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Journal Wildlife Pond

Great Build and looks lovely.
For the trough, Flag iris works well. The Roots grow into thick Matt. And its a Hungry Plant, so the roots will act as an additonal filter and bacteria farm with loads of Biolfilm.
You could add Ramshorn snails to the trough to help keep on top of algae in it. And they will overwinter fine with a low mortality rate. Had them in the Poly box over witner and did fine.
I would also seed the Pond and trough with Gammaru Shrimp. They will eat algae and add great source of food for any critters in the pond. And they look funny zooming about. You can get larger species that get to about an inch. or small ones that stay a few mm.

If you are Dead set against Large fish, But want something that will Do Very Well. Have a look at Paradise Fish and Heterandria Formosa and Rice Fish.
They stay smallish and look great and can overwinter, Especially the Heterandria Formosa, as they can be found in Ditches that freeze over in the states.
Paradise Fish would look very nice as a splash of color, and you can watch them build Bubble Nests when Breeding.
 
Thank for the comments.
I stopped using the trough about 5weeks ago as I found it would empty over 3 days with water running from the pond into it, but it is full again when it rained last time it acted as a over flow for the pond. May still have a use, at the moment it acts as a rain water store to top the pond up with.
Still not keen on having fish as they may eat the other wild life in the pond but do like the look of the Heterandria Formosa as they look more natural.

April 10th 2020

We now have green water, a week before I turned the pump off that was in the water trough as I was losing to much water so that pond water has been just still for a week.
I also put the canna lily's back into the pond and two water lily leaves have reached the surface.
Also moved some of the plants around some deeper in the water. think I have one dead plant that did not make it over the winter. Cyperus haspan

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Night time shot of tadpoles.
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April 22nd 2020

I have now put the pump into the pond with a large sponge filter around the inlet so it does not suck up any wildlife, I have a hose running around the edge of the pond under the water so the water is released from the other side of the pond.
My worry was the still water would end up being a smelly swamp I am happy with the result still have green water but that's not a problem for me as its not meant to be a show pond.
View towards the house showing the longer grass around the pond edge.

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May 5th 2020

Last lot of photos showing how its getting on now the pond is 8 months old & a few visitors.

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Have a look at Paradise Fish and Heterandria Formosa and Rice Fish.
They stay smallish and look great and can overwinter,
I was not aware Macropodus opercularis can overwinter outside here. Do you have experience of this Gill? I have M. ocellatus which overwinters and breeds outside without any problems but they come from colder regions than opercularis.
 
I was not aware Macropodus opercularis can overwinter outside here. Do you have experience of this Gill? I have M. ocellatus which overwinters and breeds outside without any problems but they come from colder regions than opercularis.

Have tried them in a Barrell Pond in the past and they did well. I did wrap the pond with bubble wrap over winter.

Have alook on some of the cold water groups and the dedicated paradise fish ones, there are so many varieties of paradise fish. Its really a shame, that we only get the blue and albino in the uk.
 
Time for a update the first photo was taken on 13th June 2020.
The water level had dropped a lot it it was even lower about a week before, I had to top it up with tap water that I had left in the water trough for 2 weeks before using it.
I let the grass grow long around the edge of the pond to see how it looked but in the end it just got to long so I cut it back.

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This photo I took this morning 5-6 weeks later then the above photo.
I have no issues with the pond the water has got clearer and have not had any blanket weed problems.
Had lots of baby frogs around the pond and lawn.

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Water lily has flowered today more buds can be seen under the water. I can not see any buds on the other lily yet.

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Visited my parents yesterday first time in 10 months. They have a huge cottage garden, while walking around I saw a lily plant in a old tin bath with very little water so asked if it was ok to top it up with water.
Was told it was no longer needed as it had out grown the bath tub so needed a new home so I now have this monster.
Not sure what's the best course of action to take. I have placed it in the water trough as it was 23.45 when we got back home.
My father showed we a photo of it from last year with lots of yellow flowers and a huge mound of leaves.

That's my size 10 shoe for scale.
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Nice socks:D

Was the tub it was in shaded? It doesn't look very vigorous for this time of year so would personally hack it up into more manageable pieces with new pots and fertiliser to get it going again. Water lillies like a nice feed and one of those little sprouts (they look more like spring shooting growth which is why I think it's massively pot bound or half starved) you see with a few leaves should easily cover several feet of pond with 8-12" leaves
 
I'd pick a piece that looks best, cut it off, and replant it in fresh soil/sizeable container and then go from there. :) Discard or sell the rest. And post pictures of its progress!
 
Time for a update the first photo was taken on 13th June 2020.
The water level had dropped a lot it it was even lower about a week before, I had to top it up with tap water that I had left in the water trough for 2 weeks before using it.
I let the grass grow long around the edge of the pond to see how it looked but in the end it just got to long so I cut it back.

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This photo I took this morning 5-6 weeks later then the above photo.
I have no issues with the pond the water has got clearer and have not had any blanket weed problems.
Had lots of baby frogs around the pond and lawn.

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Water lily has flowered today more buds can be seen under the water. I can not see any buds on the other lily yet.

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Really nice, just keeps getting better :)
Lovely pond, wish I had a garden now!! 👏
Maybe you'll have to move to the burbs :p
Beautiful! My family would have shot me if I was to build a pond in the garden vs a swimming pool.
You need one of these...
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Hi all,
constant sunny weather and a lovely sandy beach?
Strangely enough Corsham has been referred to as <"Cornwall in the Cotswolds">, but both "constantly sunny" and "a lovely sandy beach" might be pushing it a bit.

In the UK <"West Wittering">? Years ago I went to Afife (N. of Viana do Castelo), and the ten days I was there it fulfilled all your requirements.

cheers Darrel
 
Today I cut it up!
Pot bound you say?

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We also have rot and lots of it.
I think it has dried up in the past as it was in very little water when I found it, a few days before it had rained and I think that's the little bit of water it was sat in.

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But we still have life and good roots see the rotted rhizome it's just mush.
I will give it a change it can live or die, nothing lost in trying to save as much as posable.

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I now have 16 plants from this one lily in different sizes, saved all that I could.

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It was not easy to work out what way to plant some of them as some have roots coming out of the side, both sides, even top, bottom and sides so I just planted them any how.

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They are now all potted and in a water trough, I will take a photo tomorrow when the water has cleared I have my next pair of special socks ready :D
 
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