The article is correct in my experience. If you build a pond, wildlife will come. I would only add that having a simple pump to create a little flow and oxygenation really helps reduce algae and mosquitoes. If the pond is deep enough (18"/50cm), it will frustrate raccoons.
I've done two small fish ponds using heavy duty rigid plastic liners expecting only the fish (koi and shubunkin) would enjoy it. We live less than ~10 miles/~15 km from downtown Boston.
We were surprised to see the second pond, which is next to the north side of our basement and on a small hill, gets all kinds of animals and birds coming to drink. Racoons, possum, fox, squirrels, and many types of small birds. Without fail, one or two tree frogs find it every summer and settle in on the water plant we put out there (taro) in a semi-submerged pot.
The frogs disappear in the early autumn. Before the first hard frost, we bring the taro plant inside in a bucket, and place it next to a sunny window for the next 6 months. By mid-December the pond freezes over except where we have a small pump running. The fish go dormant at the bottom, under the ice.
Then in spring it starts back up again. The ice melts, the fish come back to life, and the animals return to drink. I am going to put the taro plant back out in May, and once again the pond will be the center of life in our side yard.
ilamont
The article is correct in my experience. If you build a pond, wildlife will come. I would only add that having a simple pump to create a little flow and oxygenation really helps reduce algae and mosqui
Here's a video I did three years ago showing how the small pond is set up. It's probably about 4 feet long (~130 cm) and with a deep spot of about 2 feet (~60 cm) ... if it's too shallow the fish would die, either from racoons getting them in the summer or deep freeze in the winter stopping the pump and possibly freezing the water all the way through.
FWIW we are only using tap water (which comes all the way from the Quabbin reservoir in western mass) and rain water. I think at the beginning we used some sort of algae treatment once or twice during the summer but in the past 5 years it hasn't been necessary as long as the pump is creating a bubbling flow and there aren't too many fish, usually no more than 3 or 4 small to medium goldfish/carp varieties ... koi, shibunkin, and comets.
ilamont
Here's a video I did three years ago showing how the small pond is set up. It's probably about 4 feet long (~130 cm) and with a deep spot of about 2 feet (~60 cm) ... if it's too shallow the fish would
My pond attracts a lot of wildlife too. Frogs, animals, flying water insects, and even a couple crawfish came from a small creek nearby.
What do you use for soil in your taro plant?
We are much farther South and don’t have to deal with ice. I’ve been trying to put fish in it but the chipmunks turned the pond liner into Swiss cheese in some places.
wil421
My pond attracts a lot of wildlife too. Frogs, animals, flying water insects, and even a couple crawfish came from a small creek nearby.
What do you use for soil in your taro plant?
We are much farther
The taro plant is still in its original planter, with the same soil that was in there when we purchased it 15 years ago. I think we added a few small stones to the top (which now are covered with moss above the waterline). It's an incredibly hardy plant, and if it could find soil or mud nearby it would expand for sure ... there are always runners creeping out from the pot, and little baby taros sprouting around the moss. I would think where you are in the south it would do really well.
Kind of surprised about the chipmunks. We have them too but the liner has never been damaged. OTOH it's pretty heavy duty rigid PVC.
ilamont
The taro plant is still in its original planter, with the same soil that was in there when we purchased it 15 years ago. I think we added a few small stones to the top (which now are covered with moss
No problems with Herons? Here in suburban Atlanta I have several different kinds visit our big pond daily, including Great Blue. Fun to watch them fish.
Your pond looks lovely.
downut
No problems with Herons? Here in suburban Atlanta I have several different kinds visit our big pond daily, including Great Blue. Fun to watch them fish.
Your pond looks lovely.
Thanks! The pond is next to a house and there is tree cover, which I think deters herons. But the Charles River is just a few hundred yards away, and the herons are very active there in the shallows and swampy coves.
Our main problem is racoons. At night they come to fish with their claws in the shallow areas of the pond.
ilamont
Thanks! The pond is next to a house and there is tree cover, which I think deters herons. But the Charles River is just a few hundred yards away, and the herons are very active there in the shallows an
From what I've read, winterizing your pond and making it healthy enough for fish to survive the winter is difficult. Did you find it challenging? Many failures?
nightowl_games
From what I've read, winterizing your pond and making it healthy enough for fish to survive the winter is difficult. Did you find it challenging? Many failures?
It wasn't hard at all as long as the pond is deep enough per my earlier comments and the fish are not freshwater tropicals (we've had comets, shibunkin, and koi make it through without any issue, including deep freezes of 10F/-10C lasting a week or two). Keep the pump on all winter for oxygen. Remove the taro to a filled bucket and stick it on a sunny shelf inside.
Once the temp drops below 40 degrees F (~5C) the fish go dormant, usually under some dead leaves at the bottom or in the cinderblock we have at the deep end. When ice forms they will be fine, as the bubbling pump keeps an open spot for oxygen (it should be bubbling about 1 inch above the water line and not splashing outside the pond liner). If it's a deep freeze and the pump forms an ice bubble, break it open with a hammer. The rest of the ice can stay on the pond surface.
ilamont
It wasn't hard at all as long as the pond is deep enough per my earlier comments and the fish are not freshwater tropicals (we've had comets, shibunkin, and koi make it through without any issue, inclu
I live in Saskatchewan, where it hovers around -40C for a couple weeks in January/February. Ive heard the pumps can take a beating here, but it's interesting to hear your success story.
nightowl_games
I live in Saskatchewan, where it hovers around -40C for a couple weeks in January/February. Ive heard the pumps can take a beating here, but it's interesting to hear your success story.
