WHATS HAPPENED! Three months into the NO DIG NATURE POND. (Your questions answered)

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Күн бұрын

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@rebeccaampuero2347 4 ай бұрын

I had a kiddie pool in my yard, under a live oak tree. There was ivy all around it, which gave some shade at the edges and a couple of large pink granite stones for shelter. I had a small water pump running over the stones. I started out by catching tadpoles from a local ditch, so the kids in the neighborhood could see them. There were tiny minnows there too, so I added some. My "temporary pond" was there for about five years. I had bladder snails, who ate oak pollen off the surface of the water and left funny trails all over, scads of dragonflies, and a few leopard frogs. Once an immature green heron came wading. He caught a couple of fish, but I ended up with a hydra I didn't put in, so I've thought it may have hitch-hiked in on the birds. Maintenance was non-existent except for scooping out leaves on occasion and topping up the water. I had lizards visiting, cats trying to fish (hilarious usually), and an occasional wet black lab with 13 puppies who would flop in it to cool off (never hurt a thing). It was a peaceful point in my garden and the kids stopped by all the time to investigate it

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

This sounds absolutely amazing! I can picture everyone chilling around it now just watching the life of the pond!! Thank you for sharing!

@MandyJane123700 4 ай бұрын

That is a really nice little pond. If anyone is worried about mosquitoes, they won't lay eggs in moving water, so you could use an aerator until your plants and critters get established.

@JamieVauxnut1 4 ай бұрын

I have a pond in an old wiskey barrel that holds around 200 litres. I keep it in the garden on casters then i wheel it into the greenhouse in winter and wrap it in a foil blanket as its been home to breeding guppies and swordtails for the past 5 years . Its at the stage now that its self-sustaining as i run my shed gutter water straight through it that seems to trigger them to breed . Its absolutely full of midge , buzzer and black worm in summer i only feed in winter. I got the urge to set it up after visiting Thailand and seeing guppies in pots , puddles and sewers . Basically anywhere with water there was guppies, me being in Scotland the climate is very different but its working !

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Oh that's very very interesting!!!

@Lilyflowergirl98 4 ай бұрын

Amazing amount of wildlife in the little wildlife pond... very cool😂

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Yeah it's scary how much wildlife uses this as a home now.

@leahnichol6665 4 ай бұрын

That pond is so impressive! Thank you. 😊

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

It really is and you're welcome!

@maurinedoyle9964 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Matt ❤

@c.a.parker5036 4 ай бұрын

I really appreciate the follow up videos. Thanks, Matt! Maybe you could also do one on the no-dig pond at your parents' place? 😊

@MrVovansim 4 ай бұрын

And the yes-dig pond too, in a couple months 😂

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Oh most definitely! It's looking good to be fair.

@Marie_Danielle 4 ай бұрын

When you set it up in the previous video, I was septical... but the pond developed a more natural look than I thought possible with a plastic container. Good job!

@nickiramsay2421 4 ай бұрын

Really enjoyed seeing how much progress the pond has made already. I would be overjoyed to get dragonflies emerging from my pond.

@garageaquatics2023 4 ай бұрын

As always, Matt, thanks for sharing your yard! I really appreciate it. Nice update. Your pond has really filled in. I'm guessing maybe next might be the one you set up in your folks yard? Have a fantastic week ahead! ~Ron

@xenic0770 4 ай бұрын

The pond that made me start mine!

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Amazing!!

@dandaman83 4 ай бұрын

i never thought to do a solar powered pond pump! that's genius! I dont have any wildlife in mine anymore aside from snails and bugs. but the animals like to drink and bathe so its great watching birds and squirrels enjoying it.

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

That's amazing, yeah a little solar pump works perfectly because I'm only ever in my garden when it's sunny! Hahaha

@giggiwidit5638 4 ай бұрын

I set up a tiny pond in my shared back garden, because the garden is pretty enclosed, and frogs and toads were getting trapped, and dying due to no access to water ... The only problem ... is that it isn't my garden, it belongs to a housing association ... and although the pond has been there for around 5 years now, I'm still waiting for the day when they will spot it, and tell me to get rid of it =CCC

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Long may this pond live! Newts are protected so maybe if they ever do spot it argue that there is a protected species living there and get a nature conservation group involved.

@giggiwidit5638 4 ай бұрын

@@FishShopMatt OOOO great idea. I haven't actually seen newts, (but I'd be surprised if there weren't a few in there, as it's the only water for at least 500 feet) but I know that there are many frogs and toads that use it and they spawned this year !!! It's very small (only around 70L) but I know that the wildlife is grateful for it. Birds and other animals drink there, and it's not hurting anyone. But the Housing association has already told me that I have too many planters in my little bit of the garden (because hey ... the garden cant be pretty, it's not allowed ... we live in a block of flats, how dare we want pretty things ...🤣) so I think that it's only a matter of time before they notice it. So thanks for the advice !!!

