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| Instead of leaving the pond liner bare, I read that it'll look better to have a layer of pebbles at the bottom, as this will allow a build up of desirable bacteria, as well as nooks and crannies for fish to nibble on whatever is collected in there. What's your opinion? I'm digging the pond this weekend, can't wait!
Thanks, |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hi- the short answer is you'll need to work hard to keep it looking like it does on day one, and you're also creating a place for bad bacteria to hide. Slightly longer answer- in the short term, gravel/pebbles on the bottom do add more surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow; however, over time, as fish waste grows, anaerobic bacteria are formed at the bottom of the pond. This can be released in the form of hydrogen sulfide, which is highly toxic- even fatal- to the fish. The other issue is that as algae grows and covers the rocks/pebbles, you won't be able to see them properly anyway. There will be others who are rabid about not keeping pebbles in the bottom; I'm not necessarily in that camp, but if you do want to do this, be aware that in order to avoid the problems I jut mentioned, you'll have to clean/vacuum the rocks fairly regularly, and you may soon discover that it is more trouble than it is worth. Best of luck- HTH. |
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| I won't have any fish in there if I can help it. But it sounds like the algae will cover up the pebbles anyway. I'll probably pass on this idea. Thanks, |
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- Posted by eyecndiggit (My Page) on Sun, Feb 21, 10 at 20:46
| Here we find more bad information about bacteria. Aerobic means they thrive in oxygen. Anaerobic means they thrive without oxygen. Both types of bacteria are beneficial because they both perform different but necessary jobs. Some of the aerobic bacteria work to convert fish waste to usable nutrients. The anaerobic bacteria work to convert other biological waste into safe compounds. Pond forums have decide that no oxygen is BAD GUYS and yes oxygen is GOOD GUYS. It's not true. There are beneficial bacteria and there are pathological bacteria. Both types are either aerobic or anaerobic but the pathological are the ones that cause disease. People spend BIG money on aerobic and anaerobic bacteria for their ponds. The anaerobic are the sludge cleaners. But it makes no difference to you since you will have no fish. Fishless ponds are mosquito havens. |
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| Your point about aerobic/anaerobic/pathological bacteria is stipulated; would you like to comment on the larger issue on which the original poster needed information? |
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- Posted by eyecndiggit (My Page) on Mon, Feb 22, 10 at 18:02
| Like I said. What she does makes no difference because she has no fish. She asked about growing bacteria and using rocks. Both points are moot without fish |
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- Posted by mindysuewho 7 (My Page) on Tue, Feb 23, 10 at 1:39
| We put small rocks in the bottom of our pond when we first put it in. We realized our mistake after a while: algae buildup and difficulty cleaning. Then it was a huge chore to pick out all the rocks and figure out where to put them all. |
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| If you allow a low point in your pond to have some area where you can set a siphon, its fairly easy to drain the pond and on occasion dredge surplus sediments out, reducing mulm and sedimentation. Consider it, a sump... Then it becomes viable to have some picturesque rocks, pebble beds, where any drifting bits can wander off into deeper water by the action of water currents and critters stirring it up when they look for nibblies. No fret of mosquitoes in a no fish pond, any permenant body of water is going to attract a host of small predators, mosquito larvae will become a quick snack for water spiders, pondskaters, whirlygig beetles, dragonfly nymphs, water beetles. If anything, a healthy well balanced pond is going to reduce such pests, compared to badly managed cess pit type ponds where only mosquito can survive temporary rains or badly polluted water You enjoy your oasis, complete with rocks, pebbles and diverse critters, as long as the sediments don't get trapped to excess and surplus pollution piles in, a freshwater pond can do fine with a modest load of benign bits and bobs |
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- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Sat, Feb 27, 10 at 23:50
| No worries about mosquitoes, most of my ponds have no fish. I use Mosquito Dunks in them and they are full of treefrogs, dragonflies, and all sorts of other aquatic life but no mosquitoes. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Mosquito Dunks
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