We inherited a couple of ponds when we bought our place 4 years back. One has fish in.
To our surprise, every winter the pond freezes over and the fish are fine come spring. In fact they’re thriving and we don’t touch the pond at all - it doesn’t even have a pump.
The other pond could definitely do with cleaning out, but again it’s teaming with wildlife. There’s not a huge window between when the newts leave for the summer and when it freezes in winter. By the time it thaws and we think to do something about it the newts are back again.
aidos
We inherited a couple of ponds when we bought our place 4 years back. One has fish in.
To our surprise, every winter the pond freezes over and the fish are fine come spring. In fact they’re thriving an
One of the delights I discovered over the last few years is constructing and maintaining sweet water "jarrariums"; I take whatever glassware I fancy - pots, jars, glasses - collect some soil and plants from an interesting pond I find somewhere, put it in and just let it do it's thing - don't interfere, just wait.
It's amazing how much life lifts in with just that bit of soil; I have a few jars from three years ago (that I leave mostly closed) which have shown multiple generations of woodlice, water snails, little mussels, spiders, water fleas, beetles, worms. Sometimes, the whole pot turns opaque green for a few days, and then a few days later it clears up and I find some new life in there I have never seen before.
Highly enjoyable to have on your desk or in the window sill!
zevv
One of the delights I discovered over the last few years is constructing and maintaining sweet water "jarrariums"; I take whatever glassware I fancy - pots, jars, glasses - collect some soil and plants
I sort of fell into making one of these as a kid. I had a left a jar of water on the window sill in my bedroom absentmindedly. I noticed later that a wasp had fallen into it and drowned. Then I noticed it was starting to get fuzzy. Then a couple flies also fell into it. I thought it was interesting, so I threw a bit of algae from a fish tank in and sealed the jar closed. It grew into a big green blob and stayed green and "healthy" for at least twenty years, certainly well after I'd left home. But one day I went back to my parent's house and it was gone.
technothrasher
I sort of fell into making one of these as a kid. I had a left a jar of water on the window sill in my bedroom absentmindedly. I noticed later that a wasp had fallen into it and drowned. Then I noti
I suspect hermetically sealed enclosed mini ecosystems are going to take on tremendous economic and technological importance as we move out into the solar system.
I've started to wonder why there aren't more closed loop experiments out there. These would be very cheap to make! (By space research standards.) A closed water loop habitat could be built in the middle of isolated land, like West Texas. Go from there to incrementally incorporating more of an ecosystem. Try and recycle the air last, of course, as that is potentially life threatening.
stcredzero
I suspect hermetically sealed enclosed mini ecosystems are going to take on tremendous economic and technological importance as we move out into the solar system.
I've started to wonder why there aren'
I really want to make a tiny pond at my house, but I'm afraid of the mosquitoes.
My native plant supplier encouraged tiny ponds, saying that while you may need mosquito dunks to kill the larva at first, once wildlife is established in your pond e.g. dragonflies will control the mosquitos just fine. I believe him (or at least that it worked for him), but I feel like I would need to do more research before putting it to the test.
skyfaller
I really want to make a tiny pond at my house, but I'm afraid of the mosquitoes.
My native plant supplier encouraged tiny ponds, saying that while you may need mosquito dunks to kill the larva at first
Get some White Cloud Mountain Minnows (usually just called White Clouds). These small fish love to eat mosquito larvae and tolerate cold water quite well (down to 41F/5C). If you later decide to remove them they shouldn’t be too difficult to catch. They’re also quite beautiful and come in a variety of colours.
chongli
Get some White Cloud Mountain Minnows (usually just called White Clouds). These small fish love to eat mosquito larvae and tolerate cold water quite well (down to 41F/5C). If you later decide to remove
I have them, love them, and have kept them outside before. I've found their mouths are too small to eat fully-grown mosquito larvae, but as long as they get there before the mosquitoes do they will gladly eat the eggs and young larvae... they are top/middle feeders and will viciously nibble anything in the water column while completely ignoring anything on the bottom.
This year I'm hoping to try the variable platyfish, Xiphophorus variatus (though most just call them 'variatus'). They tolerate a similar temperature range to white clouds but they're slightly bigger and more likely to eat things off the bottom. They're livebearers, so they make more, but in fairness white clouds are among the easiest egg-scatterers to breed and will likely also make more in a pond.
drewzero1
I have them, love them, and have kept them outside before. I've found their mouths are too small to eat fully-grown mosquito larvae, but as long as they get there before the mosquitoes do they will gla
They are basically incompatible. Fishes eat frog eggs. Frogs eat small fishes. Ponds without fishes sustain a much higher diversity of invertebrates and amphibians (and this means more clear water).
If the pond is of a decent size and amphibians could hide in the margins, fishes could work. Yes. Native species are much better. In very small ones just toads and newts are a satisfying choice. Add frogs if you don't mind noise.
If you have a place for a mini pond my advice is, don't built it.
