/r/ponds

Photograph via snooOG

Anything about ponds, but posts about making ponds are especially encouraged.

/r/ponds

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2

How old to feed bluegill

Just stocked my pond a few weeks ago with fingerling bluegill. At what age should I started supplemental feeding? Thanks

0 Comments
2025/02/03
21:01 UTC

1

Check my Math on EPDM pond liner size, please

Yeah, Math is not my strong point but I took a stab at trying to figure out what size liner I need. Please let me know if this looks right: Pond max depth will be 3’ Pond length about 6’ Pond width about 6’ Liner size I think needs to be 13’ x13’ (so I would order the closest size of 15’ x 15’ liner)

4 Comments
2025/02/03
19:00 UTC

1

New pond in texas.

I am building a new home, and currently looking into building up the landscaping.

One of the things I wish to build is going to be a Small pond. maybe 10x20/25 foot. I plan to use a plastic liner, use local stones, and some sand to make up the bottom. My main question is how I make this pond fairly low maintenance.

Looking at mostly solar powered aerators, some local plant life, and maybe some small fish. Key is "low maintenance", I do not mind routine work, like something i can do every few days or once a week. but not like a daily thing.

I work a job that requires me to be on the road a day or two a week, which changes every week which days. so it needs to be able to survive me vanishing for a week.

Any suggestions on materials to use, what items i need to keep the pond healthy and fairly clear. (solar power preferred)

9 Comments
2025/02/03
02:19 UTC

2

Filtration

I’m almost finished with my pond build and looking at how I’ll filter it now. I’ve been thinking of digging a spot for a canister and placing that in a trash can and cutting holes in it for the hoses wondering if anyone has had any issues with this.

1 Comment
2025/02/03
01:21 UTC

425

Getting ready for the spring. It was 80° today here in Fort Worth, worked out here all day.

40 Comments
2025/02/03
00:42 UTC

5

Any NYC pond advice?

I live in Brooklyn with a long, narrow garden that is planted with mostly native plants to attract wildlife. I would really like to put in a wildlife pond and have a few questions:

  1. Mosquitoes are a problem here already. I have seen dragonflies. Can I have a pond that attracts dragonflies and not have fish?
  2. I want birds to be able to use the pond, but there are stray cats. Can I make a little island of sorts that would allow them to be in the center of the pond away from the cats? I don’t want harm to come to them.
  3. Is it too much to hope that frogs will come?
13 Comments
2025/02/02
13:37 UTC

1

Fish dissapeared, but I have white residue on surface

So I have a little pond 500L/130Gal, and it's winter time (NL, Europe), there where 4 gold fish in there (10-15cm/4-6inch), but yesterday when I came back from work, they where all gone. But on the surface I saw these white grease like spots floating in the surface, and even spotted some scales of 1 of the gold fish on the bottom. I'm sure something ate them, and I think the white residue grease spots floating on the water is a big clue to what the culprit is. So any tips are welcome.

3 Comments
2025/02/02
00:27 UTC

3

Lily in aquarium

Dear pond people, I study applied biology and I am very interested in bringing the outdoors indoors. So here is my question, is it possible to keep a lily in my aquarium? I have a 100l aquarium "I know its not really big" but ive read about dwarf lilys and wonder if anyone here has enough expernience to help me out a bit with the thinking of how to manage this. I thought about doing some type of clay and nutrient rich substrate part in the aquarium with the lily roots in in and builde the rest of the aquascape and stuff around that kind of container. But then i was wondering about the winter resting. Does the lily get to tired without the rest period and if so how do i recreate it? Also what species would be ok for this? I was thinking about nympheae tetragon.

Let me know if you have any ideas!

1 Comment
2025/02/01
22:40 UTC

36

Dubbed these fellas ‘pond shrimp’ but what actually are they? Uk wildlife pond

These popped up after getting a Barred Horsetail from a shop. Found them going in and out of the soil the plant was potted in. They have a slight blue colouring, not that the phone cameras can pick it up properly. TIA

12 Comments
2025/02/01
19:49 UTC

34

Something in the pond laid eggs😳

Need help identifying the type of creature that laid these eggs. Also are they eggs? It’s my husband’s pond and I’m just taking care of it for the weekend.

17 Comments
2025/02/01
16:56 UTC

4

After a series of winter disasters, I've got a warmer in my tiny inherited pond. Water is now ~50f. Feed the fish?

Title says it all. Second year with a tiny inherited pond. Last winter went fine. This year, the pond froze over completely pump system must have popped somewhere and most of the water drained. I thought the first were goners for sure under the crazy thick ice but I got thru it to find them alive in a 4" puddle of water. Filled it with buckets, then the ice melted, so the water is back. To keep it thawed during intense freezes, I bought a pond warmer rock that is clearly designed for a larger pond. I'm afraid to turn the fountain back on because Idk what is frozen and where the failure in the system is. I don't want to drain it again.

