Natural Back Yard Pond With No Filters
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- Опубліковано 8 лип 2020
- Think you need all sorts of mechanical filters and chemicals to keep your back yard pond crystal clear and thriving? Think again! It's possible to build the pond of your dreams naturally, without all that expensive man-made stuff.
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What do the gold fish eat if you don't feed them? Just curious, I've watched many pond videos and no one has ever suggested to not feed them. I've always heard that it's one of the most enjoyable parts of having a fish pond and creates bonding and tamer fish.
They do just fine on their own eating mosquito larvae, frog eggs, goldfish eggs and fry (cannibals!), various plants, algae, and vegetation. They would need me to feed them if I kept a sterile and "sparkling clean" pond with nothing in it besides them. Think above-ground ornamental pond at the mall or something.
There are four reasons for not feeding my fish.
1. Supplemental feeding adds additional waste from food not eaten and increased waste from the fish. Both are a hit on water quality.
2. If I'm feeding them every day, they spend less time roaming the pond eating algae off rocks, wiping out mosquito larvae, etc.
3. I've never seen it in person, but in theory, by training them to come to me at the surface for feeding time, it makes them less afraid of predators. So in other words, if a Racoon is sniffing around at the edge of the pond, the fish might see it and go to the Racoon in anticipation of getting fed.
4. The goal of the pond is to be as natual as possible and I want them to thrive with no interaction from humans.
I used to feed fish in my old pond and there is some enjoyment to that. You're right about that. They'll "kiss" your fingertips if you put them on the surface and be less afraid of you in general. I won't fault anybody for choosing to feed their fish, but I'm happy with my decision not to.
I fed our goldish once -- the resulting algae was a nightmare. They've now been two years without being fed, they're now fat and happy, and had their first baby this year.
@@LeeGee Ah yes, another reason. Thanks for reminding me, Lee. Uneaten food acts as a nutrient for algae.
Finally, a video on pond building that gives me what I was looking for. I want to build a pond, but don't want to be spending money on filters and other crap that isn't found in nature. Your approach makes perfect sense and I hope I can emulate what you've done here.
Well thanks, that's the nicest comment I've had in a while. See the other videos in my pond playlist for updates and whatnot. Good luck on your pond!
I'm surprised that not more people are digging themself.
I guess a pond is one of the things that you don't have to hurry. So digging a bit every once in a while is just fine and a good workout. And in the years following, every time you look at the pond you enjoy the fact you dug it yourself.
Couldn't have said it better myself!
Mother Nature just knows... lov it....the commentary is just as great as the pond an video.....😊😊
Thank you, thank you !!! Finally a video about building your own pond WITHOUT spending a thousands on fancy equipment. Thank you 🙏 You did a wonderful job, your pond is gorgeous !!!
Thanks, Rebecca. That's the nicest comment I've gotten in a while!
Really nice pond. I built one in my previous house, along with a small waterfall. I was early 50 at the time, now I'm almost mid seventy, (5' tall, female) and I have been dreaming of one in my current 1/3 acre. Number one issue: digging. Too cheap to have someone do it for me. At least this is sandy soil, but it does have rocks. Have two options, one: next to a cottage (not the main house) that has electricity and is lower than the main house or two: open area, already lower than most of the property but no electricity, which would mean no pump. Add to that Northern Minnesota, which means it can't be too shallow if frogs are to survive, fish can go inside in a tank during the winter.
Thank you! Just had our pond repaired after thirty years and your video is most helpful. One of our Koi is 30 years old and doing great!
Love that little island in the middle of the water.
Thanks! So do the frogs and birds.
Great job! Thank you for posting this.
Loved watching this. Sooothing and beautiful
I had a natural pond like that in my house. I'd dug it and made it. So satisfyingly. Same as you I didn't feed my fish or use any chemicals. The only difference was that I had a filter box with a UV light in.
It's a beautiful pond, and a great video.
Haha I dug my pond into ground that was like a construction site, 3+ feet deep 9' by 6' I did it on my own over 2 days in the middle of summer and can totally agree, dig slowly, my back and shoulder still hurts a month later haha. Definitely approve of this vid, beautiful pond 🙂
Nice work brother, looks great!
Great philosophy, lovely pond
I like your style man. The pond looks great, a healthy ecosystem for sure.
Very cool. Thanks.
I like your voice. So calming
Very educational and resourceful. Great job! 💚💫
Love your video x
Thank you so much for this brother, I love how calm you narrate. May GOD Bless you brother, JESUS loves you.
Yay! I put a recycled air mattress in the ground 15 yrs ago. Lol no filter and goldfish from Walmart. Their babies are still here lol! Cool video!!
You mean the air mattress is acting as a liner?
@@NonsensicalNation yes
I really enjoyed this interesting and laid back approach. Thank you
Awesome pond
Thank you, this is finally the right video I was searching for a year!
Glad it helped!
Lovely video. Keep on teaching us. ❤ love from Croatia.
How touching. Gratitudes 🙏
informative & inspiring. I am building a natural cold climate pond in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales and your wonderful video has empowered my creativity. thank you 🙏
Thanks! Good luck on the build.
Wow This is the pond i have been Looking for.
You can't have it! 😉
Great conclusion. Thanks!
Excellent narration, helpful information (who knew the rocks were so essential to having a clear pond!) and all-around wonderful result. Thanks for sharing this video....from RI.
Enjoyed your video SO MUCH! It is beautiful...
Thank you!
awesome job.
Love that frog!!!
Great video. I am currently in the process of digging a pond and related to lots of your thoughts on the process, I too find it a satisfying project
Brilliant work 🐸💚🐸
Beautiful! I'm planning on adding a wildlife pond and this was the most helpful video.
Thanks!
So tranquil so peaceful... Am planning one but the one without liner .... Lota of inspiration
Thank you and good luck!
Such an interesting and fantastic video. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you
Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
Love it. I have been wanting a small pond in my yard. Hopefully will be able to get it done this year. 🤓
Go for it!
Yessir! Manual labour is good for the mind and soul.
Well said!
Excellent work and very inspiring video. What a beautiful thing you’ve done for the local wildlife.
Thank you!
I want a bigger pond now! Excellent video
Guess what? So do I....
Awesome 😍
Beautiful looking pond. I bet you sit there for hours just watching what's going on!
I was just out there enjoying a cup of coffee watching the fish and frogs.
Thankyou
"But hey, free rocks!" We're of a similar mindset as our yard also has an abundance of free rocks. Each year since we moved here, as we dig up another area to add a new bed/feature on our property, we're slowly building up a store of free rocks for a few water projects we have planned. Glad to find your informative video.
I HAVE SO MANY ROCKS. It's ridiculous. I built a fence around my yard and those things gave me twice as much work.
Love this so much! Exactly what I’m trying to do. Probably won’t be as big because I have a smaller space and rent. But this is beautiful!
Thanks!
Bull frogs are the best. Very nice video. Please do more.
Great video..I have made a 2x3m hole ,but now I Will do it without a pump...only for the watwefall...hours look so naturel...thank you.
I've got a small pond and a large one. I built both. I had tried everything to get clear water without luck. I did one thing last year and it made a huge difference. A large waterfall box and bio balls. The day I got the stuff I was busy so quickly hooked it up and just let it run. The next day my jaw dropped when I saw the water. My grandson and I built a waterfall that day. I cleaned the bio balls and filter every couple of days until the water was crystal clear. After that. just once every 3 or 4 weeks. No more chemicals. I swear by bio balls. This was a one time purchase and now things are finally going smoothly. Your way works but I had to take the extra step. I'm happy.
Back in my pressure filter days before I got wise, I used bio balls. I never gave them much thought, but they certainly are a good home for beneficial bacteria to live. I'm sure the waterfall was a big step in the right direction. I'm glad it worked out for you!
Finally i found this... no more expensive mechanical filters
Hey Bob,
I enjoyed it. I have built a pond. I'm not 100% satisfied but I'm VERY happy with it. It is 4m × 2.5m × 1m deep.
I learned a LOT from it. I am about to build a 15m × 10m × 1.7m deep pond. After my 1st pond, I KNOW what design and features I need to change, remove or adjust.
My pond is and will be for swimming. But the nature part too.
I have frogs, birds, shrimp, snakes, lizards, flyind bugs, swimming bugs, snails, plants and most of all... PEOPLE. It sounds like a bogg swamp but it's crystal clear. I only use a single 15lt/min buuble pump to move water. Like you know.... The rocks and plants do a LOT.
