Just designing my first pond. My plan is to build a largish pond using the Atlantis Pacific rigid pond liner 1400. From the research I have done there seems to be three types of pond which I could call Koi, Goldfish, and Natural.

If i have this correct.

I want my pond to be natural as possible - my aim is to blend it in with the environment rather than to have anything formal or filled with ornamentation.

I am looking to attract frogs (I love the spring frog parties) newts, dragonflies etc.
I also would like to keep fish. It seems that Koi are out because they would eat all the wildlife eggs and are generally 'playful vandals' - an expression I have heard. Goldfish similarly apparently eat frog spawn I thnk?

I think that if newts do come then they will spend most of their time buried at the bottom. Do we actually get to see them?

I am looking for fish that can be seen and are reasonably attractive to the eye.

I have an idea that might work and that is to have two ponds, one tiny one for bringing on tadpoles and the like and directly next to this the larger pond with goldfish etc.


I would be grateful if the forum could give me any advice.

I forgot to say I am UK just north of London (St Albans)

thanks

"ZeroZero" wrote


Just designing my first pond. My plan is to build a largish pond using
the Atlantis Pacific rigid pond liner 1400. From the research I have
done there seems to be three types of pond which I could call Koi,
Goldfish, and Natural.

If i have this correct.

I want my pond to be natural as possible - my aim is to blend it in with
the environment rather than to have anything formal or filled with
ornamentation.

I am looking to attract frogs (I love the spring frog parties) newts,
dragonflies etc.
I also would like to keep fish. It seems that Koi are out because they
would eat all the wildlife eggs and are generally 'playful vandals' -
an expression I have heard. Goldfish similarly apparently eat frog spawn
I think?

I think that if newts do come then they will spend most of their time
buried at the bottom. Do we actually get to see them?

I am looking for fish that can be seen and are reasonably attractive to
the eye.

I have an idea that might work and that is to have two ponds, one tiny
one for bringing on tadpoles and the like and directly next to this the
larger pond with goldfish etc.


I would be grateful if the forum could give me any advice.


It's a Newsgroup, please look that word up in Wikipedia. :-)

Koi are just pigs that live in water so not in any way suitable for a
wildlife pond unless it's a huge deep lake. Goldfish will also eat tadpoles
and other wildlife when they get large, and they do in the right conditions,
although they won't destroy everything like Koi. This does not leave much
choice regarding fish, they need to be small so sticklebacks are OK but
would not be seen much in a pond, minnows are demanding of very clean
oxygenated water so not suitable for such a pond. I've heard that White
Cloud Mountain Minnows from China can be acclimatised to an outside pond in
the UK but have not done it myself, they are usually kept in tropical fish
tanks.

The idea of two ponds, one strictly wildlife and one more ornamental sounds
like a good idea, however the frogs won't read the script when it comes to
breeding so you will have to move spawn about each spring. A couple of
sticklebacks in the wildlife pond to keep down midge/mossy larvae might be a
good idea.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK