How to bring back life into a pond?

Dear Permies,

I'm new on this forum, so I can't find my way yet through all new and unknown English words for me. But I came to this website through a startpage-search. But that one wasn't specific enough for me to solve my "dead" pond. So here is my question, hopefully one of you can help me to take some (small) steps. But first the specifications.

- We bought a plot of land with pond for recreational use. So we go once a month, to escape city life. we bought it last year.
- the plot is in Europe, on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium.
- the pond is 20 Meter width en 40 meters long (21 by 43 yards) , its a rectangle.
- fresh water with a slow flow into the pond (through groundwater level or upstream force, unknown yet)
- there is a pipe from the pond to a stream. that works as a overflow.
- I once blocked it to see if the water was rising, it did. I didn't test it how high it would get. I don't want to damage the trees and surrounding plants when i'm away for a month.
- the trees around are deciduous trees on 3 sides and on 1 side pine trees. (there were 2 pine trees in the pond last year)
- there are a lot of leaves on the side bank in the water. I poked with a stick, you feel a resistance after 30 cm, (11 13/16 inch). But if i push harder I can push through till around 1.4 meter (1yrd 1.6ft) Then I feel real resistance. About the middle of the pond i can't say. But probably around 2 meters (2yd .5ft)
- It bubbles quit a lot of gas.
- there is a stream behind our property and pond, that is moving and at least 1 meter below our level of the surface of the pond.

As I said, I got 2 pine trees out of the pond, I also raking sometimes the leaves with an own build hand rake to one side. The plot is in a nature habitat, so I can't do much about it. They won't give permits that easily, But I heard from others around the area, they never check. So do what you want, but no heavy machines. That's why I handracke it by hand and rope. It will take me at least 5 years. At least it is relaxing meditative work for an 1hr a day haha.... My plan is to shorten in time the pond in length, cuz so many leaves are in the water.

So now the deadpart. It's dead. No fish, no frogs, don't see anything else. Last year summer it was completely covered in duckweed. For at least a good 4 months. at the end it attracted ducks, that was cool.  But there is a pond close-by, what has way more trees around it (no pine), with way more leaves in the water, but with 2 water lilies and small carp. It looks completely healthy (very jealous cuz it's pure nature no humans interfering)

Now my first real question is. I build a fishtrap and i'm planning on catching some of those fish and put them in my pond. Will they stay alive or is the pond killing them? Do I need to take some pre steps like adding oxygen plants? And how long do I need to wait? Will the pond become automatic "healthy" if I add fish and overtime racking the leaves to the side to build a new bank (already did some test, it is working). Or are there many steps to take? When I bought it, it was my dream to make a trout pond, but after searching online i put that idea in the closet haha. let's take it by year. And this year the battle will be with The duckweed that will probably arrive again around june. I want to be prepared for this year. If it is possible of course.

So far for the long story, hopefully I put as much information in it, to get the most precise answers as possible.
Thank you all for the read. And I'm looking forward to the answers an to find my way around this website. My dream is to go within 10 years to another country to buy a waaaaayyyy bigger plot of land and live from it.

Greets and thank you

PS: we have only one okay-isch picture. I don't make any, and my girlfriend think the pond is to ugly! So it is never on the picture hahahaha

Welcome to Permies!

I've added your thread to a couple of other forums to get some better views. It looks like it could be a really nice pond. From the photo it looks like the water is clear but with a muddy bottom is that right? The bubbling is not neccessarily anything to worry about - it could be as a result of a spring. I used to live near where springs came out of chalk aquifers and you often see bubbling. Also green plants underwater will respire and give off oxygen and carbon dioxide. Only if it is anaerobic methane is it a real concern.

There seems to be some sticks towards the back of the pond - was this growing last year or is it dead wood fallen in again?

My instinct is to get a water test done. It would cost a bit though (maybe Eu120?) but would give peace of mind as regards anything really nasty in the water.

I would not add fish until you are happy that plants and smaller creatures (tadpoles, water beetles, dragonflies...) and plants are thriving. If you can get some submerged pond weed from a local healthy pond (obviously not something
invasive) that will probably bring lots of other wildlife with it, and help to oxygenate the water.

Hopefully someone with more experience can give more help for you.

As Nancy has suggested have the water tested.

This thread has some great suggestions for bringing a pond back to life:

https://permies.com/t/162649/bring-contaminated-pond-life

From what I can remember from that thread is some suggestions were to aerate the water and using a filter to clean the water though that might not be right.

And there may be some plants that will help clean the pond.

I wonder if introducing mushrooms around the pond would help?

Have you checked to see if there are any conservation agencies that might offer some suggestions? Here in the US, we have used an agency called Soil Conservation the help us with building a pond.