Okay. Enough about my life. Hope your's is as happy as your pond is nice.... VERY.
Sounds like a great pond! Thanks for sharing.
This is exactly the kind of backyard pond I would want. Well, if I had a backyard. Not much opportunity for pond building when you live in an apartment complex. 😁 Still, if I'm ever in the position to buy my own home, I will definitely be having a pond much like this added to the landscape!
Thanks! Keep dreaming. I was a renter into my 30s before buying a home.
Hi i agree digging a pond by hand, does knacker you out but i managed to do mine in 2 days. Im impatient but it now is done and in spring i will fine tweek it with rocks ect and then myu fish have a new home outside. Thank you for this video from here in the UK
I don't believe we're allowed to get knackered here in the states, however I have been known to get tuckered.
cool! I have turtles pond and a koi pond also.I dont used bog filter aside of that i put a lot of plants inside the pond also the water it was clear no algea
Cool video seems like you missed your calling I can hear you on channel 13 PBS narrating a Nature show you have a very calming voice .
The entire production was wonderful; content, video, narration, script. Excellent. Are you a writer?
Thank you! Yes, I'm an author.
What was it Hemmingway said? 😉
Love your outlook, taking things as they are, and not for granted.
If he didn't say it, I sure will!
@@NonsensicalNation haha! And otherwise surely Twain will have a quote on men sitting on waterfronts. Enjoy it sir.
How totally sweet. Makes total sense. Loved the video. Does such a pond do okay in a sunny location? Sure answered my question about feeding goldfish. Thank you so much.
Thanks. The pond gets maybe 2-3 hours of direct sun, so it does just fine.
Plants help buy all you need is a pump and filter with a UV filter. The UV filter is key to clear water. When my koi pond starts to get hazy and green, I just plug in the UV light for a day or 2 and the water is crystal clear. No chemicals or anything. I don't leave it plugged in all the time either. If it turns green again. Plug in the light until the water is clear again. It really is so easy to maintain the pond now.
I've only had experience with a UV filter built into a pressure filter I had years ago. I didn't notice any benefit. That's just me.
So satisfying video with good info! :)
I think I will dig mine too, but it will be smaller than that one (I don't have so much space). I am thinking to bury an old bathtub that I have in the garage.
How about the frogs, do they make a lot of noise in the breeding time?
A bathtub would be cool! I love it when people repurpose stuff for ponds. Unfortunately, the frogs don't make a lot of noise. I say that because I love that sound. We have a larger pond down the road that seems to be the hot spot for froggy humping. Very noisy. I think that's where everyone spends the spring.
@@NonsensicalNation I was not liking so much the other options for liner (environmentally and economically), so why not using the bathtub? 🙂
I love to hear frogs, but because I am living in a 50 years old house with old windows, all the noises pass through them. Here you can suffer a lot sleeping in the room closer to our chickens (the rooster is the problem), that's why I was thinking about the noise.
I want to do a native wildlife pond and the frogs are the best option (they are abundant) for controlling mosquitoes. I know they have an amazing radar to find water sources but I think I should introduce them by myself (with tadpoles), the nearest spot for them is a bit far.
Free rock! Lovely. We don't have rock here. That's going to be an issue to solve.
Well, if you did it, I can too. Me, my shovel and a wheelbarrow . . . Wish me luck!
how 's it going?
Hi what size and brand of waterfall pump did you use i would like to build one like yours its nice and the water flow sounds good thankyou in advance...
Sorry, I don’t remember. I would suggest a mid-size pump where you can adjust the flow.
Good to see people can still have their fish without the tadpoles all being eaten. For anyone who wants to maximise wildlife impact of their pond, fish will eat some frogspawn and tadpoles. Sometimes fish are are more hassle than they're worth.
In this case the fish might be helping to hold back the algae growth though by eating it, so it's swings and roundabouts.
Yes, definitely pros and cons. We have so many tadpoles every year although I'm sure the fish eat some. They wipe out mosquito eggs which is huge. The downside is my goldfish are breeding like crazy. Their increasing population every year is starting to be a concern.
