permaculture

["Kirby Fry" <peace@totalaccess.net>]

Hi James,

>>  Do I need a pump to have fish though?  <<

The larger your pond the less likely that you will need a pump / aerator.
Gambussia minnows, though, will survive in just about any conditions and
keep mosquito larva away.

>>  Would frogs and dragonflies be sufficient to control the larvae and
therefore construction of a frog pond sufficient?  <<

In the warm seasons the frogs and tadpoles move in within a week after the
mosquitoes move in and keep things pretty well in hand.  Mosquito
eradication alone is probably not reason enough to get a pump.

In an ornamental garden pond, say anything under 30' in diameter I do
recommend a skimmer, pump and water falls for many other reasons.
Typically, we install 1/2 horse power pumps in the ponds we build.  This
moves a lot of water and will clear your water column, keep the surface free
of leaves and energize it especially if your falls passes through a few
flow-forms.

At the very least, a low cost aerator would be appreciated by your fish.

As a result, though, you will lose more water to evaporation and consume
electricity.  I now usually encourage my clients wanting ponds to install a
rainwater catchment systems and PV system large enough to offset the uses of
the pond.  Ponds aren't cheap, however, and because of the added costs most
folks will consider PV and rainwater systems an optional "phase II" of their
project.

A friend of mine has a PV panel (no batteries) that runs a DC pump during
daylight hours.  He could probably fill up a 5 gallon bucket in about thirty
seconds at peak flow.  This would probably be enough to keep a pond clear
and clean and not lose nearly so much water as running a 1/2 horse power
pump all day and night.

I would also recommend a liner if you are on sandy soils and then completely
cover the liner with stone.  It's rather intensive but the results are
stunning.

We have 15 ponds on our property and none of them are lined or have pumps,
but we are on clay soils and have excellent water retention.  As a result,
though, the ponds are usually the same color as the soil.  I would at least
like to sculpt some shelves and a nice wading beach into them and line one
or two with rock.

One consideration that is growing around our demonstration site is that
folks really need to be enticed and lured into a permaculture landscape.
When I look around in our gardens I see the Garden of Eden but when visitors
come to take a look at our demonstration site they see a bunch of weeds
(cover crops) and muddy ponds.

People need eye candy if they're going to buy into something.

Some clear, rock lined ponds with a water fall and perhaps more turf in the
form of native grasses and beneficial ground covers in our open areas might
go along way to bring people over to the green side of the Force.


Kirby Fry

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