A crazy storm added clay off of the hill which I am grateful for. Weekly maintenance tasks include checking the chemical levels, cleaning the pool, and emptying the filter basket. Should I leave it alone? Instead of soil, I use small rocks – 1/2 inch or so. You can make however small islet in the middle where water is maybe just 3-4 feet deep and plant water lilies there. The type of pool you have directly influences the maintenance costs and averages between $25 and $125 per hour. Before, when we didn’t use a pump or used the pump output go directly to the lake, without UV lamp it did not prevent green water. A pool brush is a simple tool designed of wire, stainless steel, or nylon bristles attached to a steel, alloy, or aluminum pole. What I don’t see in your description is the plants along the edge. These steps help prepare your pool for freezing temperatures. Why does the algae not take over natural ponds? If too little, all you can do is add more. I just use all the small rocks I collect as I make new flower beds. Karen, i just saw this post, but if you still have the bluegill, let me tell you that they are some of the best eating fish you can have! You use the air pump to just keep a small hole in the ice so it does not need to be a big pump. Tablets are the easiest form for providing a constant supply of chlorine, whereas liquid and granular chlorine work best as shock treatments. 2) What are you thoughts on no fish at all, and just keeping a turtle/frog population in place? I only did this 1/4 water change. The only unnatural thing I did this winter, was to put a heater in the pond on the lowest setting to keep the platies alive. Chlorine comes in tablet, liquid, and granular form. On average, most homeowners pay around $180 for monthly pool service during the summer months. Using the water for irrigation will be no problem. We are nearing the completion of our pond and have always planned to go natural with no artificial filtration. with a waterfall and little fountain feature. Purchase new chemicals when you reopen the pool. The pump pushes the water through the filter and spreads chlorine and other chemicals throughout the pool. As soon as things get a bit warm, algae will start to grow. I also put some little trailing house plant things in and they are happy now but I don’t know how they’ll winter. People who grow Koi suggest putting a hole in the bottom of the liner, and attaching a pump to the bottom. As far as plants go, use native plants that grow in your area. Or make a little waterfall area by covering a small area with plastic, top with stones and situate the tubing so that the water returns to the pool. 3. If algae grows let it grow. I was so excited to find this post and this blog, and to hear that others in even less tropical environments than my zone 6 Ozarks have successfully created natural backyard ponds. Like yours, I’d love to have it take care of itself. If your tap water is hard, the pond pH will go up slightly over time as water evaporates. Plants will take a season or maybe even 2 before they get larger, just as in planting perrennials in your land garden. That depends on the clay and your water table. You can rent an excavator and do it yourself? My oldest fish is 8 years old and still trucking! If the pool is dirty, weekly maintenance can involve removing leaves and debris, emptying the skimmer basket, and brushing down the walls. Thanks. If you like this post, please share ....... Error type: "Forbidden". Is this really true? Plus it gives your fish a place to hide and breed. It holds water just fine. Compare the estimates and hire the contractor who best fits your needs. About 7 years ago I started developing various water features, both garden ponds and water falls. It is the result of my experience with two ponds over a 6 year period. The one plant that I can get which I know will grow fast is anachris. You probably have too much fish for 100 gal – maybe not today, but fish grow. Algae will be a problem if you have too many fish or not enough actively growing plants. Plus, pumps sound like a lot of work – just one more job to do on weekends when I could instead be sitting there enjoying the ponds and my geese. We clearly did just what we needed to to make out pond work!!! Again, so glad to see this post. where we live, i find they seldom reproduce in water that doesn’t have an area that is shallow, say 6 to 8 inches deep. Do you need pumps and filters to provide artificial pond filtration? When professionals test the pool water, they also test for calcium and sanitizer levels. Pool stabilizer also referred to as pool conditioner, chlorine stabilizer, or cyanuric acid, is a chemical additive in either a liquid or granular form. Adding the pond liner to a water feature at Aspen Grove Gardens. Wish me luck. Most ponds have few stones and few plants reducing the number of micro-organisms even further. It can be cleaned with laundry detergent. Can