To Nancy
Thank you very much for adding my question to more forums. Didn't know i could do that.
1: The sticks are from one off the pine tree's I took out.
2: The thing about the water what you see, are actually pollen. They fell a couple of times on the water last year to make it look dirty, but after a rain it was gone.
3: I'm afraid it is  anaerobic methane, cuz there aren't any living plant in it. Only ferns around it. And as far as some neighbours told me, this is for at least 5 years like this.  

And i'm taking you advice to keep the fish out of my pond this year. First some plant!

I forgot to mention that on the other side of the very small creek is very swampy, the old river was flowing there first. It is now placed further away. They sold this piece of land for the first time in the 60's (I think). It was in between the river and farmlands. But the land was to wet for big machines. So they dug out this and several other ponds and sold it off als nature reserve. I think thats also why the duckweeds are thriving, close to corn and grass fields.

To Anne
Thanks for the thread, There are a couple of things. I don't have electricity, at one point we are going to set up a small solar panel. But only for 1 car battery cuz we won't be using it much. For aeration, It seems so less for a (small big) pond  20 to 40 meters (and 1.6m deep). I have no experience so my feeling is worth nothing in this case.  So i will look further into this, and get myself a pump that can work on a solar panel!

About local government, the 2nd last owner was trying to dig out the pond, but got sued. This was 15 years ago. He tried later to get papers, but got refused, because of letting nature be naturae. I'm sorry, but i'm not going to ask someone. This time I'm taking my money with "don't wake up the sleeping dogs".  

Thank you both for answering. I have the feeling i'm getting closer to a clean pond

well Gueas what, we did had pictures of the pond from last year (with duckweed) and even one from last month (tripod).

I'm asking my husband (who's been keeping aquarium fish for 20+ years), and he says what the pond needs is aeration and filtration. The bubbles are from anaerobic bacteria. The pond needs more oxygen. I'm thinking that a good pump, or even an increased flow of water from the stream should help. (He wishes to clarify that the aenerobic bacteria at the BOTTOM of the pond is fine and helps clean the water. But you still want some more water flow. The bottom of the pond will take care of itself.)

Also, he said that "The pines are killing it. Pine trees kill everything. If you have pines near your pond, they'll kill your pond. The toxin is in the sap, and maybe about a year after removing the trees, it should come back to life."  I would work on removing the pine trees and plant other native or beneficial trees (most deciduous trees should be fine).

If you add fish from another pond, or feeder goldfish, there's a very high chance that they will die, just like the frogs and everything else.

To summarize:

(1) Remove the toxic trees.

(2) Add a biological filter. (My husband says the terms "biological filter" will be helpful to search in google)

(3) Wait a year for the toxins to degrade.

(4) Order (or procure) some legal native pond stock from a reputable breeder. (If they don't make it, there might still be residual pine sap)

This sentence:

I think that's also why the duckweeds are thriving, close to corn and grass fields.

could be an important clue. Is there any chance that your pond is getting runoff from the corn field? Corn fields tend to have high nitrogen runoff which would certainly make the duck-weed happy. Adding fish would have exactly the wrong effect, because they would add more nitrogen, not remove it. Harvesting some fish, even for animal feed, would remove nitrogen, but probably not fast enough to re-balance the pond. Harvesting the duck-weed would be more helpful as every time you remove it from the water, you are removing the nitrogen it represents.

If you think runoff from the field could be part of the problem, I would suggest seeing if you can plant things like cattails and rushes between the fields and the pond in any soggy areas. However, to truly remove the nitrogen, you would have to harvest the cattail leaves regularly, rather than letting them just die back naturally. The leaves would make great compost or mulch, or they can be used for weaving baskets/twine/fabric. Many parts of cattails are edible, but I would want to test for things nastier than nitrogen coming through that area before eating them.

I went looking for how long it takes for the toxic parts of pine sap to cease being harmful to animals, and found,

https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/14-10-wood/

No wood, including pine, can kill fish if it has been dead and sitting in the sun for even a few months. There is NO wood which has been weathered by even a few months of exposure to the elements which is poisonous to fish. NONE.
...
There are some organic compounds (“turpentine”) in freshly cut pine wood (so called “sap”). These pine compounds are toxic to fish but all are very pungent. The toxic polyoxyphenols in wood such as cedar which gives this wood its insect resistant properties are also very pungent. All these compounds will evaporate from any dead wood exposed to the sun and the elements pretty quickly. But fresh cedar can be a problem, as can fresh pine.

It sounds like if you cut the pine trees down, and wait a few months, the pond should be much healthier.

