Natural Back Yard Pond With No Filters 

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.

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!

Couldn't have said it better myself!

Thanks, Rebecca. That's the nicest comment I've gotten in a while!

Thanks! So do the frogs and birds.

You mean the air mattress is acting as a liner?

@@NonsensicalNation yes

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!

Glad it helped!

Thank you and good luck!

Thanks! Good luck on the build.

You can't have it! 😉

Thanks!

Thank you!

I was just out there enjoying a cup of coffee watching the fish and frogs.

Sounds like a great pond! Thanks for sharing.

Guess what? So do I....

I HAVE SO MANY ROCKS. It's ridiculous. I built a fence around my yard and those things gave me twice as much work.

Well said!

Thank you!

Thank you so much. I appreciate that.

Go for it!

Thanks!

I don't believe we're allowed to get knackered here in the states, however I have been known to get tuckered.

Thanks! Keep dreaming. I was a renter into my 30s before buying a home.

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.

Thank you! Yes, I'm an author.

Thanks. The pond gets maybe 2-3 hours of direct sun, so it does just fine.

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.

Sorry, I don’t remember. I would suggest a mid-size pump where you can adjust the flow.

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...

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.

We have 1 acre.

@@NonsensicalNation thats alot of area!!

how 's it going?

Not at all.

Thanks! I actually made a video all about the waterfall. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FTnWy2ojNos.html

@@NonsensicalNation , thank you! I’m watching it now. ❤️

Wisconsin.

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.

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.

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.

Or if your pond is like mine, you can't see what's on the bottom regardless of the material used.

I top it off from time to time. Evaporation. I have well water, so no. Even so, I wouldn’t worry about that.

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 's it going?

@@BeautifulEarthJa Looking Promising ,seen snail in pond

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.

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!

You sort of lost me on the creek, but the size and shape of the pond sound good.

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

Yes. I've read about that, but have no experience.

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.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FTnWy2ojNos.html

@@NonsensicalNation thank you

Yep!

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

americantilapia.com/

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

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.

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.

I currently have around 20 goldfish and about a bazillion frogs and tadpoles. Both parties are getting along swimmingly. See what I did there?

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 😄

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?

Thanks. Agree to disagree about the fish.

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.

You're in luck, Nacho. I made a video all about that. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FTnWy2ojNos.html

Thank you.

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.

I only use a pump for the falls. No liner would be great, but I don't have the soil for it.