@janetaylor8635 4 ай бұрын

Nice update and great to see the doggy interruption !

@cherylharless281 4 ай бұрын

I live in California and *I* am a mosquito magnet. For me the first thing in the pond (after water and plants) would be mosquito fish. They are minnows similar to guppies and will in fact interbreed with them. They are extremely hardy and can thrive on mosquito larve alone, though I would start with a flake food for a few days/weeks depending on the season.

@ValerieGillespie-k2q 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Matt i got the solar pump after watching when you installed this pond glad youve explained how to clean it out will get that job done if it ever stops raining 😁

@Matthew.Henley 4 ай бұрын

Bit of a giggle watching the pump trying its best in our glorious British summer 😂

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Yeah it's only in really thick cloud that it struggles, once it's lit with daylight it goes.

@silvermad1 4 ай бұрын

love this so awesome natural full of frogs

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Thank you!!

@jackiec9062 4 ай бұрын

looking fab, love Quinns Lady Bug ,very sweet Luv from UK 🇬🇧

@keith.morgan 4 ай бұрын

Tadpole food! seen it all now lol. I used to feed the tadpoles in my pond with porridge flakes as a kid, they loved it and very successful it was too

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

I'm sure there are loads of things you can feed them. I like this stuff as it's been designed to be perfect for them so just makes sense to me as it will give them the best start.

@guenthecat6582 3 ай бұрын

I’m so glad you left you doggo outtakes in. I was just contemplating whether or not to leave my cats in my unboxing video edit. Now that I e experienced my own reaction to your dog, I’m Definitely leaving the cat in!

@Aquarium_Fantasy-HF 4 ай бұрын

The pond is looking amazing 😊. Would you ever do a livestream in the future 😮

@DaffCookie 4 ай бұрын

Hi Roma 😘. Love the update. Takes me back to being a kid and catching tadpoles in quarrey near my Grandparents house, watching them grow up, then releasing them back where we caught them before they became full frogs :)

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Thanks! Love watching them grow into little froglets and come back every year

@jodimaree7640 4 ай бұрын

And Australia Matt, don't forget about us 😂

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Hahaha I am sorry

@andreagalda28 4 ай бұрын

Medaka ricefish and various types of minnows are allowed in outside ponds where I live. I have many pond tubs on the go with different types of medaka and I have lots of fry to grow out this summer. I used to think dragonflies were magical... that is until you see them decimate the fry population in one of your ponds. I still appreciate dragonflies for their value in nature, but I don't want them anywhere near my yard!

@Simply4Aquatics 4 ай бұрын

sticklebacks would work well in that pond in the UK.

@masonsnakes4721 4 ай бұрын

perfect stickleback pond. think outside the box.

@robertfaber6796 4 ай бұрын

But, It’s a box …

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Watch this space!

@awar29 2 ай бұрын

@FishShopMatt I was thinking the same. Growing up in the Netherlands I had a little pond about this size. I put some stickelbacks in them and they ended up breeding! Later on when we hadn't seen any for quite a while my dad decided to get rid of the pond, and he found a number of them were still in there.

@giggiwidit5638 4 ай бұрын

Love the Ladybird Quinn !!!

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Awww thank you!

@giggiwidit5638 4 ай бұрын

@@FishShopMatt 🐞🐞🐞

@wirtification 4 ай бұрын

If you live in an area that drops to -5°F to -20°F in winter, like myself 😂, I'd take out the solar pump for winter, so it doesn't freeze solid and break the pump... as far as freezing, if there's no wildlife in it, frogs, etc, leave it be, maybe drop the water a little bit for expansion of ice. As far as mosquitoes, I found my pump keeps the surface very agitated and have not seen larvae in it, I have done water changes because it really is just a large bird bath. I made a DIY water feature out of a plastic water barrel with a good size electric aquarium pump with LED light, filled with pea gravel and decorative black rock, the birds love it. I'll pull the pump and drain it and just put a small cover on top so no debris get in. I really want to get this pond for my deck next year, I'd love to have plants and frogs and toads and the good bugs make life cycles and benefit my yard ❤

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Awesome info! They're amazing ponds and creating somewhere for wildlife close to your house is amazing.

