Talk to me about building a POND

[Ravenwoodmama]

Hi everyone,

Has anyone built a pond for their waterfowl? How did you do it? How big was it? Is there something special you need to line the bottom with? How do you clean it?

I am debating putting in a pond. I am torn between building a smaller landscape type pond in our yard vs building a bigger dugout sized pond further from the house. I think the ducks would enjoy a larger pond but with it being further from the house we humans wouldn't be able to enjoy watching them as much.

Suggestions?

 

[bantymum]

Be prepared for a smelly pond if its small.
You may need to have a pump ready to get rid of the sediment that will sink to the bottom.
There are some people here that use a strong pump to put the water over their vegies etc.
I used a baby pool for my ducks and had to tip it up every day and it killed the grass where i tipped it so it turned to mud which the ducks loved.
A big pond with an island in the middle would be good if you can plant something that eats the muck and cleanses the water, however i feel you will still need a pump.
Im sure someone will hop in here to help. Otherwise search under duck ponds and you will find some pics!!!
Good luck
Helen

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I have a 10foot x 10foot x 18inch ornamental pond, full of koi and goldfish. We built it last year and I have a biofilter running over a small waterfaull into it. There is no way you could combine the two...meaning, having an ornamental pond and also allowing waterfowl into it...it's a constant effor to keep the PH levels right and the bacteria healthy for the fish in it. Birds would contaminate it. If you want a farm type pond then you will just need an aerator to keep it from stagnating. I have a diffuser in mine because the bigger my fish grew, the less effective my pump became for aerating. It seems to be a very healthy ecosystem now (a few plants, snails, clams and fish)and my fish are healthy and growing, survived the winter well (haven't seen the snails or the clams yet though so not sure if they made it or not!), all of them in fact, lucky me! I think you should decide exactly what you want first, an ornamental pond with koi and goldfish or a functional farm pond...they are extremely different. If you decide on the ornamental pond, I'll be happy to help you..just ask anytime...I have no expereience with the other, sorry!

 

[nightshade]

I used an old claw foot bathtub. landscaped around it with stones nice, making sure to build them steps not only into the tub but also out of. I usualy pull the plug in it and rinse it out once a day with a hose. Also added some plants around it to make it look nice for me. I have been thinking a small fountain to cerculate the water would be nice. As well as give the nice pond sound effect. You know those little ones you added to a whiskey barrel pond on your porch. We have 6 ducks and they seem to share it all okay. You don't really need a big pond if you was willing to clean it out daily so it does not grow a slime or smell. I recycle my water from my tub pond by building a drain pipe that leads a ditch of swamp blueberries. Keeps the ducks in clean water and keeps the blueberries happy. Hope this helps

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Clever and attractive sounding idea there nightshade!!

 

[KingsCalls]

A friend of mine built a concrete pond. It is 10' x 10' wide and 18" deep. He ran pipe from where the bottom was going to be, out from underneath the duck encloser and put a 2" ball valve on the end. This way he is able to drain it when needed. He has 2 or 3 grass carp in it to help keep down the build-up of algee and duck poo. He tried planting water plants in it but the ducks ate them. He has had this pond for around 20 years and the only thing he has to do to it is, every now and then drain it and patch any small cracks.

 

[Rosalind]

Scrambled Egg, thank you for posting that. Good to know. I am planning a koi pond sometime next year (this year already has more than enough projects), will ask again for more info then.

 

[LinckHillPoultry]

this spring, the family and I are buying one of those giant tubs from tractor supply and we're placing it in the ground.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I'll be glad to help you out Rosalind, hopefully save you all the mistakes I made!! It really is a money pit though so don't go into it lightly! I still buy that "PondClear" at 16.00 a bag and put two of those in it every other month, that helps break up the fish poop and leaves and junk that falls in it and alos keeps the ph balanced. I am hoping when it gets warmer and more bacteria grows in my biolfilter that I will have less of the chemical balacning to worry about, we'll see. Anyway, I'll be glad to help anybody with pond questions. Here are some last summer pictures of my pond. I will not have as many of those plants this year and of course, now I have my biofilter on the side too. I have a really green thumb too, lol! My husband says I can make rocks grow, lol!

(I re-sized these so they wouldn't clog up the dial ups..sorry!!) also..the concrete ponds tend to crak in cold weather I've heard....

 

[texaschickmama]

We have dug several "tanks" as we can 'em. To ensure they hold the water, you could burn a pile of wood, the wood that you cleared for the pond, the ashes seems to hold it well.