What can I do with it?

Just bought a house that has a concrete pool/pond or something of that nature. When we first viewed the property it was the home of frogs. However, since we are not going to be using it really was thinking of maybe using it for a small fish farm (just for feeding us --family of 4). It's too large to turn into a fire pit LOL We're not big fish eaters either so wouldn't have to be many fish. Mainly just to get some use out of it. I also would like not to have to use a pump or any electricity for it if at all possible.... I have no idea how deep it is--can't see the bottom, but it is a ovalish shape with wide low walls. The picture isn't the best angle.

Tie a string securely to a rock. Lower the rock until it hits the bottom. This will give you an idea how deep the pool is.

Thank you for responding. I will do that once we go up there again. We are not yet living there... but hopefully, I can find something to do with it or it seems like it'd be a potential wasted resource.

How deep would it have to be for growing a couple fish? We're not big fish eaters...but would rather use it for something besides a place to collect rain water.

I'm not the one to ask about raising fish, although I'm surely interested in it. Getting good information to work with will help those fish gurus out there to offer better advice.

Check out these folks - a really neat idea. Keep in mind that they are doing this in Phoenix, AZ: http://gardenpool.org/

Went up there again and the depth is a good meter and the inside width is over 5 feet. There is a lot of sediment build-up on the bottom. My husband is planning on draining the whole thing and cleaning out the sediment this spring. He's going to attempt to kill off the frogs.

I looked at the link. Since the 'pond' is a focal point of the land so I want something to complement that. As soon as you pull in through the gate you see it. I am planning to cover the top with reinforced fencing because I have small children and don't want them to fall in. Maybe, have plants sticking up through that... There is already a chicken coop and a place for rabbits in the small orchard behind the barn.

The stuff in the bottom of the pond is likely a really good source of nutrients for a garden or lawn. If you stir up the whole thing with the water in it, then you'd probably have a serious plant booster solution. Like super compost tea.

I'd let the frogs be as they are probably eating a lot of bugs and larval pests. Their young (tadpoles) will help clean the pond of algae and other gunk. Even if you kill them off, they will be back every year. It's good habitat for them and as long as you're going to keep fish, the frogs are a bonus feature. Just my two cents. Frogs are a sign of good clean water, because they have a wet skin they are really susceptible to foul water conditions. Think of them as a good omen. It's essentially already ready for fish. Might just need a filter to better oxygenate the water.
I'd probably line the edges with filter type plants that help clean the water. You could look into Natural Swimming Pools to see how they go about filtration. It's pretty cool.
best of luck


Also. The wall looks like it's too high for a frog to get out of the pond once it's inside. Perhaps placing a log in there so that they can climb out would be of some use as well.

Thank you for your suggestions!!! I didn't know they were a sign of clean water. My husband wants to get rid of them because there were tons of them there and croaking very loudly when we viewed the land. He thinks if he doesn't get rid of them then we wont be able to sleep at night. The water level is higher during the spring/summer/early autumn. That pic was taken late autumn. But the frogs seemed to be able to come and go as they pleased. Here are some other pics.

I can't sleep without the night chirps and croaks of the various spring and summer creatures. Once you listen, ( really listen) you'll probably find them to be quite relaxing. I try to think of it as the frogs saying: " Everything is OK. The water is fine. We'll take care of the mosquitoes and the algae. Now sleep well, you've got shit to do in the morning".
One night you'll be inside and suddenly notice the frogs have stopped croaking. And the crickets too. You'll want to know why and you'll go investigate. And you'll learn something. Probably a predator in the yard. A natural early warning system.

Just some of the benefits of frogs.

And if you have wall clocks that tick... tick... tick. That's much louder in the silence of country living. The frogs and crickets help drown out the house noises. for what that's worth.

If it ever came down to it, you could eat the frogs too. It depends on the species and the size but a good sized bull frog has a pretty decent set of legs on it. They are also good bait for catching large-mouth bass or other fish. Tadpoles are great bait too. They are also a source of free food for the fish you may want to keep in that pond. If you have kids, there's a great home school lesson about metamorphosis. EGG-Tadpole- Frog.

Jeez... it's like I'm suddenly some kind of frog advocate. LOL

Where is this pond located? If you're not really into eating fish, you may be able to use it to raise something else like crawfish. Could also be of use to ducks or geese, though they will foul the water pretty fast.

I spent a lot of time moaning to my other half this summer about why we had to dig the pond so close to the house as the frogs were so noisy, but the truth is I went to sleep with a smile on my face listening to them. I think by the end of the summer I could tell about 12 of them apart just by their voices though...

Keep the frogs. Their sounds are easier to tune out than the mosquito bites
My suburban home has scores of frogs and toads. They do real service eating pests that will gobble up your garden if the frogs and toads are gone.

I heard recently that a mature frog will eat about 1/2 pound (about 250g) of insects per day.
Talk about a useful member to your team!