Step 1
Before designing a habitat it is best to investigate what
species of frogs are found in your area. It is important
to create an environment that is attractive to them.
Visit your local creek, pond or waterway and learn what
you can about the needs of local frogs. Check out field
guides for frogs to help you identify your local frogs,
or you could speak to someone from your local frog groups.
If you want to just focus on building your pond right away,
a quick call to your local pet store should get you the
information you need to plan for the species of frogs in
your area.
Step 2
The pond should be part sunny, part shady so the frogs
have options. Shade from plants and trees are great, but
the pond should not be
directly underneath trees, particularly if they lose their
leaves. Some trees like oleanders and pines have toxic leaves
which can poison the water.
Step 3
A garden night light near the pond will provide attractive
reflections and also encourage insects over the pond for
the frogs to eat.
Step 4
Frog ponds can be built from a variety of materials. Plastic-lined
ponds are the most popular. Heavy duty, UV resistant, PVC
liner can be purchased from your local nursery or landscape
supplier. Placing shade cloth on top of the liner will provide
a non-slippery surface for both the frogs and any other
wanderer that happens to slip into the pond. The liner and
shade cloth can be held in place at the edge with rocks.
Don't forget to leave enough spaces for the frogs to get
out of the pond.
Step 5
Purchase local native plants from your area as they will
create the natural habitat of your local frogs and also
attract insects. A wide variety of native trees, shrubs,
grasses, climbers, lilies and ferns will create a balanced
plant environment. Aquatic plants can be placed in the pond
still in their pots. The more diverse the plant life, the
greater the abundance and variety of wildlife. The ultimate
frog environment may support numerous types of frogs, some
which will live in the trees and some which will live in
the ground.
Step 6
Good quality water is important for a healthy frog pond.
Water must be chlorine and chemical free. Leave tap water
in sunlight for around a week so chlorine disappears.
Step 7
Frog ponds can sometimes attract mosquitoes but there are
things you can do to control them without the use of insecticides.
By installing a circulating pump in your pond you can make
the water less appealing to breeding mosquitoes which prefer
still or stagnant water for egg laying. Otherwise put some
fish into the pond. There are a lot of native fish that
are excellent mosquito eaters, but unfortunately many native
fish eat tadpoles. The following native fish are recommended
for mosquito control and are usually tadpole friendly. Two
or three fish per small pond is plenty to keep the mosquito
larvae under control.
Pacific Blue-eye (Pseudomugil signifer)
Fly-speckled Hardyhead (Craterocephalus tercusmuscarum)
Australian Smelt (Retropinna semoni)
The Mosquito Fish (Gambusia affinis), Goldfish and carp
should NEVER be introduced into any pond
or frog habitat. These introduced fish feast on tadpoles
and cause considerable harm to native fish, frogs and other
aquatic life.
