How to grow plants in a pond?

[gillymrd]

 this is my Dish it’s 2m in diameter. This picture is when I first got it and set it up, but since I have let it go and I want to re-establish it with Plants. I bought some water plants and also some floaters which are black rubber rings that hold the pot up so I thought I would try that this time because I found it with regular pots. The water got really dirty. So my question is given that it’s mostly the roots that will be dangling in the water what soil mixture should I use. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of advice about these floater devices and I wasn’t sure whether I should be using the same soil as normal or something different. Thanks so much

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @gillymrd 

Your current plant numbers look balanced and ok for small fish.  Basically, as a guide 150L 5 to 10 small fish , more more fish and bigger fish vs less water needs less fish and smaller.  These fish below will not need a filter and oxygen pump (like an indoor aquarium)  in 150L of water as a guide as there is enough surface water area to absorb enough oxygen.

Gold fish (Comets 100Litres)  are hardy outdoor fish. Some will get quite big and  did you know if they have idea conditions can live for 30 to 40 years.   A couple many be 3 or 4 of very small breeds of goldfish that only grow to 30 to 40mm full grown but are best in 200+ litres of water. A little more messy poops etc, will need feeding very small amounts.

All these fish will eat insect larve etc including mosquitos as a part of their diet

White Cloud minnows Well suited to micro ponds and are adaptable and tolerant of cooler climates. Length 2.5 cm 10  as they are small and pretty Approx 150L pond size. Frog  friendly

Rosy Barbs Orange color grows to 4.5cm a minimum of 200L will add colour and movement to a pond. Other fish harder to spot from above.

Pacific Blue Eyes  Needs 150L pond size grows to 3 cm and frog friendly

(Myth Goldfish only grow the size of a tank !  Not true they will try and grow to their full size every time.)

I will pass on some background information to help guide your choices.

The deal with fish is they need to be small and not too many of them ie over populated . .  A fountain increases that absorption/mixing which is great if it is running but too many fish will run low on oxygen if it fails some might die.  So Keep numbers low so they will survive with no add ed oxygen source.

Fact : Plants add oxygen to water doing photosynthesis too many will decrease the Dissolved Oxygen as they reuse oxygen at night, and this can kill a bunch of fish if there is too many. Dead organic matter  and poop in the pond will decrease oxygen. Hot weather will also decrease water's ability to absorb gasses this will impact fish health , but keep the numbers smaller not bigger  everyone is happen.

[mich1972]

Good afternoon @gillymrd

I am super excited to see your beautiful Water feature take off and become a sanctuary for fish, frogs and wildlife. 
I have a bathtub Frog Pond with a variety of different types of water plants. Lots of frogs , Gold Cloud and White Cloud Minnows, Native Pygmy Perch to eat the Mozzie larvae and not eat the frogs eggs or baby tadpoles. 
I definitely didn’t use soil as they are adapted to grow in water. It’s a great little Ecosystem 😃 good luck and look forward to seeing more 

[gillymrd]

Thank you so much. I’m also very excited and thank you so so much much to you & all the other wonderful responses I’ve had. I’m even more excited because I’m now way more  informed than I was.  My bowl is 2 m diameter and purchased in Bali years ago & is two hours south of Sydney where I have a holiday cottage and that’s where I’ll be working on it.
I’m collecting a few plants and now have the knowledge. thank you thank you thank you, thank you,  

[EricL]

Hi @gillymrd 

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your new aquatic setup.

Eric

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi @gillymrd 

I c its a holiday house   

I would stick with the smaller fish like the minnows and as @@mich19721972 likes as well not really goldfish as if they hungry will eat smaller fish.  Minnows they can survive possibly unsupported in the ponds water Eco structure eating insect larve as food etc their own population will balance out. There should be enough oxygen absorbed into the water at the ponds surface. They don't need powered anything or feeding like other bigger fish so in a holiday house you can be away with the pond fountain off.  Fish might also nibble some of the plant growth of water type plants.  Rain these days should be enough to top the water up and refresh the water.

Now you will get black growth on your ponds sides that is the nitrifying bacteria both aerobic and anaerobic that converts fishes' output of ammonia into nitrates for the plants. So clean it of periodically but always leave some for faster pond recovery.

Try to avoid using chlorinated tap water in your pond it will kill the good bugs as a well as bad. And shorten fishes life span.  (Have you ever smelt strong pool chlorine? not fun to breath for us consider now the fish need to breath in that underwater.) As a water top up try catching some rainwater or use tank water   Chlorinated water say 200 Litres open the air will lose its chlorine in about a week if you have a few buckets. There are some chemical fast liquid dechlorinaters but not needed with a little planning.

Now your knowledge is growing look up the plants you want to put in the pond or are in there just to make sure they are fish frog friendly and not poisonous  rare  case but never say never.

I would buy some 4-5 fake Lilly pads 100-200mm wide to provide shade for the fish and hide them from overhead birds from snacking on your minnows and also reducing some sun light direct to the water as per algal bloom.

Real Lilly pads need deeper water to grow 300 to 600 mm as a guide. (i seam to recall maybe some dwarf species available?) and water lilies seam to only flower on still waters not near a fountain sprout. But nature will make up the rules as things develop which is half the dread and or fun. 

A frog will have to be a hell of a jumper to get up there lol but it might be possible  i hope it is possible for your pond.

See how it goes over time you might get frogs.  If not consider a test ramp up to the ponds edge and a ramp out off the pond or a floating frog platform like the fake lilly pads.

[gillymrd]

Thanks again for your helpful information. 
I might get the plants established first (researching if they are fish friendly) then think about the fish. We have lots of eastern dragon lizards and they have in the past been able to climb up to the pond. Also tons of frogs around. 
 I will post some I going pics as I get started. 
thanks again