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The
Size of the Pond
A
very large pond is often difficult to access and you have to keep
in mind where
you would put all the water if, for any reason, it had to be emptied
and, how
would you do it? On the other hand, a very small pond may require
constant
attention as it may not be large enough to sustain itself.
A garden pond does not have to be too deep and should preferably
have a shelf
about 12 "below the top of the side, to site aquatic plants.
If you are digging the
pond to your own design and intend to have no fish, or only goldfish,
or orfe, it
needs to be no more and no less than 2' 6" at its greatest
depth. However, if you
are keeping Koi, you will need a pool depth of 4ft, but remember
deep ponds can
be difficult and dangerous to clean out.
Where
to site the Pond
Try
to site your pond in a position away from trees, as autumn leaves
that fall on
the pond will rot and foul the water. Where this is not possible,
you may have to
net the pond when the leaves are falling.
Bear in mind that rotting grass clippings in a pond are as dangerous
as leaves,
so you need to consider how near the lawn the pond is going to
be, or how
effective your lawn mower is in picking up the grass.
Ideally, a pond should have some shade rather than being in full
sun all day.
If you are going to run a pump, you will also need a source of
electricity.
Constructing
the Pond
There
are many ways to build a pond, the most common being pre-formed
purchased form a garden centre, the size of which may be determined
by the
kind of transport available to get it home. Whilst a pre-formed
pond is a ready
made pond, a great deal of accuracy is required in digging the
hole, getting the
pond level and back filling with the soil you have taken out.
Get it wrong and the
pond will leak water at one end and mice and other vermin may
find a home in
the spaces between the soil and the pond sides.
An alternative method is to construct a pond to your own design,
using a flexible
liner made of Butyl, or a strong plastic. You must however, make
sure there are
no stones protruding from the pond sides that could puncture the
liner, indeed it's
a good idea to place a layer of damp sharp sand against the sides,
before you
place the liner ready for filling.
The third method is to dig out the shape of the pond, then set
concrete at least 2"
thick. This should be a permanent fixture on a clay soil, but
can crack and leak
on soft sandy soils. Furthermore, a period of time needs to elapse
before fish
can be released into a concrete pond as they are affected by the
lime from the
concrete base that can seep into the water.
Never use polythene sheeting as it becomes brittle and will leak
in no time at all.
Water in a new pond will be green for up to four weeks until the
water becomes
"aired".
If the soil you take out of the pond site is of reasonable quality,
you can spread it
around parts of the garden, or perhaps form it into a heap for
a small waterfall.
You should leave it to settle for a few months before doing this.
Fish
Ponds
do not have to include fish, or even plants, but a pond without
one or the
other would be pretty boring and become stagnant in a matter of
weeks if the
water remained still. However, make sure your plants are established
before
adding fish to the pond as initially the fish want somewhere to
hide. Until now
they have never been in anything bigger than a fish tank and being
transferred
into a garden pond must be rather traumatic.
Always buy your fish from a reputable source. Never accept fish
from friends or
neighbours as they may have a virus which may in turn infect your
fish. Goldfish,
Orfe and if your pond is large enough, Koi, and many other types
of fish will
survive a British winter in a pond even if it freezes over. Refrain
from buying
Tench as they are bottom feeders and while they eat up the food
which drifts
down from the surface, they continually disturb the bottom of
the pond and
discolour the water.
How
many fish
There
are all kinds of formula for calculating the numbers of fish for
a pond and
some can get quite complicated. A simple formula is to measure
the surface of
the pond and every square foot can accommodate half an inch of
fish. For
example, a 6ft x 4ft (24 sq ft) pond will maintain 24 x 6"
fish, or 48 x 3" fish.
However, if you have the right conditions, your fish will breed,
so it's probably
better to start off with no more than half of your maximum quota.
For garden water features, garden furniture, ponds and water
feature accessories, Click here to visit an aquatics specialist.
Looking after your fish
When
you buy fish, they are normally in half filled plastic bags. Float
the bag in
the pond for at least 30 minutes to allow the water temperatures
to equalize
before releasing the fish.
Feed your fish daily with a proprietary fish food. You can feed
fish twice a day
during the summer months, supplying them with only enough food
that can be
eaten in 10 minutes. Do not feed them after October, or before
April. Fish
metabolism slows down in cold water and they do not feed, or move
around
much during the winter months, merely surviving in a state of
dormancy. Any
feed will fall to the bottom of the pond and foul the water. However,
on a warm
winter's day, fish can start moving around and take in feed if
it is given to them.
This is dangerous as the digestive system of the fish can't cope
if the weather
turns cold again.
