"Pondnovice" wrote in message
oups.com...
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.
I'd first suggest you get the pump off the bottom. If the output is somehow
diverted, you will empty your pond, and that's not so good for the fish.
Lift it up a bit on a crate, or planter.
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?
Rocks on the bottom are a bit of a maintenance issue. The spaces in between
the rocks will collect a lot of detrious (sp?) which over time can become
toxic to the fish, and just plain smelly. If you want a few large rocks for
show, great, but if you plan to line the pond with small rock/pebbles, I
recommend you don't. You will live to regret it.
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?
Introducing local species can be good and bad. Local species will grow well,
but you may also bring with those plants disease and other undesirables. I
suggest you start your pond off with a few purchased plants from a reputable
seller, or by getting some from someone here for postage. Sorry, my pond is
iced over, so I have nothing to share right now. Check out
http://www.iheartmypond.com/Plants/.
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.
Some people use mechanical filtration, others use plant filtration. Plants
are not critical, but they are very helpful in keeping the balance. I use
ONLY plant filtration, so plants are critical for my pond.
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.
Just remember...filtration. Manage your water, and your fish will manage
themselves. A small body of water, overcrowded will be very difficult to
manage. Check out
http://www.iheartmypond.com/WaterQuality/Filtration/.
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!
You don't get to see how many of them die, and how often that water is
filtered by nature.
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?
I dunno about crawdads.
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!
Many municipalities use chlorine or chloramines to treat the water. Both
chemicals are harmful to fish and should be removed with a proper water
treatment. Check out
http://www.iheartmypond.com/Treatmen...ineandAmmonia/.
--
BV
Webporgmaster of iheartmypond.com
http://www.iheartmypond.com
I'll be leaning on the bus stop post.