Go for a small pond instead. Miniponds look nice on yoputube but are really unstable, and much more difficult to manage long term. They "boil" in a few hours at full sun. Freeze in winter and water must be added all the time. Is the same mistake as starting aquaria with a too small tank. Most people just will quit the hobby in a few weeks.
pvaldes
They are basically incompatible. Fishes eat frog eggs. Frogs eat small fishes. Ponds without fishes sustain a much higher diversity of invertebrates and amphibians (and this means more clear water).
If
What constitutes a small pond rather than a mini pond in your opinion? Like, what do you think is the minimum size for a stable pond ecosystem? Does depth or surface area matter more?
skyfaller
What constitutes a small pond rather than a mini pond in your opinion? Like, what do you think is the minimum size for a stable pond ecosystem? Does depth or surface area matter more?
Less than 100 Liters is very difficult to manage but aim for 500-800 Liters at very minimum because you will want to make your pond bigger later. This can fit in any a little boring coin of a garden and will became the best part of the garden. Everything in a range of four to ten liters is not a pond, is a dog bowl and will became a mosquito nursery. I see those often adviced by youtubers that never tried to manage a pond seriously.
Beware. Ponds of all sizes are dangerous for toddlers and ponds must have a side with a gently slope so falling pets and animals can climb out. If you have children of less than five years, you --must-- cover the pond with a solid iron pond cover:
Apart of this the "deeper" the pond the more animals will fit for the same price. More than 1 meter is normally unnecessary in a small garden
pvaldes
Less than 100 Liters is very difficult to manage but aim for 500-800 Liters at very minimum because you will want to make your pond bigger later. This can fit in any a little boring coin of a garden an
You can buy tiny tablets to add to the water that prevent mosquito larva from developing but don’t harm anything else. I’ve used the Mosquito Killer larvicide in my patio pond for years and it works well. Garden centers sometimes have pond sections with water plants like hyacinth (very invasive), water lettuce, lily.
froglets
You can buy tiny tablets to add to the water that prevent mosquito larva from developing but don’t harm anything else. I’ve used the Mosquito Killer larvicide in my patio pond for years and it works w
a simple solution is to put a small submersible fountain pump in or even one of those floating solar powered ones. mosquitos prefer standing water so if you agitate it enough it will cut down on their breeding. please do make every effort to prevent them from breeding, your future self and your neighbours will thank you.
throwaway4aday
a simple solution is to put a small submersible fountain pump in or even one of those floating solar powered ones. mosquitos prefer standing water so if you agitate it enough it will cut down on their
This is correct. I added dunks exactly once, and the following years the predatory insects and frogs have done the job. I do regular spot-checks for mosquito larvae and haven't seen one in years.
neonnoodle
This is correct. I added dunks exactly once, and the following years the predatory insects and frogs have done the job. I do regular spot-checks for mosquito larvae and haven't seen one in years.
In California you can get mosquitofish for free from your local county. In many cases you can just put a few in your pond once and they will live there indefinitely without needing any care, eating all the mosquito larvae they can find.
In California you can get mosquitofish for free from your local county. In many cases you can just put a few in your pond once and they will live there indefinitely without needing any care, eating all
Take in mind that the common species of mosquitofish is a nasty invader in Europe and this is "advice from 70's". We know better currently. --Don't do it--.
Some mosquitofishes and many killifishes in America are endangered. The common Gambusia will eat every egg of native fishes. If you spread the invasive ones in the ponds of the endangered ones, this can have serious consequences even in USA. Irreversible genetic contamination, parasite spread or local extinctions by predation can occur.
pvaldes
Take in mind that the common species of mosquitofish is a nasty invader in Europe and this is "advice from 70's". We know better currently. --Don't do it--.
Some mosquitofishes and many killifishes in
I'm talking about California, not Europe. Mosquitofish are native to North America. Sure, don't spread them in natural rivers or lakes but there's nothing wrong with keeping them in a manmade pond in a backyard in California.
modeless
I'm talking about California, not Europe. Mosquitofish are native to North America. Sure, don't spread them in natural rivers or lakes but there's nothing wrong with keeping them in a manmade pond in a
The two species of mosquitofish used normally aren't native from California but its main problem is that they are boring as a can. There are much more interesting options:
Like the Coastal Threespine Stickleback. Sticklebacks are the choice fish for small wild ponds in Europe, and is a californian native also.
or Fundulus parvipinnis, the Californian killy fish. Stands saltwater to freshwater. Common near the coast and better than Gambusia (avoid the invasive species Lucania goodei that is similar).
Or a single species of a pupfish like the Amargosa river pupfish or the Salt Creek pupfish, small native tolerating an extreme range of temperatures. Some pupfishes are endangered so each new pond counts. I assume that there are legal exchanges of this species breed on captivity among serious aquarists but check your local laws.
Or the California Roach
If you don't mind natives from California, the fathead minnow, or the American Flagfish are two small US extremely hard species. First stands poor oxygen levels and complicated alcaline water. The second is from Florida and a really cool species, much more interesting to watch than a dumb mosquito fish. They will eat mosquitoes and algae also.
