I don't necessarily know how but something to disrupt mosquitoes from using it as a spawning pool and just laying a shitload of eggs in there would be a good idea
Some type of live-bearers would handle that well. Guppies, mosquito fish etc
Thanks for the suggestion I'm thinking of making a waterfall on the end with the slats I have got a mozzie dunk in there too
(Not Vegan or Animal Liberation Front friendly suggestion)
Occasionally get some cheap tiny fish, minnows usually. They can help keep the mosquitos at bay if you don't want to use mosquito dunk (there do seem to be options that are frog friendly though I can't remember any of the brands off the top of my head.)
Bullfrogs, snakes and at least one smaller variety of egret tend to eat all the fishes after a year or two out at my place. So you'll just need to keep an eye out and restock when needed.
Water lilies are good. Willow tree branches can survive for quite a while submerged and will start to produce roots if you want to start planting them around the area.
Don't let fruits fall into the pond and ferment, that pretty much kills everything. (Let a mullberry tree get out of control next to a large stock tank close enough to drop a ton of berries into the pond when we didn't have time to skim everything out in time.)
My tip is to go out of your way to stick with native plant life. It’s a fun little project that will uplift the rest of its surroundings even outside of the pond because of the associated benefits of native plants/animals having a piece of ecosystem intact and flocking to the area. A local university will probably be willing to help answer any questions regarding what is/isnt native and help you with acquisition
Agreed 100%
Also called “wetland upflow filtration”
You can build one for pretty cheap on a pond of this size. Just make sure you have an easy way to access the manifold for cleaning. I’ll bet with a pond this size you could make a bog filter with just a single 55gal drum. Head to gardenpondforum.com and start searching/reading.
I have a 2000 gal pond using a fairly massive bog as the only filtration, and my water stays crystal clear all year. And I’ve got a pile of fish in there, as well as 5 ducks that love using it as a toilet. Bog filters are the only way.
Might be less of a maintenance headache and mosquito magnet to make a bog garden - fill it with sphagnum and plant some carnivorous plants like Sarracenia and bladderwort
This is outside of my purview, I just have indoor houseplants. But I wanted to say this looks sick! I’d love to see some update posts if you do any big changes
No tips as I've never made anything like it but to say I'm a fan, and hope it attracts lovely wildlife to your yard
Check out SerpaDesign on YouTube. he's a very sweet dude who does a lot of terrariums but also outdoor aquascapes/ecosystems. You might be able to get some tips there
I can definitely see the
in the photo and all I can say is, great job comrade, very aesthetic!I'm late to the show but, is it buried in at all? Surrounding ground helps keep Temps more even, slows freezing and extreme heat. Would also lengthen the life of the tank as it wouldn't be subjected to light. Bet your local fauna (frogs get included in that too, right?) is loving it!
Hey, it was buried the day after I posted this, only been a month and there's been tons of attention. We had 20 coal tits in the garden this morning, expect to see the Froggies in spring.
Oh how cool! Glad it it's getting notice! We moved several years ago from swampy wetlands to the desert, we weren't here long before digging a little divot in the ground and slapping a kiddie pool in. The cheap pool has now cracked and been pulled out but it made a nice press while it lasted for the ground below it. We know even with how hard and almost stone like the ground is, that it is leaking but, it's doing wonders for the little patch of grass and gotu cola planted next to it by softening the ground below them letting their roots get longer. We are in monsoon season now but, this winter when its dried back out, we want to do a more permanent pond liner to make sure it's not losing into the ground anymore. Love helping wildlife but water gets expensive out here, lol. Oh, I know minnows or other small fish had been mentioned, dragonflies are also natural mosquito predators. They lay eggs I the same stagnant waters, their larvae feed on mosquito larvae, and grown dragonflies feed on mosquitos! I did not learn that until moving to the desert and being surprised at the number of mosquitos we have to deal with... in the DESERT!! Also have seen more dragonflies of so many different colors too! I know from growing weed, that you can get ladybugs and other aphid predators online, haven't checked about dragonflies though.