@@NonsensicalNation Clearly your pond is still an asset to the frogs, or they'd choose a different home! It's so enjoyable to see how much life even a small pond supports. Water has to be one of the most impactful features of a wildlife garden. Thanks for sharing.
I built an all natural pond that’s 9x11’ x2’ deep. I haven’t had to feed the fish either. No pumps or filters only plants. How did you build your waterfall? Is it a tub? My second pond build, I want to do what you did! Love it! 🥰❤️
Thanks! I actually made a video all about the waterfall. ua-cam.com/video/FTnWy2ojNos/v-deo.html
@@NonsensicalNation , thank you! I’m watching it now. ❤️
So large area u hav.its rare in cities now!!
We have 1 acre.
@@NonsensicalNation thats alot of area!!
I just found your video and must say I'm doing the same thing in my back yard. I'm building it with whatever I can find for 0 cost but I'm stuck now. I need a bigger liner and weather lol. I would like to ask what state r u in I'm in P.A.
Wisconsin.
loved it !! Inspired me ! What about mosquito population tho?
That's what frogs and fish are for. Mosquito eggs don't stand a chance. Yum.
@@NonsensicalNation There are also several plants which naturally repel mosquitos such as marigolds, bee balm and alium. Plant them near the pond and you have lovely plants and fewer mosquitos too. Absolutely love your pond and ideas. I plan to build a pond after I move next year and feed it from a drainage channel from the hills. Needs more research but I hope it will work.
How did you go about sorting out all the rocks to reuse them in your pond? A sifter?
Doing it
how 's it going?
@@BeautifulEarthJa Looking Promising ,seen snail in pond
I am glad to have found this video. I plan to do the same thing in my backyard. In California, almost every step of this process will incur costs. Where to dispose of the dirt? The dump. I'll follow your advice and go big, because Merika.
I have two kiddos that would probably love this idea. My daughter has frogs, and this would be a great alternative to the aquarium they're in now.
Did you find plants to put in your pond, or did they just appear? I have a terrible backyard. The soil is former ag land, and you'd figure that would benefit growth. It seems it does, for weeds. Can't kill them, and half the reason to do this is for redeeming my property from these dang WEEDS.
Any other recommendations or advice? Cautions?
Best of luck. No other advice except stop thninking about it and get started. Use the dirt for landscaping. Some plants naturally grow over time. Thanks for watching.
Welp, I've started, and there is a good sized hole where all this very dense and rocky HARDPAN and fill material once was. There is a lot of dirt. I'll probably have to sneak some little by little into the ol Green waste bin. Nowhere near ready for the liner yet, but I have accepted that it will take a while. Even got the kiddos to help.
Thanks again for putting this out there. I visit for the inspiration to keep at it. This is the hard part, but it will be so worth it.
So, this clay soil in my backyard...
I keep soaking it to make it easier to break up and move, but I've noticed that it seems to hold water really nicely.
Question: what if I skip the whole liner process? I'm aware of the point you made about not skimping on supplies, but I wonder how nice it would be if the plants had something to grow into? Would bare soil give too many nutrients and allow algae to grow? Just wondering, I don't know if this is really a good idea or not.
@@ExtremelyAverage1 I've read about people with clay bottoms with no need for liners but I have no experience. I guess I would say fill it up and see how long it holds. With normal evaporation it'll take weeks before you need to top off the water if it doesn't rain. The soil might provide too much nutrients, yes. Hard to say for sure.
Id love to know what liner you used? I also have rocky soil, and im worried about getting a leak. I plan on letting my kiddo play in the water.
I bought my liner from AmericanTilapia.com. It's hard to beat their prices and I'm happy with the liner. I didn't use any underlayment but if you're worried about punctures it may be worth your piece of mind. A common suggestion is to get some old carpet scraps and use that under the liner. I've also heard of people using newspapers. Not a personal recommendation, just what I've heard...
If you put a black pond liner over the cement eventually it looks more natural than the cement alone.
Or if your pond is like mine, you can't see what's on the bottom regardless of the material used.
Dose the water pump constantly running not hurt the hydro bill? Thanks!
Not at all.