To me it looks like the pond has very steep banks (word?). There is no zone of shallow water with all the beneficial compounds of local plants and wildlife.
If that is the case, you could try to dig some of the steep walls off to allow for that shallow zone, and then plant some of those plants that make the pond look more natural. You should have lots of nurseries available as the Dutch have some famous nature gardeners like Piet Oudolf.

I would also remove *some* of the trees to allow more sunlight get to the water. The deeper the water and the more shade, the slower the organic growth is taking place. Plus it is more attractive for your local wildlife (frogs, toads, dragonflies etc.)

Good luck!

I don't really have any advice other than what you are doing to get some more depth back in the pond, but I just wanted to say it looks lovely and I am very jealous of your pond, I don't have any water on my property now. I hope you can get it sorted out soon it looks like a wonderful place to be.

P. Degen wrote:As I said, I got 2 pine trees out of the pond, I also raking sometimes the leaves with an own build hand rake to one side. The plot is in a nature habitat, so I can't do much about it. They won't give permits that easily, But I heard from others around the area, they never check. So do what you want, but no heavy machines. That's why I handracke it by hand and rope. It will take me at least 5 years. At least it is relaxing meditative work for an 1hr a day haha.... My plan is to shorten in time the pond in length, cuz so many leaves are in the water.

So am I understanding that you've been removing leaves from the pond? If I'm understanding, you're doing that cause you'd like to change the shape and depth? I do wonder if taking leaves out might not be the best at this stage of things, as the leaves probably contain a lot of beneficial bacteria and fungi that are likely helping clean up the residues from the pines and whatnot. The biological filter that Nicole mentioned. Of course, the fungi also consume a lot of dissolved oxygen as they do that, so there is that. But I think the suggestion to add aeration could help with that. On that note, this site is about botanical style aquariums, but it has a huge amount of fascinating and useful information for understanding aquatic ecosystems. Could be worth checking out, though be warned, if this stuff interests you, it's easy to end up reading for hours: https://tanninaquatics.com/blogs/the-tint-1/the-fungal-filter

I think water tests would really help you have a better idea what's going on. A basic aquarium test kit that would show ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, kH and gH would be a great starting place. You can get these from places that sell aquarium fish for not very much. They are quite simple to use, some you literally just dip in the water and compare to a color chart. They are also really helpful if you record your readings over time so you can monitor progress. They'd definitely let you know about the state of the biological filter and whether it is managing to improve the health of the pond. Since there are nearby agricultural fields, more expensive tests that would show if there's any icky chemicals could be helpful too. But just getting an idea of the basics would be good. If you try one, please share what you find!

I like Heather's suggestions.

Getting the aquarium test kit is easy and cheap.

To me, trying to remove the leaves might upset mother nature's balance.

The leaves are composting in the pond and returning back to the soil, right?

I have been reading more on what plants to use to clean the water.  Since Europe is such a big place I hesitate to list plants that might not grow for you.  So my suggestion would be to search for what water plants grow in your area and if they clean the water.

I also read that fish will help clean the pond so once you get all the other measures going to clean the water, maybe 2 or 3 years, please then consider some fish after determining that the water is safe for fish.

Anne Miller wrote:
I also read that fish will help clean the pond so once you get all the other measures going to clean the water, maybe 2 or 3 years, please then consider some fish after determining that the water is safe for fish.

Not really, Jay Angler wrote it above:
"Adding fish would have exactly the wrong effect, because they would add more nitrogen, not remove it. Harvesting some fish, even for animal feed, would remove nitrogen, but probably not fast enough to re-balance the pond. Harvesting the duck-weed would be more helpful as every time you remove it from the water, you are removing the nitrogen it represents."

It is quite difficult to get a stable balance in your pond with fish if you don't add equipment as well. And from my environmental perspective of course adding fish is always detrimental to the natural wildlife that will in time show up, especially amphibes that are under such pressure in Europe.

I already like the pond as it is! And I am sure there is probably more life in it yet than it may seem at first glance. For example newts are very shy creatures that might take years to show up even if they are there already!

Try to get a bucket of water from a natural pond nearby to impregnate your pond with all the beneficial microorganisms that will feed on the plant debris and thus clear it up. A natural pond also shows cycles of clear water and turbid water, it is totally normal. Only if the pond is stinky I would be bothered.

I'm not trying to argue but we do have Ponderosa pines in the area around our pond. They aren't at waters edge as they don't like that much water, but they don't seem to have any negative effects on the pond. Our pond has endangered Oregon pond turtles, invasive bull frogs (which largely get eaten by foxes) and plenty of dragon and damsel flies, as well as a plethora of bats. That speaks to me of a healthy ecosystem. My best advice would be to give it some time. Maybe put up some bat boxes in the interim to discourage mosquitos.

