Hi Brian, I'm glad you went with the bigger pump. That's what I have on my pond, and it's functional. The frogs will come, even in the midst of downtown LA. There are about a billion gajillion of them in the LA river. I live in the center of suburban Simi Valley, which has no natural streams, no ponds or lakes, and Pacific tree frogs mysteriously appear out of nowhere. I think this may be part of the origin of the raining frogs myth. It's strange. You can also collect Pacific Tree frog tadpoles within the next three months and add them to your pond once it gets going and you have some algae for them to eat. I once collected some from a truck rut filled with water at a local plant nursery. I suggest you go to a koi site to see how much of a committment they are. Goldfish are really spectacular, and they do not need great water quality. They will beg for food from you, swim across the pond to greet you, and follow along as you walk along the edge of your pond. They are great pets. You should not change the water in your pond if your filtration and circulation are adequate, at least not for a long time. When you get your first algae bloom this summer and the pond turns into pea soup RESIST the urge to change the water. The algae will use up all of the nutrients, then it will die, leaving your pond clear. If you change the water you have to start all over again. To start off, you can treat your water with de-chlorinator, after a few days add your plants, and wait a few more days to add your goldfish. You can buy cheap small fish; they grow fast. Finally, plant your hardy water lilies in a nice, large container so they can grow. Don't worry about the dirt in the bottom of the pond unless there's a really measurable amount, like 1/8 inch across the whole bottom. Here's a link explaining the Sunset Zones. Have fun with your new pond, and post photos when it's done! Renee Here is a link that might be useful: Sunset Garden Zones

Large bullfrogs are a tadpole for 2 years. If things ate them ther would be no frogs on earth. The way they have protection is their Tails. If I put 3 five gal buckets of bulfrog tadpoles in a take on my fish truck an a fish gets in there the fish will be dead in a few mins. This is because of the poison in the tadpoles tails getting into the water. So no fish will eat tadpoles. Now I have seen here Hybrid bluegills eat toad tadpoles. This is because a toad is a tadpole just a few weeks and does not have the 2 years tail protection like the big frogs need. I ahv raised fish 40 years now and hate having 50,000 frog tadpoles in apond with fish then drain it and have to SORT by hand 1-2-3-4-50,000 tadpoles from the fish. Bar graders do not work if the fish are the same size, you have be careful not to mix then in a small tank and kill fish. My fish farm is for sale now and hope i do not have sort tadpoles soon :( rest my life :( Type LIVE FISH OF INDIANA for photos --i dont think i still haev tadpole pictures there ?

Hi Two funny stories about that behavior. had a neighborhood cat that every morning would jump up to the edge of the pool get a drink and groom a bit. I put in some large Koi . The cat started his ritual BUT the Koi grabbed his whiskers ,cat was so startled he jumped 3 feet into the air landing in the water. Koi helped him get out.lol Night herons quickly learn that by disturbing the water surface they can get the fish to come to them. I've watched them use a stick and the fish will gather in a group expecting food lol One caught 12 fish in a row even with that the fish still didn't scatter !!! All he had to do was hold still and they came running right back lol. gary

I too havent been here for yrs! moved to condo, no space :>( BUT this is SO inspiring!! stunning! I just finished an outdoor sign for my bro-in-law, forgot all my prev knowledge (used unsanded, etc, came out too white, blahblah..lol), so..we'll see..this is quite wonderful..(had a REAL pond at the house, miss it so..)