The Duck-ponics Experiment - Raising minnows

[greyhorsewoman]

I'm going to vote a big NO on duckweed. It has now become a noxious invasion on my pond that we can't seem to stop. It has choked out our little pond so our bass population has dropped to almost nil. The ducks can't keep up with it, and at a point it becomes so overwhelming, the ducks stop going in the pond. (I have about 20 ducks.)

Last year we gave it and resorted to poison to help keep it at bay. This year I am hoping to get approved for a grass carp (though our pond may be too small for approval ~ it's just a bit over a 1/4 acre) so that we can maybe get better control without poison (which is also expensive).

I am not a fan of introducing any non-native species... don't know how it got into my pond in the first place. I suppose it can be a food source in a controlled environment, but there is no way I can 'drag' my pond. (We have tried raking it onto the banks when the wind blows most of it too one side of the pond, but that has seemed pretty pointless.)

This may not apply to you, since you are doing an 'artificial' pond ... ... but in this household, 'duckweed' is a dirty word.

 

[Wifezilla]

Phase 3: Acquire Duckweed
Status: Complete
I grabbed some out of a pond near the house. I need to see if I can get it to grow. If I just put the little in the pond I grabbed, I am sure the ducks would inhale it.
I also grabbed a few other aquatic plants. I will have to post photos so someone can help me figure out what they are

Here is some of the duckweed information I found...
http://aquaculture.ako.net.nz/2008/03/05/duckweed/
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache...ed&cd=23&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a
http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpsa/44/3/44_314/_article
http://www.mobot.org/jwcross/duckweed/duckweed.htm

I imagine in a natural pond this stuff could get totally out of control. In my little mostly closed system, I can easily get rid of the duckweed should it prove to be a problem.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
i think the fish woulld help alot! they will eat all the mess from the ducks..good idea...

 

[Omniskies]

Assuming the pond is deep enough. Ducks love fishing

 

[Wifezilla]

Jack was showing off his diving abilities today...LOL

This is duck that spent most of his life either in a pen or in a field being herded by dogs. Took him seconds to figure out how to dive under water, twist around and pop up on the other side of the pond.

He is SO loving the water.

 

[Wifezilla]

I scrounged some things I had in the yard together to work as a temporary filter until I got some duckweed. It is an old chimenea with the stove pipe part missing and a pot in the top instead. The pump hose exits in the pot, filters through some foam and batting, then through some pea gravel, out the bottom of the pot and in to the chimenea where it dribbles out the opening. It even looks kind of cool. Once the bacteria gets established, it should help clear the water until I get the duckweed and arrange a duckweed growing area. (photos tomorrow)

I took the weeds I collected at the pond and threw some in the water. I took this other plant I had found on the shore and put it in a planter since the chimenea set up does have a little splash. I figured that might be a good way to use the little bit of runoff I am getting. I also found another pot that did have a plant in it but was full of dirt and put that near the chimenea.

Well, about 2 hours later I looked out at the pond. Lana had her bill stuck in the planter full of dirt. Then she rinsed it in the pond, then reached in to the chimenea and grabbed all the water plants out and scrfed them down. I went out to see if she had eaten only one type of plant, but she had eaten them all. Not only the ones floating in the water, but the one in the planter too.

They may not have been officially duckweed, but Lana sure thought they were

Nice to know I can get them free snacks at the pond though!

Now I have a bunch of vermiculite floating in the pond, all the plants are eaten, and that poor homemade filter is going to have to do some overtime. I went ahead and ordered duckweed and should have my starter early next week.

Any plants I do add to the system will have to be protected from Lana somehow. That's not hard, but making it look good will be a challenge.

 

[Wifezilla]

Here are some articles I found about making your own filter. Even if you aren't doing a wacky duckweed experiment and just need a filter for your pond, the store bought ones are expensive and cheaply made. There is no reason to waste money like that.

http://www.fish-pond-filters.com/homemade_pond_filters.htm
http://www.mvwgs.org/filter.htm
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ponds/msg1022371922712.html

 

[BeardedChick]

We need to build a water feature for the ducks this year, too.

 

[KanakaNui]

Zilla,

Have you seen this thread and/or site?

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2228&hilit=ducks

or this one?

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4731&hilit=ducks

 

[BeardedChick]

WZ, you could try watercress also. There is a ton of it growing in the streambeds here, and the ducks & geese feast on it in Spring.