All this species are small fishes (growing less than 10cm normally) so will fit in most garden ponds. Just one species in a small or medium-sized pond. Pupfish species shouldn't be mixed to keep the genetic lines pure. Goldfishes disturb the mud and make the water turn green.
pvaldes
The two species of mosquitofish used normally aren't native from California but its main problem is that they are boring as a can. There are much more interesting options:
Like the Coastal Threespine S
Apparently there are some types of plants (like lavender, mint, rosemary or catnip) which mosquitoes don't like being around for whichever reason. Having some near the micropond could be a pretty elegant fix if it works.
kombookcha
Apparently there are some types of plants (like lavender, mint, rosemary or catnip) which mosquitoes don't like being around for whichever reason. Having some near the micropond could be a pretty elega
The fact that all of these plants have delightful smells confirms my dislike of mosquitoes - not only do they bite and spread disease, they also have bad taste in garden plants.
kombookcha
The fact that all of these plants have delightful smells confirms my dislike of mosquitoes - not only do they bite and spread disease, they also have bad taste in garden plants.
Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus) is a similar aromatic grasslike plant that grows aggressively in ponds. I planted a few thin stalks a couple years ago and now it has outgrown five planters and the rhizomes are 2 inches thick. One other advantage of this plant is that the stalks provide a molting place for dragonflies.
neonnoodle
Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus) is a similar aromatic grasslike plant that grows aggressively in ponds. I planted a few thin stalks a couple years ago and now it has outgrown five planters and the rhizomes
All you need is something to 'hold' a drip of water - I pipette or syringe is best but it can be done with a chopstick, a laser (any colour) and a white wall or screen tk project the image on.
Suspend the drip, shine the laser through the drip and see the amazing tiny things living in the water.
I've not done it for a while, I better try this out again soon, the kids will love it.
ljf
Pond water is perfect for using in a DIY laser microscope https://civilpedia.org/p/?t=Laser-Microscope&pid=30
All you need is something to 'hold' a drip of water - I pipette or syringe is best but
Almost 20 years ago I helped my mom make a hole for a deep pond in her backyard—a previous occupant had a concrete shallow pond, and her attempts to add goldfish only resulted in turning it into a buffet for the raccoons. The deeper one just needed pond liner and a pump, and it was good to go. Now the only thing that can get to the goldfish is an occasional heron, which is far more enchanting than raccoons. Also the gulf coast toads make for a wonderful spring/early summer soundtrack.
rotexo
Almost 20 years ago I helped my mom make a hole for a deep pond in her backyard—a previous occupant had a concrete shallow pond, and her attempts to add goldfish only resulted in turning it into a buff
I ran a couple container-ponds for a year at my old apartment. It was great until the racoons discovered it. They would dig up the bottom and try to eat the fish and shrimp. Otherwise it was a rewarding experience.
I used medaka(ricefish) and a couple airline filters fed with a single air pump run into a splitter to control mosquitoes. I used an aquarium heater for a bit but the electric bill ended up being quite high because it ran too often. You're better off moving the fish inside in the winter if you're in a colder climate. I'm in San Diego and probably could have kept white cloud minnows all year but I was into medaka at the time. I also had a large population of neocaridina shrimp and aquatic snails that I hoped would control algae(they did not).
I got plenty of birds visiting, and the ponds became a favorite watering hole of the local bees. For whatever reason, SoCal bees are not aggressive, so I didn't mind the 20+ bees constantly filling up while standing on my floating plants.
I did end up buying daphnia and moina online since they never colonized the ponds naturally.
I also had a couple "pond jars" to maintain the daphnia/moina population. Those regularly attracted mosquito larvae which ended up as food for the medaka as well as my indoor aquarium fish. I figured the jars were a form of mosquito control since the larvae never reached adulthood.
I initially topped off the ponds with 0ppm, deionized water that I used for my indoor aquarium(I ran a hippie tank with 0 water changes so I needed pure water to top-off). Eventually I switched to using a filter housing filled with "catalytic carbon" which supposedly handles both chlorine and chloramines. I was scooping out enough floating plants regularly to balance the incoming minerals from the tap water used to top it off.
I'd do it again at some point when my daughter is old enough to appreciate it. But next time I'll use some protection against critters digging up things. One nice companion to all of this is a $300 chinese microscope. It's fun to see the pond life under magnification.
01100011
I ran a couple container-ponds for a year at my old apartment. It was great until the racoons discovered it. They would dig up the bottom and try to eat the fish and shrimp. Otherwise it was a rewar
I have seen people online dig a pit, let pigs hang out in the pit and in a process called “gleying” the pigs seal the pit making it watertight.
I have some acreage and would love to try this out to create a pond, but there are never any real good details on this - what areas it works best, etc etc.
Anyone here have experience with making their own pond without using a liner?
voisin
I have seen people online dig a pit, let pigs hang out in the pit and in a process called “gleying” the pigs seal the pit making it watertight.
I have some acreage and would love to try this out to cre
Do it on the lowest point on your land - is there anywhere that naturally gets boggy and damp in the rain?
I lived on a small farm as a child and at the bottom of the land someone had dug a basic well near a very small spring. The spring was really just a muddy puddle, but over time from the sheep walking back and forth to drink from the puddle, it slowly became a small pond. As we scaled back the number of sheep we had, the pond slowly disappeared again.
What is the soil like on your land, do any springs already occur or are there other natural ponds?
ljf
Do it on the lowest point on your land - is there anywhere that naturally gets boggy and damp in the rain?
I lived on a small farm as a child and at the bottom of the land someone had dug a basic well
You either had clay in the soil, or need to add a thick layer of clay for that. Then you use machines to compact the clay layer, remove air and made it watertight. Put water, will turn into a brown mess, wait for the clay sinking eventually, done.
