Several questions - recently, i've been doing some lay research regarding fresh-water vernal ponds and amphibians who use them for breeding.

As i think of 'em, ill post questions and thoughts on vernal ponds in this thread sequence.

1. unrelated: what do you think they mean by certain frogs, i.e. pickerel and southern leapard frogs, living in brakish water - is it to be presumed they, also, breed in brackish - or mostly hunt around it and rarely bathe long in it, waiting for rain for fresh water. Do they even find great advantage for being in brakish.

2. unrelated: do you think that many species of amphibians from zone 3 Minnesota could survive in New Jersey - cause recently, i was thinking about that - since its colder there, i would think they could live here - maybe they would be here, except for competion, in which case they are simply more suited for reproduction there and have not thrived here or made it this far.

3. It is clear to me that some species of frogs prefer or only breed in vernal ponds - do you think that such frogs as wood frogs would breed in a garden pond if it has a stream running into it - because i'm thinking that nearly all vernal ponds have no or only minimal in-take of water from a stream - would this throw their instincts off - or species more exclusive to vernal ponds.

4. If you think a stream entering the pond (even if muffled - the very sound of rushing water may scare em off as an indicator as a non-true vernal pond which may have fish entering from the stream) i can use my pond in the front yard which has no stream or fall to hopefully breed the toads and woodfrogs and peepers (which the books claim sometimes breed in large vernal ponds)

5. I wont be done with my big pond until the fall of next year. I want to know your opinion on this:

I'm thinking about using my small 11 x 6 pond containing only about 275-300 gallons just to hold tadpoles and harvested egg masses until my big pond is ready so that i can dump them in the fall that follows the spring of the same year. [The wood frogs and toad tadpoles can mature there and leave and maybe come back one day to breed.] If i use the pond only to host tadpoles and fill it well with plants and even throw spinage and what ever else in regularly, how many mature sized green-frog tadpoles do you think that small pond can support - provided i feed them well and have my 500 gph to promote oxygen.

i guess i should be asking, with 275 gallons of water and about 11 x 6 feet of pond floor area, not to mention the extra surface area provided by the pond plants - how many dozen should be pushing it. i dont think crowding will stunt growth - and with the pump and the tons of elodia and algea, maybe the O2 levels may be better then as in a true vernal pond.

5a. in the above small pond, is it safe to mix wood frog-, pickerel frog-, american toad-, spring peeper-, and green frog- Tadpoles? i think they are poisonous unto eachother, in some combinations -

"1. unrelated: what do you think they mean by certain frogs, i.e. pickerel and southern leapard frogs, living in brakish water - is it to be presumed they, also, breed in brackish - or mostly hunt around it and rarely bathe long in it, waiting for rain for fresh water. Do they even find great advantage for being in brakish."

Some amphibians may be able to adapt to living in semi-brackish water if that's what they're used to, or they have time to adapt. I doubt they would breed in brackish water but if the salt content is still pretty low, they may.

"2. unrelated: do you think that many species of amphibians from zone 3 Minnesota could survive in New Jersey - cause recently, i was thinking about that - since its colder there, i would think they could live here - maybe they would be here, except for competion, in which case they are simply more suited for reproduction there and have not thrived here or made it this far."

Even among the same species, in different places, they learn to adapt to their local environs. That may mean that if moved from MN to NJ, a frog may be "confused" as to where to go or when to breed. They certainly won't have a problem with being too cold since MN is colder but being used to the climate in MN, they might not be clear on what time of the year it is and things like that. Any time a species is supplanted, they also have to deal with a new group of predators, competitors, invasives (or maybe they're the invasive), new food sources, new physical topography, new climate, etc.

"3. It is clear to me that some species of frogs prefer or only breed in vernal ponds - do you think that such frogs as wood frogs would breed in a garden pond if it has a stream running into it - because i'm thinking that nearly all vernal ponds have no or only minimal in-take of water from a stream - would this throw their instincts off - or species more exclusive to vernal ponds."

Those species that prefer to breed in vernal pools (temporary, shallow, fishless, no water movement) such as wood frogs and tree frogs (including spring peepers) in my experience will probably not breed in a pond with water movement unless the movement is very slight, and the pond is still shallow and fishless. Such frogs would have to be desperate to breed in what are unfit ponds for their biology and instincts. Now, the pickerel, green, and bullfrogs will be a-hopping to such a deeper pond with stream to breed and hang out.

"4. If you think a stream entering the pond (even if muffled - the very sound of rushing water may scare em off as an indicator as a non-true vernal pond which may have fish entering from the stream) i can use my pond in the front yard which has no stream or fall to hopefully breed the toads and woodfrogs and peepers (which the books claim sometimes breed in large vernal ponds)"

Yes, those frogs like large ponds but ones that have little or no water movement, are shallow, and fishless.

"I'm thinking about using my small 11 x 6 pond containing only about 275-300 gallons just to hold tadpoles and harvested egg masses until my big pond is ready so that i can dump them in the fall that follows the spring of the same year. [The wood frogs and toad tadpoles can mature there and leave and maybe come back one day to breed.] If i use the pond only to host tadpoles and fill it well with plants and even throw spinage and what ever else in regularly, how many mature sized green-frog tadpoles do you think that small pond can support - provided i feed them well and have my 500 gph to promote oxygen."

I really don't know. My 153 gallon pond has hundreds of green frog tadpoles of various sizes at any time but only a few ever seem to mature. My tub ponds get a few hundred smaller tadpoles laid each year, and I try to net out what I can before they freeze. In those tub ponds, they are super crowded, with no filtration (that's where the frogs wanted to lay! I moved some eggs when they did.). So, don't worry so much about how many can fit in there and just put what you happen to find. I feed my tadpoles regular fish food.

"i guess i should be asking, with 275 gallons of water and about 11 x 6 feet of pond floor area, not to mention the extra surface area provided by the pond plants - how many dozen should be pushing it. i dont think crowding will stunt growth - and with the pump and the tons of elodia and algea, maybe the O2 levels may be better then as in a true vernal pond."

Are you asking how many plants to add or how many tadpoles? Like I said, I wouldn't worry too much about how many tadpoles. Nature will balance out their numbers. I've found that some tadpoles become runts and don't grow while others get bigger faster. While having fewer tadpoles would reduce competition for food and presumably result in faster maturation time, with high numbers of tadpoles, there is a better chance of any one of them avoiding predation, having good genetics, and yet another one hopefully maturing. I couldn't see myself pulling some tadpoles out and saying, "Oops, sorry, we're over the 150 tadpole limit, you'll have to go. I have no where for you so your life is over."

"5a. in the above small pond, is it safe to mix wood frog-, pickerel frog-, american toad-, spring peeper-, and green frog- Tadpoles? i think they are poisonous unto eachother, in some combinations - "

If they are in small enough numbers, it wouldn't be a problem. In larger numbers, the larger tadpoles as they mature may eat the smaller species tadpoles such as a large green frog tadpole eating a tiny spring peeper. This would only happen if the larger tadpoles were starving and the smaller ones were not yet mobile in most likelihood. Toad tadpoles are poisonous (not necessarily mortally so) if eaten. I've never had any animals seemingly die from that since most animals simply avoid eating them.