Ok guys, so about 4 months ago me and my son started a little project in our backyard. We dug a pond that was about 8 ft long and 5 ft wide. It was to be strictly for decoration. We had ducks stopping here and there but now I noticed to baby minnows in the pond. Maybe they got there from the ducks but I dont know! Now theres a red eared slider in there. My son is loving every minute of it. Now how should I go about feeding them? Naturaly or what? Thank you in advance!
Fish and turtle Help?!
- Thread starter austinz33
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Well you could feed them, but you could also just let them survive without help. They will find things to eat. The turtles, like lettuce stuff like that. The minnows will eat algae and bugs, the ducks will do what ducks do lol, just eat.
Nature has a way with these things. They found their way there because there was something to sustain life in the pond to begin with.
As time goes by, and the population grows, you may want to consider water quality and supplimenting their diet.
As time goes by, and the population grows, you may want to consider water quality and supplimenting their diet.
j.w
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Does your pond have a liner in it or is it a natural pond that just holds the water in a wetland area?
austinz33 said:
Now thats interesting!
I can understand how frogs and salamanders and the like found their way to my pond (hint: on foot lol), but I also have some fish that I have no idea how they ended up in my pond. Could it really be ducks or whatever birds? No idea, but would love to find out!
As for feeding, as Dave said, nature tends to take care of that, as long as your pond is biologically in balance. They will eat plants, larvae, insects and whatever. Once you start feeding, you risk ruining the balance. Like, fish will grow faster, pollute the water, causing algae blooms etc. The moment you start intervening, be prepared to intervene on the other aspects as well, like filtering...
They are going to grow and propagate regradless. At some point you will have to either cull or feed to avoid starvation.
DrDave said:
Sure, but not as big or not as many (that will survive). Fish growth was just a simple example anyhow, the moment you start feeding, lots of other things change as well, more nutritions in the water will have impact on everything, from plants, to insects, bacteria, algae,..
Not saying he shouldnt touch the pond, or not feed its inhabitants, just be aware the moment you start interfering, especially by feeding, it will have consequences, some perhaps unexpected and potentially unwanted, requiring additional measures to "fix", like installing a filter, UV, etc.
Just throwing fish food in a healthy, clear, natural pond could over time turn it in to a stinky dead mud pool. Then again, I suppose nature can do that too
