Hobbies And Interests
Fish Pond as an Ecosystem
Understanding a fish pond includes asking questions about what it is made from, how the animals and plant life interact, what happens below the surface and why the fish can survive in it. There are many scientific answer to these questions. Fundamentally, a fish pond is a freshwater ecosystem. This is a sequence of carefully balanced relationships between plants and animals. Clean water provides a healthy environment for the wildlife, while submerged plants reoxygenate the water for the fish. Algae forms an important part of the food chain in the pond as it's food for insects and bugs. The fish are the predator in this small ecosystem.
Building a Pond
A pond provides an aesthetic focal point of a garden, but it can also encourage different forms of wildlife to visit--such as birds or frogs. A new fish pond invites many questions to be raised. You'll wonder where to put it, how to build it, what shape and size it should be and what to construct it from. Most importantly, how to make the pond inhabitable for fish. The depth is crucial for fish, since the pond needs to reach at least 30 inches below the winter freezing line. For carp, a depth of 4 feet is required so they can thrive.
Maintaining the Pond
Inexperienced pond owners will ponder over how to look after it so wildlife can thrive. Questions such as how and when to clean the water, how to get rid of unwanted pests, what to do if the health of the fish pond deteriorates or how to introduce new fish are common. Fundamentally, the quality of the water is the most important aspect of the habitat. Fish can become diseased in water with high ammonia or nitrate levels as well as pH imbalance. These problems can be tackled by measuring the chemical levels and using appropriate chemicals to rebalance it.
Types of Fish
Knowing what type of fish to have in a pond and how to care for them is crucial. It's important to ask questions about their diet, preferred environment, company and water temperature. Doing this before you build the pond means you can make sure it is the right dimensions. For example, a goldfish pond needs to be only 2 feet deep. Also, you can choose what plants to introduce. Carp tend to eat a lot of plants, so they could destroy attractive lilies. Goldfish are less aggressive and prefer to munch smaller algae.