wildlife pond

Hi Jamabr

Welcome to the forum.

Not sure what stickbacks are were you meaning sticklebacks.

I'm pretty sure that if you leave the pond once planted that the wildlife will find its way to you. Making sure that the middle is quite deep also adds to the varietyof different creatures that will use it to over winter in.

I think there are quite a few threads about ponds if you put it in the search box you might get a few to have a wee look at!!

Hope this helps.

the pond is 2ft in the deepest part and yes i meant sticklebacks lol.

It depends what you want in your wildlife pond - if your aim is to attract amphibians, particularly newts, then your best off leaving the pond fish-free but if that isn't a priority then there is nothing wrong with adding the fish, though it is best to leave it for a few months to build-up a community of invertebrates and for adequate cover to grow to provide protection.

Hi jamabr a warm welcome from sunny Somerset!

Generally the thought is that a 'wildlife' pond should be fish free.....If talking about Koi and other large fish then that is probably correct as they do a lot of damage uprooting plants and will actually eat small insects and even other fish fry given the chance, they can be quite disruptive.

Small native fish such as sticklebacks, minnows and (in my opinion) Rudd and Roach are fine as they don't grow too big.

I am of the opinion that we worry too much about fish eating valuable bugs and insects but if you think about it in any 'natural' body of water you will find fish and it generally finds the correct balance. If you worry about fish eating wildlife then what about dragon fly nymphs and great diving beetles which we all try to encourage? They are in fact vicious hunters eating anything that gets in their way!?

I have kept ponds and fish for over 20years now and to be completely honest always had fish including Koi, Tench, Rudd and other various Carp species. In my personal experience I haven't ever suffered from lack of dragon flies, frogs etc and in fact the frogs will do more damage to the fish than the other way around!!

So to sum up, it depends on the size/depth of your pond, your planting plan and my personal opinion is that your sticklebacks will love their new home and will complete the natural 'balance' of your pond.

thanks for that higgy i think your right and after giving the pond a couple of weeks ill add my 4 tiny sticklebacks ive put a pic of my new pond on my gallery if any1 wants a peek thanks for all the help.

Hi jamabr,

Tried to look at your gallery but couldn't find it? Can you post a picture here? Maybe you could add some as the pond matures?

Hi Jason that looks great and will look even better next season when it matures a bit and the plants grow up. It looks like you have prepared a planting area at the bottom? what do you intend to plant here?

Interesting to see that you have one of my above mentioned 'hunters' already resident and preying on other lovely 'bugs' in your pond....sticklebacks don't seem so bad now do they!!!?

hi higgy as the garden centres out my way arent stocking hardly anythink more untill next year ive had to order online i managed to orded some mentha aquatica , bog bean ,hornwort and some  frogbit im gonna try and stay as native as possible. Any other good plant suggestion are very welcome.

jason.

Sounds good mate. I personally love Irises and if you plan and plant right you can get flowers right through the summer. Their tall sword like leaves always look natural around a wildlife pond and give taller cover for wildlife....

A couple of links here for reference although I have bought from Claire Austin and got some lovely plants well packed and good delivery....

www.irisofsissinghurst.com/.../Itemid,33

www.claireaustin-hardyplants.co.uk/buy-peonies-irises-perennials.php

The Marsh Marigold (Caltha Palustris) is another favourite which will give gorgeous yellow flowers in the spring/early summer....

You can see it here....

www.google.co.uk/search

You must also get a water lilly which is invaluable in the wildlife pond offering refuge from the sun which will help keep your water clear. I personally prefer the common 'Alba' white variety but it gets quite large so the variety you choose will depend on your pond size but aim to have at least a third of the surface covered by Lilly pads.

You've already ordered water mint which i would have suggested...

It might also be worth thinking about some planting around the pond to give some cover to wildlife whilst actually getting to the pond?

I do hope this is helpful and please do post up pictures on here as it develops and matures as it will be interesting to see how you get on??