If you don't have clay, ducks can provide manure that turns into fine mud with the same properties and pigs can provide the compact work, but will taint the water later with nitrogen. Machines are better.
pvaldes
You either had clay in the soil, or need to add a thick layer of clay for that. Then you use machines to compact the clay layer, remove air and made it watertight. Put water, will turn into a brown mes
His specialty though is “bog filters”. These are a natural solution to keeping pond water healthy and crystal clear. They work even for small container ponds.
I followed his tutorials and dug a 8x5m lined pond with a 3x3m bog filter and a mini stream connecting them. It’s the highlight of our garden.
Highly recommend.
Guest71022
Kev has a great site and videos on all things ponds ranging from mini container ponds to full on landscaping ponds with waterfalls and things.
https://ozponds.com/about/
His specialty though is “bog fi
It's amazing how much more biodiversity you get in a local area just from having a small garden around. Easily ten times the number of different species of bugs and butterflies and various things. Manicured yards with grass, a couple of non-native flowering plants and a tree or two are practically dead places in comparison.
If I ever have a yard of my own I'm going to do all native plant landscaping and some raised beds for edible plants.
modeless
It's amazing how much more biodiversity you get in a local area just from having a small garden around. Easily ten times the number of different species of bugs and butterflies and various things. Mani
Been looking recently at some of the sad, under used pocket parks in my city that are mostly scrubby grass fields of no interest to anyone but dogs, with a few scattered trees at the edge and been wondering: could this be better as a pond?
Seems like it would be better for insects and birds.
This seems like a pretty small thing that municipalities could do that would create a lot of visual interest and help birds.
Tiktaalik
Been looking recently at some of the sad, under used pocket parks in my city that are mostly scrubby grass fields of no interest to anyone but dogs, with a few scattered trees at the edge and been wond
If you don't have the space for a pond, you can grow interesting critters in a jar on the windowsill. And if you don't have time for that, you can veg out to the Life In Jars channel: https://youtube.com/@LifeinJars
sowbug
If you don't have the space for a pond, you can grow interesting critters in a jar on the windowsill. And if you don't have time for that, you can veg out to the Life In Jars channel: https://youtube.c
Our Koi pond attracts lots of wildlife. Birds, insects, frogs, toads, snakes, and turtles in addition to the Koi fish. The frogs are deafening at night. We love it and are going to put a larger one in at our retirement hobby farm that we are building.
uslic001
Our Koi pond attracts lots of wildlife. Birds, insects, frogs, toads, snakes, and turtles in addition to the Koi fish. The frogs are deafening at night. We love it and are going to put a larger one i
Are you blogging or otherwise posting anywhere about your experience building the hobby farm? Just curious because it is something I'm planning on doing too!
IncreasePosts
Are you blogging or otherwise posting anywhere about your experience building the hobby farm? Just curious because it is something I'm planning on doing too!
The article is correct in my experience. If you build a pond, wildlife will come. I would only add that having a simple pump to create a little flow and oxygenation really helps reduce algae and mosquitoes. If the pond is deep enough (18"/50cm), it will frustrate raccoons.
I've done two small fish ponds using heavy duty rigid plastic liners expecting only the fish (koi and shubunkin) would enjoy it. We live less than ~10 miles/~15 km from downtown Boston.
We were surprised to see the second pond, which is next to the north side of our basement and on a small hill, gets all kinds of animals and birds coming to drink. Racoons, possum, fox, squirrels, and many types of small birds. Without fail, one or two tree frogs find it every summer and settle in on the water plant we put out there (taro) in a semi-submerged pot.
The frogs disappear in the early autumn. Before the first hard frost, we bring the taro plant inside in a bucket, and place it next to a sunny window for the next 6 months. By mid-December the pond freezes over except where we have a small pump running. The fish go dormant at the bottom, under the ice.
Then in spring it starts back up again. The ice melts, the fish come back to life, and the animals return to drink. I am going to put the taro plant back out in May, and once again the pond will be the center of life in our side yard.
Here's a video I did three years ago showing how the small pond is set up. It's probably about 4 feet long (~130 cm) and with a deep spot of about 2 feet (~60 cm) ... if it's too shallow the fish would die, either from racoons getting them in the summer or deep freeze in the winter stopping the pump and possibly freezing the water all the way through.
https://youtu.be/8ExfrhjpMp4?si=dJ1pOaw-zLA-Rvk2
FWIW we are only using tap water (which comes all the way from the Quabbin reservoir in western mass) and rain water. I think at the beginning we used some sort of algae treatment once or twice during the summer but in the past 5 years it hasn't been necessary as long as the pump is creating a bubbling flow and there aren't too many fish, usually no more than 3 or 4 small to medium goldfish/carp varieties ... koi, shibunkin, and comets.
Sincerely, thank you for the explanations and youtube video. They were GREAT!
My pond attracts a lot of wildlife too. Frogs, animals, flying water insects, and even a couple crawfish came from a small creek nearby.
What do you use for soil in your taro plant?
We are much farther South and don’t have to deal with ice. I’ve been trying to put fish in it but the chipmunks turned the pond liner into Swiss cheese in some places.