I just leave the pumps running to circulate the water for the fish, or do you suggest keeping the filters in there too? An oil absorbing sponge collects contaminants in the pool that cause scum build up, such as suntan lotion, body oils, makeup, cosmetics, pollen, etc. I like Iris, except for the yellow flag iris which has become invasive in many areas. Are they getting a good amount of sunlight? There are frogs as well and occasionally a grey heron visits. And it gives that wonderful sound of moving water! I might start by leaving out the fish since they also add nutrients and with the geese you don’t need more. I am in suburban Melbourne Australia.. we have a basic pond with goldfish, they get so big…. I can see that there are many enthusiastic gardeners in Gwelph – I lived in Toronto for ten years but never visited that area. Based on the information above, a pond design needs two things which are lacking in most designs. The size of the spillway is also important. Pool drains tend to get clogged easily from leaves and debris and require immediate unclogging to ensure they continue functioning. We have lost 3 fish in about a week. Our pond is about 1000 gallons and has 6 comet fish and 4 small goldfish. The major battle we had was whitefly on the plants we bough (ladybugs help, but eventually we got rid of those plants) and more recently what I think might have been crown rot on a new water lilly. Thank you. I really would like your input to see if I am on the right track. As part of my research I found consistent comments like the following:  you can’t make a natural pond using a pond liner without pumps and filters. During winterizing, the pool is prepared to be unused for several months. Dear Robert – thanks for much for this article. That little event convinced me how impotant bog plants are and how easy they make it to keep a pond. Microbes like to attach themselves to a surface and then ‘eat’ plant and animal bits as they float by in the water. Floating Seeds in Water – Is This a Good Seed Viability Test? I think you are getting the two systems mixed up. Maintenance is a crucial component to pool ownership, ranging anywhere between $300 and $1,200. anaerobic bacteria produces more “dangerous” chemicals than aerobic, so your fish might have more problems. I have a toddler so I didn’t want to start out with anything too big. I would not recommend horsetail because it is extremely invasive, and will grow through out the whole garden. You can expect to pay anywhere between $15 and $30 for a pool metal remover. What is important is that there is a lot of surface area. Sure they do. A real pond, even one dug by a human should require nothing. It also depends on how much time the geese spend in the water. I love your post and cant wait to try your method. Once the surface is covered with ice, the heat from the earth keeps the rest of the water from freezing. What plants are recommended for a small size liner as mine and how many? 2. There is ample room, rocks and pebbles to have many more plants than I do. You may also want to upgrade the filter system to a better or newer system, which can be more expensive. Thanks so much! If not, what will I need to have? We rent a lovely little home with a fairly large (large for this small backyard) pond (approx 8-9 feet in diameter – although not a circle – and 5-6 feet deep) with a creek-like waterfall feature. I am planning to build a raised pond with bricks and a glass window to view the fish. The hole looks horrible and full of algea but fish can leave there and grow. Hope we’re doing this right – we’re having a blast! by the way, I live in Fullerton Nebraska – hot summers, cold winters. The average cost to drain and clean a pool is between $500 and $700. They will have a place to attach a hose from your pump on its back or bottom side. Where do you start if the pond is already slimy green? Great article. Some shade is OK provided the plants selected will grow. I never considered putting in a pond with no liners or filters but you have proven that it could be done. Nutrients being produced with nothing to use them up except algae. You can expect to pay a lot less for basic weekly maintenance tasks, such as adding chemicals and cleaning, compared to annual tasks such as replacing parts or opening and closing procedures. Depends on species. I just rip it out and throw it at the trees’ base. Because you bought a pump and you aerate the water, you now need to do more work and clean the bottom. Automatic cleaners can be set in the pool and turned on for hours without having to monitor them. But it does not have to be this way – read on. You can swim in them. Thanks very much. wish I could upload a picture of my going on 4 years 50 gallon pond. Seaweed Fertilizer – Does it Harm the Environment? hope everything turns out well for you. The area inside this so called tank that I call has been cemented so that water does not leak out. This