garden pond

[zappagod]

im going to reopen the pond that was in my garden when i moved in (KIDS OLDER NOW)so can anyone tell me what is the the best oxygenating plants to use

[Bradford Angler]

Elton opended another forum especially for us anglers turned fish keepers . .

 

go back to the root of anglers net forums and half way down the page there is a link to fish keepers . .

 

see you in there

[chris]

Myriofilum(think spelling is correct)water milfoil

is good.Canadian pond weed,good for helping to keep water clear,but needs to be kept in check.

chris

[Kimmy]

Elodia Crispa

[zappagod]

Thanks but i want to put some swan muscles in it too as it will be as natural as poss for wildlife with no fancy koi. so what do i put in the bottom of it some say washed sand and some say nothing and some say mud and some say compost THANKS ALL THE BEST ZAPP

[Nick South East]

There is no need to put anything on the bottom of your pond as in a small amount of time natural sediment will build up.

With natural style ponds, ie without artificial filtration or aeration it is essential to do everything slowly as it will take time for the ponds natural system to adjust to any outside changes ie stocking with fish or plants.

The most important thing is to keep the stocking of fish down to a manageable level.

'Oxygenating' weed is a little missleading as although any plantlife will oxygenate the water during the day using photosynthesis, at night plants along with all other aquatic life will use oxygen from the water, so back to my first point of everything in moderation and don't let the plants take over!

[zappagod]

Thanks Nick but will it still be ok to put swan muscles in it all the best ZAPP

[Nick South East]

There are no real problems with introducing swan mussels, in my experience they don't actually do a great deal in the way of cleaning or filtering the water or gunge on the bottom, but I am sure they will add to the natural feel of the pond. One last thing is to be careful buying them make sure the supplier is reputable and if there are any dead ones in the tank or empty shells, then buy elsewhere as they can carry a virus.

[Peter Sharpe]

I would strongly advise against putting swan mussels in a garden pond. They have a habit of dying, and making the worst stink you can imagine.

 

p.s. I hate to be a killjoy Poledark, but I've just had a look at your photo and it has reminded me of a recent court case in my area. A couple had bought some land off a farmer to extend their garden, and those wonderful guardians of the countryside in the planning department, made them rip out all their hard work and restore it to barren agricultural land. The fact that they had improved what had been an eyesore was deemed irrelevant.

 

[ 08. January 2003, 06:54 PM: Message edited by: Peter Sharpe ]