Hey guys, im new here. I have just begun the journey into the wonderful
world of ponds and I have some questions about pond maintenance etc.
First of all i'll tell you my situation: I have a 160 gallon
prefabricated pond that I set into the ground. I filled it with tap
water and got my pump going on the bottom. The pond has great cover and
will never be in too much direct sunlight due to my fence and some tall
overhanging trees. My climate in southern california shoudnt pose any
risks, at least weather wise.
Ok thats all so far... now it would seem that the next step is
some rocks for the bottom, maybe river bed rocks? Then aquatic plants
and reeds, and finally fish. Thats all fine and dandy, but what now?
Should I just take some reeds from the nearby wetlands and drop them in
the pond where I want them to grow? Or is there some special plants I
should get? Also, I have a "channel" that runs around the edge of the
pond that is apparently meant for reeds to grow in.. but I have
absolutely no idea how to grow reeds! Do any of you know how? My next
big question is how do I balance my pond critters with my plants? My
understanding is that the plants are crucial to the ponds ecosystem and
especially for the fishes survival. So how many/much plants do I need?
The type of critters I am looking to put in the pond aren't the
usual koi and goldfish etc. My whole vision is to populate it with some
of the local aquatic life I find around my southern california home.
This is smallmouth bass, catfish, mosquito fish and crawdads. Now I am
very aware of my limited space i.e. 160 gallons, but I am pretty
confident that if only a very few of these critters are put into the
pond it should not be too crowded. I myself have stumbled upon secluded
pools no bigger than my living room in my local mountains while fishing
only to find bass, sometime over 2 or 3 lbs living in them! Anyway, do
you think I should transplant these fish while they are young and
small? And what about the crawdads... would they even stand a chance in
there? I have seen them living in some pretty low creeks before,
something like a few inches of water. But I just dont know if a small
pond would allow them to roam enough, can crawdads live in small ponds?
Also what about the chemicals in the tap water? I read a few things
talking about getting rid of them, whats the best way to do this?
Thats a lot of pond questions, but remember I have a blank pond
sitting in my backyard right now and I'm itching to get it going so
please inform me!