain and alfalfa pellets from the horses' muzzles when they drink. Raccoon treats they are for sure, but the only problem I've had with critters getting in them are squirrels. They try to get a drink from them, then fall in and drown. So the ones I have for my livestock I just float a board in so they can get out. I haven't had that problem at all in the ones I use for ponds near the house. Probably because of all the plants and pots making it easy for them to get out (that or the little heeler dog who thinks it's her job to keep the squirrels in the trees ;). I think your boyfriend's son is overthinking this. IMHO you should get a tank, bring it home, plunk it down where you want it and set it up. Just do it. It'll be fine.

I leave some leaves in the pond for them for the winter. My fish hide in them also. My pond is much bigger (about 6000 gal) and I always have some frogs die each year. I cover part of my pond, and run a small pump under the cover. this year I added an air pump under the cover and some roof deicing cable. I have not found a dead frog yet! I read somewhere that frogs optimum winter temp is (if I remember correctly) 35-37* and I have been trying to think of a way to get some heat into the water without it costing a fortune. I wove the cable thru a piece of dog crate so it wouldn't touch itself anywhere. It was warm to the touch out of the water. Then I put it in the water kind of upright so the top was at the surface. I used a 60 ft cable and I think it cost about $10 a month to run. There was no ice under the cover and outside it stayed thin near the cover. So maybe it did keep the water a touch warmer and help the frogs! Sherry /frugalgardener 5/MI

I don't leav e my fish out for winter, but my understanding of a de icer is that it only keeps an opening in the ice, it shouldn't be heating the water all that much .... and it should have a thermostat which turns it on only as water approaches freezing temps so you shouldn't have to be turning it on and off yourself. A pond thermometer is something you might want to have - it would help you understand whats going on and you can see if there are large temperature swings - a few degrees up and down wont hurt anything but it would be good to know for sure if its overheating the water or not. Possibly with a smaller pond like yours it may in fact be heating the water more than you'd like? Either way, it would be good to know. Also for oxygenation an air pump (air stone) would probably work better - deliver more oxygen where its needed and possibly a problem with keeping a water pump going is that if theres tubeing above the water or outside the pond k\it could freeze up . If there are large fluctuations in water temps and if the pump is down at bottom of pond - that could be whats causing it - bringing colder (near freezing) water down to the bottom (or the warmer water if the deicer is heating it) Well those are some thoughts based on what I know about deicers - admittedly, not all that much. Hopefully someone with more frog-specific info will weigh in.

I don't think it's your fault. Humans have mostly exempted themselves from the vagaries of nature but animals haven't (except our pets that live with us). I have a long hot dry season and my dam dries up towards the end of it. The frogs often come out when there's fluctuations in humidity, but there's no water for spawning in the dry season. When the wet season starts we get irregular and sometimes heavy rainfall. The dam partly fills and the frogs spawn like crazy. If there's a bit of a dry spell the water can dry up and the tadpoles perish (mainly eaten by other animals). I've had up to 3 lots of rain where the frogs have spawned and then lost everything to a week or two of dry weather again. When finally the wet season rains set in and the dam fills more eggs are laid. Those tadpoles from the later spawnings are able to complete their full cycle. Most years the dam will have at least one false start, the same as waterholes in creeks and swamps in the area. The frogs never wait to see if it's a false start or not. I used to collect many of the tadpoles from drying waterholes but kept running out of where to put them. I finally decided it was nature's way and don't intervene these days. Mother Nature has a funeral plan for every creature, they end up on another's dinner table.