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  • From: Selwyn Polit <selwyn@austintx.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Pond question
  • Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 16:59:53 -0600

Hi Anne,

I have a small pond in the direct sun which is about 1 foot deep, 4 feet diameter and I have a small bubbler attached to an aquarium pump and that seems to keep things alive. I have some water hyacinth plants which seem to keep the water nice and clean and a couple of goldfish which eat seemingly anything. I have put other tropical fish which apparently eat the mosquito larvae - can't remember the breed exactly. There is a branch sticking in one side which the various creatures seem to enjoy a great deal. Seems to stay quite clean and I have some pretty happy looking fish in it. I would stay away from trees to minimize the leaves that tend to fall into the pond.

Hope this gets you somewhat on your way.

Selwyn



Hello, my name is Anne Erlandson.

I'm a newbie permaculturist (just discovered Pc last fall and took a PDC last Dec) and am trying to do a Pc makeover on my Seattle, Wa yard. I've got most of it figured out, but I'm kinda stuck on the pond. I've got space for a 10'x10' (wavy edged) pond and want to design it to host fish, frogs (and other amphibians if appropriate) and ducks. My soil is practically pure sand (medial moraine) so I'm going to have to put down a pond liner (probably with old carpet underneath for longevity). I'd like to design the pond so that it is as self regulating as possible so that I don't have to bother with filtration, aeration etc if possible and so that radical pond cleanout is kept to a minimum. For the summer (dry) months, I'm probably going to attempt to keep the water levels up with greywater that has been filtered through a constructed wetland .

So my questions are:

Can I do this!? All of the pond books that I've found at my library are for the ornamental gardener type and the designs all mandate that you keep the water clean and keep the poop out. But, there must be another way! :)

What type of fish? I've heard that fish eat mosquito eggs so we've gotta have them, but what kind would be happy in my small pond. What will they eat? I don't really want to have to feed them fish food.

What kinds of plants? What plants will do all the filtering, aerating, fish feeding, etc so that I don't have to?

Is shade mandatory? My yard is currently pretty exposed, though I'm working on it with my nascent food forest.

How deep? For the fish, for the amphibians etc.

Am I overlooking anything?

Thanks!

Anne



"We do not inherit the Earth from our parents;
we borrow the Earth from our children." - Anon




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Selwyn Polit
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