Hi Ed, very informative videos mate cheers and the attention to detail is top notch. I have a wildlife pond myself without fish and pumps and used the underlay,liner,overlay method with low nutrition soil on top. I have been watching your vids because I’m considering a native fish pond. I do really think that for a successful wildlife pond, that pumps and fish need to be excluded for maximum wildlife benefits and it’s very important to include external planting around the pond, for the important cover for amphibians migrating through the marginal plants and beyond. I was just wondering if you have ever used this method? Cheers again 👍
Hi there! Thanks for watching and commenting and you’re right-planting around the pond is just as important as planting in it. Providing safe refuge and cover for wildlife migrating to and from the pond is very important to help encourage species diversity. As for pumps and fish-pumps can and do damage wildlife in ponds-however the benefits to aerating ponds and creating water movement is huge, so the negatives are outweighed I think by the positives. Pumps can be encased in a finer mesh protective bag (Oase pond guard for example) to reduce the potential of newts, tadpoles and small fish getting taken through the pump. As for fish themselves reducing wildlife it depends on numbers-a healthy eco system in a pond will comfortable sustain some fish and the benefits to the plant life from fish waste promoting plant growth-in turn helping to sustain a rich healthy pond can’t be underestimated. The pyramid of life includes some top end predators and without these the pyramid can collapse and the same is true of many eco systems in the wild. A few native fish or some goldfish (which are essentially crucian carp in any case) are a lovely addition to a wildlife pond! Thanks very much for watching and commenting! Best, Ed
Thanks Jon, It appears my recoding in mono has caused lots of issues!! Have discovered the stereo setting so hope to resolve these issues on the next vid-fingers crossed!
Another info-packed video, so useful and helpful, thank you. I wonder if the pump sucks up small invertebrates? What is the yearly running cost of a pump like that?
Thanks for your kind words! Indeed the pump could well suck through some small forms of pond life, (indeed water slaters/water lice often colonise filters and have a ripe old time feeding on detritus as a result of being drawn through a pump!) although as the surface area of the pump cage is so large suction force is minimal, which helps to minimise critters from being drawn though. Running costs are low- power consumption for this pump is only 23 watts, so negligible. Best, Ed
I really like this style of hiding the pond liner at the edges, it looks great. Are you able to give an idea of what quantity of stone and what sort of size of stone you tend to use for a pond on this scale? I've come across various options, e.g. half a ton of 100-200mm rockery stone, a ton of 250mm rockery stone etc. online, but trying to find somewhere local in the Fort William area.
Hi there- thanks for your comment! In this example I used approx 200kg of rock. It’s surprising actually how much rock you really need, even in a small pond and when building I always prefer to have a surplus of stone of different shapes and sizes. When building up stonework I liken it to a natural jigsaw but one that you don’t actually know the finished picture! You can’t ‘make’ the rock fit, rather keep trying different pieces until you have a satisfying look. Having surplus rock makes this process much easier. For a similar sized pool I would look to buy a half ton load and pick out all the best bits! Rock size is difficult for me to gauge- again I would try to use a range of sizes, rather then sticking to a uniform size and shape, which would look too regimented in a ‘natural’ pond. Equally having a sense of scale is important- sometimes a huge rock may just look, well, too large compared to the overall size and shape of the pond you’re making. It’s all a little subjective and I’d say just have more rock then you need, go with a range of sizes up to the largest you can manage to lift and have fun in the process! Best, Ed
Great video. Did you place the pump in the bottom of the pond? What about suction & wildlife? I’ve watched your previous but it was when you released it so you probs covered all that.
Thanks for your kind words! In this instance the pump is sat on the bottom of the pond. Suction strength on ‘dirty water’ pumps like this is minimal, as the large surface area of the pump cage helps to reduce overall suction strength. Any pond pump has the potential to draw through the odd small critter- but the benefits of running one far out way any down sides of doing so. You could ‘wildlife proof’ a pump by encasing it within some pond baskets, encasing it within some filter foam etc, although this could increase the need for pump maintenance/cleaning. Best, Ed
So Ed, I’ve bought a smallish preformed pond liner. (Did you just groan 🤦🏻?) do you think it is possible to achieve a ‘natural’ look with such a thing? I want a small pond for our resident frog and hopefully other wildlife, but I would also like it to look beautiful and if at all possible realistic 🐸🥃🥃🏴🌊
Hi Sarah-no groaning-honest! The biggest challenge with a preformed pond is getting it in the ground level-if it’s not it will be very obvious, with more shell visible above the water mark on one side then the other. Get it in level and your half way there! From there planting is key-I find most preformed ponds are a bit restrictive with their shelving-you can never have enough shelving space for marginal plants-so careful consideration should be paid to peripheral terrestrial plating outside the pond as well. This will help to ensure you can conceal As much of the visible pond shell as possible and provide some great natural habitat for pond wildlife as well. Finally, don’t forget to leave a few stacks of rocks/steps as either end of the pond on the shelves (if it has shelves at both ends) to provide an easy way for wildlife to get in and out of the pond. Wish there was a way I could see other people’s efforts! Good luck and what ever you end up with remember the simple act of offering some water and plants will attractive wildlife, you’ll see! Best, Ed
@@CrystalClearAquatics thank you so much Ed for your kind and comprehensive reply. I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to be so helpful. I will definitely be using your advice. My little garden is about the size of some of the big ponds that you work with, but it is a very special place to me. I’m always developing my garden and I’ve wanted a pond for years. I’ve recently been invited to open my garden to the public as part of the Scottish Gardens scheme. When the lady representing this area came to visit she said it would be nice there was a little pond. The next day a frog 🐸 showed up and that was it. I was a bit hasty heading to Amazon. I should have done more research. Hence the binge watching of Crystal Clear Aquatics. Once I’m interested in a subject I immerse, pardon the pun, myself in it….So I apologise if I’ve inundated you. I really enjoy your videos and very much appreciate your advice and support. All the best too you 🐌🥃🥃🏴🐸
Would you have recommendations in regard to ways to keep invasive roots from working through a liner? Over the years I continue to struggle with keeping a liner free from persistant roots that make their way into the liner.