Hi, I have a pond that had a ton of tadpoles last year. Last fall, after the tadpoles were all gone, I added comet goldfish. There are 2 of them, and right now in winter they are about 3 or 4 inches long. Do you think they will eat all of the tadpoles in spring? I’m guessing they will eat some, but how many? Will it even make a dent in the population? I’m fine as long as some are able to grow up into frogs. The pond is a few feet across, and 2 or 3 times as long, with some shallow ends that have pond plants in them. I’m hoping you have an idea since you seem to have some experience.
Thank you for reading.
It's hard to say. I always have tadpoles every year. I don't think my comets eat them, but I can't say for sure. They don't eat their own fry, either.
@@NonsensicalNationthank you!
Okay...
I want to build a pond.
At the time of this text I’ll be considering dimensions and depth. ? 12w X 20L X ?deep.
This first thought is there to be several varied in and out shapes to the ponds edges and keeping it as natural looking as possible.
I have clay soil with few rocks so I’ll need to import.
I’m imagining a lazy slow moving man made creek beneath a row of large pines running about three hundred feet from my well down a slight grade.
Any thoughts?
I’m in the thinking stage so any thoughts from my neighbors are surly welcome.
Thanks 🙏
You sort of lost me on the creek, but the size and shape of the pond sound good.
When it rains does it over flow? And what plants are good pond plants?
I haven't had it overflow yet and we've had some doozy storms. As long as you have enough room between the natural level of the pond and the rim of the liner, it'll be fine. Of course, that depends on the size of the pond.
Lilly pads are great for ponds. They provide shade to keep algae under control, give fish a place to hide, give frogs a place to hang out, and they look cool. Otherwise, any native(ish) plants in your area that can survive the winter and won't take over the pond. That will require research on your part.
Im building my wife a backyard pond. my question is with the sod, do you simply place it ontop of the liner?
Yes, I did that with mine, but I didn't go crazy and cover the whole thing with sod. I mostly stuck with the butt-load of rocks that I dug up. Some people would probably disagree with lining the bottom with sod because it introduces a ton of nutrients in the water and gives algae something to eat. My thoughts were the opposite. I figured the sod is loaded with bacteria (a good thing), gives the pond a more natural setting, and maybe if I was lucky, some vegetation in the grass and dirt would thrive and grow under water.
Despite what some people may say, there are very few hard rules when it comes to pond building that must be followed. Well, I guess a pond MUST be filled with water. Maybe Jell-O? Hmm...
Experiment, embrace failure, try something different, learn from mistakes, and HAVE FUN.
Hi! Did you have to add water ever? If so did you have to dechlorinate the water before adding it? Thanks!
I top it off from time to time. Evaporation. I have well water, so no. Even so, I wouldn’t worry about that.
I have an honest question don't you have some type of filter/screen for your waterfall pump so it doesn't get clogged and if it exists is it just the manufacturer or is anything there you had to modify?
Just simple grating that comes with the pump. I remove anything that collects every week or two.
I know its possible cause I've seen many natural ponds I was just never in class when they were constructing one... I love the natural look and flow of things...thanks man
How did you make the waterfall? Xan you do a tutorial on how you did the waterfall?
ua-cam.com/video/FTnWy2ojNos/v-deo.html
@@NonsensicalNation thank you
What kind of filter or pump did you use ? Could you provide a link please ? 🙏🏽
Sorry, I don't remember what brand or model pump I used. Nothing special. It recently broke last fall, so I'll be buying a new one this spring.
Instead of a liner can you use bentonite clay?
Yes. I've read about that, but have no experience.
Very beautiful pond, but the gold fish ruin it you should just use some small fish native to the area.
Thanks. Agree to disagree about the fish.
Dont know if youll see this but I was thinking about using a more natural homemade Gravel and Charcoal water filter for a pond I plan to make to prevent unnecessary clogging of the pump for a hopefully long lasting pump that shouldnt need to be replaced would this still be okay for the natural ecosystem of the pond or would it destroy it? Also could you tell me what pump you use cause a waterfall like yours is on I would like to similarly make mainly looking for GPH of it
No, it wouldn't harm the ecosystem. If you want to give it a try, go for it. Experiment and have fun. Sorry, I don't remember the brand or specs of the pump I bought.
@@NonsensicalNation No worries about the pump thank you 😊
@@NonsensicalNation Could I also ask for some plants that wont run rampant causing an unviewable pond?
