The following is a collection of answers that rec.ponds has come up with over
time to answer questions about child safety and ponds.
These are offered with the warning that children and water need constant
supervision and no method suggested here is going to be foolproof. Swimming
lessons from an early age is always a good idea. Also teaching children about
the dangers of the pond (tippy rocks, slick liners
Even if you don't have children but are concerned about neighborhood children,
most cities are going to require that you have a fence around any body of water
over so many inches deep. Call your city for information and regs.

1) Contruct a very shallow stream with a circulating pump, the water can drop
into a covered and locked container. Lots of neat plants will grow in a stream,
iris, cattail, watercress.

2) Small pottery ponds on a table top on your deck with miniature waterlilies
and mini cattails, a small pump, a fish or two.

3)Construct a nice wide but very shallow pond.
Rosie Red Fathead minnows are really tough fish and would do well in a pond
like that.
They are fairly fearless and are a lot of fun to watch. They also breed like
rabbits so there are always babies to spy for.

Little folks can wade around with those wading shoes they sell. Lots of plants
in low shallow pots and a few secure overhanging rocks to provide some hidey
holes for the fish. Water hyacinth and water lettuce would like this pond.

Depending on where you live you might want this type of pond to have some shade
to keep the water temperture from getting too high in the summer.
If you are in a lower zone, the fish and plants may have to be removed for the
winter if the pond would freeze solid.

It is also important in a shallow pond to keep the water moving. A pump on one
end and a bell fountain on the other (really cool for children to poke a finger
into and watch the waterbell part around their finger) or hook up a spouting
frog statue.

When the children are older you could dig a deeper pond and use the first pond
as
a veggie filter.

4) A raised pond can be safer as it keeps little one from stumbling in and
allows them to sit at the edge and watch the fish and frogs. Fix it with a grid
- see below.

Krissy has a grid in her pond, here is an account about how she made it ~~~The
grid is made out of rebar which has been welded together. My wonderful
grandfather made it for me by taking a fairly sturdy wire and outlining the
pond shape.. then we figured on 8" squares so that I can hang the water pots on
it and also added several longer pieces so that the grid would rest on them on
the edge of the pond. Just make sure that you have enough liner to go up behind
it as I shorted myself on the liner and as a result don't have the water as
high over it as I'd like. I was hoping for 4-6" of rock on top of it with water
right up instead it's about 2 inches. It's ok. Only problem with setting it up
this way instead of on top of rock is that I have to remove quite a few rocks
in order to remove the grid if I need to climb into the pond. So far I haven't
had to as I can remove the pipe on my pump/fountain head and remove the entire
pump/filter through one of the holes. I have more rock on top of the grid than
I need actually. The grid is very strong (holds my weight no problem) and so
I"m placed several rocks further out into the pond on the grid to provide for
hiding places. The fish love them! I painted the grid with Tremclad rust paint
in a black colour. I noticed after the fact (when it was in the water) that I
missed some parts. What I found is that as long as the grid is full submerged,
that it doesn't rust. Only thing I don't like about it is that I can't just
lift it out (2 person job after I remove most of the rocks). One thing to think
of is your pump/filter. Just by luck, my pump in a filter box fits through the
8" holes, but if I ever wanted to put something bigger in the pond I would have
to remove the grid. I think on the next one (if I need one) I would make some
kind of trap door on it so that I can actually get in the pond or be able to
take things in and out that are bigger than the 8".



k30a