This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Wildlife pond crisis
Grannybee
Posts: 332
My wildlife pond is only 2 years old. It has always been filled with rainwater from water butts. Now the pond is extremely low and all the water butts are empty. My question is - if I use tap water to refill the pond, what would be the effect on the wild life in the pond? There are a few frogs, masses of dragon fly larvae and nymphs and other water bugs. whose names I don't know! Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you
0
Posts
I've topped up my ponds when necessary with tap water in the past, but we do have soft water up here. I stick the hose through the handle of the garden fork and stick it on the 'shower' setting so that it's like a heavy shower of rain. It aerates the pond as well as topping it up.
I think if you're worried, you can fill a few buckets with tapwater, then leave it for a few days before adding it to the pond. That helps get rid of any build up of chemicals in it. I remember someone telling us to do that when we were getting fish for a fish tank. I'm sure someone will correct me if that's wrong
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I've already topped our wildlife pond up twice this year, both times with tapwater ... it's fine ... as Fairy says do it like a 'shower' - apparently it helps any chlorine etc to disperse - the wildlife in our pond seem perfectly happy ... the newts were getting very amorous the other day
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Apart from the nutrients in tap water (which algae will feed on and turn the water green to some extent) the main problem is chlorine. If allowed to stand, the chlorine will revert to gas and disappear - usually in about 24hrs.
I have the same problem with both my ponds (5 empty water butts
) so I top up with tap water regularly so there's never too much going in at one time. As Fg says above letting the water from the hose splash about will also get rid of chlorine
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
You can buy something from aquatics shops to mix with the tap water to reduce the impact of chemicals in tap water if you're really worried, you mix a little of it in at the same time.
I used to do that - but these days I just do as everyone else here says and use tap water when rainfall is low. Seems to be fine.
I use Seachem Prime in my fish tank when I change 50% water each week (40galls) - it's supposed to remove chlorine etc.
Sometimes I use it sometimes I forget - doesn't seem to make much difference as far as I can tell
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
The Chlorine will fans off on standing. The aquarium pond treatments neutralise this straight away. These treatments also neutralise Chloromine and other heavy metal additives which do not gas off if left standing. These additives kill the bacteria off in aquarium/pond filters thus stopping them remote ammonia etc from the fish waste. If this happens and ammonia spikes then fish deaths will occur.
if no filter is running on the pond, which I assume it does not as it is a wildlife pond, then the tap water should not present a problem.
as suggested spraying it like a rain shower would probably be the best way of introduciI got it.
Cheers,
Oh thank you everyone. I have filled three water butts with tap water and they are standing overnight as suggested. I will tip them in tomorrow so ease the muddy puddle a little.