Formal raised pond, aquatic plants & DUCKS?

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

Ok, I'm planning a large (for my backyard) formal pond. It will ideally be planted with aquatic plants like lilly pads, duck weed, some reeds and have various small fish in it (no koi or carp, no catfish-probably just mosquito fish, feeder goldfish, maybe one or two bass).

I have 5 ducks and a goose and I was wondering if allowing them a weekly visit would devestate the pond once its established. Ideally I want them to regulate the duck weed and other floating plants & I'll work with different types of plantings to figure out which ones they don't like. I'll have a heavy duty filtration system for the whole thing with a waterfall and maybe a fountain in the middle. The overall dimensions for my raised pond will be 3 feet deep (1 foot in ground, 2 feet raised) by 14 feet long and irregularly oval with an average width of 4 feet.

Does anybody have experience with ducks/geese and formal aquatic plants like lily pads, reeds, floating and submerged plants? Do they rip them out or just eat them in place &/or tear them up a little?

Has anyone successfully (or even attempted) dividing a pond to protect an area from ducks, and if so what was used?

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

They will love it, and eat all the fish they can catch and enjoy ALL the water plants too.

 

[Kevin565]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/146829/the-duck-ponics-experiment-raising-minnows

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:

sorry couldn't help myself.

 

[galgo98]

They will love it, and eat all the fish they can catch and enjoy ALL the water plants too.

X2! My 6 runners ate anything green within a 1' radius around my little pond this summer. Beyond that, they squashed everything by stomping on it. Apparently, the MIDDLE of the hosta is the best place to lay and munch on the leaves around you. Today, they found a poor half-hibernating fish... SUSHI! I am working with some koi pond builders to try and build a filtration system specifically for the ducks in the backyard this spring. I would definitely incorporate bottom drains into the pond. They can fill up the bottom pretty quickly, and submersible pumps can't pull it all up. I'm still not sure what to do about landscaping around it, I'm thinking grasses. They didn't do as much damage to them. Make sure your goldfish are big, I thought a 5" fish would be ok... Good thing they are absolutely adorable and watching them swim/destroy a pond is so entertaining!

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

I was planning on planting some tropical plants behind the pond...bird of paradise, palms...maybe even a sago to ward them off. I know my goose eats palm leaves (not sago), but not if she can't reach them. I can always fence off the planted areas

So what everyone is saying is that all water plants are tasty to ducks/geese? I'm going to have to figure out what to do now.

I've noticed the water plants prettymuch die off in the winter, maybe I can let them in seasonally if I have big enough fish.

I've seen the Aquaponics post from last year, I read and followed the whole thing. It appeared to be unsuccessful on the small scale that was attempted, and I think if I have fish I'll end up with similar results for the growing plants. I just want pretty pond plus happy ducks. it doesn't seem possible though.

 

[CelticOaksFarm]

Our bird of paradise are gone and the small leaf palms get eaten by ducks and geese both. Bamboo, reed grasses, Mexican petunia are all holding up well. Some of the ferns, but the Sebastopols found a row of ferns and palms and have eaten them way, WAY down.

 

[TLWR]

My girls LOVED the floating plants I got for their pond. They left them alone at the beginning and then realized how yummy they were and hopped on the pond ledge and stole them from the filter box and ate every last bit of them!

 

[dbolak]

I have a three pond set-up. One for Koi, one nursery/nothing and one for goldfish. I have to place a net over the nursery to keep them out. They LOVE the ponds and the greens. Between the plants and the bugs they hardly eat duck food! I have not been able to keep my ducks out unless they are in their pen. As soon as the door is opened they make a run for the pond.

 

[Cciprnancy]

We have a few Rouen ducks and two Sepastopol geese. My husband built a pond and just finished adding a filtering system. I'd like to add some fish and plants to make it attractive to my water fowl. The pond is for them, but I'd like something that will grow and replenish itself if eaten. Any suggestions besides they will eat everything including the fish LOL. Knowing it may end up being duck and geese food, I want some inexpensive plants and fish.