Web Exclusive: Pond Plants, Fish and Safety
Pond plants (Not an exhaustive list)
Floaters:
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Duckweed (Lemna spp.)
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Fairy moss (Azolla spp.)
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Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsusranae)
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Salvinia (Salvinia rotundifolio)
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Water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes)
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Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
Deep-water plants:
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Dwarf or miniature water lilies (Nymphaea spp.)
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Hardy water lilies (Nymphaea spp.)
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Lotuses (Nelumbo spp.)
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Tropical day-blooming water lilies (Nymphaea spp.)
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Tropical night-blooming water lilies (Nymphaea spp.)
Submerged plants:
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Cabomba (Cabomba caroliniana)
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Canadian pondweed (Elodea canadensis)
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Curled pondweed (Potamogeton crispus)
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Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum)
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Water milfoil (Myriophyllum spp.)
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Wild celery (Vallisneria americana)
Shallow-water edging plants: (usually potted)
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Arrowhead (Sagittaria spp.)
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Cattail (Typha spp.)
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Iris (many varieties to choose from)
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Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)
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Parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum)
Pond fish
Types: (Not an exhaustive list)
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Common goldfish (These are highly recommended for a new pond. They’re hardy creatures and inexpensive, both good should your water quality need some tweaking.)
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Calico fantail (These probably can’t winter over.)
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Koi (These grow quite large and prefer cooler water.)
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Red comet (These are a more elegant variety of goldfish.)
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Shubunkins (These come in varied colors, including mottled blue, and are hardy pond dwellers.)
Pond Safety with Children
Ponds naturally attract children. Consider not only children in your family but also neighborhood children. Safety considerations for a toddler will be different than those for a five-year-old or an eight-year-old.
To minimize risk, consider these:
Cords: Make sure that children won’t trip over electrical cords from a pond’s garden or lighting.
Fencing: Install a pretty fence around the pond with a childproof or locked gate; make the pond your own “secret retreat.” Check local building codes for any rules that may apply to your pond project.
Depth: Consider building a shallow reflecting pool; a stream or a fountain on a mound of river rock; or a bubbler fountain with stones and surface, pooling water.
Height: A wall fountain or container fountain could be situated higher than a toddler’s head, at least two feet above the ground.
Edging: Take care that the pond’s edging is not slippery from water or algae growth
Location: Your pond shouldn’t be very close to the house, where children might be able to slip out and visit it unnoticed. But the pond should also be in sight so you can quickly notice a child wandering too close to it.
Room in the pond? Recommended population by pond size
The more oxygenated your water, the less space each fish will need. Also, the chlorine levels in your pond water will affect your fish.
Fish size |
Volume of water recommended |
|
2" long |
1 square foot |
|
4" long |
2 square feet |
|
6" long |
3 square feet |
|
8" long |
4 square feet |
|
12" long |
6 square feet |
|
16" long |
12 square feet |
What shall I fix for dinner? Feeding your fish
You can begin by feeding new arrivals fish flakes that are available in most pet stores. Once the fish are established they’ll feed themselves from the plants in your pond and the insects that hover and land there. Feeding your fish then becomes a pleasant opportunity to commune with your pond’s residents rather than a daily task. (No need to hire a fish feeder when you leave on vacation.)