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Backyard
habitats
There are many things
you can do to create a home for native animals in your backyard. One feature
that also turns your garden into a tranquil oasis for you and your family
is a water feature. A native fish pond creates a home for frogs and fish
and adds a feature for you to feast your eyes on.
Design a native fish and frog pond in a
few simple steps.
Before
you start
Before
actual construction begins please take a little time to consider the purpose
that you have in mind for your particular pond. Too often the comfort
and safety of the inhabitants is the last thing rather than the first
to be evaluated. There are any number of reasonably inexpensive books
available on techniques of construction as well as pond kits & contractors
out there with experience in the field, but many of us prefer to do it
ourselves. So below are a few points to consider in the planning stages.
Location
- Site the pond
away from existing large trees to avoid root problems and minimise
the problem of leaves falling in, decaying and causing poor water
quality. Also it should not be sited in full sun (can overheat on
hot days), but in a semi shaded location with good light, but protected
from the hot mid afternoon sun.
- If keeping
fish is an important purpose, try to make the pond as large and as
deep as practical to minimise temperature extremes in the pond –
check with your local council as to the maximum depth allowed (deeper
ponds may need to be fenced).
Design
Features
- Remember when
designing your pond to consider water supply and drainage as well
as electricity supply for lights, pumps and filters.
- The pond should
have an overflow area (a place a little below the rest of the pond
height) included. This is to control where the water overflows to
(either through heavy rain or from overfilling).
- All overflows
should be screened to prevent escape of plants, snails, fish and eggs
during heavy rains and water additions. As well as keeping your fish
in the pond this serves to protect the local waterways from any potential
escapes (especially important if non local fish are in the pond).
Preparation
- Fish are very
sensitive to contaminants so new ponds should be rinsed out before
use. Concrete ponds need “curing” with a combination of
filling, scrubbing and painting with vinegar as well as several water
changes.
- If filling
with tap water remember to allow time for the chlorine & chloramine
in the water to dissipate or use a commercial chlorine neutraliser
from the pet shop.
- Before adding
plants and fish ensure that all equipment such as filters, fountains
and waterfalls are working satisfactorily.
- Allow at least
a week for plants to settle in and begin growing before adding fish.
If possible remove all obviously dead leaves as they will add decay
and add unwanted excess nutrients to the water.
Plants
- Native plant
nurseries & water garden nurseries will have a range of suitable
native plants for planting in and around the pond.
- Allowing plenty
of shallows around the edges will allow inclusion of a variety of
moisture-loving marginal plants such as reeds and sedges and ground
covers. These improve the appearance, provide shelter for inhabitants
and aid water quality.
- Consider having
all your in-pond plants in containers as this will greatly facilitate
their removal during routine maintenance such as leaf & litter
removal and reduces stress and damage to the plants.
- Containers with
emergent plants can get top heavy, and steps should be taken to prevent
their falling over.
- Planting around
the outside of the pond will provide useful additional shade and shelter,
which helps to moderate temperature and algae.
Fish
- The most suitable
and readily obtainable Sydney area fish are Pacific Blue-Eyes, Firetail
Gudgeons, Empire Gudgeons and Smelt. The other pond fish indicated
on the poster mentioned in the item on Gambusia may be harder to find.
- Fish can be
most readily obtained from aquarium shops, some native plant nurseries
& water garden suppliers.
- When introducing
your fish remember to float the bags or buckets to equalise the temperature
and add frequent small amounts of pond water to adjust other water
parameters before gently releasing the fish.
- Do not feed
your fish initially for 2 days to allow them to settle in and become
active and hungry – then only feed them once each day with as
much as they can consume in 2-3 minutes. More pet fish are killed
by over-feeding than any other cause.
Frogs
- If you intend
to attract frogs around the pond, then the pond should be sited a
little away from houses - frogs can make a bit of noise on warm evenings.
- The pond should
have a gently sloping side to allow non-climbing frogs to access the
pond.
- Rocks &
slabs overhanging the edge can stop frogs from being able to exit,
so some gaps may be needed. Plenty of plants should be added to and
around the pond - to provide shelter for frogs & tadpoles.
- All fish will
to a certain extent prey on very small tadpoles. The fish on the poster
that are marked as “Tadpole Friendly” (Pacific Blue-Eye,
Australian Smelt, & Firetail Gudgeon) are more likely to leave
tadpoles alone & will not prey on larger tadpoles.
- You will not
be able to keep any tadpoles if there are any Plague Minnows (Gambusia)
in the pond. These fish are a major threat to native frog and fish
populations.
- Further information
on frogs & ponds can be obtained from the FATS group (Frog And
Tadpole Study Group). www.fats.org.au
Maintenance
- In addition
to feeding any fish and regular cleaning of any filters, there are
a number of other tasks that will need to be done periodically.
- The pond will
need to be periodically cleaned of dead leaves & fallen vegetation.
This “mulm” can simply be scooped out by hand - it makes
good compost. The frequency of cleaning will vary depending on time
of year and the amount of vegetation falling into the water. At the
very least it should be done at the start of spring prior to the water
temperatures starting to rise. The increased biological activity from
the rotting vegetation & warmer temperatures is a major cause
of fish losses at this time of year.
- Periodically
the water in the pond will need to be topped up. This can be done
using a normal garden hose, but due to the chlorine levels in tap
water no more than 10-20% should be added at any time.
Further
advice on ponds, aquaria and fishkeeping is available from your local
aquarium shop, water garden supplier, books, the internet and local aquarium
societies.
Find out which fish species are tadpole friendly and ideal for a native
pond. Download
'Fresh Fishes of the Sydney Region' Pdf 750 Kb
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