Great start on your toad village! I have to admit, the toads are my favorites. I have low flower pots on the deck that they love to bury themselves in. They love potting mix because it's easy to dig in. I leave the light on at night so they can catch bugs and there are usually one or 2 on the deck when I put the dogs out. I've had a couple lonely toads trilling in my pond the last few weeks and I guess a girl toad finally showed up --- I have little toady tadpoles in the stream! My daughter relocated a frog for me today. A very large, male green frog. Once they get big enough to eat my fish, and he was looking very well fed, they get relocated. No matter how many we move, there are always a dozen more to take their places. sam

A 9 watt UV lamp should eliminate the algae in a pond your size. Make sure the flow rate is not too high. A lower flow rate will expose the algae to more UV light. I would try a flow rate of about 300 gph. If that doesn't work, you may have to replace the bulb. There are two types of filter systems needed in your pond. A bio-filter uses media like nylon or plastic to provide a place for healthy bacteria to grow. Bio material should not be cleaned. The bacteria helps clean your pond and reduces suspended algae. A mechanical filter uses filter material to trap particles floating in your pond. They collect fish and plant waste and should be cleaned often. Using batting and other mechanical filter material will help clean your pond. If the filters get dirty fast, you need to clean them often. Additional filters will help. The string algae can be removed with a scrubbing brush. Peroxide will help reduce string algae. I use a pint to treat my 1,000 gallon pond. You would cut that dosage in half. String algae won't cause any harm to your pond, but it is ugly and most pond owners try to get rid of it. I think I would work on the suspended algae (green water) first. Get the UV working a proper flow rate and keep the mechanical filter material clean. Each time you clean your mechanical filters you are reducing the crud in your pond. Adding peroxide will result in dead string algae which will also clog your filters.

hey lady what are you doing over here? LOL ! I try very hard to get them all out and and run them across the road to the lake. I also sink plastic flower pots with batting in them. The ones that stay in the bigger lower pond make it ok, it's the ones that insist on hiding in the top two small ponds that don't :( Why not take em over to the lake, they can bury in the sand and stay snug as a bug in a rug. I would still sink a pot for the ones that escape you...I think Jo Daddy and Hussy Mom are on their way to you...but thats another forum.

Yes, it's true, "poison dart frogs" in captivity are not toxic. While scientists haven't yet pinpointed the exact chemical pathway by which it occurs, Dendrobatids (poison dart frogs) produce a toxin by converting alkyloids present in insects endemic to their environment. The insects get the alkyloids from the plants they eat, etc, etc. So, when you bring a frog into captivity and feed it the wingless fruit flies dusted in vitamin powder, there are no alkyloids to chemically alter to create a dendrotoxin. While it is true that they should not be handled for the sake of the frogs, I can attest to the fact that I have had no reaction whatsoever to holding or touching any of my frogs. As for the temperatures and heating elements mentioned somewhere around in one of these posts, it should be noted that poison dart frogs really don't need to have a heater. In fact, most do best in temps that range between 68-75 degrees F, and can actually be harmed by prolonged temps above 80 . . . so there are some dracs and masde's that can be kept with pdf's (from what I have been told by others). Restrepias seem like another natural choice, as well as other orchids from the pleurothallid alliance that are intermediate growers that love high humidity (80%+ at all times). Anyway, my point is that room temps are best for darts, and you will probably have to plan to ensure that your light setup doesn't overheat the terrarium and stress them. As for other frogs that do well in the 80 degree range, I have read that others find milk frogs (in my opinion, one of the cooler looking tree frogs) need temps in the 80's to thrive. Anyway, I feel like I'm rambling now, so I'll just stop.