Bullfrogs and goldfish

[Virginia ranchu]

A pretty large Bullfrog has found his way to my pond, and I am wondering if anyone has ever had a problem with Bullfrogs eating their goldfish. This guy is about 10 inches from nose to tail, and spends most of his time hanging out in my skimmer, but he is able to swim in and out at will. I actually wouldn't care if he ate the random fry that were born in the pond, but I don't want to lose any other fish. I have some young orandas with 3" to 4" bodies, and I'm wondering if I should be concerned about them. I have read online that they can eat goldfish, but I want to know if anyone has experienced a real problem with Bullfrogs eating their fish.

thanks,

Rob

[Cincy Ranchu]

only one answer- pellet gun:exact::exact:

[Fishman43]

Get rid of the frog!!!

I have not had goldfish long enough to say frogs can eat them, but last summer in my outdoor fish "ponds" (kiddie swimming pools) I lost every one of my large swordtail breeders to what turned out to be a very small (in comparison) frog. These were adult swords so were a good size and can swim fast, but not fast enough. Better safe than sorry, besides a frog that size has good size back legs breaded and fried in butter... yum :yess:

[Ichthius]

here's a thousand words:
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/photos/amphibians/bullfrogs/frogfish.jpg

[Fishman43]

That is sad... :cry:

[Virginia ranchu]

That's him alright! I just got a hankerin' for frogs legs:)

[Ichthius]

They make great tacos. Just make sure you cook it very well frogs are magnets for paracites.

[nygold]

Relocate him, the little bugger is just trying to make a living like the rest of us.
Stick him in a local pond or lake.

[Virginia ranchu]

That's my plan....Don't worry I wouldn't harm him. I was actually hoping to keep him as a pond pet, but I am concerned about the fish.

thanks,

Rob

[goldfishin]

I have no feelings for a bull frog. I killed 32 this year and heard another one last night. They tore up one of my adult ryukin and ate some babies. The funny thing about them is, There is no stream or farmers pond close by. 3/4 mile away to the nearest pond.

[Ichthius]

By my estimates that's 660 hops for an adult bullfrog.

At one hop a minute that's only 11 hrs to get from the pond to your goldfish.

I'm sure there are plenty of them in the natural pond!

Have fun keeping them out of your pond.

[Virginia ranchu]

I never knew they were such predators. I have no idea how this frog got here, he must have hopped along a hot asphalt street, or fallen from the sky.

[Corrie]

Rob, I've had them clean out a tub before. 2-4 inch fish.
I've got a problem with tadpoles right now, so I'm starting a new thread about that.
Corrie

[bekko]

Did I ever tell you guys about the bull frog who was eating my baby ducks? Try a wrist-rocket sling shot and a flash light.

-steve

[Ichthius]

In college I interned with USFW service at ashmeadows wildlife refuge in Nevada for 4 months. This is where the devils hole pupfish lives. As part of my duties I would shoot bull frogs in an attempt to remove/control them. In most cases they had two crayfish in their stomach. Once there was a duckling and fortunately I never found any pupfish. I used a head lamp and a pellet gun. You had to shoot the at a gaily exact angel or the pellet would bounce off and the frog would swim away.

[tracey_shafer]

Relocating will not work, it will just come back & bring a girlfriend.. One person on a koi board had one eating koi up to 6 inchs. It was a nightmare to catch & stop she had some prize babies.
And I live no where close to a pond, lake or waterway either but they find my ponds every summer, last summer we cleaned over 200 tadpoles out of my wakin pond, one the size of my DH's fist from eating my wakins & its siblings.
We hauled 5 gal buckets of them to a park lake miles from here over & over.

[Ranchu Rancher]

I had my first frog at my pond. I relocated it so far so good.

Gregg

[Ranchu Rancher]

Guess whos back. pellet gun it is.


Gregg

[Ranchu Rancher]

My frog brought a friend, caught both of them last night and relocated them to a pond a little over a mile away.

Gregg

[elinore]

Be careful! You might have more problems with them. I work at a greenhouse with a large goldfish and koi pond and we've had to relocate the frogs (and snakes!) at least 5 miles away or they tend to hop back, and unfortunately they do seem to bring friends! We even checked if it was the same individuals, and it was time and time again. Here in Northern WI, it's very common to find bullfrogs who dine on lake fish, crayfish, snakes, other frogs, and sadly ducklings. They will eat mice and chipmunks too...never underestimate their appetites! Good luck :)

[George Washington]

A few years ago a friend did some research on gill flukes and he told me that frogs carry gill flukes. As tadpoles they are susceptible to gill flukes while their gills are on the outside. Then when they metamorphose from tadpole to frog the gills turn inward and create mucus lined rudimentary lungs. The gill flukes go inside with the gills and frogs carry them for life.

Since being told this I do not allow any frogs to stay in my goldfish ponds. Maybe another reason why this bullfrog or any frog should be discouraged from staying in your pond, especially where there are young fish.

[Veil Gal]

OK, So let this be a warning to you all who have ponds. A huge bull frog appeared three days ago. I saw his head resting above the pond surface, and as soon as he spotted me, he quietly receded below the water. This happened again the next time I observed the pond. This frog was very big, and acted very sly.
The next time I went out to feed my fish, two of my best colored Bristol Shubunkins did not show up for dinner. I knew there was a problem.
Long story short, my husband shot the bullfrog at night with a pellet gun.
We slit the frog's abdomen open and found my two beautiful shubunkin in this monster's stomach. One of those fish had PERFECT calico coloration.
MY advice to anyone who has had a bull frog move into their pond. Kill it immediately!

[Virginia ranchu]

Hi Michelle,

I am sorry for your loss, but thank you for sharing your story. Your evidence leaves no doubt. FYI- an old sage tells me that you can hook a bullfrog with a small hook on fishing line. He suggested using a fly, or even a folded blade of grass as a lure, and skipping it across the pond surface. This might be an easy way to hook a frog. Also, be careful not to puncture your pond liner when using a pellet gun.

Best,
Rob