@LH-S1 4 ай бұрын

Great video

@Vikface1978 4 ай бұрын

It’s likely the dragonflies did lay in your pond, some local take only 3 months to “hatch”, the shortest time for a nymph. Lovely video, well done

@aislingmckee2964 4 ай бұрын

That was so lovely! I have been thinking about a small pond, I might go speak to my local store and see what they suggest for winterizing.

@littlemidwestrebornsdolls 4 ай бұрын

Such a cool little pond! 😎

@andreacasoli3371 4 ай бұрын

Since i really don't like frogs i'll stay out of this i am more an aquarium guy 😂, but besides that is really entertaining and interesting to watch your videos so i really don't miss one 💪

@darrenderousse4804 3 ай бұрын

Looking good mate! I want a pond so bad in my backyard! I want to dig but worried about needing permits and stuff haha

@noodlechild666 4 ай бұрын

Interesting about your froglets. We had loads of toad spawn this year. All hatched fine, then the tadpoles slowly vanished and none of those that are left have changed at all. Frogs turned up, but didnt spawn. Water is fine as we tested it, and its in every single pond, of which there are 6.

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Hmm interesting sometimes they do take a while to go through the changes depending on food sources and temps.

@MRS_______ 3 ай бұрын

I have a similar pond in my garden in Scotland and have some native Minnows in mine. They have thrived for over a year now and eat pellets quite happily. I do have a sponge filter in mine though, running from a pump.

@megmills4798 4 ай бұрын

Awwwwwwww no to sweet love your doggy😊

@ashenwalls3558 4 ай бұрын

I would absolutely adore a pond in my yard! In the meantime I'm experimenting with a "pond jar" until I can do it for real.

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Awesome! Get that training in ready for the big project.

@irfanrubidge2136 4 ай бұрын

The dog should be in all the videos. such a beautiful doggy

@littlemidwestrebornsdolls 4 ай бұрын

I love your dog!!! 😊

@1amZiggy 4 ай бұрын

Your reaction to yo0ur dog was hilarious

@eueukv 4 ай бұрын

Wow that’s AMAZING Matt!!! I really want to build one as well. Do you think rice fish could live there? (I live in Scotland)

@rebekkaekaterini 4 ай бұрын

Hi Matt, thanks for the lovely content, shared it with my mom and she's now built several bucket ponds. The largest one is more tub like and the plants are doing really well in there. Saw you've added some ramshorn snails and am wondering if we could add them too. Currently the only fauna I've spotted are mosquitos larvae. We're across the pond in Holland, would it be safe for them to be added in the largest pond and would they survive winter you reckon? Thanks a bunch!✨️

@brianjones1282 4 ай бұрын

@FishShopMatt Mr. Matt! In the recent video about filters that you did, the second aquarium with the in tank filter, you had a house plant hanging in that tank. What kind of plant was that?

@katieroscoe1415 4 ай бұрын

Looks so good amazing how so much has changed, is this because u have ur large pond nearby? Would frogs come if u haven’t got a pond nearby? I live on a fairly new housing estate and as far as I know there are no ponds nearby .

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Not really, when I first moved here there wasn't really a pond in the garden. There was a hole for a pond in a different location with an old broken liner but no water. Once I dug my new pond within days there were frogs turning up. You'll be surprised what will find its way into your garden, make sure you have some gaps under fences or gates so things can crawl in. Most new housing developments have to have some form of nature plots set aside and also retention ponds to house rainwater from all the new roads. These will be full of wildlife normally and hopefully the animals will then find yours!

@JJLewin1 3 ай бұрын

Great video Matt, thanks. What would you suggest regarding cleaning of a 100 litre barrel pond with 2 goldfish. I have an airstone and sponge filter (suitable for 91-250l) running 24/7 as well as barley bags, thanks.

@barbkrienke8400 4 ай бұрын

I just set up a 3 pot “pond”. I think the plants need to grow in to help with this, but wanted to ask for your advice. I don’t mind algae, but mine are starting to smell bad. Can you talk about how to address that in one of your next videos? Thanks so much! I’m really enjoying watching all of the bees that are drinking from them, and the sound of the little solar fountain!!!

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Hmmmm I'm guessing they smell a bit pondy which is normally the algae. You could look in a local fish store for live fish food called daphnia or water fleas. These will consume algae and possibly help remove the smell. Also once plants settle ok as you say this should help.

@Grace-er9ep 4 ай бұрын

This made me want a little pond so bad. I can't right now because my "landlord" (mother) is not fond of anything that isn't domesticated, but someday I will have my lovely little nature pond

@amyp.3791 4 ай бұрын

What’s your opinion on making a small greenhouse to put over it in the winter?