My best advice is to talk to locals with ponds, find out what they have in theirs and try to replicate that if you are in a hurry. If not, I'm of the mind if you build it they will come, just not always on our timeline. In my experience, humans are impatient. I wish you good luck, regardless.

If it was mine I would continue to get out most of the leaves.  From what I studied in the few pond books I have is that an excessive amount of organic material is bad for a pond.  Buy a book about backyard ponds, they have some good information for you.  A quick search found this information, more searches will find you plenty of helpful information.
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/landscaping-projects/landscape-basics/how-to-maintain-a-landscape-pond/
Here is just one book, I don't have this one but any good pond book, especially for a larger pond will be very helpful.
https://www.buildingnaturalponds.com/

Even if it is just a solar powered pump, the larger the better or a few small ones, you should start moving the water.  You may need to make a very large filter around the pump to prevent stuff from clogging the small pump, maybe something the size of a large laundry basket with several layers of filter material starting large and getting smaller so you can get water flow but still keep debris out of the pump.  Every time you visit clean the filters.  If you can afford at least 2 solar powered pumps use one to bubble the water up and let it splash down on the water to get movement and break the surface tension of the water.  That will aerate (add air or oxygen into the water) the pond.  The second pump would also need a large filter and should be pumped up a few feet above the edge of the pond into a rock type water fall.  The constant flow of water over this rock structure will provide the biologic filtering you need to bring life back into the water.  Ideally electric pumps would be best as they would move much more water but since you don't have electricity start with the small solar pumps.  Any water movement is a good thing.  If you can afford either a small solar system or a generator you should get an electric pump to use while you are at the property.  Even if it is just a couple days a week or month moving as much water as possible over a rock filtration water fall will be very helpful.  Searching pond websites or reading a good pond book will explain how a filtering water fall would work.

Is there a way to tap into the stream uphill of the pond?  Even if it is just a 1" (3cm) or 1/2" (1.5cm) hose or tubing it would bring fresh water in and slowly flush the old, dirty water back into the stream.  The idea is to get rid of the old water and bring in new, healthy water.  If you could do that in addition to the water pumps I mentioned above it would be very helpful.

To get things started I would consider using the feeder goldfish someone mentioned above.  They are cheap and if they don't last it wont be a big loss of money.  If you can check with your local experts there may be a local type of small fish to start with, which might be a better idea since the overflow feeds into a  stream and you may not want the goldfish to find their way into the local habitat.  Any small fish for starters would be good, minnows or whatever small fish are in the ponds down stream would be ideal to introduce into your pond.  Again, consider the ecosystem of the stream and downstream ponds so you don't introduce an invasive species into the natural surroundings.  If possible use a metal screen, like a window screen, to make a large filter at the inlet of the overflow pipe, that will prevent your small fish from escaping your pond.  Again, make the screen large enough and clean it every time you visit.

How deep is the pond?  Could you get a pair of waders and get into the water and carefully walk around to pull out larger debris and branches?  Also consider skimming the surface of the water to allow sunlight into the water.  The duckweed is not a bad thing but it will slow the release of gases from the surface of the water.  If those gases are trapped in the water it will be unhealthy.  Just like the water pumps to aerate the water there needs to be enough clear water surface to allow the gases to escape.

Good luck, you can make it live again but it will take a little work.  If you start in the spring it should have obvious life in it my summer and it will get better each year.

Goldfish are considered an invasive carp species in many areas, so if the pond is connected to other wild ways, introduced goldfish will likely spread to native ecosystems. The goldfish upset the food wed drastically, inhaling insane tadpoles and vegetation. They can outpace many other species that should fill the same niche, by blatantly reproducing thousands and thousands of fish per year. They're famous for becoming stunted due to their own population explosions.

Native tadpoles can take the roll of mid water small predictors (aka fish), and will help control bugs and create a living ecosystem, that will balance itself a lot more effectively than invasive goldfish. Once the tadpoles do their job, adding some native fish would likely work.

Anita Martin wrote:To me it looks like the pond has very steep banks (word?). There is no zone of shallow water with all the beneficial compounds of local plants and wildlife.
If that is the case, you could try to dig some of the steep walls off to allow for that shallow zone, and then plant some of those plants that make the pond look more natural. You should have lots of nurseries available as the Dutch have some famous nature gardeners like Piet Oudolf.

My husband is getting really excited about the idea of creating a bank. One could just dig out a bank, rather than trying to fill in a side of the pond (you could use the area you dig to fill in a bit of the pond). He doesn't see much point in fighting the leaves. The leaves give tannin which make the water safer for animals (by reducing ammonia's toxicity) .

I wonder if a little bank could be made to mimic the sort of ecosystems people use to create natural swimming pools? The Natural Swimming Pool Book & Movie might be a really good resource to get you started..

