My First Pond

[Dashfixer_Drew]

Hello everyone,

I decided to dig a small pond, "how hard can it be ?" I said to myself. Will think more carefully next time.

Anyway, not quite finished it yet but thought Id join here and post a pic to see what advise may be given. Im struggling with the thought of keeping it fairly natural or putting in some small fish like minnows or very small goldfish.

Im off out now to get some Watercress to help the water quality although the water does seem crystal clear and the pump/filter/uv fountain has been on for over a week now.

Any advise greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Drew

PS, is it too late for me to find frogspawn or tadpoles? Im in the West Coast of Scotland.

[Wild-Woman]

Nice job there Drew. Yes too late for taddies I'm afraid but watch it pull in wildlife! You can guarantee that something will move in swiftly. Dragonflies and Pond Skaters appear like magic.

[tom00_uk]

if you want fish, stick with minnows, goldfish will soon outgrow that pond

[Tringa]

Hello Drew and welcome.

As already said it is too late for tadpoles this year, but allsorts of wildlife will use your pond. Adult frogs will turn up and probably over winter in the bottom. Ponds are also used by birds and foxes. Next year you will probably have frog and newt spawn.

Dave

[dampflippers]

If you want it to be amphibian friendly, DON'T add any fish at all.
But it's up to you.
I would suggest not putting any fish in this year, and see if you get any newts turning up, and then decide.

Watch out with your pump as they can suck in small creatures like tadpoles and baby newts.
Also using a filter may mean all the daphnia and plankton from the bottom of the food chain will be sucked out....which isn't beneficial for a wildlife pond.

Worth thinking about.

Make sure you have lots of oxygenators not just watercress.
There are some great leaflets available online. Look at Pond Conservation website.

[Dashfixer_Drew]

Thanks for all your advise. I will let nature take its course and keep you informed as to who "moves in".

Thanks again

Drew

[King Edward]

If you're concerned about the water clarity, you want to keep nutrient levels in the pond as low as possible. Your tap water may/may not be suitable, but rainwater is the best bet as being naturally very low in dissolved nitrate, phosphate etc. - being in the west of Scotland I can't think it's something you're short of either. Also, avoid any kind of soil/compost for planting - best to stick to sand/gravel.

Fish food is another major potential source of nutrients to the water (via the fish), hence the popularity of UV filters for keeping the water clear in fish ponds.