Pond Boss Forums STOCKING A NEW POND Creating the food chain Frogs, Tadpoles and more Frogs

I am not by any means a fish expert, but based on my experience in central Indiana, I would recommend creating a shallow earthen wetland near the existing pond devoid of any fish. I created one above my pond and seperated it from the main pond with a berm, more to keep fish out than to keep water in (good clay base). The aquatic insects and other non-fish critters keep mosquitoes out. I have not seen a single larvae in the wetland. It fills with tadpoles in the spring and early summer, but thins out as the season progresses, perhaps due to green and blue heron predation and turtles. Frogs and toads are everywhere around it. I have two additional shallow ponds (less than 5 feet deep) that have been contaminated with fish from a nearby stream (during a flood). So far the bluegill have survived the winters, but I am hoping the recent cold snap will knock them back. I love the LMB, CC, and BG in my pond, but they really hammer amphibians. No need to have fish in a wetland to control mosquitoes in my area, at least once the wetland fills with preditory insects. If you do not have a clay base for a wetland, you may be able to connect it to your pond with a trench filled with pea gravel. You could then build a substantial berm over the trench between the pond and wetland to keep the two from becoming connected during floods. Need to put a filter fabric over the pea gravel before covering with dirt. Just some ideas from an amature...