Stacy Witscher wrote: Try to get a bucket of water from a natural pond nearby to impregnate your pond with all the beneficial microorganisms that will feed on the plant debris and thus clear it up. A natural pond also shows cycles of clear water and turbid water, it is totally normal. Only if the pond is stinky I would be bothered.

My husband has done this sort of thing a lot with his aquariums and small ponds. It really does help in getting that microorganism life going!

Stacy Witscher wrote: I'm not trying to argue but we do have Ponderosa pines in the area around our pond. They aren't at waters edge as they don't like that much water, but they don't seem to have any negative effects on the pond.

I wonder if it's because the roots are in P. Degen's pond and not in yours? Or maybe the amount of water change going on in yours is greater than his? It's all really fascinating because life is so complicated and interwoven!

Nicole Alderman wrote:

Native tadpoles can take the roll of mid water small predictors (aka fish), and will help control bugs and create a living ecosystem,

More importantly to me, in my pond, they turn into adorable micro-frogs that grow up into tree-frogs that visit my garden and blink at me when I suddenly come face-to-face with one napping on a leaf!

More seriously, the world needs all the frogs it can get right now (except bullfrogs where they're invasive), so I support creating frog habitat. Frogs *need* areas of still water to reproduce. I see bees and wasps sitting on patches of duckweed to get a drink in our dry summers, so still water is also helping my pollinators and natural caterpillar harvesters survive in a world which is increasingly unfriendly to them.

Ponds are not all about fish - one can create a very useful natural habitat for multitudes of creatures that help the planet in their own way.

If the plan still involves removing the leaf matter at the bottom of the pond, its possible to make a mechanical device to do so.
The image shows a traditional dragline bucket, but I am suggesting a much smaller one built with a steel frame and steel mesh with say a 4 inch , 100mm holes.
With a pulley system set up it could be drawn across and back the pond floor scooping out the muck in one direction only for simplicity.
Ground stakes can be used to hold the pulleys and as the pond is cleaned the pulley system is moved sideways to the next stake.
A petrol motor with a pulley and a clutch would be the tractive power.
BUT here is an easier unit.
And this is a place to purchase this equipment
www.muck-n-weeds.com

We are so happy for all the information you all are willing to share. Some contradicting, but that is good, now I can cherry pick ..

It is interesting to see how much information is needed for a clear view of the situation. I thought I was pretty clear, but with every post I think. Ah that is good to know toooo... So here are some more points to consider:
- the pine trees are not completely near the water. The closest ones are around 4 meters o the edge of the pond, with some deciduous trees in between.
- I saw in one of the replies that dead pine get sun bleached, So I guess that the trees that felt in the pond, where dead and standing before they fell in. But I can't say it with certainty.
- When i'm raking the leaves to one side, there are plenty pine needles between the leaves.
- the pond does sometimes smell bad. Not always!
I also read a post about the amount of sun. There is a piece of land with a pond closeby, deserted for over 30 years, with waaaay more shadow, but the annoying thing is, that one is (natural) healthy. We bought ours from a lady who wasn't been much there in the last 5 years. Only sometimes to trim trees and bushes. I think the pond was bad all that time.
- there is a pond nearby with people trying to take care of, but the only thing they are doing is taking invasive plants out, and has way to much nutrients in it. But they also have big carps in it. The healthy pond very small. (don't know if that mean something). At least I know now, fish is not the best option.
- So you have the farmfields, than a ditch working properly, over 20 meter off land before the pond starts with many different kind of trees in between (small forest like). Not sure if that is enough? For the chemicals to magically disappear  
- because the surroundings are very wet, there a lot of dragonflies and in the evening bats. Also a kingfisher, only not often on our piece of land. Hopefully soon too!
- I can't get the stream more upwards to get fresh water. The height difference is to big and there are other properties in between.
- fresh water from underground goes slowly, I will make some pictures of the flow from the overflow


The things i'm going to do after reading all your replies:
- I bought the book "building natural ponds" It will arrive on monday, looking forward to it!
- I'm going this weekend again for a short  trip, hopefully I can get the water tested, I will for sure share the details.
- I'm going to look closer for natural life in the pond, will make some pictures if I find any
- I will also be throwing some fresh buckets of water from nearby ponds. Thanks for the tip!
- We are going to make some banks as quick as possible. We can see it already full with beautiful water plants
- I'm looking into earation, just as solar panels. But our budget goes on the moment more to the area around it. (a shed, the bungalow more liveable, plants and bird friendly bushes, flowers etc.)
- reading up on biological filters. It looks fun because I can make something new haha
- After reading up, I truly want to believe that the toxins will be less in 2023. Last year we did nothing with the duckweed. But this year I will get as many out of the water, just to get more nutrients out of the water. Thanks for the tip!
- We already had the plan to grow some cattails. Does it matter if they are on the other side of the pond in comparison the fields to pick up on toxins? Otherwise we are going to make some changes in our plants
- Reading about Piet Oudolf, well my girlfriend is. Sharing the load of information is nice!
- Thank you Skandi Rogers. Very nice to say that of you. You made my girl very happy with that comment.