The taro plant is still in its original planter, with the same soil that was in there when we purchased it 15 years ago. I think we added a few small stones to the top (which now are covered with moss above the waterline). It's an incredibly hardy plant, and if it could find soil or mud nearby it would expand for sure ... there are always runners creeping out from the pot, and little baby taros sprouting around the moss. I would think where you are in the south it would do really well.
Kind of surprised about the chipmunks. We have them too but the liner has never been damaged. OTOH it's pretty heavy duty rigid PVC.
No problems with Herons? Here in suburban Atlanta I have several different kinds visit our big pond daily, including Great Blue. Fun to watch them fish.
Your pond looks lovely.
Thanks! The pond is next to a house and there is tree cover, which I think deters herons. But the Charles River is just a few hundred yards away, and the herons are very active there in the shallows and swampy coves.
Our main problem is racoons. At night they come to fish with their claws in the shallow areas of the pond.
From what I've read, winterizing your pond and making it healthy enough for fish to survive the winter is difficult. Did you find it challenging? Many failures?
It wasn't hard at all as long as the pond is deep enough per my earlier comments and the fish are not freshwater tropicals (we've had comets, shibunkin, and koi make it through without any issue, including deep freezes of 10F/-10C lasting a week or two). Keep the pump on all winter for oxygen. Remove the taro to a filled bucket and stick it on a sunny shelf inside.
Once the temp drops below 40 degrees F (~5C) the fish go dormant, usually under some dead leaves at the bottom or in the cinderblock we have at the deep end. When ice forms they will be fine, as the bubbling pump keeps an open spot for oxygen (it should be bubbling about 1 inch above the water line and not splashing outside the pond liner). If it's a deep freeze and the pump forms an ice bubble, break it open with a hammer. The rest of the ice can stay on the pond surface.
I live in Saskatchewan, where it hovers around -40C for a couple weeks in January/February. Ive heard the pumps can take a beating here, but it's interesting to hear your success story.
We inherited a couple of ponds when we bought our place 4 years back. One has fish in.
To our surprise, every winter the pond freezes over and the fish are fine come spring. In fact they’re thriving and we don’t touch the pond at all - it doesn’t even have a pump.
The other pond could definitely do with cleaning out, but again it’s teaming with wildlife. There’s not a huge window between when the newts leave for the summer and when it freezes in winter. By the time it thaws and we think to do something about it the newts are back again.
How far north are you?
South east England.
One of the delights I discovered over the last few years is constructing and maintaining sweet water "jarrariums"; I take whatever glassware I fancy - pots, jars, glasses - collect some soil and plants from an interesting pond I find somewhere, put it in and just let it do it's thing - don't interfere, just wait.
It's amazing how much life lifts in with just that bit of soil; I have a few jars from three years ago (that I leave mostly closed) which have shown multiple generations of woodlice, water snails, little mussels, spiders, water fleas, beetles, worms. Sometimes, the whole pot turns opaque green for a few days, and then a few days later it clears up and I find some new life in there I have never seen before.
Highly enjoyable to have on your desk or in the window sill!
And of course there's a reddit for that: https://www.reddit.com/r/Jarrariums/
I sort of fell into making one of these as a kid. I had a left a jar of water on the window sill in my bedroom absentmindedly. I noticed later that a wasp had fallen into it and drowned. Then I noticed it was starting to get fuzzy. Then a couple flies also fell into it. I thought it was interesting, so I threw a bit of algae from a fish tank in and sealed the jar closed. It grew into a big green blob and stayed green and "healthy" for at least twenty years, certainly well after I'd left home. But one day I went back to my parent's house and it was gone.
I suspect hermetically sealed enclosed mini ecosystems are going to take on tremendous economic and technological importance as we move out into the solar system.
I've started to wonder why there aren't more closed loop experiments out there. These would be very cheap to make! (By space research standards.) A closed water loop habitat could be built in the middle of isolated land, like West Texas. Go from there to incrementally incorporating more of an ecosystem. Try and recycle the air last, of course, as that is potentially life threatening.
I really want to make a tiny pond at my house, but I'm afraid of the mosquitoes.
My native plant supplier encouraged tiny ponds, saying that while you may need mosquito dunks to kill the larva at first, once wildlife is established in your pond e.g. dragonflies will control the mosquitos just fine. I believe him (or at least that it worked for him), but I feel like I would need to do more research before putting it to the test.
Get some White Cloud Mountain Minnows (usually just called White Clouds). These small fish love to eat mosquito larvae and tolerate cold water quite well (down to 41F/5C). If you later decide to remove them they shouldn’t be too difficult to catch. They’re also quite beautiful and come in a variety of colours.
I have them, love them, and have kept them outside before. I've found their mouths are too small to eat fully-grown mosquito larvae, but as long as they get there before the mosquitoes do they will gladly eat the eggs and young larvae... they are top/middle feeders and will viciously nibble anything in the water column while completely ignoring anything on the bottom.
This year I'm hoping to try the variable platyfish, Xiphophorus variatus (though most just call them 'variatus'). They tolerate a similar temperature range to white clouds but they're slightly bigger and more likely to eat things off the bottom. They're livebearers, so they make more, but in fairness white clouds are among the easiest egg-scatterers to breed and will likely also make more in a pond.
I was thinking fish or frogs. I’d imagine little fish are easier? Do they just live on the “wildlife” or do you feed them ?
They are basically incompatible. Fishes eat frog eggs. Frogs eat small fishes. Ponds without fishes sustain a much higher diversity of invertebrates and amphibians (and this means more clear water).
