Does anyone have a garden pond? And if so, how successful is it and do you get lots of wildlife? Are things like liners available or do you have to line with clay or something.

All answers gratefully received.

Mrs Eq

I have a liner pond and a concrete waterfall pond. both are successful with regards to leakage, non.
it all depends how far you want to go with a pond really. ie, filters, pumps, or just still ponds. I have a variety of pond plants and lillies which adds colour to the ponds. with regard to wildlife i only have residents f r o g s. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
I did want fish, but the depth of pond required for survival in winter was too deep, though terrapins love ponds.

underwater lights are fabulous, various colours. have fun.

I had a pond filled with Koy Carp in the UK and it was hard work in the summer, filters have to be cleaned and the pond cleared of weed. As Starlite mentioned the biggest problem would be to stop the whole thing from freezing in the winter. It would have to be really deep which then causes problems with cleaning it, because you couldn't stand in it and sort the pond out. A wet suit and a snorkel would be more useful, but then you could meet a snake that has sneaked into the water.

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I used to have a smallish pond with Koi and a few other species but it only ever got cleaned out twice in 10 years, mainly because the first time the pre-formed plastic pond sprung a leak which was then rectified with a bit of silicone seal 'once I had found the problem' which turned out to be a small piece of grit in the sand that had originally been used to line the hole before inserting the pre-formed liner, the second repair was with a butyl liner.

Although I basically just put the butyl liner inside the pre-formed pond it was also lined with newspapers to stop any further grit getting through, I was also told old carpet could also be used, but basically anything that would create a cushion between the liner and the soil.

Ponds raised slightly above ground level also have the benefit of less rubbish blowing into the pond so helps to keep cleaning and filtering to a minimum.

Waterfalls and fountains are a lovely feature but play hell with water loss, so water will need topping up the on a fairly regular basis.

Obviously winters in the UK are not so fierce but here anything around two foot deep is considered reasonable and not forgetting that fish will develop in size according to the size of the pond, which means "
Big pond = Big fish"
"
Small pond = Small fish"


For help with freezing problems:
Use either a floating electric heater (anchored at some point to stop it moving to the side and burning the liner)
This can be left switched on permanently during the winter as it only needs a small hole to allow the build-up of gasses to escape and most of them are only a few watts, so running costs will not break the bank.
Also placing 1 or 2 smallish footballs in the pond will help which you just remove and then replace occasionally, again to let any gas escape, because of it's shape the ball does not freeze over. (well not usually)

Birds, once birds such as storks and herons realise there are fish they will empty any pond of fish within a short space of time, so it may need to be covered with a decent wire mesh, personally I just used the type of wire mesh as used in concreting and that did the job as the holes were not too small or too big to stop most small animals getting in or out.

You also need to form some form of entry exit route for anything that gets in to help them get out, usually at the edge where plants are allowed to grow over and into the pond such as reeds, in the ponds early stage a piece of sacking draped into the pond will suffice.

Frog's can be good as the fish will eat the frogspawn and possibly also the tadpoles, but too much and it can take over and smother the pond, so you may need to clear some out.


*********
True story:-
Some 6+ years after a friend moved into his house he finally got around to tidying up the patio which had a overgrown water feature, it turned out there were some really nice fish in it that had not been seen and therefore never been fed by him in all those years, the point being, if left to it's own devices and wildlife exists the fish can also sustain themselves.

Oops, sorry forgot what the question was, yes I get carried away where pond and water features are concerned.

Thanks for your input all. I would not be wanting an ornamental pond with fountain to keep fancy fish....been there, done that. What I am thinking of is a more 'natural' pond for wildlife, which I would assume means amphibians and insects mostly, and plants, but also any passing creature needing a drink or bath...and yes, that means snakes too, they are native here and do a good job of pest control, so are entitled to respect. It is up to us to keep our chicks safe from them, they are the only things at risk of harm.

So I am thinking more on the lines of a butyl liner so that we can make easy access for birds wanting a bath and any creature falling in can get out safely. Also can then make it deep enough for over-wintering amphibians. It's just a thought at the moment, something I have always wanted to do.

But then I want to keep bees too...and a goat or two....and any other creature needing a home!

I know I can't have it all, and if I can just have the dogs and chickens, then so be it. Mr Eq will keep me in check.

Mrs Eq

The main thing with butyl liners is to take your time when filling them with water and try and keep any creases as tidy as possible, and not forgetting plenty of high level shelves for initial planting.

What size pond are you thinking about, and don't forget when it's finished it probably will not be big enough, not forgetting the edging/marginal plants over time will encroach into the pond thus making it even smaller.
(So once more, size matters)

Equinus wrote:

But then I want to keep bees too...and a goat or two....and any other creature needing a home!

I know I can't have it all, and if I can just have the dogs and chickens, then so be it. Mr Eq will keep me in check.

Mrs Eq

If you are taking in waifs n' strays then I'm looking for a decent home, reasonably well house trained and a "
I'll do it tomorrow outlook on life"

Phil-H wrote:

The main thing with butyl liners is to take your time when filling them with water and try and keep any creases as tidy as possible, and not forgetting plenty of high level shelves for initial planting.

What size pond are you thinking about, and don't forget when it's finished it probably will not be big enough, not forgetting the edging/marginal plants over time will encroach into the pond thus making it even smaller.
(So once more, size matters)

Equinus wrote:

But then I want to keep bees too...and a goat or two....and any other creature needing a home!

I know I can't have it all, and if I can just have the dogs and chickens, then so be it. Mr Eq will keep me in check.

Mrs Eq

If you are taking in waifs n' strays then I'm looking for a decent home, reasonably well house trained and a "
I'll do it tomorrow outlook on life"

Not sure on size or even if, yet. Just something I am looking in to, like to do lots of research before doing anything. We will assess the garden once lovely neighbour has harvested her pumpkins and stuff (and praying it is not all for us!) and where we are going to put the new fruit we want to plant.

Equinus wrote:

But then I want to keep bees too...and a goat or two....and any other creature needing a home!

I know I can't have it all, and if I can just have the dogs and chickens, then so be it. Mr Eq will keep me in check.

Mrs Eq

Mr Eq here - not sure if the OH knows something that I don't know, but seems suddenly she is wanting two goats, two donkeys, two geese, two turkeys, two cows, two pigs, two horses etc and why does she keep calling me Noah!!!! :LOL2:

Let me know if you need a hand building the Ark Dave..Lol

your talking of eco ponds, natural living ponds, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ... d=0CEMQsAQ

starlite wrote:

your talking of eco ponds, natural living ponds, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ... d=0CEMQsAQ

Yes, that's the sort of thing. A challenge getting the balance right, especially in this climate where it is all new to us.

Thanks for the offer bgbazz, but pretty much sorted, in true Bulgarian style I have constructed it out of old wooden boxes, bits of bed, some slats of wood from the loft, bits of twigs and anything else that may float. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Well done mate.

lets see some pictures when you get a fet minutes to spare