As I said, i'm going probably this weekend for a short trip. If any want a specific picture from something, let me know.
Thank you all very much! I'm very happy with all this information. I made a big list! Keep you all posted!

There is a Company who sells the right Bacteria but they come to a price...\

Check here:  https://www.mrbacteria.at/teiche-und-weiher-c84/

I guess you speak German as well as the link is in German.

1. Get the water tested (every Aquaruimshop can help here)

2. Get as much decaying Matter out of the Pond to reduce and eventually stop further build up of anaerobe zones.

3. Get water plants that demand a lot of Nitrogen and shade the pond partial.
    Reed around are great Filters as it uses up a lot Nitrogen and gives underwater surface for nitrifying Bacteria to reduce the high Ammonia Levels (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter)

4. Solar driven Oxygen Pumps are sure worth every cent or build your own Ventury Nozzle. Also a Fountain can help to get oxygen in plus it avoids the complete coverage with
    Duckweed. The Duckweed carpet avoids also getting Oxygen into the water.

5. Do NOT put Fish in right now, they will die or just making things worse.

Most Important is that you get the Microorganisms back in Balance, then reduce the risk of dropping more organic matter into the water. Have a look at Vetiver Grass which is perennial and doesn't spread or invade but reduces runoff significantly as a natural wall.
The Frogs and other life will return when the water invites them to stay..

What is it you want for this pond?

Swimming hole, fishing hole, place for wildlife to drink, place for aquatic creatures?

Is it smell or bugs that make you want to change it?

Why is it you think it's "dead"?  What makes a pond "alive"?

My understanding is that this is to be a part time,  1-2 x per month recreation spot, My fear is any sort of aeration equipment will be interfered, or damaged if left unattended for weeks at a time  - by animals,  birds or humans.

I guess what I am seeking is clarity on your vision of the pond,  long-term. What will it look like,  how would it be used,  what is/are your goal (s).

After water testing,  to ensure it is not toxic, and assuming you are seeking a wildlife pond  (not a food source), contact those who do wildlife rescue; perhaps native turtles, and other amphibians would be the best place to start... or perhaps bird boxes suitable for swallow (or whatever 'pond birds' would be suitable), what sort of water mammals are native to the area? Perhaps you could provide a release site for rehabilitated wildlife?

Approaching those that regulate or restricted what could NOT be done,  may also be the best source for what CAN or should be done?

I really, really think you need a local partner who understands the ecological system in this area.  Plant, fish or other suggestions from other locations globally be unsuitable, undesirable,  or even detrimental in your locale.

Is there a park system with ponds nearby, staffed with forest interpreters who could explain healthy vs. unhealthy?  Naturalist? Environmentalists? I really feel that you need a local expert BEFORE you start messing with what actually might be an existing healthy pond, or one in need of very slight assistance.

Good luck!

Am I correct that you believe this is a fairly new pond, something dug perhaps to drain surrounding low land?

If this us so, I suggest reframing your view to see it not as a "dead" pond, but as a pond that has not yet come to life.

It is a "naive" ecosystem. It may go through some transitions before finding a good natural balance. To use the aquarium metaphor, a new aquarium set up from 0 is a poor environment for fish. A new aquarium will go through so unpleasant phases before it is really a good home for fish, it must be fully "cycled."

People here have shared good ideas about how you might help the pond's development to a healthy ecosystem.  Do not despair if it does not progress quickly, though.  It may need some time and some seasons.

Hey Permies,

So I just came back from our piece of land and I have some data for you guy's, and some pictures.
We bought the fishtank tester kit. We tried it out right away with our tapwater. This was our score:
                                  Chloride    PH        KH        GH       nitriti    nitrate
tap water home             0           7.4        10         10           0           25
So last weekend I tried the healthy pond with small carp all natural
                                        0           6.4        6           7             0            0
The other pond with big carps, lots of overgrowing waterpest (Elodea) and human interference
                                       0           6.4         5           6             0            0
our pond (tested 2x)     0            6           4.5       5.5           0           0
As last I  also tested our hand water pump for our drinking water (we boil it)
                                       0            6           5          13            0            25

So what does that say about the water the quality of water? And Is is okay that there is none nitrate in the water? Is that usual? Cuz both the drinking water has waaay more. When I checked the water real good, I saw very little life. But I saw at least life. The natural pond had waaaaaay more. But it isn't as dead as I thought. I also throwed in 2 buckets of water from the natural pond. The goal is to do this every time we visit.
Our goal for the pond is a nice looking water, with a lot of green. Birds, insects, some fish (the biggest dream is an nice edible fish), and were it is possible to jump in from time to time....

