I did get your link to work, just had to search from the main page. I do have some goldfish in the pond and probably will have more after this spring. Started off with 2 and now have 20 so will give some to a local pet shop probably and give some to friends. I love the toads and my one "pet" frog that made residence. The kids from the neighborhood love watching the cycle of life from mating, eggs, tadpoles, all the way to adults and some of the babies you can even regognize to adulthood by their odd coloring every now and then. Those ones get names. I'm so excited for my first sets of the southern leopard eggs though. We have parrotfeather, hornwart apleanty and iris for the bog and 2 lilly plants and add water hyacinth in the summer. Probably will add in a couple weeks because don't do well if added to early. BTW--The toads do use the lillies, especially the babies during their inbetween stages. We'll often find them still with pointy tails on the pads. We also keep various other plants in the bog that "feeds" down to the pond, usually canna, elephant ear or impatience.

clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by mikeygraz 5 Omaha, NE (My Page) on Fri, Jul 11, 08 at 15:43 PervinPatty - Obviously you didn't do YOUR research on this subject. You undoubtedly got your information from the following website: www.californiaherps.com This is an excellent resource, and I know some of the people who have put that whole thing together. You obviously didn't look at the species list closely enough, as you will see that the southern leopard frog (Rana utricularia) is an INTRODUCED species - that means it is not native and doesn't belong there! While northern leopard frogs once had a few spots in northerneastern California where they were present, it is likely that they are EXTIRPATED (that means they are gone) from the state now, as it also says on that site and if you actually took the time to read scientific journals (as I do) you'll see that repeated efforts to find relict populations have failed. Also, you'll notice that northern leopard frogs never ranged into Central california, where you say you live...so again, that goes back to my saying you shouldn't be bringing in nonnative or nonlocal species. Obviously you didn't read my original post - do you really think that a northern leopard frog (or leopard toad, as you put it, haha) with its origins in North Carolina would survive in your region? I doubt it...not to mention the fact that it is ILLEGAL. You tried using the word "indigenous" as well - you have to use that word with some measure of scale - there are lots of anurans indigenous to California - but how about YOUR LOCAL area? I guess by your rules, you could take a Couch's spadefoot toad from extreme southeastern CA and put it in your pond...because its indigenous to California, right? Or maybe a Green Treefrog (Hyla cinerea), because they are indigenous to the United State, and they sure are pretty! Again, do your research, and if you're too lazy to go find some construction sites or golf courses nearby you, then tough luck. Don't get pissy at me for advising and educating you about the problems that could be caused by your actions. ~Mike An old post but worth repeating!

Well it's been a week and the tadpoles seem to be very fat and happy. They love the nasty boiled lettuce and I stuck a bunch of my floating plants in the tank and a small rock with algea on it. I also have a strange looking water bug and a couple of baby salamanderes which look a lot like the tadpoles just skinnier and they have a little fan around their gills. also now have several baby fish... My fish spawned and I didn't realize it and stuck the pond plants in there.. I was down looking in the side of the pond and saw all the babies in it so I know they weren't some out of the same pond as the tadpoles. My hubby thinks I'm nuts with my obsession with the fish/frogs/etc. Just can't help myself.

Don't have any pictures but they will be in the water not hanging on to any plant life. The eggs are almost transparent jelly like almost round in shape with a dark spot in the middle. When they get a little larger you will see a tail form on one end and a little later legs. To me it kind of reminds me of a very large bowl of the insides of a concord grape without the purple color all close together.