questions re new wildlife pond

11 years ago

Hello,

What a great forum! Thanks for all of the information so generously posted.

We are in the process of creating a wildlife-friendly 10' x 12' pond. We plan not to introduce fish, or to use a pump or filter, hoping that the plants will keep things "balanced." We harvest rainwater in 275-gallon totes and will use that to replenish the pond.

Do we need to have rocks covering the liner under the water to keep the liner from degrading? (Right now we have nothing.)

Does anyone know a nursery that specializes in native aquatic plants?

How much success have folks had with soilless planting? (And, without fish, how do you fertilize the plants?)

Any advice will be appreciated!

Betony

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Comments (8)

kalevi
11 years ago
Without any fish you will be raising mosquitoes. Put some rosy reds or mosquito fish in there. Fertilizing the plants, if they are in pots, is easy with Jobe's tomato or flower spikes.
pcan
11 years ago
You don't need to cover the liner with rocks as long as there is water over the liner it wont degrade. Just cover what isn't covered with water or the sun will degrade the liner rather fast. Most ponders don't like rocks in the water since it makes the pond harder to clean.

You can mosquito fish for free from the local mosquito abatement (at least you can here) call them up and see if they will come drop some off. They are very small and need no care.
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LOL! Going to the bottom is normal behavior for fish that are in a panic. Sometimes they disappear for weeks. They may even temporarily lose all their colors. The dark color of the water is probably tannins but it is also possible there is debris in the water. To figure out which, scoop some water into a glass jar and let it sit undisturbed for a couple of hours. Any debris or free floating algae will settle out or float to the top. Tea colored water shows there are tannins or other organic compounds present. Some of the organic compounds are harmful to the fish. Tannins come from rotting leaves, peat moss in potting soil and any thing else organic that is rotting. It often has an odor like sewage that is unpleasant. Adequate filtration will eventually remove debris and some of the algae. To get rid of the rest of the algae you can use chemicals or a UV light. I like the UV since there has less chance to harm the fish and it doesn't bother the algae that grows on the sides of the pond. That is considered beneficial and the fish will graze on it. The UV can also kill some free floating parasites that show up every so often. I have never had the problem of green water. For tannins (tea colored water or tannic acid) you need Activated Carbon also known as Activated charcoal placed in a permeable bag in a place where there is an active water flow. The tannin molecules react and combine with the carbon molecules on the surface of the chunks. Odors in the water are also removed with AC. Zeolite will handle most other organic compounds. There are chemicals available for this but there is a chance they won't work as well. Try the Zeolite. You should test the water for nitrates and nitrites (organic compounds)regularly. The black liner is the best color to have. The colors of the fish pop out when you see them, so long as the water is clear. You will be able to see all the way to the bottom. Has anyone suggested you get a Pond Test Kit? It is an important thing to have. Did you remeasure the dimensions of the pond to get the volume of water? I used two sites to get the 588 gallon measurement. I can't hear the pond inside of the house. I have been looking for an inside-outside intercom to take care of that problem. The sound is one of the best things about the pond. I guess I must be a geek too.
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betony
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for your responses!
pcan
11 years ago
I just thought of something. If you want a true wildlife pond, you will probably want frogs. Mosquito fish eat everything that is small and wiggles from baby fish to tadpoles to mosquito. You may not want them in there.

I have heard of something called a mosquito dunk that you can buy that will keep the mosquitoes away. You might want try those first.
islndgrlart
11 years ago
Hi Betony,
We are going fish-less and electric-less also. We did the same thing at my school with help from the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. They recommended using Mosquito Dunks till the natural mosquito killers take up residency. We put one in our home pond - they only work on mosquitoes and do not harm wildlife at all!!!! We got ours at Lowes.
We will eventually edge our pond with flat stone or something - for the aesthetics/natural look.
We only have a few plants right now. We picked up a water hyacinth from a local nursery - had no idea they were so expensive!
At school, we have water plants in containers and just put the entire container on the pond shelf. They've done fine.
I saw a segment online (P.Allen Smith video) where he recommended inverting a clay pot for elevation/shelf for a plant in a container. I like the idea of terra cotta pots in the pond as clay is porous and I think would look better.
I'm interested in the progression of your pond!
islndgrlart
11 years ago
*oops - water lilies not water hyacinth. I had no idea water lilies were so pricey!
buyorsell888
11 years ago
You can get waterlilies from other ponders for a lot less money than retail. There is a trade section on this forum too.

Mosquito Dunks are indeed a wonderful way to control mosquitoes. They are pet and wildlife safe and they do work.

You do not need fish!

Here is a link that might be useful: This price is excellent....Mosquito Dunks
islndgrlart
11 years ago
Thanks for the info - that is indeed an excellent price for Mosquito Dunks!
I'll have to keep my eye out on the trade section!

questions re new wildlife pond

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questions re new wildlife pond

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kalevi

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betony
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