year, we made a small reconstruction of the pond, made a small brook with waterfall, using the output of the pump. I have asked for a filter and asked for a uv light and he says I need to trust him, the pond will equilibrate. Once you have sloped sides, it is not really feasible to make planting shelves. TIA. I’m so glad the island links were helpful. My husband and I would like to build a small natural pond (without a pump!) Why is this necessary? One thing to watch out for are mosquitoes. But since it will be natural with no liner, I can think of no reason your idea would not work. (Your article is giving me some confidence in his advice!!). Not natural, and requires on-going inputs. In fall all kinds of leaves and other dead plant material is blown into the pond, and as this material is decomposed by micro-organisms it also increases the nutrient level. I would not remove them. In the summer, how much refilling do you need to do? Natural ponds don’t maintain a constant level and it is not needed for pond health. Frogs come and stay and leave behind tadpoles; dragonfly nymphs abound, a garter snake resides close by and keeps the frog pop down. I will keep up with the posts. I wanted to add gravel and plants into the water fall, this I would hope to help filter the water as it comes up through the gravel and plants. I live in an area in SoCal with a lot of mountains so it gets really cold and then really hot (some weather background). I do have a fence around it (because the dog would destroy it otherwise) and throw netting over the top in fall to catch the bulk of the dead leaves. As nutrients build up, algae will start to grow–especially when there is a lot of light present. It is full of algae, but not stinky (yet). The rocks in the waterfall and river leading to the pond will get covered with bacteria and they will help remove nutrients from the water – that is good. I thought of cleaning the bottom of the pond but the bottom is covered with mulm (I just learned this word!) I live near Chicago, Illinois and winters are brutal. There is essesntialy no information for keeping a truly natural pond. I live in Ontario, and our climate is much different. Robert A pool can lose water due to evaporation and also from people splashing and getting in and out. That way, when the fish jump up into the falling water, they will fall back into the pond, and not onto the ground. Air pumps are used in large ponds and they seem to reduce algae. Circles are much more stable. I’m sure the rootbound horsetail reed played a big part in creating and maintaining that little world . Never heard of such an ordinance. Because above-ground pools are smaller, most people tend to do these jobs themselves over hiring a company. I don’t believe the wood caused the problem. What about a shallow pond…say 5 ft..will water plants and fish do alright in this depth? A natural pond has no obvious aeration. A linerless pond will always loose some water. One of the goals for our pond is water storage to use for irrigating the gardens, so that I can manage the use of our well better, so in the 90 to 100 or so days of the growing season we will be pumping water out daily and topping off the pond strategically a few times a week with fresh well water. I made an “artificial reef” for smaller fish to hide in by taking a roll of the blue swamp cooler pad and running baling twine in and out lengthwise down the center. There are several pool cleaning methods. And why do you think all the stor es and magazines tell you to use pumps, filters, UV lights and chemicals? I doubt roots can puncture it. Of course, if you close your pool, you’ll have to open it back up again once the weather gets warm enough for swimming. If you take a 4 ft pond, and add rocks for a shelf, you will end up with a 2 ft pond – which is getting quite small. I have been seeking clear concise information for years. Now, reading your posting, I realize that the blocks are significantly increasing surface areas and we can try wiring the rhizomes directly to the blocks without pots. Does the county give guidelines as to the required pump’s size? In fact I am quite sure that my fish eat most of the tadpoles in my pond. The best way to keep algae down is to add lots of plants. A small pond should work the same as a larger one. I suspect in Florida you can dig down and find natural water in many places because much of Florida is reclaimed land which is very close to sea level. I will look at your website for the right plants to get. I have been keeping small non filtered, nonairiated ponds for 10+ years.by small I mean any where from 11 to 100 gallons. Keeping up on these tasks monthly is important to ensure that any problems are dealt with as soon as possible. Success depends very much on your local conditions. Thank you for telling in a way so we understand what should be common sense! the shade will keep algae down but if there is too much it might