No Tech, No Fish, Wildlife Pond

[derik999]

Hey everyone, I'm new to the site. Glad to see so many pond enthusiasts online. I currently have one pond to my credit that I created with my dad over at my folk's place. It's a 5k gallon Koi Pond.

Given I want to work with a smaller budget, and given I'm more interested in attracting local wildlife (I live in a somewhat wooded area), I wanted to see if anyone has built a no tech, no fish, wildlife pond, and if so are there any tips or tricks you can share?

I need to commit to a certain size, as far as the area of the yard, which I know is necessary information. Hopefully it will stop raining today so I can go out and take a preliminary measurement. I'm terrible when it comes to visualizing how big the area of something is. I do know that I want to go 3 feet deep at maximum.

Basically I want to stick with the underlayment and the 45mi EPDM liner. No filter, no skimmer, no plumbing, etc. Just aquatic plants, gravel, decorative stone, etc. Possibly a piece of driftwood for birds to perch on.

 

[sissy]

why not a pondless feature .You can have an inch of water surface or even more on the surface of the pondless feature pit .But just watch out that it does not turn into a mosquito pit

 

[MoonShadows]

Sounds interesting. There are a lot of very knowledgeable folks here who can provide you with a lot of info, but they'll need those measurements first.

 

[derik999]

why not a pondless feature .You can have an inch of water surface or even more on the surface of the pondless feature pit .But just watch out that it does not turn into a mosquito pit

Nah that's not what I'm going for. I want an actual pond.

 

[derik999]

I want to do something like this but not as fancy.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

A true Wildlife Pond will be earthen-bottom with no shelving.

 

[derik999]

A true Wildlife Pond will be earthen-bottom with no shelving.

Assuming you have the right soil to keep the pond full right? Don't have clay where I'm at.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Assuming you have the right soil to keep the pond full right? Don't have clay where I'm at.

Bentonite.

 

[derik999]

Bentonite.

So you use this in order to create a natural liner?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

So you use this in order to create a natural liner?

If your subsoil is not extremely sandy,Bentonite tilled in and compacted will form a near waterproof seal. There may be some seepage, but it will be negligible based on the original composition of the subsoil. It will support the growth of aquatic vegetation without this seal being compromised.

 

[herzausstahl]

On here

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/did-i-ruin-my-new-pond.12720/


Many more info found through general research. Wanted to add one for awhile but never got around to it. I would probably do a liner but add a substrate to create the earthen bottom that @Meyer Jordan is talking about with sloped sides, no shelves & a beach area. Goal to find a balance so water is oxygenated by plants & mosquito larvae contained by natural predators.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I would probably do a liner but add a substrate to create the earthen bottom that @Meyer Jordan is talking about with sloped sides, no shelves & a beach area.

This is completely doable and in fact is done in many large fishery ponds. The major drawback is that the sides must have a very gradual slope otherwise, especially with Koi, the substrate (soil) will gradually migrate to the deepest part of the pond.

 

[herzausstahl]

This is completely doable and in fact is done in many large fishery ponds. The major drawback is that the sides must have a very gradual slope otherwise, especially with Koi, the substrate (soil) will gradually migrate to the deepest part of the pond.

If I remember correctly (was a few years back I researched this topic heavily) if I built one I would leave fish out of it just to give the other inhabitants a better chance. I believe my fear was fish would quickly overpopulated the pond & eat a lot of beneficial insects as well as the mosquitoe larvae. What I do recall is I believe these kinds of ponds are big across the pond in the U.K., but if you talk to American ponders & mention no pumps you get hit with the stagnant water mantra which could prove true if it wasn't done properly with plants. I have one spot in my current garden I could add a 3x4/4x5 pond like this but it would get inundated with pine needles messing up the ph too much. I do have one spot that would be best, just have to convince my wife & find time. Then my soon to be 9 year old will have her "froggy" pond she begged her mom about 5-6 years ago lol. How to win over mom? Convince the toddler they need it to be happy. lol I didn't do that exactly, just told her the idea & she loved it at the time.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I do know that here in Florida, and I suspect other states as well, that any body of water that will breed mosquitoes must be treated either biologically (fish or mosquito dunks) or mechanically (ample water movement). Failure to do so will result in fines and the possibility of the authorities filling it in. I do not know what the statutes are in Wisconsin, but I would suggest that you investigate.

 

[Lisak1]

I do not know what the statutes are in Wisconsin, but I would suggest that you investigate.

Wisconsin encourages mosquito breeding - it's to keep us Illinoisans from crossing the Cheddar Curtain!