If the pond is of a decent size and amphibians could hide in the margins, fishes could work. Yes. Native species are much better. In very small ones just toads and newts are a satisfying choice. Add frogs if you don't mind noise.
If you have a place for a mini pond my advice is, don't built it.
Go for a small pond instead. Miniponds look nice on yoputube but are really unstable, and much more difficult to manage long term. They "boil" in a few hours at full sun. Freeze in winter and water must be added all the time. Is the same mistake as starting aquaria with a too small tank. Most people just will quit the hobby in a few weeks.
What constitutes a small pond rather than a mini pond in your opinion? Like, what do you think is the minimum size for a stable pond ecosystem? Does depth or surface area matter more?
Less than 100 Liters is very difficult to manage but aim for 500-800 Liters at very minimum because you will want to make your pond bigger later. This can fit in any a little boring coin of a garden and will became the best part of the garden. Everything in a range of four to ten liters is not a pond, is a dog bowl and will became a mosquito nursery. I see those often adviced by youtubers that never tried to manage a pond seriously.
Beware. Ponds of all sizes are dangerous for toddlers and ponds must have a side with a gently slope so falling pets and animals can climb out. If you have children of less than five years, you --must-- cover the pond with a solid iron pond cover:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pond+cover&t=newext&atb=v411-1&iax...
Apart of this the "deeper" the pond the more animals will fit for the same price. More than 1 meter is normally unnecessary in a small garden
You can buy tiny tablets to add to the water that prevent mosquito larva from developing but don’t harm anything else. I’ve used the Mosquito Killer larvicide in my patio pond for years and it works well. Garden centers sometimes have pond sections with water plants like hyacinth (very invasive), water lettuce, lily.
I'm doubtful of the "...but don't harm anything else" statement. Why do you believe this statement to be true?
It's true.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis_israele...
a simple solution is to put a small submersible fountain pump in or even one of those floating solar powered ones. mosquitos prefer standing water so if you agitate it enough it will cut down on their breeding. please do make every effort to prevent them from breeding, your future self and your neighbours will thank you.
This is correct. I added dunks exactly once, and the following years the predatory insects and frogs have done the job. I do regular spot-checks for mosquito larvae and haven't seen one in years.
In California you can get mosquitofish for free from your local county. In many cases you can just put a few in your pond once and they will live there indefinitely without needing any care, eating all the mosquito larvae they can find.
Here's an example for San Diego but most if not all counties will have a similar program: https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/deh/pests/wnv/pre...
Take in mind that the common species of mosquitofish is a nasty invader in Europe and this is "advice from 70's". We know better currently. --Don't do it--.
Some mosquitofishes and many killifishes in America are endangered. The common Gambusia will eat every egg of native fishes. If you spread the invasive ones in the ponds of the endangered ones, this can have serious consequences even in USA. Irreversible genetic contamination, parasite spread or local extinctions by predation can occur.
I'm talking about California, not Europe. Mosquitofish are native to North America. Sure, don't spread them in natural rivers or lakes but there's nothing wrong with keeping them in a manmade pond in a backyard in California.
The two species of mosquitofish used normally aren't native from California but its main problem is that they are boring as a can. There are much more interesting options:
Like the Coastal Threespine Stickleback. Sticklebacks are the choice fish for small wild ponds in Europe, and is a californian native also.
or Fundulus parvipinnis, the Californian killy fish. Stands saltwater to freshwater. Common near the coast and better than Gambusia (avoid the invasive species Lucania goodei that is similar).
Or a single species of a pupfish like the Amargosa river pupfish or the Salt Creek pupfish, small native tolerating an extreme range of temperatures. Some pupfishes are endangered so each new pond counts. I assume that there are legal exchanges of this species breed on captivity among serious aquarists but check your local laws.
Or the California Roach
If you don't mind natives from California, the fathead minnow, or the American Flagfish are two small US extremely hard species. First stands poor oxygen levels and complicated alcaline water. The second is from Florida and a really cool species, much more interesting to watch than a dumb mosquito fish. They will eat mosquitoes and algae also.
All this species are small fishes (growing less than 10cm normally) so will fit in most garden ponds. Just one species in a small or medium-sized pond. Pupfish species shouldn't be mixed to keep the genetic lines pure. Goldfishes disturb the mud and make the water turn green.
Apparently there are some types of plants (like lavender, mint, rosemary or catnip) which mosquitoes don't like being around for whichever reason. Having some near the micropond could be a pretty elegant fix if it works.
Lemongrass too, not sure it could be grown on a window sill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citronella_oil
The fact that all of these plants have delightful smells confirms my dislike of mosquitoes - not only do they bite and spread disease, they also have bad taste in garden plants.
Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus) is a similar aromatic grasslike plant that grows aggressively in ponds. I planted a few thin stalks a couple years ago and now it has outgrown five planters and the rhizomes are 2 inches thick. One other advantage of this plant is that the stalks provide a molting place for dragonflies.
Gambusia to the rescue! Might need some cover to reduce the predator problem. Experimenting would be part of the fun.
Pond water is perfect for using in a DIY laser microscope https://civilpedia.org/p/?t=Laser-Microscope&pid=30
All you need is something to 'hold' a drip of water - I pipette or syringe is best but it can be done with a chopstick, a laser (any colour) and a white wall or screen tk project the image on.
