[iggyboy]

Ben is my 7yr old grandson and he loves his visits to my plot. Last weekend he asked if we could make a wildlife pond at the back of our plot. I have a liner and some oxygenating weed will be easy to scrounge off my mate further down the allotments. My question is; Will oxygenating weed alone be enough to keep the pond liveable for wildlife? I'm also thinking about two goldfish for the pond,but no more than that. Will this be okay too?

[JayG]

My pond is stocked with goldfish (more than I originally put in there!) and has worked very well for years with just oxygenating weeds and water lilies (i.e. no filtration or mechanical aeration). Not having too many fish for the volume and surface area of the water is important, as are the water lilies as they help stop the water heating up too much in summer.

Having said all that, goldfish are not really compatible with a wildlife pond, because once fully grown they will eat it all (tadpoles included!) 

A pond used to house fish needs to be at least 2 feet deep to prevent it freezing solid in harsh winters; you also need to think about your grandson's safety even if it is only a few inches deep.

[mobilekat]

Wildlife ponds of any size are great, but as JayC says goldfish are not very helpful.

For many years we had a small pond- about 2 foot by 3 foot and with a maximum depth of 2 foot and it worked really well, we did often top it up with more water in the summer.
We never had a pump or anything, just some oxygenating weeds- so long as there are no fish you need very little active oxygenation- as most of your occupants will be 'part time' and will get it and out!

Make sure there is a 'hedgehog ramp', this then helps the amphibians too, and some good rocks and stones around the edges will also provide hiding holes.

We developed frogs, newts, dragonflies, and many other insects and an occasional grass snake!

And once those guys all appear, there is enough to watch to not need fishes!

Providing some shade over a pond helps keep it cooler, but you do really want to avoid putting it near deciduous trees and bushes else the leaves will cause chaos, and watch out for run off from the allotments else you will get algae blooming.- also consider if people are keen sprayers- as insecticides will nuke your pond!

Good luck!

[iggyboy]

To JayG & MobileKat, many thanks for your respective information,I believe the Goldfish idea will have to be shelved,the last thing we want is to build up a diverse world of wildlife only to have it eaten by fish! And of course my grandson's saftey is paramount. Thanks again