dead tadpoles&small 40 gallon pond

Question
Hi! I'm a huge fan of yours! I have a small 40 gallon pond, and a slightly larger 100 gallon pond.  Earlier this year I put 5 Green frog tadpoles in it.  In a week I found them out of the water on a 1 square foot walkway.  If I put a net over my pond, will future tadpoles be safe?  I would also like to know if fish would do well in the 40 gallon pond, without a pump/aerator/filter, and if so, what type?

Answer
I don't really have fans.
It sounds like a raccoon, cat, or other predator dumped your tadpoles out of the pond.  Mine do that quite often.  A net will protect them although raccoons can often take them off if they're not secure.
If you want fish in your 40 gallon pond, I suggest keeping fish in there only in the summer (if you get cold winters).  Semi-tropical fish like guppies, platies, paradise fish, zebra danios, and white cloud mountain minnows all do well in tub ponds outside in the summer.  If you have winters there, your pond is probably too small to overwinter hardy fish.  If it were, I might suggest rosy red minnows or mosquito fish.  I would avoid goldfish but you can grow out goldfish fry in there and remove them before winter.  Good luck!

Robyn
fishpondinfo.com