Suspend the drip, shine the laser through the drip and see the amazing tiny things living in the water.
I've not done it for a while, I better try this out again soon, the kids will love it.
Almost 20 years ago I helped my mom make a hole for a deep pond in her backyard—a previous occupant had a concrete shallow pond, and her attempts to add goldfish only resulted in turning it into a buffet for the raccoons. The deeper one just needed pond liner and a pump, and it was good to go. Now the only thing that can get to the goldfish is an occasional heron, which is far more enchanting than raccoons. Also the gulf coast toads make for a wonderful spring/early summer soundtrack.
Sorry goldfish but having a heron hunt in my backyard is worth your sacrifice
I ran a couple container-ponds for a year at my old apartment. It was great until the racoons discovered it. They would dig up the bottom and try to eat the fish and shrimp. Otherwise it was a rewarding experience.
I used medaka(ricefish) and a couple airline filters fed with a single air pump run into a splitter to control mosquitoes. I used an aquarium heater for a bit but the electric bill ended up being quite high because it ran too often. You're better off moving the fish inside in the winter if you're in a colder climate. I'm in San Diego and probably could have kept white cloud minnows all year but I was into medaka at the time. I also had a large population of neocaridina shrimp and aquatic snails that I hoped would control algae(they did not).
I got plenty of birds visiting, and the ponds became a favorite watering hole of the local bees. For whatever reason, SoCal bees are not aggressive, so I didn't mind the 20+ bees constantly filling up while standing on my floating plants.
I did end up buying daphnia and moina online since they never colonized the ponds naturally.
I also had a couple "pond jars" to maintain the daphnia/moina population. Those regularly attracted mosquito larvae which ended up as food for the medaka as well as my indoor aquarium fish. I figured the jars were a form of mosquito control since the larvae never reached adulthood.
I initially topped off the ponds with 0ppm, deionized water that I used for my indoor aquarium(I ran a hippie tank with 0 water changes so I needed pure water to top-off). Eventually I switched to using a filter housing filled with "catalytic carbon" which supposedly handles both chlorine and chloramines. I was scooping out enough floating plants regularly to balance the incoming minerals from the tap water used to top it off.
I'd do it again at some point when my daughter is old enough to appreciate it. But next time I'll use some protection against critters digging up things. One nice companion to all of this is a $300 chinese microscope. It's fun to see the pond life under magnification.
I have seen people online dig a pit, let pigs hang out in the pit and in a process called “gleying” the pigs seal the pit making it watertight.
I have some acreage and would love to try this out to create a pond, but there are never any real good details on this - what areas it works best, etc etc.
Anyone here have experience with making their own pond without using a liner?
Do it on the lowest point on your land - is there anywhere that naturally gets boggy and damp in the rain?
I lived on a small farm as a child and at the bottom of the land someone had dug a basic well near a very small spring. The spring was really just a muddy puddle, but over time from the sheep walking back and forth to drink from the puddle, it slowly became a small pond. As we scaled back the number of sheep we had, the pond slowly disappeared again.
What is the soil like on your land, do any springs already occur or are there other natural ponds?
You either had clay in the soil, or need to add a thick layer of clay for that. Then you use machines to compact the clay layer, remove air and made it watertight. Put water, will turn into a brown mess, wait for the clay sinking eventually, done.
If you don't have clay, ducks can provide manure that turns into fine mud with the same properties and pigs can provide the compact work, but will taint the water later with nitrogen. Machines are better.
Be sure there’s something in there to eat mosquito larvae. In larger ponds there are little fish that you can get that do this.
Kev has a great site and videos on all things ponds ranging from mini container ponds to full on landscaping ponds with waterfalls and things.
https://ozponds.com/about/
His specialty though is “bog filters”. These are a natural solution to keeping pond water healthy and crystal clear. They work even for small container ponds.
I followed his tutorials and dug a 8x5m lined pond with a 3x3m bog filter and a mini stream connecting them. It’s the highlight of our garden.
Highly recommend.
It's amazing how much more biodiversity you get in a local area just from having a small garden around. Easily ten times the number of different species of bugs and butterflies and various things. Manicured yards with grass, a couple of non-native flowering plants and a tree or two are practically dead places in comparison.
If I ever have a yard of my own I'm going to do all native plant landscaping and some raised beds for edible plants.
I even got a lot on a 4th floor balcony. Hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, ladybugs, etc. I just put out some flowering plants from the region
https://youtube.com/@journeytomicro sadly it's closing down.
Been looking recently at some of the sad, under used pocket parks in my city that are mostly scrubby grass fields of no interest to anyone but dogs, with a few scattered trees at the edge and been wondering: could this be better as a pond?
Seems like it would be better for insects and birds.
This seems like a pretty small thing that municipalities could do that would create a lot of visual interest and help birds.
If you don't have the space for a pond, you can grow interesting critters in a jar on the windowsill. And if you don't have time for that, you can veg out to the Life In Jars channel: https://youtube.com/@LifeinJars
Our Koi pond attracts lots of wildlife. Birds, insects, frogs, toads, snakes, and turtles in addition to the Koi fish. The frogs are deafening at night. We love it and are going to put a larger one in at our retirement hobby farm that we are building.
Are you blogging or otherwise posting anywhere about your experience building the hobby farm? Just curious because it is something I'm planning on doing too!