@elephantofdoom 4 ай бұрын

It might be a good idea to collect some mud and botanicals from local creeks and ponds to seed the water with the native microfauna like scuds, worms etc.

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Great point. When I built this pond I put a load of bits from my other pond in which seeded it quite well.

@TimNockelmann-xv9cz 4 ай бұрын

I think you can put rainbow shiners in this pond 😊

@FinnegansFish 4 ай бұрын

Don't forget about we Canadians! 🇨🇦

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

I do apologise to my Canadian sisters and brothers! 💜💜💜

@valeriebolejack5957 4 ай бұрын

Mosquitoes eggs require still water. The solar filter probably adds just enough surface movement to prevent hatching.

@csharpe5787 4 ай бұрын

I suspect you’re not in the UK! Our summer has been dreadful. Very few days over 19.

@valeriebolejack5957 4 ай бұрын

@@csharpe5787 Good point. No sun, no filter. In NE United States.

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Interesting! I'll have to look into this.

@karlarose536 4 ай бұрын

Hmmm... well, I don't know where the mosquitos come from, but I own a cabin on a lake in Northwestern Montana (Northwestern United States, for those who aren't familiar) and although the lake gets plenty of surface agitation from wind and power boats (it's not a very large lake, but large enough that people in power boats at full speed can pull kids on inner tubes around it), there are *tons* of mosquitoes in the summer. And we do have dragonflies, and bats, (though maybe not frogs,) that eat the mosquitoes, but they can't keep up. A person can hardly go out in the evening, when it's still, without being eaten alive! And I'm not particularly tasty to mosquitoes. I wish I knew where or how they breed so prolifically! Maybe Montana mosquitoes are a hardier breed!😄

@valeriebolejack5957 4 ай бұрын

@@karlarose536 I'm from central Montana so I remember!! The problem is that mosquitoes can lay eggs in tiny amounts of still water. So while large still waters are breeding heaven, they will take a little puddle. It only needs to be still for 24 hours.

@TheRealTMar 4 ай бұрын

Such a sweet dog! Just wants some attention. ;) You know the way you said 'You're an idiot', like you and your dog are the Josh and Olly of fishkeeping KZbin. You're 'Josh', dog is 'Olly'.

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Thank you hahaha I love this!

@annepettit3855 4 ай бұрын

Is it true that rice fish are illegal in the UK? You have a lovely tiny pond there!

@leroyj09 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Matt. I've just started one of these around a month ago. Is the ramp enough for the likes of frogs and newts do you think or would it be best to create natural ramps into the pond? Thanks!

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

I think the main ramp is enough but log piles and planters will always be a welcome addition I'm sure.

@GSG-lc5zm 4 ай бұрын

Hey... I'm in VA (usa) ... You can have some of my summer! 🥵

@iamhueyjohn 4 ай бұрын

Pond updateeee

@giggiwidit5638 4 ай бұрын

On it within 15 seconds =D

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Hahahaha congrats!

@christac.2947 4 ай бұрын

We have mosquito fish, the best part is the county raises them, and we can get them for free for our ponds

@Gemmill9 4 ай бұрын

I’m planning on buying the 480 litre Blangon half moon pond. What stocking levels would you recommend for fish. I’m in north west uk.

@harrytraber8380 4 ай бұрын

Matt turned me into a newt! Then I got better.

@percymichaud8003 4 ай бұрын

white cloud may suit it.

@michaelwettstein4424 4 ай бұрын

great video, thanks! arent there white cloud mountain minnows available in the uk? i guess they would like to live in there. or medakas.

@johnboden9227 4 ай бұрын

Pretty sure it's illegal to keep medakas / rice fish outdoors in the uk currently ☹️

@DaffCookie 4 ай бұрын

They are but illegal to keep outside.

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

Yeah we are not allowed to keep anything outside other than a certain few species. Anything that is sold for an aquarium is frowned upon to keep outside in the UK.

@michaelwettstein4424 4 ай бұрын

@@FishShopMatt oh wow. i didnt know that.

@Eddie-fr4sh 4 ай бұрын

I need to do this

@FishShopMatt 4 ай бұрын

You do!

@GFHill 4 ай бұрын

I have like a million questions. How can i ask all of them? There is literatly, not enough room on here, to ask all of them.

@judyallinson1281 4 ай бұрын

❤

@alanthecat59 4 ай бұрын

😻

@simonbuys 4 ай бұрын

I would like to make an outdoor tub with rice fish but i am worried the pond will overflow when it rains a lot. Is there a risk of fish escaping and how do you prevent overflowing an above ground pond or tub?