BUILDING A POND

INTRODUCTION

• When I was little I always wanted a water feature.
• In 2012, my family and I went to Melrose for easter. I went tadpoling, and caught about 12. When we came back, the tadpoles settled into a small baby bath. A few days later, the cat ate them.
• So, A few weeks ago, I invited one of my friends over to help me dig a fishpond. Now, it is almost finished.

RESEARCH

• To build a pond, you needed research. So I went on youtube, and found this : https://youtu.beBdncaVMHTDA.
• At first, we thought of getting Koi. That was in the video. But because Koi carp are illegal in South Australia, we decided on Comets, a breed of gold carp.
• A few weeks later, I remembered the tadpoles. Our plan is when the tadpoles become frogs, we get the comets. The reason behind this the the pH. The tadpoles will fix the low pH, so the water is safe for the fish to live in.

DIGGING THE POND

• The first thing about digging a hole is location. Whilst not perfect, the location of the pond is under a cedar of Lebanon, so there are leaves dropping in quite alot. However the place has benifits, getting sunlight, and also is out of way, and not in the cat's knowledge.
• First, we uprooted a dying bush. Then, me and my friend started digging. It was hard work, but after a day's digging, we were done. After digging, a few bricks were added, so that plants may sit on a ledge.

THE POND LINER

• After the bricks were layed, we got out our pond liner. To line the pond, first we got out the plastic. Then, we put wooden planks around the hole and nailed them together into a frame, and then nailed the plastic on to the frame.Then, the pond was filled up with water. The creases disappeared, and the hole became a pond.

POND PLANTS

• Waterlillies are a type of flowering plant. They grow in water, and produce pads. Frogs and other amphibious animals live on the pads, as they float above the water. Waterlillies are considered part of a common garden pond
• Waterlettuces are another aquatic plant. Unlike waterlillies, their roots float about in the water, not buried in the soil. They are good for getting rid of algae, as well as being quite easy to maintain. In winter they die off, and rejuvenate in spring.
• Water reeds are a type of plant that grows on river banks. They often house frogs and other small amphibious creatures. They are long in shape and are considered a type of grass. Reeds were used to make paper in classical egypt.

THE SPOTTED MARSH FROG

• They are small green spotty frogs.
• They are about 4.5 centimetres long, and are green. They have black spots.
• They are vegetarian, although sometimes they eat small insects
• They live on the east coast of australia.
• We have three spotted marsh tadpoles in our pond.

GOLDFISH

• Goldfish are native to east asia. A thousand years ago, they were domesticated and bred. As gold was seen as wealth, it was the most popular colour. However, sometimes typically gold goldfish have black or silver fry.
• In the early 17th century, goldfish were introduced to europe by the portuguese. They were usually given as anniversary presents, and represented luck.
• Goldfish are the most commonly kept fish, and I have put three shibunkins in my pond. Shibunkins originate from Japan, and are silver, black with gold highlights.

ETHICS

• What effect will a pond have on the garden?
• What fish, flora and frogs would benefit the ecosystem of the garden?
• What type of fish would be sustainable?
• Will frogs damage the insects and other species that live The in the garden?
• Is it ethical to keep pets?
• Will the animals live a happy life?
• Will it increase the sustainability of the pond?