Eeep - new pond and fighting for what to do, where to start!

[wuftytufty]

Thanks Fishy Love - Yay Minnows! Have just been reading up on minnows - that's a big ol' family of fish!!!

I am going to try to filter some of the water today, through the pillow stuffing, in a seed planter, with some extra holes put in for good drainage. We have the waterfall, but it is very gentle in the steps, so was racking my brains trying to figure out what to do! But think I can do this without the additional pump.

After my frying basket purge, yesterday, the pond is looking much better, and clearer, so whipping it up today and filtering it all out, should really help.

It's just as well the fish-fingers (minnows) don't know that the big netty thing that keeps being whisked around is actually a frying basket, and it is really good they haven't heard that my husband LOVES to eat whitebait!! Poor fish would be scared out of their wits!!
I guess we will get there....it's a lot to learn.

Will order the ammonia and nitrate testing too...

Bye for now!

 

[Fishylove]

It IS a lot to learn! But with all the aggravation, when you get it all right, it is soooo worth it. I could loose myself for hours in my gardens and ponds.
Did you figure out what type of minnow you have?

 

[wuftytufty]

Hiya Fishy Love,

I think they are probably Phoxinus Phoxinus, just the normal boring ones, but they look a lot like Amur Minnow. Not too sure, when I catch a couple will put them in a glass and get a photo...

We have a whole lot of work in the house and garden too, to get it to the level we want, but to be honest, we both know it will prob take years!!

We have two new newts that have joined the party, I think they are male and female smooth newts, but they look quite young. We thought the newts had gone, but since the pond has improved, they seem to have returned! (Or maybe we can just see them now!!)

Ciao for now...

 

[Mmathis]

BTW, we like pictures, period! Let's see some of the house projects, too!

 

[wuftytufty]

Correction, I think they are palmate newts - having a right job identifying the newts!!!! But it is providing endless fascination....

 

[addy1]

I love all the life a pond brings to a yard, constant movement, between fish, bugs, frogs, birds,,,,,,,,,,,, on and on

 

[wuftytufty]

I am loving the bees that are hanging around having a drink! That is cute!

Found a tiny baby newt today... so cute, I really should go out with a glass bowl and pop them in for a quick photo....but other things I must do! Boooh!

 

[addy1]

When I had my pond in the desert they always were around drinking. I see them here, but not so much drinking out of the big pond. They do go into the smaller ponds.

I try to carry my camera with me constantly, always grabbing it for a photo.

 

[wuftytufty]

Ah, that for me is another thing on my wants list - a decent camera, well, better than my phone camera!!

 

[addy1]

Get one that can handle water, There are a lot of them out there and not too expensive.

 

[Fishylove]

I had to look up newt :huh: Cute!! Wasn't sure what they were till I saw pics. We call em' Mud Puppies! I WANT SOME!! I haven't seen those in years. My brother used to bring the home. So cute! Well Dragonflies finally found me this year, maybe I should get some Newts!

 

[wuftytufty]

Oh do get newts, they are sooo cute! To be honest, when we bought the house, we were going to get rid of the pond, as we bough it during the early part of the year when it was all snow and ice. There was no life apparent. Then as we have renovated, it has flourished, and then when we saw all the newts, at one point there were more than 5-6 adults, I was converted! And that was also enhanced by the dragonflies and mayflies too..

Mud puppies is a very cute name for them!! So now we have the mud puppies and the fish-fingers... Sweet!

 

[addy1]

We have them here, but I have not seen any in our pond, hope they wander in some time.

 

[wuftytufty]

I have been reading that if you go to a forest and pick up lumps of bark, small logs and moss, and some rocks, and pile it up in a nice shady sheltered part of the garden, when they are in land mode, they will love living in there..... you could try catching some in early spring from a local pond too, when they are in the aquatic phase, perhaps? I have a big bush near the pond, which I am hoping to develop into a bug and newt haven....esp when i have bought a sail canopy to create the good shade... I hope we can have tonnes of wildlife!

Out walking last night and saw deer bounding through the fields!! Must get a camera, so I can capture these moments!!!

 

[addy1]

We have around a acre of un touched woods, too much poison ivy for me to go near them. The woods are for the critters. We have left the woods alone, i.e. no cleaning up the brambles, bushes, dead trees. I bet I could find some if I went out there. At the base of our slope, 1/2 way though the woods is a constantly wet swampy area. (road drainage, maybe a small spring) Bet they are there. But I can't go in to find them.

I will leave it up to them to wander our direction, like the turtles do. Maybe some day we will see some. The local ponds are mainly farm ponds, the rivers are too over grown and down real steep slopes to get to them easily. I have tons of plants, bushes, grasses near the pond. A great haven for them, they just need to come lol