Hi there, thanks for your comment! Ground prep is key if roots are to be prevented during the life of a pond and it’s really important to ensure plenty of good quality pond fleece is used to cushion the main pond lining and help prevent the intrusion of roots from causing any potential liner damage. Over the years of course small roots can and will work their way between the liner and fleece, but in general these are small, flexible fibrous roots that pose no threat to a good quality pond liner. If you are already suffering issues with roots if you’re able to get easy access to the ends of the pond lining it would be worth draining, lifting the liner, chopping away any problem roots and adding additional fleece before re assembling your pond. This may not be practical however and the only other option is to laboriously trench around the pond, chopping away any roots you encounter and filling this void with concrete, or knocking into place some plastic or metal screens that will help create a barrier to the roots. The issue with this is how deep do you go?... if it’s large mature trees close by then digging deep enough just wouldn’t be feasible.... hope this helps and good luck! Best, Ed
Hi there- thanks for your comment! The foam ‘rockfix’ is, as the name suggests, simply a way of bonding or fixing the rock work into place to create a structurally sound surround to the pond. Rocks can be positioned ‘dry’ and left like this, but fixing the rocks in place can make for a longer lasting job. Hope this helps! Best, Ed
@@CrystalClearAquatics I’m visiting my local aquatic Center tomorrow who don’t stock rock foam. I can get it online but it comes with so many health warnings. Apart from cement is there anything else I can use? Many thanks.
@@tonivince589 Hi Toni, good question! I try to turn a blind eye to the health warnings on lots of trade materials (!) if you look closely at the small print everything seems to be a carcinogen and toxic to this and that....😬 gloves, a mask if ventilation is poor and perhaps safety glasses could be a good idea. I feel outside in the fresh air there’s minimal (I’d say zero, but there’s no such thing!) risk. Even cement has its own risks.... the other option is to simply lay the stone dry, wedging small pieces of stone and ‘fillers’ to maintain structural integrity-but for obvious reasons fixing the rockwork in place has its benefits. Best, Ed
@@CrystalClearAquatics thank you Ed. I’d assumed as you were using it it would be ok, with safety measures. Our pond has a 30 year old butile liner which has a few waterline holes which I’ve patched. My new waterfalls will fall into this pond. I’m determined to do the work myself, not the Electrics, after watching your fab videos. 😊
Well that didn’t work!! If you head over to my channel (crystal clear aquatics) and click on ‘videos’ you’ll find part one. Apologies I couldn’t create an active link-still learning the art of RU-vid!!
Hello mate, I've always been interested in ponds and making them. I'm currently 19, I was wondering how you got into the profession as I am incredibly interested in making this a job one day. Any help will be appreciated :)
Hi there, Great to hear you share my enthusiasm for ponds! I’ve always been interested in nature-horticulture and aquatics especially and was fortunate enough to spend almost 20yrs working for a family run aquatics store, which gained me I guess much of my knowledge. Ping me an email and I’ll respond to that with more detail for you. Best, Ed
I'm the only one that is not able to get the audio of the video? Update: from @2:30 until @10:08 I get the background music but no voice, then silent again... (?)
Hi there! Unfortunately this was recorded as analogue/single channel and so sound only comes out of one speaker/headphone! This was picked up by some other viewers (and thankfully since has been rectified for more recent recordings) if you’re watching on a desktop or with wired speakers it might be that you’ll have to swap the leads around on the speakers🤦♂️ viewing on a mobile device such as a phone or iPad will solve these issues however! Apologies!!
@@CrystalClearAquatics Thanks very much for your explanation and help, it was exactly what you said, once I fixed the speakers' wires I could hear your voice loud and clear. :)