also be difficult to grow plants. Find a fish friend with some large fish and they will gladly come over a couple of times a year and get the extra guppies for food. I also like bull rushes which have seeded naturally. We’ve installed elderberry, various viburnum, fern, blackberrries and a variety of native wildflowers. Vinyl liners are known to weaken over time due to pool chemicals causing tears in the liner. Do you foresee a problem with this? this lets them suck out just the junk that has settled on the bottom. Some maintenance tasks keep a pool heater running efficiently. This is the best site for support for no filter ponds. We are asking a few questions so that we can get you better cost estimates. The progeny from those original shrimp are in my main pond and I have 4 other ponds full of bog plants. That is cool. The pond is in full sun pretty well all day. Koi and plants don’t get along very well – the fish eat and disturb the plants. I’m in southern Ohio. The plants sit on the table, and the fish have a fun cave underneath! Is this possible in steamy Florida? The shadows and reflections are considered to be very desirable. The problem is that without anaerobic bacteria, the sludge on the bottom degrades very slowly and so you also need to clean the bottom of the pond on a regular basis. Robert). Chlorine is the most commonly used chemical in treating a swimming pool, ranging between $15 and $80, depending on the brand, size of the bag, and type. Get a hula hoop, hang a length of black tulle around it, making sure it’s long enough to reach the bottom of your lily pot. Leaves from a maple fall into it in the fall (i try to keep out some). We are considering something under 100 sq feet. Why do they do that? I am getting older and having a harder time maintaining such a large pond. Finally I applied a powder to breakdown the leaves and rubbish at the bottom of the pond. Regular pool maintenance such as cleaning out the skimmer, brushing, vacuuming, and chemical balancing is required for fiberglass pools. I created a large pond about 6 or so years ago and have been using pumps but the work they entail is too much! A pool inspection involves a thorough review of the present condition of the pool, including the presence of any safety issues, testing of the heating and cleaning equipment, and recommended repairs. Although little maintenance such as vacuuming and adding chemicals are required, indoor pools can be much less of a hassle. It gives you the information required to decide what chemicals need to be put into the water to create a safe swimming environment. Performing maintenance tasks on your own can be challenging if you don’t have a few hours a day to keep up on routine maintenance. I will provide the key points to consider. Thank you for your blog. Also it is in open land. (even too big for the ducks as they do visit) and they breed away..therefore all must be happy.. maybe too happily breeding as our pond is now a light green and I cant see through it.. will plants be enough to clear it a bit.. we have pot plants on the bottom with plants.. just not sure we have the right ones? We followed your suggestions. If the replacement water is also high – which I suspect – replacing water will not change anything. Chlorine helps prevent bacteria and mineral buildup by its disinfecting (killing action). Or is it all a question of how much poop and how big the ponds are – in other words, just trial and error? We did drain the pond this spring and clean it, and I put some chemicals in it to keep algae down because I am afraid to shut the pump off till I know the fish will be safe with enough top coverage to keep the water cool enough for them. Thanks in advance. Pools consume around 2,000 to 3,000 kilowatt hours of electricity every year. adding planting shelves might be a problem. pond in a semi-enclosed area (used to be water feature) and added plants (including some large papyrus) and a few Koi. Keep spreading the word! To heat your pool, expect to spend even more. How much shade does a pond need? Thanks in advance! While the cost for chemicals, opening, and closing procedures will remain the same for each year, replacing system parts influences the cost greatly. Just remember to shake and rinse off all the soil from a garden plant before adding it. +If you have free floating islands they will decapitate your lilies. Making ponds without a liner is a different story. The chart below highlights the different types of pools with their respective maintenance cost, followed by subsections explaining the maintenance involved in each type. thanks! If left alone, these contaminants can create a toxic, unsafe place to swim. For me there is also the issue of things freezing and cracking in winter. Looking forward to more posts. The type of bristles used will be determined based on the type of pool you have. You can however, uses pots right in the water, either sitting on the bottom