My babies

[StevenW.]

#1 - Think about some of the ponds that you see along the back country roads. As long as you have a mixture of water, plants, an organisms, you will have your own little ecosystem (yours will just be a bit smaller) I don't think you will ever have perfectly clear water, but it will not become stagnant if you have the 3 items above.

(side note: I don't really want perfectly clear water, because somehow it doesn't seem natural to me - but everyone has their own taste )

If you want to go for the perfectly clear water look, you could add a bio filter. Some people will also opt for the use of chemicals, however, I wouldn't recommend it. Be very careful as you could harm the fish or other animals living in the eco system, and you might also cause your liner to deteriorate.

#2 - A pump is perfectly fine in your garden pond with your fish. Each pump usually has a small filter around the intake area to keep fish & other small creatures from getting into it. Be sure to keep this filter cleaned out on a regular basis - as it collects leaves & other debris as the water circulates.

Copied that from here. http://www.littlecountryvillage.com/garden-pond-help.shtml


http://www.fountaincrafters.com/ponds-and-lakes.html


My grandpa has a windmill that powers the fountains on his pond. Its really neat!

 

[bayyjayy]

A windmill? Sounds fabulous. What a great addition to my backyard....may have to make that suggestion to hubby! *smile*

 

[bayyjayy]

We are actually making the big pond into a natural swimming pond, so we will be getting all the "stuff" that will keep the swimming pond nice. My hubby actually just received the book today that he ordered to learn more about it. When he takes on a project, he really gets into it, so I am thinking by the time we are done, we will have a nice little natural pond that will be great for the ducks and the pool will be great for us. (Fingers crossed!)

 

[StevenW.]

Quote:
LOL

I wish I had a picture of it! From the left it is shallow then it gets deeper and deeper from there on. They actually have 2 of those fountains powered by the WindMill, the smaller one is in the shallow part and bigger one in the deeper part.

 

[StevenW.]

Quote:
Nothin like swimmin' in a duck soup pond.

 

[animalpro24]

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Very cute!! I love mallards but it's hard to keep them be cause they fly. I've had one pair of them and I loved them but they died this year. Buffs are gorgeous ducks I got three girls in may. They are quite small, I didn't expect them to be so small.

 

[bayyjayy]

That makes me happy that Buffs are small. Out of my three original mallards, one has a broken wing, and as far as I know, he can't fly. The female has never flown out of the yard, and the other male lost his mate last month and since then I haven't seen him fly either. The one who lost his mate, they came to me in December....someone from one street over brought them to me when we were having a HUGE snowstorm and told me they found them in their yard and could they put them in my pond....I told them they wouldn't stay, but they were more than welcome to leave them. Well, surprise! They stayed, though they would fly into our backyard, sideyard, and frontyard....that is how my dogs got a hold of her...she must have been in the backyard. Sad. They are all pretty small mallards...my original female is realllly small.....maybe she just looks like that because of my Pekins and Rouens. I am hoping the mama mallard and her ducklings will fly away. I wonder if they will come back if I put them back in the creek.

 

[animalpro24]

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Sorry about your losses! Our mallards would take off and fly around 3 or 5 five times around our three acres and then land again, It was cool!