And I also add some pictures cuz I'm still not sure what to do with the leaves and the muck inside the pond. Healthy or not?
Ps: I think the pool is digged at the end of the sixties.

the pictures:
- the stick and smelly bubbles, the pole went in 150 cm deep from 1m from shore. It touched the leaves already after 10cm when entering water. A lot of leaves. Do they all decay into ground?
- there is often a white glow in the water as you can see in the pictures.
- here you can see how close/far off the pines are to the pond. On the other side is the very small creek

I asked my husband, and anything under 40 nitrate is fine for a pond. Looking online, you want under 10 for human consumption. I don't know how to lower the nitrates in you drinking water!

Also, the mulm (leaves, etc) at the bottom of the pond is housing anaerobes that are using the nitrates and turning them into dinitogen gas, which eliminates itself into the atmosphere. This helpful for you right now. After you've got everything else ready for fish, and the pond is healthier, you could remove no more than 1/4 of the mulm at the bottom at a time. Then wait a couple of weeks before removing any more. The toxic gas bubbles are not toxic to fish--it's toxic at the top, but it leaves the water so quickly that it does not harm the fish.

The GH, KH, and PH are all talking about the hardness of your water. That's usually pretty hard to change. My husband wouldn't worry about the hardness of your drinking water unless it's leaving residue on your bathtub and faucets

You need to learn how your pond works.  

Here the pond gets stinky and black in the winter.  Keep that from happening for a few years and a lot of it improves.  What happens?  The pond ices over.  As long as the ice is clear it becomes its own greenhouse and all is well.  Then along comes a snow and blocks most of the sun getting thru the ice.  The plants die from lack of light.  Now they are rotting in an anaerobic environment with no light.   The problem snowballs. This same environment kills most of the animals living there too.(more stuff to rot.  The methane bubbles rising thru the ice future years reduce sunlight which helps kill future years too.

Now how do your prevent it.

1.  Make deeper water.  More water means more dissolved oxygen and the water doesn't get as bad as fast.

2. reduce the growing stuff in the pond.  If you do this by mechanical raking what you rake out will like be some of the best mulch for trees that you will find.  Other permies compatible answers without big machinery.  A.  Add barley straw to the inlet water in a recoverable form. (I know oat straw does NOT work and I don't know about wheat) The straw releases a chemical that will reduce algae growth in the pond. The partially decomposed straw  then is hauled to the garden to be mulch/compost.  B.  Add garden floats to the surface of the water to grow stuff while blocking the sunlight reducing summer growth.  C.  Graze the pond with a type of livestock that eats in the water.

3.  In winter aeration of the water will help.  It helps slow the plants self destruct cycle.  A small air pump using likely about 50 to 100 watts will do a lot for water quality.

4.  Simply shovel the snow off after every snow fall on a small portion of the pond.  My pond here roughly similar in area I need to do a square about 3 meters on a side(10 feet)  So probably 9 to 12 square meters of area.  If I get to it within 24 hours of each new snow fall while my water gets a bit stinky by spring it is exponentially better than if I do nothing.

As for stocking fish be sure you are deep enough, proper water temps year round, chemically sound.  Then check your local fisheries rules as even here in rural WY there are a huge number of rules for stocking.

As for cleaning the pond while easiest is to have a big machine in to do the work if you can't do that suggest doing some sort of bucket and cable dredge system.  With care you should be able to rig it so no one ever knows it is there without a boots on the ground inspection.  It doesn't have to be fast if it can run steady for months at a time.

One other one in my dream list here do to the same thing would be  a VAWT to agitate the water to muck and a bit of a pump to start a siphon over the bank.  Then go to to some "SSSS" curve forms to settle the mud out of the water while running the water on to water a bunch of trees.  In the process over time the mud that settles out would become a tree wall.  Eventually remove the forms and have a large earthen wall to improve tree climate.

