Pond from scratch, advice please

Hi there, I have just bought a plastic pond and dug a hole in the garden to house it. Firstly, I need to pack the spaces around the plastic pond, which looks difficult to do.
Secondly, after reading a few threads here, I now realise it's not quite as simple as filling the pond up from the tap. Any tips about getting the pond suitable for frog spawn, small fish etc?

Lack of power is another factor, it will have to be kept clean and aeriated naturally.

Also, would it be wise to throw a bucket of water from a local pond into the garden pond?

Any links to a beginners guide would be helpful too, cheers for now, Paul72.

 

Hi Paul,
Nature will always create a balance,whether its a bucket of water or a lake
You can influence the outcome somewhat by various methods.
Power shouldn`t really be a problem as there are plenty of solar powered pumps,fountains and the like available.
Taking water from a local pond may add good things but could also introduce parasites and disease..make sure it`s a healthy pond first

A guide for pre-formed pond installation:
http://www.intersites.co.uk/2859/

 

You have to put a thickish layer of sand down for the pond to bed in and stop any sharp rocks etc damaging it.Then get it level with a spirit level or when filled it will look cock eyed .It can take ages to get a pond without a pump and filter to be good enough for fish to thrive in . Frogs will live in it .When we moved into our house there was a pond , the people before us took the pump with them and after a few summer weeks it started to stink and go green.
The more wild life and fish the more care, pump filter uv . It's not easy or cheap.I would go for the solar pump lots of plants and get advise from your local pond shop have the water tested , most places will do this free just take a sample and they will tell you what to put in it to keep it fish friendly. Bet you wish you'd got an Hamster now.

 

I have a pond that sees to itself most of the time. I dont have any pumps, filters or aeriaters in it. It sits in a corner of the garden shaded by trees to stop the algea. Every couple of years I dig out some of the mess in the bottom and while Im sitting with my cup of tea I use a kiddies fishing net to take off anything unsightly from the surface. I added nothing in the way of livestock and now have newts, toads, frogs, and a whole variety of insect life in it. I keep a couple of stones on the shelf so that hedgehogs can get out should they wander in too far and top the water up as needed from the tap with a hosepipe. Nature at its best!!

 

By the way....I think you have to decide whether its going to be a natural pond or one for fish as the later tends to eat the former. I have a water lily in the middle for shade and one or two plants on the shelf so that the tadpoles can get away from the newts as they also tend to get eaten. But nature has a way of balancing things out and some survive every year. Mayflies and dragonflies are in abundance as they lay their eggs on the edge.

 

This is exactly what I want but with a couple of perch.

 

Dee
You are so lucky to have a wildlife pond which has settled and attracted so much already!!!! We love Newts and frogs here (having 2 young boys!!) and any type of wildlife (except slugs and snails, but that is another story, and link!! ) :rolleyes: We also put in a pond last year, but it is struggling, mainly to us getting a puppy last year also!! As every plant I put in, she dragged out and chewed!! But this year we will get there!!
Is there any chance you could post some pictures of it, please? We would love to see it!!

Paul - If you want to have Frogs, etc, keep the number of fish down, as they eat the frogspawn. A wildlife pond doesn't have a fountain, but to keep the algae etc down, get some cover on the surface. Lillies are excellent and very pretty too. Follow Dee's advice - leave the tap water to settle for a couple of weeks or three before you add fish, and if you know anyone with spawn, see if you can have some, although its more likely to be tadpoles now. Oh, and try and leave the pond as quiet and undisturbed as possible - frogs don't like sharing with dogs!!!

 

Too late for frogs spawn this year. But frogs, toads, newts, dragonflies etc will come and use your pond. In return you have something new and interesting happening almost every time you visit. Great place to sit with a cup of tea. Fish eat everything even their own young. I have a natural and a fish pond,the fish free is by far teh most interesting.

 

Honey Bee...Will see what I can do regarding pics.
Ive had my pond for a few years now and my 3 girls loved it when they were younger. We had 'monsters' in the pond which turned out to be dragonfly larvea and 'bottom breathers' which are beetles that rush to the surface and take a big breath through their back ends! Non of my girls are scared of spiders and I put a lot of that down to the fact that used to try and catch the pond skaters. I dont get slugs but have a lot of snails in there which I pick out now and then with the net. My pond is done with liner (easier to install than pre formed as you can do what shape you like and adjust as needed) and Ive had to patch it slightly after next doors cat fell in but gaffer tape did the trick.
Paul...As Hans says fish will eat anything so I personally would have 2 ponds if you want fish AND frogs. Keep us posted on progress.
Dee

 

Something not mentioned in gardening books is that if you dig a pond in heavy clay soil when it rains, a liner will turn inside out and a plasit pond will float. Honestly this is not a wind up I came home from work one day and found my new pond in a complete mess.
Solution:- dig a big hole under the pond and fill it with gravel to act as a soak away.
Hope your not on heavy clay.

 

Hey, that's very timely advice, revin Helen! I'm just in the process of digging out for our new pond and it is very heavy clay - so heavy it is exhausting work. I'll follow your advice and make it deeper and add some gravel - thanks!

 

The best advice when digging a pond is to check that the sides are level. Then check them again. When you are absolutely sure they are level, check them once more.

Nothing looks worse than a sloping pond.

There's a lot of rot spoken about water, just fill it from the tap, anything you don't want in the water will go within a week, then you can start planting. I had diving beetles in my pond within 3 days of filling it, and damsel flies spawning within a week.

Having put some plants in place I found a ramshorn snail and a leach.

It is amazing how quickly a pond matures, but then the blanket weed starts, and it takes some time for that to go, but that's another story.

 

OK - so I have read everything above relating to ponds and it all makes sense so far. Please could someone just tell me how long it will take beor the water clears - if ever...? I put in some special white powder which made all the rocks and pond bottom look all chalky, but the water was lovely and clear. but since we have had all this rain and next door's silver birch has dumped many branches worth of seed heads into it, the pond is now looking like very stewed tea!! Can't see anything moving about in there at all, although I did have a dozen little red-bellied snails to begin with. Any advice gratefully received

 

Ah yes the blanket weed Rich....I wish I had a pound for every hour Ive sat beside the pond twirling a bamboo cane in it and dragging it out!!! Cant actually think of a nicer way to spend a warm evening than messing about by the water :D K8..buy yourself a childs fishing net (about a pound from Wilcos, far more at Baytree) and skim off anything that falls into the pond. Doing this gives you a good excuse if you need one to spend half an hour or so every day by the pond with a cup of tea or something stronger. I wonder how Paul72 is getting on with his pond?
Dee