Ponds
Sharon Corage
I love these things!
I'm living with my second one. We dug the first one in the Philadelphia
suburbs, it was three years old when we left it. Now our new pond in the
Denver suburbs is 16 months old. No pumps or filters in either one. I
suggest reading as many books as you can find at your local library
before you start or get too far on a project like this, but don't let the
"must have filtration" books discourage you. How many natural ponds do
you see with extension cords running up to them?;-) We used rubber
roofing to line our ponds covered in clay soil and gravel. Rubber roofing
is the same as but cheaper than pond liners, but check to make sure the
rubber's not toxic. A couple things to keep in mind are: The larger the
surface area of the water the better for oxygenating the water. Fish eat
algae and larvae. Gold fish and minnows have been very happy in these
ponds, but larger fish like Koi demand a filtration system. Plants below
the surface make oxygen and eat up (filter) the nutrients (the fish leave
behind) that cause algae. Surface floating plants like water hyacinths,
water lilies, and parrot feathers block the sun from growing algae. I
think the rule I read was 2/3 of the water surface should be covered with
plants. If you want to attract wildlife it's a good idea to dig a gentle
slope into part of the pond for easy access. We've found local turtles,
frogs, snakes, squirrels, birds, gophers, dogs, cats and smelled skunks
that have visited for a drink, swim, or bath at one time or another. You
must dig at least 3 ft down in at least one part of the pond if you get
cold winters and you want to keep your fish outside. Winter in Pa. was
kinder to the pond. The kids would slide across the frozen pond for a
week or two then be totally amazed to find the fish were still alive as
it defrosted. Co. has been a different story. The pond stayed frozen for
months, then the fish floated lifelessly to the surface in the spring. To
our surprise after we put in another dozen feeder goldfish this spring an
army of baby gold fish hatched from below. We're guessing last years fish
left behind the new generation. This year we're going to try to keep at
least one hole melted in the ice to help vent any gases that might build
up from decaying plants below and give the fish some air. I use bird
netting in the fall to keep out the majority of the falling leaves to
help keep the pond clean. Like life itself the pond is a never ending
experiment. It's great when we find frog eggs and baby minnows and
goldfish , it's a sign that the pond is doing good. I think it's a
wonderfully fun learning experience for the whole family. Have fun with
it!
Sharon
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I'm living with my second one. We dug the first one in the Philadelphia
suburbs, it was three years old when we left it. Now our new pond in the
Denver suburbs is 16 months old. No pumps or filters in either one. I
suggest reading as many books as you can find at your local library
before you start or get too far on a project like this, but don't let the
"must have filtration" books discourage you. How many natural ponds do
you see with extension cords running up to them?;-) We used rubber
roofing to line our ponds covered in clay soil and gravel. Rubber roofing
is the same as but cheaper than pond liners, but check to make sure the
rubber's not toxic. A couple things to keep in mind are: The larger the
surface area of the water the better for oxygenating the water. Fish eat
algae and larvae. Gold fish and minnows have been very happy in these
ponds, but larger fish like Koi demand a filtration system. Plants below
the surface make oxygen and eat up (filter) the nutrients (the fish leave
behind) that cause algae. Surface floating plants like water hyacinths,
water lilies, and parrot feathers block the sun from growing algae. I
think the rule I read was 2/3 of the water surface should be covered with
plants. If you want to attract wildlife it's a good idea to dig a gentle
slope into part of the pond for easy access. We've found local turtles,
frogs, snakes, squirrels, birds, gophers, dogs, cats and smelled skunks
that have visited for a drink, swim, or bath at one time or another. You
must dig at least 3 ft down in at least one part of the pond if you get
cold winters and you want to keep your fish outside. Winter in Pa. was
kinder to the pond. The kids would slide across the frozen pond for a
week or two then be totally amazed to find the fish were still alive as
it defrosted. Co. has been a different story. The pond stayed frozen for
months, then the fish floated lifelessly to the surface in the spring. To
our surprise after we put in another dozen feeder goldfish this spring an
army of baby gold fish hatched from below. We're guessing last years fish
left behind the new generation. This year we're going to try to keep at
least one hole melted in the ice to help vent any gases that might build
up from decaying plants below and give the fish some air. I use bird
netting in the fall to keep out the majority of the falling leaves to
help keep the pond clean. Like life itself the pond is a never ending
experiment. It's great when we find frog eggs and baby minnows and
goldfish , it's a sign that the pond is doing good. I think it's a
wonderfully fun learning experience for the whole family. Have fun with
it!
Sharon
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.