You can connect a  12 volt solar panel directly to  2 or 3  12 volt  air pumps with brushless motors.  They were a bit noisy when I had them but they will last a couple of years.  You need a charge controller because they  will go too fast when the sun is high in the sky otherwise.   Then pipe the air  (half inch or 3/8 inch pipe is fine) to the bottom of the pond.  The bubbles returning to the surface will both aerate and create currents in the pond.  The current will be surprisingly strong.   Alternatively,  you can use mains electric with a medium size pond air pump. (You can pipe the air hundreds of meters with half inch or 3/8 inch  (9 mm to 13 mm internal diameter irrigation pipe or even old garden hose pipe if your electricity is far from the pond).    If you want a circulation from one end of the pond to the other,  you can do it if you have 3 inch (75mm) or 4 inch (100mm)  pipes under the water.  have the air pipe enter the pipe 1 meter or 1.5 m deep under and slope the pipes so that the far end is at the surface.  The air will rise up in the pipes and will move water with it as it goes to the other  higher side. Dutch aeration page  can help you a lot.  They are experts in aeration (for fish) but it works for any pond.  

Pine trees are toxic, and contaminate waterways as well. Bentonite can clear the water, as well as non toxic plant matter like hay and straw
Try to eliminate chemicals coming into to water catchment
Spread the word

Hey Permies,

Another year and some another experiences.

A small recap on what happened last year.
- tried to rake the leaves, it went actually good. I thought i was doing good!
- found out the pond is not 1.70m deep. it is only tops 1.10m deep. With a good 20cm of thick sludge.
     - I checked this with the back part of a meter ground drill
- the whole of summer of 2021 there was a green carpet of duckweed.
- bought myself a small solar paneled bubbles system
- checked the water many times, it is not that bad!!!
- after de duckweed left the pond in autumn, i got some buckets to restart the pond.
- during the winter it actually seemed good.
- spring came and damn! the water was getting clear, we bought some waterplants (not far enough but for a pond 20by40by1m is a lot of money)
- everything was growing, lots of life. We saw so many water flees. sometimes red dots you could see from shore.
- waster became so clear that I could see that there are a lot of leaves in the water, like really a lot!!!
    - when I measered it, the metal pole went right through.
    - I would say at least 30% of the pond is almost  70cm covered in leaves (like in height, 1.10 deep, 20 cm thick sludge, 70 cm leaves, 20 cm free till surface)
- water lilli's started to grow, Yellow Iris, lisdodde (Typha latifolia), it was looking good.
-built a overflow with the stream in the back. But only works when groundwater comes in the pond. (it is better than nothing right?)

But since 4 weeks the duckweed is back!!.. Tried to scoop it out, I allready covered more than 10m2 as mulch. I even got 2 fish from the neighbours pond. 2 grasscarp around 30cm. I actually didn't want them in the first place. But because of a storm, an old dead pine tree felt in the pond and took with him a couple of bushes and small trees. That pond is really dead on the moment, it became purple and shit. Never seen something like this very weird!... But also those fish can't compete with the growth of the duckweed. We also get around 2to5 ducks every day. But it is way to much for them.

Any short term solutions?

Maybe, if i get the misses so far, I want to deplete the pond (with the stream in the back) and remodel the whole pond. Will share all the details whenever i'm going  through with my plan.
Another plan is to get as many oxygen plants from other nature ponds/lake/streams during autumn, and hopefully they can compete next year for nutrients.

What do you permies think of this? Is it even possible with so many nutrients in the pond?

Gr. Peter

     

A small recap on some of the questions i got before:
- steep banks is what you see, but it isn't that bad. below the water surface is sloping. (we will remodel this later on, so it looks more naturally)
- pine trees are far enough from the pond, the measurements of the pond were getting better and better (till new duckweed)
- we got this spring, lots of dragonflies, lots of strange water creatures, salamanders, frogs. It was great!
- I bought the book, building natural ponds, was great. got 2 others now. Thanks for the tip. Look for yourself "anna Hofman"
- I changed the plan from fishing pond to a healthy clear pond (now I jut need a shitload of oxygen plants haha).

Next year will be better! but it is such a long wait haha

Thanks you all for the likes, the advice, the discussion. It really openend my eyes last year. I know so much more, but far not enough. Hope to see more post! Especially for removing and getting rid of duckweed

I don’t know anything about ponds, but you said you would like kingfishers. Kingfishers burrow into vertical mud ‘cliffs’. They can borrow into them up to 6 feet before they call it a nest. So it’s unlike you’d get kingfishers nesting on your land, but if this is somewhere like this nearby you may will see them around.

I found this discussion very interesting. I look forward to hearing more about your pond and its progress!

In a small pond the duckweed is actually beneficial as it provides shade for the water (preventing overheating) and gets the extra nutrients into a "solid" form which you then can rake off. But if your pond is bigger and you can't just rake off the duckweed it will only provide some relief in summer before it starts to decay in autumn (and releasing those nutrients again).
So I think you are right, you need some bigger plants that capture the nutrients and which are easier to remove than the duckweed.

Congrats on the frogs and salamanders! Amphibes are a great indicator for a healthy ecosystem.