Before I got into chickens, I built myself two backyard ponds and planted them with mosquito fish, goldfish, and a few cheap koi. Racoons got the koi first, then some of the goldfish. However, that's not why I'm posting here....
..... I have two ponds: 140 gallons and 270 gallons. They're shallow, only 18 inches, because I used pre-formed pond liners. I put them on the hard as dinosaur fossilized ground and built retaining walls around them, then filled the space between the walls and pond liners with soil, then planted plants. The ponds have water lilies and parrot-feather plants plus some other things, like some water iris in pots on the pond liner shelves.
I built a filter for the largest pond, pumping the water into a 24 gallon rubbermaid tub with lava rock for a filter, and during the warm seasons have water hyacinth in it to aid filtering. The water in the largest pond is crystal clear. The smaller pond "normalized" itself and never needed additional filtering other than the bio/mech filter box in which the pump is working, in the pond. That pump runs water to a small, home made waterfall. I use two pumps in the 270 gal pond; one for the waterfall there and one for the filter.
I'm posting here because I would love to add a duck or two. Kinda wondered if the chickens would mind the strange cousins with 'em, and if the ducks would be happy with the ponds. The goldfish are now about 6-8 inches long, and there are plenty of mosquito fish to keep ducks happy... I think..... Just thinking really hard, here.
I found this thread just today and read through all of it. Wifezilla, you make me want to pick up ducklings in the spring!
And, by the way, duckweed just doesn't seem to grow well in my ponds, or maybe the fish just eat it faster than it can propagate itself.
..... I have two ponds: 140 gallons and 270 gallons. They're shallow, only 18 inches, because I used pre-formed pond liners. I put them on the hard as dinosaur fossilized ground and built retaining walls around them, then filled the space between the walls and pond liners with soil, then planted plants. The ponds have water lilies and parrot-feather plants plus some other things, like some water iris in pots on the pond liner shelves.
I built a filter for the largest pond, pumping the water into a 24 gallon rubbermaid tub with lava rock for a filter, and during the warm seasons have water hyacinth in it to aid filtering. The water in the largest pond is crystal clear. The smaller pond "normalized" itself and never needed additional filtering other than the bio/mech filter box in which the pump is working, in the pond. That pump runs water to a small, home made waterfall. I use two pumps in the 270 gal pond; one for the waterfall there and one for the filter.
I'm posting here because I would love to add a duck or two. Kinda wondered if the chickens would mind the strange cousins with 'em, and if the ducks would be happy with the ponds. The goldfish are now about 6-8 inches long, and there are plenty of mosquito fish to keep ducks happy... I think..... Just thinking really hard, here.
I found this thread just today and read through all of it. Wifezilla, you make me want to pick up ducklings in the spring!
And, by the way, duckweed just doesn't seem to grow well in my ponds, or maybe the fish just eat it faster than it can propagate itself.