or raised up with some rot-proof material. We also have frogs and snails. The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report on recreational swimming pool maintenance. Thanks much. I make sure it flows away from the pond – you don’t want it flowing under the liner. The others are not too much smaller. My tiny koi/goldfish pond needs plants lots of plants but I have no plant shelves. I’m calling it my ‘experimental’ pond and if it works out then I hope to enlarge.To the side and separated by a rock topped berm is going to be a bog garden, which was my original motivation, but once I started digging I figured “why not just keep going?” It’s also in a pretty shaded part of the garden so I’m hoping this might help control the algae as well. Maintaining the water level is critical in that it can ruin the pump if it falls below the skimmer baskets. Fantastic post, I’ve been referring back to it as I’m constructing a small pond (5’x10′) and am hopeful that it should work on this scale as well. . Platys don’t do to well much below 60. I haven’t used many shelves in my ponds. Hello I have plants filched from nearby rivers and lakes, and three comet goldfish. You can expect to pay around $50 to $80 for materials for a mesh winter cover or around $150 to $600 for a heavy-duty winter cover. What you will find is the plants will start to grow outside the pots over time. A yearly pool maintenance cost ranges between $950 and $1,850, with most homeowners spending around $1,450. I have to go 15-20 ft deep. There is a cluster of Pond Iris in one end and oxygenating plant the other end which during Summer is constantly being thinned out as it grows rapidly. Until our vegetation multiplied we ran monofilament across the top which kept away the herons. on our rural property. The holes in the blocks have become havens for the fish when the raccoons take laps around the pool (really!!!). I’ve read many resources and all of them say that you need running water, trouts don’t reproduce in ponds (only if you make it work like a hatchery but not a natural pond). We have built a pond about 19 feet by 12 feet, with depth from 1 to 3 feet and lined it with the 45 mil EPDM, in Pennsylvania (zone 6). You might have to keep the plants and fish separated. Investing in a pool cover, water heater, or dehumidifying system makes your pool even cheaper to maintain. Twenty years ago – long before ponds, I also kept a 6 ft long aquarium in a natural state, for several years. The plants are a bit slower to get going but once they do they take the excess nutrients away from the algae and they die off–or at least get reduced in number. This is wonderful but p,ease someone tell me, do I need to change my pool liner or can I just throw in dirt and rocks around it? For pools with an older pump/filter system that may still have a one-speed pump, you can expect to pay between $75 and $150 per month due to higher horsepower and more energy costs. Ponds longer than 6 feet on a side and deeper than 18 inches require so much digging and other heavy work that they are best left to pros. This video might help https://youtu.be/lmoPMiCJ10A. It has been a strange year weather wise which may account for some of this, but I think it is mostly due to the fact that the planting shelves are now very full of hungry plants which are out-competing the algae. In my smaller waterfall I like marsh marigolds. In addition to balancing the chlorine levels, other maintenance tasks such as vacuuming, cleaning the filters, and skimming should be carried out regularly. Or is it really necessary to remove the pots and just put the plants into stones wthout any soil? The heat out here is causing massive fish kills and I am fortunate to have lost only the catfish fingerlings and rosy minnows I bought from the fish truck. Now your post makes me think I might be able to have one of these beauties myself. Ill making a system with waterfall, stream, small and big ponds on a steap hillside down to the beach at a resort on Ko phangan and it helped me a lot to read your blog! Hello I have no idea how the previous owner cared for the pond, but I know he did not have any filters or pumps. You can expect it to be a problem in the first year or two. From a naturists point of view the pond is very healthy with lots of frogs and dragon flies breeding each year. We had a small 4x4x3 ft pond in our old house and we figured out how to use a pond master basic filter along w a barrel w some cylindrical things in there. None with a filter and so much fun to see what has taken up residence. Looking forward to see more about floating island plants! Just changed 1/4 of the water once a month since we had very hard water. In this case a change of 1/4 might help. We still have too many fish since baby goldfish are as hard to give away as kittens. So next time someone comments about your green water, just tell them that you do it on purpose to better enjoy the