New duck pond almost ready

[Bubblesduck]

I just installed the liner - there is a gravity drain reinstalled underneath since yard is on a hill. I also have the ability to reroute filter discharge to drain. I’m on a very tight budget, so filter from Amazon $125, pump $75, a bag of chlorine (only very very lightly chlorinated ) liner $0 (it’s a $1000 thick rubber pro liner that a friend bought and never used (and left outside…animals chewed a few holes in it…so he gave it to me, I patched and it works great. The ducks love the island in the middle. Pond is 8’ in diameter and about 24” deep. The pole in the middle will support a mandarin nest box and the flexible conduit is so I can run a Cat 6 / or other cable for a camera or some low voltage lighting…I’m not sure how to decorate…will buy some sod and I’m thinking flat rocks / flag stone? To stack around pond?

 

[Jenbirdee]

I just installed the liner - there is a gravity drain reinstalled underneath since yard is on a hill. I also have the ability to reroute filter discharge to drain. I’m on a very tight budget, so filter from Amazon $125, pump $75, a bag of chlorine (only very very lightly chlorinated ) liner $0 (it’s a $1000 thick rubber pro liner that a friend bought and never used (and left outside…animals chewed a few holes in it…so he gave it to me, I patched and it works great. The ducks love the island in the middle. Pond is 8’ in diameter and about 24” deep. The pole in the middle will support a mandarin nest box and the flexible conduit is so I can run a Cat 6 / or other cable for a camera or some low voltage lighting…I’m not sure how to decorate…will buy some sod and I’m thinking flat rocks / flag stone? To stack around pond?

Its fantastic!
I think if you put sod anywhere near it , the sod will be killed very quickly.
my brother invented a way to use stones around his pond that looks really nice , let me see if I can get his pic and description for ya

 

[Bubblesduck]

Its fantastic!
I think if you put sod anywhere near it , the sod will be killed very quickly.
my brother invented a way to use stones around his pond that looks really nice , let me see if I can get his pic and description for ya

I know absolutely nothing about grass and lawns…I’m an electrician….so why would the sod die? What do I need to be careful of?

 

[Jenbirdee]

I know absolutely nothing about grass and lawns…I’m an electrician….so why would the sod die? What do I need to be careful of?

the ducks! lol

 

[Jenbirdee]

ducks always kill grass especially if it is anywhere near a water source. and even the sky can be a water source (rain) if its wet, the ducks drill into the sod, and drill and drill and drill and drill ... until it is gone...and just a big mud slick is left

 

[Bubblesduck]

the ducks! lol

Ahh, I thought ducks were good at fertilizing the grass…the yard is 25’ x 25’ and I have 11 mandarin & call ducks (little ducks). What’s the best ground cover? But soft, I don’t want all stone to hurt their feet

 

[Bubblesduck]

Right now they are still in a fenced area with wood hips on ground - because aviary is not ready yet

 

[Jenbirdee]

Ahh, I thought ducks were good at fertilizing the grass…the yard is 25’ x 25’ and I have 11 mandarin & call ducks (little ducks). What’s the best ground cover? But soft, I don’t want all stone to hurt their feet

geese are good at fertilizing and trimming grass neatly, but ducks will destroy it. I buy these outdoor eco-rugs https://www.lowes.com/pd/EcoRug-Gre...Common-6-x-8-Actual-6-ft-W-x-8-ft-L/999992360
then I use mixture of sand and pea gravel all around those.