@@realSrDouchington Sorry, I'm not much of a plant expert. I basically experiment with cheap grasses and plants from the store that look like they might do okay in water. I also transplanted some stuff from the river behind my house and bought some lilly pads that can survive in my zone. Everything else grew naturally, like cat tails.
@@NonsensicalNation the cat tails just showed up really thats so cool, and thanks again
Great video what kind of pump did you use for your waterfall? Were is it located?
Thanks. Nothing fancy for the pump. I think it's around 800 GPM, very similar to this one below. If you freeze frame in the opening seconds of the video, the pump is submerged below the corner of the deck closest to the falls. About 6 feet away.
amzn.to/32ohuhj
have a lovely natural pond just as you do, but had to enclose it in a structure, but just a few days ago a otter visited it and my lovely shubunkins all disappeared. Defended them against raccoons and herons but never expected a otter. So have you had that disappointment yet with a open pond.
Not at all, we've been lucky. As far as I know, no predators have taken out any of our fish. Last year we had a couple of small herons hang out by the pond for a week or so. I chased them off a few times and they never came back. With the way my goldfish have been breeding, I wouldn't mind them getting thinned out just a bit. Just don't tell my wife. They are her babies.
The otter is nearly extinct in the Netherlands. I would kill for one to visit my pond.
@@EdurtreG Never seen an otter at our pond, but a couple of years ago we had an adolescent mink milling about in our garage trying to get into the garbage cans. He was adorable.
@@EdurtreG wow you should come get some from BC we have millions 😄
So, to hold the water is the only reason to use a liner ?
Yep!
What are the dimensions of your pond roughly? Really enjoyed your video!
Thanks! I would say roughly 15 by 12 feet. I measured when I was building it, but don't remember the exact size.
@@NonsensicalNation15 inches?
You actually do not NEED anything for a habitat wetland-just have to be sure you have reeds and shallows for mating and plenty of hiding places to evade predators. No fish is best for amphibian attraction. Get yourself mosquito dunks with bacteria that parasitizes the eggs-they're awesome and work beautifully!
I currently have around 20 goldfish and about a bazillion frogs and tadpoles. Both parties are getting along swimmingly. See what I did there?
I like it but what I don’t like is the pound liner plastic .
If I could do it without a liner, I would. There are alternatives, but a liner is foolproof and easy.
@@NonsensicalNation They you could use clay
@Ni-dk7ni not where I live it’s everywhere I even use it for sculpture clay is free.
Been hesitant about a south FL pond. Worried about mosquitos.
Fish and frogs easily solve that problem. Skeeter eggs don't stand a chance.
If you keep it natural it won't be a problem.
how long would the pump last in an environment like this with no filter?
I don't understand the question. Filter or no filter doesn't have any effect on a pump.
@@NonsensicalNation wouldn't debris eventually clog the pump in this environment?
@@struggle375 Sure. I check it every few weeks by pulling it out of the water and removing anything stuck to the grating over the intake. But I'm still a little confused, because that's the case for any pond and every situation.
What was the liner called
americantilapia.com/
So you need liner and pump. I would prefer pond without pump and liner.
I only use a pump for the falls. No liner would be great, but I don't have the soil for it.
The reason I came here was to see how you laid out the plumbing for your waterfall.
You're in luck, Nacho. I made a video all about that.
ua-cam.com/video/FTnWy2ojNos/v-deo.html
Thank you.
Wat would happen in the winters
In regards to what? I'm not sure what you're asking. I'm in zone five, so the pond freezes over. I use a combination of an air stone for bubble and an electric de-icer to keep a hole open in the ice so the fish and frogs don't suffocate.
@@NonsensicalNation sorry for not clarifying, but in regards of the pond freezing. I live in ct so winters are cold. How would u keep the fish alive during these harsh winters
@@NonsensicalNation do the plants die ?
@@Hawkeyeshy06 Yep. Air stone and de-icer like I motioned above. I'm planning a winter video this year.
@@Hawkeyeshy06 No. They are all hardy zone 5 plants that survive the winters fine. I thought my lilly pads didn't make it, but it just took them a long time to pop up this year. Didn't see the first until early July.
Find useful information at 7:25. Nice narration otherwise!
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