stink pond

[stephen moulder]

hi all need some advice i have an old bath as a pond that my dad put in when i was little no grown up my pond is regular visiting by frogs and newts but it is next to conifer and is half full with dead conifer leaves when stirred it reecks two things have had frog spawn before but the eggs turn to a mouldy white after a while should i complete empty the bath and clean it then re fill it or leave it i might make a cover for it so conifer leaves stop going in what should i do any ideas ?

[nightshade]

Empty it and move it is the best long term solution
(all that pine must make a concentrated chemical bath)
use the old hole as a bog garden,or fill with stones and
earth from the new dig for the frogs etc. to live in
cover with periwinkle

[goosey]

Helo Stephen and welcome.
I have a very similar pond to you but smaller- in an old washing tub. I dont have a pump to keep it clean but regularly use a small aquarium net to fish out leaves and debris. When I do clean it leave the pile of debris along with the plants on the ground for anything to crawl out and make it's self visible so I can put the ceatures back. I empty most of the dirty water away but leave a couple of inches at the bottom of the old water. while the tub is almost empty I wipe any slime away from the side of the tub. I replace the plant baskets and loose oxygenating plants and refill with water very carefully. Slowly running it down the side of the tub not to disturb the stones at the bottom. Any ditritus that comes to the top can be got rid of. This may need to be repeated a few times if it's really dirty, but I find loose oxygenating plants really helps. I have never had any frogs so some one else may be able to help you there - good luck

[wyevilla]

Hi Stephen and welcome to WAB

The solution to your problem will depend on how much space you have and how much work you want.

As Nightshade said, moving the pond is probably the best long-term move. Alternatively you will have to regularly clean and empty, as Goosey describes, which in itself is hardly conducive to encouraging wildlife. One thing that you can do is to create a "roof" over the pond to keep out the debris A wooden frame with polythene will do it and pitched at an angle like a cold frame. Don't fit it down to the ground so that creatures can come and go.

Incidentally, I worked at a place that had a very successful wildlife pond in a bath. As long as you allow creatures the opportunity to leave when they want to (via a pile of stones, logs or laying turf over the sloping end) it can be very successful.

[stephen moulder]

hi thanks for replys there is no way i can remove the bath its buried deep i shall start emptying the pond and rmove all debris and start again cheers for your tips

[Lincs Yellowbelly]

If you are getting lots of conifer bits in the pond it may be work covering the pond with some meshing to prevent the majority of them falling in

[badgerwatcher]

Or put an arch over it and cover that with mesh, then trail climbers up it, Stephen.
Hello, by the way.

[Kayleigh]

Last summer my Barrel water turned black and oily with a smelly scum on the top. I had to get all the plants out, I put them near the big pond so any thing living could move house. I got most of the water out, hosed the plants and changed the water a few times. Then put the plants back. You can see the barrel in the thread "Frogs in the barrel" I posted today. As everyone has said keep the leaves out and keep the pond plants and oxygenates in. I keep the barrel on my patio and for the second year we have had frogspawn. This year we had two lots.

[bugbotherer]

This thread prompts a question in my mind. When is the best time to clean/refresh a pond ?

[Kayleigh]

In spring we have toads, in summer we have newts, in late summer we have young newts and toads. So I would guess Autumn. But we have left our pond its two years old now. I just use a garden rake to get rid of most of the pond weed off the top. Then leave what I rake at the side for anything to crawl back in.