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You could try disturbing the water surface with a small solar pump they are about £12. They like still water so that may help. I think you can get water treatments too but I've never used them.

We net from autumn to start of summer. They've always been worse threat over winter particularly when local waterways freeze. Keeps the autmn leaves out too. Have a wood frame that slots together - just legs and lengths between/to span it with a net tight over. We've 'bog' plants around the...

I haven't grown it in a tank, but lobelia cardinalis is quite impressive emersed. What do you have in your tank, we might be able to guess how well it's likely to do outside. I had javafern out over the summer, but I think winter killed it. A lot of things will do summer.

What depth is it? Hairgrass will and should overwinter. I actually have a sword plant I stuck outside that survived the winter - although not huge. Vallis will grow. Do you want underwater or things that will grow out?

I'd add the sludge, or atleast some of it particularly as it sounds like you are aiming for a wildlife pond. I wouldn't add a foot of sludge back in, but if we are talking a layer over the bottom why not. It will re-sludge itself with time so you aren't adding something you would be safe from...

I had some outside in a container, it actually survived over winter (south, uk) I think it was sheltered enough it never froze. It didn't particularly take off, but to be fair it was just lose and would probably have done better with substrate and ferts.

We were having an interesting discussion on fish for outdoor containers, so I was just wondering what everyone was planning regarding plants (above or below water)? I've got a rectangular 2.5' long tub and thinking a line of pots hooked along the back and a miniture water lily.

I doubt it. You could test the water, but I imagine the rain the rest of the year resets it. Most people with ponds have to top up with tap in summer - we do with the same hardwater and no issue with frogs etc. I imagine the frogspawn is hatching or being eaten. Tend to find the odd dead frog...

Amazing how diverse they are! Thanks for sharing :)

I find our frogs will find the shallowest place possible to lay - this year I had to tip some out of a trug with 1" of rain water in that they'd picked over the pond! By far their favourite spot is a 12x18" area filled with fist sized cobbles that poke above the water in places (it's about 8"...

Nice, I really like the hanging wood! Just watch those toads in spring next year. They are very cute but we've lost fish to them/frogs before. The males get so overexcited about grabbing a female and holding on they occasionally get confused with a fish and attach to them instead.

Looks great! Did you go for any livestock too or just the plants?

Your goldfish family is expanding well! It all looks very lush and healthy. Really is amazing how algae free it is - now you just have to work out the secret and apply it indoors ;)

Are yours part raised? I would guess that makes a difference to temperature too as below ground is presumably better insulated than above ground sections.

Having a deeper area rather than making the whole thing as deep is probably more practical. Our pond is split in half front to back, with the back about 2.5' and the front about 4' (but we do have koi too). Around 2-3' is usually quoted for winter survival - I'd go 2.5' just to be not right on...

The way to do it non messily is to line the basket with hessian if it doesn't have very fine mesh. Then fill with soil and top off with gravel. Then very gently lower it in until the water is just level with the surface (you can do this in a bucket if you want). Then let the water soak in and...

Now I think about it, we started with some in the border (heavy clay but a bit dry mid-summer) and they didn't survive the next year, the ones with their roots in the pond have though, so fingers crossed for you.

We tried one and it didn't last either. Primula denticulata has survived though - and again can be grown from seed (or divided).

Is it this... https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=991 If you like it then it's basically a wild form of hardy geranium (cranesbill). They come in various sizes and shades of whites, pinks purples and blues. Very pretty and quite tough. Would make a nice addition if you wanted to add more...

Wow! That's quite the makeover, well done! I bet you get all sorts of new wildlife now you have some water available. It looks really good! Here are some plant IDs... This, as you probably know is a very happy looking cherry - if you want to eat those cherries you'll probably need to net it...

It surprises me that they are still showing a fear response. We get the same sort of skittish behaviour after doing major work on the pond - draining/catching/disturbing all the baskets etc. but it only take a day or so for them to get back into the habit of coming up to meet people on the off...

Do you have a normal video camera/camera with a mains lead? We've done this before, didn't catch anyone fishing but did catch the neighbours dog sneaking into our garden for a drink! We just used a time lapse option to keep it shorter to playback and recorded from indoors through a window. This...

I'm sorry for your loss :( I'm surprised you were hit now. I'm in the middle of a housing estate, but we have to net our pond over winter to protect from herons. They fly over from the local canal/river, particularly if it's cold enough to ice over as the filter in the pond keeps a handy (to...

He's a very hansom chap and clearly he takes his job in water quality control very seriously - must be good if that's his favourite!

It looks really good! Amazing how fast it changes and things grow too. You don't have any issues with local cats? Just keep in mind shallow bits like that are the most dangerous as they can't dart away quickly. We've always had all the neighbourhood cats come to drink (and fish) in ours. Even...

I shouldn't think it will be an issue for a wildlife pond, it's perfectly normal for some areas at some times to be rapidly turning over with rainwater. You might also want to consider a water butt or two though for watering the veggies.

That seems a little OTT for slabs. Might be better with general labourers if you know exactly what you want rather than people to 'landscape'. An alternative for the airline is running it in a garage/shed where you have power and running a long air line. We run one from our garage with a line...

Very cute! Funnily enough, yesterday evening must have been frog wake up here, after being frozen last week. There were at least 10 hoping around in/out the pond and around the garden in the rain. Quite a few already paired up - spring is in the air! Pulled the net off before it ends up full of...

We net our pond from just before autumn leaves fall until the following spring. Have a couple of long planks of wood on feet that span the pond to hold it above the water. We're in the middle of a housing estate, but they fly over from the nearish canal and you see them sat on the house roof...

I think blooms in 'the wild' are often associated with excess nutrients e.g. agricultural fertilizer run off or sewage. Keep in mind a lake would also have a really long/high light photo period and might be lacking in CO2 - so not that different to algae in a tank. No idea how you'd fix it on...

Just a thought, but 3' is quite high for children to look in and they do like watching fish. Could you go lower for the sides but put a bit of trellis or similar around the top, so say 2' high on the pond then topped with 1' of trellis. That way you've got 3' overall but not so high for the...