Issue is, now the warmer is working really well. The water is 50F and the fish are swimming around happily. Should I feed them? I don't have a working pump system (to the best of my knowledge) and temps outside are below freezing, so any excess food or waste would not get filtered.

Last year went so well and this year I'm fumbling through 😫 I have plans to expand so the fish have more room next summer and to replace these systems, but idk what to do this time around

9 Comments
2025/02/01
15:43 UTC

1

Pool pump for large distance and grade?

We are revitalizing a 45x26 2 foot deep pond with a 120 foot river flowing into it. We are selecting the equipment (trying to save on cost). The challenge is that the pump will have to pump to the upper pond for flow down the river. The upper pond is 120 feet away with a gradual elevation of about 15 feet. I have gotten some tips from some pond owners and a few have told me I should get a 1.5-2hp pool pump to effectively pump the water from the lower pond to the upper pond. Any recommendations on this? Pump will be out of pond given the size. THanks!

5 Comments
2025/02/01
02:20 UTC

2

Feeding pond goldfish in winter Western Europe.

I read online you should feed pond goldfish below 12 degrees Celsius, because the fish are in like a winter state. So I quit feeding them in like December when it stated to get “colder”. However here in Western Europe (at least where I live) it’s not really that cold. Average temperature is like 2 - 12 degrees for the past weeks. Maybe like a few days of a small frost -1 or -2, but not much and not close to make the pond freeze over. I still see my fish swim and act pretty normal most days. And than I almost cannot withstand not feeding them, because I’m afraid doing them harm to starve them. What’s the best I can do? As sort of a sympathy I now feed them a little bit of food once a week and they eat everything instantly. Maybe it’s not good to feed them, but I want to know.

3 Comments
2025/02/01
00:20 UTC

9

Crazy Million-Liter Natural Pool

1 Comment
2025/01/31
10:08 UTC

28

New bog filter.

If you have one of those old 2 or 3 tier ponds from the 90’s you can turn one of them into a bog filter. I used a piece of 150mm pvc for an upright and a couple of 70mm pipes at the bottom, basically like an upside down T. Capped one end, water is piped into the other end, drilled a whole lot of holes in top of the pipes and the side of the upright. Covered the pipes with some fist sized rocks, 20mm scoria (well washed), and river pebbles The filter can be cleaned by lifting off the plant pot to access the upright and then be pumped out. Planted with milfoil and a sundew. Sorry, didn’t get any pics of the build but happy to answer any questions.

7 Comments
2025/01/31
04:13 UTC

0

Is it safe to use this as media in a pond or aquarium?

Bbnxxn

8 Comments
2025/01/30
21:51 UTC

27

Too much copper sulphate

Pretty sure I added too much copper sulphate. This is after about 6 hours with the pump recirculating the pond. No filter. Will this dissolve and clear up or do I need to change out some of my water?

6 Comments
2025/01/30
03:54 UTC

2

Building a 5000litre fish pond. Would this be a good buy?

Seems like a pretty good buy for the price. Seller believes it is the 40,000 model. Any advice would be great. Thank you

8 Comments
2025/01/30
01:08 UTC

3

Outdoor aquarium as small pond?

Wife says I can't have any more aquariums inside the house - but she didn't say anything about the backyard! Problem is, I don't have any covered space, so it would be exposed to some rain and sunlight depending on the time of day, even if I am putting a lid on it. I suppose it would behave similar to a pond except above ground, with fish that can handle those temperatures.

Besides the inevitable algae issues (which I'll try to mitigate by heavy planting, floating plants and many detritivores), what other issues may I come across that makes this a bad idea? Or what are some remedies to the most common problems I may come across? Tank size for now is a spare 29 gallon I have, will upgrade to a 75 - 150 if its successful

22 Comments
2025/01/29
22:34 UTC

5

Can you place the pond pump in the bog filter?

Hi, I have a 300 gallon stock tank pond. I currently have a 2" outflow at the bottom of the pond.

My first thought was, I install a bog filter. In the bottom of the bog filter, I would have a pond pump (maybe 6500gph?) that intakes from that 2" outflow, and I would use flex pipe around the edge of the pond to connect the pump and the outflow. Then, water would trickle up through the bottom of the bog filter and spill over back into the pond.

Is this the correct way of placing the pump? In many videos I see the pump at the bottom of the pond, but I am not sure what would be easier. Thanks

13 Comments
2025/01/29
18:37 UTC

7

Killing my pond

I have a disgusting old pond I inherited. The water is black. I'm not in a position to start planting things or adding fish, but I'm getting a dog and I want the water to be safe. I am getting a pump/filter with UV but I wanted to know how to clean the water beforehand. I thought of some chemicals but don't want anything that will stay in the water more than a couple of days. Most things online are for "living" ponds.

15 Comments
2025/01/29
13:08 UTC

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