Removing tadpoles from pool

Melis

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BFDA325F-E972-4615-8A84-D55A4FAE20C3.jpeg C00CAC94-0CF0-4987-9CA3-64AA9A0429E4.jpeg Any suggestions on how to remove a large amount of tadpoles from an inground pool? We just bought a house that sat on the market about 4 years, so the pool has not been opened in at least that many years. When we took the tattered cover off we found out we have our very own pond with hundreds of tadpoles! Now while I eventually want to have a pond on our property, the pool is not the place for it lol. Because the water is so dark, we were not very successful in fishing them out with a net. Wasn’t sure if anyone had any other ideas?
 

PJay

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Congratulations on your new purchase! Box turtles love tadpoles as part of their diet, if you can use a net to collect them they would love it!
 

mark1

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I would agree , drain it down and get a minnow seine ……….
 

Yvonne G

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You're going to have to drain the pool clear out anyway, to clean it and get it ready for human habitation, so just run the filter pump with the hose going out in the yard someplace.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I had a similar experience trying to sell my grandmother's house with a large pool that was full of creatures.
A special permit was required to get rid of the water, etc,etc.
What I did was I ran a long pipe across the narrow part of the pool and dropped in an aquarium "powerhead" pump hooked up to a long peice of hose via Home Depot and plugged into a long, outdoor extension cord.
Every day I stopped by and adjusted the pump a little lower.
It pumped out water at such a slow rate that it was absorbed into the ground. No flooding. Eleven days later. Nothing. And eventually it got so low that I was able to get in there and scoop out, net out all of the animals. There were even small fishes in there.
You'll be left with a few inches of stinky muck. It'll need to be squeegeed bleached and washed. You'll need help.
Also, make sure that your pump and filter are working before you're ready to do the final clean up.
I had found that her pump had frozen up and rusted. Maybe why the pool had gone funky in the first place.
There ARE companies that will come out and just suck all the water out. With permits. And now that I have a bad back, that's exactly what I'd do today.
 

wellington

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Or you could wait until they become frogs and help them get out and on their way. Then he prepared to quickly drain it out or put in it whatever you can so they wouldn't want to come back to it.
 

Melis

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A few of you sound just like my fiance. He tried to tell me he and his friends would get them out. Then proceeded to tell me how much bass like tadpoles...
 

PJay

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I'm a frog proponent normally, but feeding my box turtles has turned me a bit into an opportunist. :(
 

ZEROPILOT

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View attachment 240162

Our old house was near a pond so we would hear some peepers from there. Quite different when you’re serenaded by these guys 10 feet from the House! Lol
That's a pretty cool frog.
I think that most of our tadpoles are tiny Caine toads. Not cute and poisonous to the wildlife.
 

Lyn W

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Don't kill them whatever you do!
I would wait until they are frogs so at least they have a chance of survival and making their own way in the world.
Think of all the slugs they will get rid of for you!
 

Len B

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View attachment 240162

Our old house was near a pond so we would hear some peepers from there. Quite different when you’re serenaded by these guys 10 feet from the House! Lol
In the very early spring when the water is still very cold the spotted salamanders are the first to show up, then the woods frogs come up and around Mothers Day the gray tree frogs (whats in your hand) get together in the hundreds in the small pond at the Calvert Co. house. It's been the same each year for 30 years. The woods frogs get so loud they sound like crows from inside the house.
 

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