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Thread: Small Wildlife Pond Build
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29-03-2020, 11:33 AM #1
Small Wildlife Pond Build
To any normal person, this will be a wildlife pond.
To any Koi keeper, this will be nothing more than an in-ground measuring bowl!
The wife wanted her own little pond/water feature. I like the idea because we get newts, frogs and toads in the garden with nowhere to go as they can't get into the Koi pond.
This is just going to be a low budget water feature and the only expenses will be:
1) A combined pump/filter all in one type effort. Currently looking at a Jebao UFP-2000 for £65 like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jebao-All...53.m1438.l2649
2) Rocks for the perimeter.
3) Marginal Plants
Just discovered the image hosting site I use for pics is down for maintenance..... Will post pics later.
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29-03-2020, 03:18 PM #2
Got something similar in my garden - few pics here from the beginning of last season - Oczko wodne - forum :: Zobacz temat - Mini bajoro dla plazow i malych ryb
Lately I have installed pressurised filter - https://www.pondkeeper.co.uk/pondxpe...-11w-uvc/p3587
It's a great solution. Water is crystal clear, and you can burry almost all the filter in the ground next to the pond. You have also automatic backwash which is fantastic option. Do not need to maualy wash the sponges. It has also some space at the bottom where I have placed few liters of HELX 13KLL+ media.
Recommend this over integrated filter with the fountain. Almost no maintaince. When you want to clear filter, you just press one button. Whole operation takes about one minute.
Right after the filter I have placed OASE PHOSLESS FLOW 3000 - it should bind all the phosphate and other nutritions which is needed for algaee grow. This way water should be free of any of them. But I will confirm this after this season, beacuse I have installed this in November 2019.
Will share some recent pics later.
Hope this helps a little bit with choosing the filter.
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29-03-2020, 04:09 PM #3
Thanks slickbe, that is exactly the style of pond we are trying to create, but much smaller!
I already have a pressure filter similar to yours, just a bit bigger, but there won't be enough room to bury it in the ground which is why I'm looking for an all in one solution.
We have an old butler sink so another option would be to fill it up with media and pump into that and make a feature out of it.
We won't keep fish in there, but might be persuaded to keep a couple of small native fish like minnows.
Or possibly use it to breed daphnia if I can work out a way to stop them going into the filter.
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29-03-2020, 05:54 PM #4
Hi RS,
My brother made a wildlife pond for the same reasons..... it was also somewhere he could put some goldfish in to keep his koi pond just for koi.....
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29-03-2020, 07:49 PM #5
That's a nice pond, and by all accounts bigger than a lot of "koi" ponds.
We definitely want to go for a small in ground natural type thing surrounded by rocks etc.
I'm guessing it will be 1000 litres so nothing spectacular.
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29-03-2020, 08:03 PM #6Freddyboy the legend
"we are water keepers first"
Johnathan
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29-03-2020, 10:12 PM #7
Sounds like a disguised grow on tank
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30-03-2020, 10:07 AM #8
SSShhh dont tell his missus.... He fooled her into to thinking it was a natural pond and now you lot have blown it....Great one
5000 Gallon Fibreglassed Pond With 54" x 27" Infinity Window
BD300 Drum Filter
Artesian 0.5hp - Aquadyne 4.4c Beadfilter - PS4 Protein Shower
Badu Eco Touch - EP20 UV Sterilizer - ASHP - Venturi
Hi Blo 60 - Medo 45 - Spindrifter Bottom Drain
Wide Mouthed Skimmer
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30-03-2020, 10:09 AM #9Freddyboy the legend
"we are water keepers first"
Johnathan
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30-03-2020, 10:14 AM #10
I might have to delete this post in case she sees it....
I would also like to make the wildlife pond fry proof.... You know, just somewhere to hatch eggs in case I get a spawning.
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30-03-2020, 10:14 AM #11Freddyboy the legend
"we are water keepers first"
Johnathan
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30-03-2020, 10:26 AM #12
Forgot to take a before pic so this is an old photo.... Wildlife pond location is on the left of this photo behind the picket fence opposite the pond:
Digging:
Rough final shape, about 5 1/2 foot long and 3 foot wide at widest point and around 2 foot deep:.
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30-03-2020, 11:16 AM #13
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30-03-2020, 11:18 AM #14
is that it.... you lazy bugger.
I was expecting ducks and swans and everything.......
My little girl could dig a bigger hole than that... and she's only 85000 Gallon Fibreglassed Pond With 54" x 27" Infinity Window
BD300 Drum Filter
Artesian 0.5hp - Aquadyne 4.4c Beadfilter - PS4 Protein Shower
Badu Eco Touch - EP20 UV Sterilizer - ASHP - Venturi
Hi Blo 60 - Medo 45 - Spindrifter Bottom Drain
Wide Mouthed Skimmer
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30-03-2020, 12:40 PM #15
Ha ha.... It is gradually getting bigger. Each time the missus leaves me out there on my own I scrape a bit more off the sides
Surprisingly enough we have already filled 2x 1 Tonne bags up with soil.
Ultimately its just somewhere for frogs, birds, newts etc to go instead of the Koi pond.
It will also get slightly larger once a rockery and waterfall is set up around it.
But I agree, it is embarrassingly small in the eyes of any Koi keeper!
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30-03-2020, 01:49 PM #16Freddyboy the legend
"we are water keepers first"
Johnathan
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30-03-2020, 01:55 PM #17
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30-03-2020, 10:20 PM #18
[QUOTE=RS2OOO;320223]Ha ha.... It is gradually getting bigger. Each time the missus leaves me out there on my own...………..
What can I say...………………………...nowt
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02-04-2020, 08:43 AM #19
I have a little ramp in the main pond and shallow root structure in the 30cm veggie filter that any small wildlife can get out.
I get a lot of mayfly and others crawling out of the veggie and up the filter plant before hatching into the adult - so look at having at least some vertical plants for them.
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11-04-2020, 07:08 PM #20
Due to everywhere closed, and the reality that pond accessories aren't classed as essential items, decided to carry on the build with just what we had lying around.
Used my old box liner from before I extended main pond. It was difficult to do because of the bottom drain hole, took a lot of messing about to position it so bottom drain hole was above ground, hence the numerous creases.
In the pictures that's exactly 500 litres, so even smaller than I thought, but added another 50 litres since the pics.
Won't be able to do much more until we can go out and get rocks and plants.
Didn't realise how expensive rocks are, I've thrown tens of them away over the last few years, but places charging about £200 for what we're looking for.
The Daily pond temp thread
Still at around 17C, know what you mean about getting the covers off though :D it will be really...