reflections. Thanks. You can use an aquarium pump for them. Some homeowners choose to maintain their pools on their own. Thank you so much for the information. Now I have lovely floating islands that sail around in the breeze like swans gliding. Another question is, is it fair to assume that a liner is needed to keep to pond from leaking? I understand it depends on the climate, but not even something about the genera? We just didn’t know we were meant to have pumps etc! The water was cloudy in the beginning, but crystal clear for 5 weeks. I plan to have two shelves on the deep side and one wider shelf on the other. I have a 100 gallons preformed pond. Im super excited to have read this article, it was filled with tons of information that I needed. The pump’s skimmer basket should be emptied often as well. Lots of them. Thanks for your time and expertise! Also I have been reading about fibreglass pond, whats your opinion. If the water goes above the edge, then you need a liner to keep the water in place. My duckweed was beautiful. It was damn hard. I have a question for you, and should start by saying I live in North Queensland, Australia (in the heart of the tropics). Note the number of plants in the water. Gerry. Hope it would encourage more people to build pond the natural way. My friend bought a 150 year old house that had been empty for a few years. but to answer your last question, there is a balance between fish poop and plants need for nutrients. As it builds up, the fish die. In this case, hiring a professional pool service would be the best solution. I stopped testing my water and never did a thing to correct it, and just let nature take its course. What do you think would be the best width of each shelf for this design? The plants were growing slowly until I added the koi fish. Homemade Weed Killer - Roundup vs Vinegar vs Salt, Ontario Rock Garden and Hardy Plant Society. It’s a shame to have such a large pond and not be able to swim. Right now, it has no fish, its full of green algae and dirty water. I have 3 natural ponds and all run excellent, i have the perfect balance as you explain. I am really frustrated. Warmer climates need less. Fish usually die from lack of oxygen. Try digging a hole, and filling it with water and see what happens. You will need to give them the size and height of your system. My plan originally was to set the ponds into mounded up dirt to support the sides, after cutting a hole in the bottom of each and inserting some kind of capped pipe so that I can regularly drain the water out to keep it clean. Bad idea but not fatal. I rinse off the dirt (of course) then poke the roots through a foam meat tray. Thank you for any help! I will then add fish and I’m very excited about the results that I am confident in having. I doubt that adding water from a real pond will help control algae. and roots from the lily plant I’ve had for 10 years. we had one reed sort of plant that overgrew the plastic bowl and eventually the reed and plants from outside the pond grew through the liner and basically that was the end of the pond. Rochester graduate Emma Chang ’20 is a classically trained musician. Thanks so much for the great advice. 1 mo into it the water is GREEN GREEN GREEN and murky and we can’t even see the fish OR the beautiful stones that lined the entire pond. These chemicals are used for different purposes and work together to create balanced pool chemistry so you can swim in peace. Thank you. It is important to cover 2/3 of the surface water to reduce light getting to algae. I have a waterfall with circulating pump but no filter, and with lots of vegetation we have very little string algae. They do the same job as a manual vacuum, cleaning the debris and dirt from the bottom and sides of the pool. The easiest way to aerate a pond is to add an air pump used by aquarium people. a nice palm size fish will fillet nicely and make a wonderful meal. I have a small frog pond in the backyard without filtration. Many fiberglass pool owners opt for their own maintenance because the process is very simple and not very time-consuming. The PH was hi. Some plants like the duckweed and water primrose just go crazy, trying to take over, but I like them as compost around my fruit trees. I have a pond that is built on my deck it is a box and with plastic lining structure using a pump that sends water up to a fountain . What is the pH of the water being added? It is real hard to know when you have too much poop. 6) Goldfish were added to feed the plants, and eat mosquito larvae . We have had so much rain here I dot know how we could have a high PH. It is used to kill bacteria growing in the pool that is not restored by regular chemicals. I think being 130 gallons may be better getting through a long winter though. I’m not far from you, in SE MI, and am entering my fifth year with a very small natural back yard pond.
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