Pond minimum size.

[Deleted User]

Hello.
Can anybody give me a minimum  size for a wildlife pond. I was thinking maybe a half the size of a bath?

DullGreyGuy

[Deleted User] said:

Hello.
Can anybody give me a minimum  size for a wildlife pond. I was thinking maybe a half the size of a bath?

There is no minimum but generally the bigger the better WWT and RHS have a fair few tips on what to consider no matter the size you are planning. 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/ponds/wildlife-ponds 

ArbitraryRandom

I think it depends on what you mean by 'wildlife pond' - what plants you want to stock it with (if you want plants) and what types of animals you're wanting to attract (insects vs visiting geese!). If you know how much space you're wanting to give up in your garden then that would dictate the depth (so the sides aren't too steep) which would then tell you the types of plants etc. 

Even a washing up bowl left in a quiet spot or an abandoned tarp can end up a great breeding ground for frogs after all  

twopenny

I have a large bowl shaped pot  with baby frogs and a juvenile. I've put a tiny fountain in and they don't seem so keen. Probably the noise of the motor.

And they were selling plastic half barrels cheap earlier in the year so deeper.

But I've seen water lillys in a bucket full of water.

I've also had frogs living in a bucket full of rain water. They stayed for years.

As Arbs says, it depends what you want in the way of wildlife.

[Deleted User]

ArbitraryRandom said:

I think it depends on what you mean by 'wildlife pond' - what plants you want to stock it with (if you want plants) and what types of animals you're wanting to attract (insects vs visiting geese!). If you know how much space you're wanting to give up in your garden then that would dictate the depth (so the sides aren't too steep) which would then tell you the types of plants etc. 

Even a washing up bowl left in a quiet spot or an abandoned tarp can end up a great breeding ground for frogs after all  

ArbitraryRandom said:

I think it depends on what you mean by 'wildlife pond' - what plants you want to stock it with (if you want plants) and what types of animals you're wanting to attract (insects vs visiting geese!). If you know how much space you're wanting to give up in your garden then that would dictate the depth (so the sides aren't too steep) which would then tell you the types of plants etc. 

Even a washing up bowl left in a quiet spot or an abandoned tarp can end up a great breeding ground for frogs after all  

Definitely  no fish going into it. A bunch of reeds and some local plants from a nearby pond.(the council always clear it every few years and leaves on the green stuff on the edge)
Hopefully  some insects and the odd frog. But l don't want it to be a muddy puddle for midges.
It's definitely  not going to be big enough  for geese thinking more like a kiddy paddling  pool size.
Thank you for replying. 

gwynlas

I think that depth is more important than circumference and the use of oxygenating plants to keep the water clear remember to include ramps so that anything that falls in can climb out.

-taff

I've got an old tin bath set up for mine with lillies, hottunynia, something else, a big log, some bricks and some little stones and a solar pump. No oxygenators. When I spoke to the people at the aquatics centre they said it didn't matter about oxygenators if it's small, just put some plants in [ in those basket things though so the dirt doesn't go everywhere. Seems to be working, the water is clear and the pump deters mosquitoes. {which obviously live elsewhere thanks to the puddles and water collection in various areas, not on purpose...] The fox keeps chucking the pump around but as long as they don't bite through it like they did last year, it's all good. No frogs though yet but then, i only set this one up this year.

[Deleted User]

gwynlas said:

I think that depth is more important than circumference and the use of oxygenating plants to keep the water clear remember to include ramps so that anything that falls in can climb out.

Yes was thinking for of a deeper area than some sprawling pond want to keep the edges well defined.
Thank you for replying.

[Deleted User]

-taff said:

I've got an old tin bath set up for mine with lillies, hottunynia, something else, a big log, some bricks and some little stones and a solar pump. No oxygenators. When I spoke to the people at the aquatics centre they said it didn't matter about oxygenators if it's small, just put some plants in [ in those basket things though so the dirt doesn't go everywhere. Seems to be working, the water is clear and the pump deters mosquitoes. {which obviously live elsewhere thanks to the puddles and water collection in various areas, not on purpose...] The fox keeps chucking the pump around but as long as they don't bite through it like they did last year, it's all good. No frogs though yet but then, i only set this one up this year.

Tin Bath what a good idea. Haven't seen one in years mind.
Thank you for replying 

ArbitraryRandom

I agree if you want to avoid midges/mosquitoes and don't want fish (natural predators) then the biggest thing will be to avoid standing/stagnant water. If you don't have/don't want to run power, then there are solar options (which obviously only works when the sun is shining on the panel unless you get one with a battery). 

I think there's also some plants (like lavender) which they're not supposed to like and you could plant in close proximity... but I don't know how effective that is. I think citronella and lavender oil hide our sweat from mosquitos so they don't see us as food. Not sure if that would work for a potential breeding spot.