From Koi Pond to Chaos: How We Almost Became Frog Farmers in Bali
Please advise before we accidentally raise 400 frogs. 🐸🫠💧 Frog eggs have been “saved” from the koi pond… and lovingly dumped into my water feature. In the middle of the yard.
Life as a family in Bali is full of little surprises—some wonderful, some... slightly chaotic. This week’s adventure? An unexpected journey into frog farming, courtesy of a curious little helper and a seemingly innocent koi pond.
It all began when our child, eyes wide with excitement, noticed "little jelly blobs" floating alongside the koi. With the best intentions, they decided to rescue what we soon discovered were frog eggs. How sweet, right? Except their new home wasn’t the natural banks of a Balinese rice paddy—it was our backyard water feature. Right in the center of the yard, no shade, no cover, and definitely zero frog permits.
Within days, life bloomed. Tiny tadpoles wiggled in all directions, and we found ourselves Googling, “how to stop raising 400 frogs by accident.” Bali living turned amphibious overnight. For expat families, these are the kinds of curveballs that turn into memories (and maybe lessons in biology and pond filtration).
Now, our afternoons are spent explaining frog lifecycles and gently suggesting return trips to nearby rice paddies—their true amphibian paradise. If you’re traveling to Bali with kids, be prepared: this island has a way of blending nature and curiosity in ways you just can’t predict.
Pro tip: If you’re staying somewhere with a koi pond, keep an eye out for stowaway frogspawn. Or at least set some ground rules around ‘saving’ nature’s wonders.
Until then, we remain reluctant frog hosts, hopeful that our backyard doesn’t turn into the next frog sanctuary of Ubud. 🐸
