Pond size and natural filtering

[Kaolru]

I have five ducks currently, and I think I'm going to re-home two of them due to my drake constantly bullying them. So if I'm down to two ducks, how big of a natural pond would they need? I know bigger is better, but since I moved in with my dad they've been in the pond out back that we've had for years. It's not huge, but it's a decent size. I'll have to measure to know for sure.

It is mostly fed by rain, but doesn't really drain anywhere except when it overflows. My dad's getting upset because the water is dirty and the ducks are eating everything, despite being fed regularly. Anyway, I just want to know how big a pond has to be in order to use plants as a sort of filtering system, and if it would be enough on it's own.

 

[Kevin565]

Can you guesstimate how many gallons your pond is? Are the plants already established? Ducks can be destructive to aquatic plants. Are there fish in the pond?

 

[Kaolru]

There's pretty much nothing established, and I know we haven't had plants in the pond for several years. There were frogs, however, and the ducks took a toll on them. I know the pictures are small, but I loaned out my camera yesterday, so this is the best I can currently do. You can see the size of the pond, and I think it's roughly 2 - 2 1/2 ft deep in the center depending on how much rain we have. As far as I know, there are no fish in it. A while ago my uncle put gold fish in there to see if they'd survive, and they did for quite a while, but that's all I know of.

I was thinking of plants like cattails or taros. Something large that the ducks won't eat it, but it gives some life to the pond. I know there is no way of filtering it, but if plants could be established, would it help with the cleanliness of the pond?

For size reference, there are two smaller ducks that are East Indie crosses, those are the two I'm going to re-home. The others are two Cayugas and one Khaki Campbell.

 

[Kevin565]

Yes plants will help filter the pond but ducks are going to eat almost anything you put in there if it's not big enough.

 

[Kaolru]

I guess I'll do a bit more research and see what kinds of plants would be best suited for the pond. If I have to I can take the ducks off the pond for a while to give the plants a chance to take hold.

 

[Kevin565]

I'd suggest adding some pond snails! They work wonders on dirty ponds but be careful because they reproduce like crazy

 

[Kaolru]

Wouldn't the ducks eat them?

Are there any kinds of fish that would help keep it clean? I don't know if suckers would work or not.

 

[Kevin565]

Yes but if you get a good amount to start off you can have a stable population in a few months. They can have dozens and dozens of babies rapidly.

Wouldn't the ducks eat them?

Are there any kinds of fish that would help keep it clean? I don't know if suckers would work or not.

You can buy large adult plecos but you really need to live in a warm climate. I'd suggest Chinese high fin banded shark

 

[cecosugi]

Chinese high fin banded shark

That sounds incredibly scary! (I know nothing about fish, it just SOUNDS scary)

 

[Kaolru]

That sounds incredibly scary! (I know nothing about fish, it just SOUNDS scary)

It'd be more exciting if it were a real shark. lol
I'd love to have one as a pet.

Anyway, I think I will look into that. If nothing else I can take them off the pond for a while to get things established. I'll just have to keep a clean supply of water for them in the meantime.