Fish can suffer from a range of ailments, including parasites,
fungal infections
and fin rot. You can buy proprietary preparations to treat these
problems from
most reputable pet shops that deal in aquatics.
Pond
Plants
There
are several distinct groups of plants you can grow in or around
a garden
pond. Unfortunately, there are too many to list here, so you should
ask at a
garden centre dealing in aquatics for advice on the best plants
for your pond.
Oxygenators are essential for keeping the pond healthy and clear
and you should
always have at least one submerged to absorb carbon dioxide and
release
oxygen into the water. They can multiply fairly rapidly and outgrow
their space if
not cut back. Remove the excess, which makes good garden compost
when
rotted down.
Water lilies are planted in containers that sit on the bottom
of the pond and
produce leaves and flowers on the surface in summer. They also
help to shade
the pond from the sun and inhibit the growth of weed. Don't over
plant, as they
grow rapidly: one is sufficient in a small pond.
Marginals are planted in containers set in shallow water on shelves
around the
pond.
Floaters are flowering plants that simply float on the pond. Marsh
plants can be
planted at the edges of the pond, if the liner is extended and
filled with soil to
create waterlogged bog conditions.
Don't use garden soil as it contains too many impurities and could
contaminate
the water. Your garden centre will advise on the best compost
to use.
Spread gravel around the top of plant containers as fish delight
in rummaging
around the bottom of plants, disturbing the compost and discolouring
the water.
Pond Maintenance
The
main problems in ponds are blanket weed, algae and fallen leaves.
Algae can be avoided to some extent by siting your pond away from
the full sun.
It is less of a problem when the pond is established with oxygenators
and lilies.
Blanket weed is a bigger enemy as it thrives in healthy water.
It can be removed
by hand or with a stick, being careful not to puncture the liner.
There are other
effective methods to remove blanket weed, such as floating barley
straw on the
surface. You could also use chemicals, but the best method of
cutting down on
blanket weed is to keep the water moving. If you have a fountain
and/or
waterfall, keep it running at all times to aerate the pond. This
will also keep ice
from forming across all the surface of the pond in the winter
Leaves are a menace and if your pond is near trees, then the only
way to keep
the leaves out is to net the pond.
Ice rarely freezes in water beyond a depth of 18" in the
UK and providing there
are no rotting leaves giving off poisonous gas in the bottom of
the pond and there
is a hole in the ice to allow in oxygen, the fish will survive
quite well for several
months during the winter.
A rubber ball floating on the surface of the pond in winter can
usually move
around sufficiently enough to leave a hole in the ice thus allowing
oxygen to get
through, or use hot water from a kettle to make a hole in the
ice. Never break the
ice as this will affect the fish's nervous systems and can kill
them.
If you have a pump, a filter fixed to it, will remove algae and
other particles from
the water, although the filter will need cleaning on a regular
basis.
With a larger pond, you can pump the water through a tank containing
some kind
of filtration product, although clean gravel will also do the
trick and a tank full of
hair curlers acts as an excellent filter. A central heating header
tank for a small
pond or a cold water storage tank for a larger pond is ideal.
Bacteria that remove
toxic waste will grow on the filters, thus keeping the pond clean
and healthy.
If pollution remains a major problem, you can run the hose from
the pump
through an ultraviolet light to kill the algae and totally eliminate
green water.
If your pond springs a leak it may mean draining it down to where
the hole is, or
draining it completely to affect a repair. If the latter is the
case, move the fish and
plants to a temporary tank.
You can purchase pond puncture kits to repair plastic liners form
a garden centre
that has an aquatics department.
A crack in a pre-formed pond is best fixed using a car body repair
kit.
If you have a concrete pond, it's probably better to drain it
and add a plastic liner,
rather than point up with cement, which rarely works.
Wild Life
Within
a very short space of time, your pond will attract frogs and/or
toads and, if
you are lucky, newts. They will benefit your garden as all three
eat slugs and
snails, so you should make it easy for them to get in and out
of the pond by
having an angled slope to climb up. These reptiles will undoubtedly
spawn and
you will need to make sure the spawn doesn't clog up the pump
filter. Various
insects, such as water boatmen, which literally walk on water,
bees, butterflies
and hovering dragon and damsel flies will turn up as will water
snails, which you
will need to control as they can carry disease.
Birds will be attracted to drink and bathe in fountains and waterfalls,
but you do
not need a visiting heron! If this becomes a problem, you may
have to net the
pond, or wind black or near invisible thread around pegs around
the pond to
catch the herons' legs as they try to wade in.
A good pond is hard to beat as a source of tranquility in the
garden.
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