What is an ecosystem pond and how do they work?
I recently contributed to an article for The Natural Pond Store, so I asked them nicely to share that article on my website also… so here it is!
Posted on The Natural Pond Store’s learning hub, 11 April 2022.
https://thenaturalpondstore.com.au/
Ecosystem ponds are designed to replicate natural biological processes which means they are low maintenance and require no nasty chemicals to keep them looking beautiful. A win for you and a win for wildlife who access these bodies of water as their water-source.
I spoke with Ben from Ben Hutchinson Landscapes, a leading natural pond and water feature builder in Melbourne, to get his expert knowledge and insights on what an ecosystem pond is and how they work.
Bacteria play such an important role in the ecology of these ponds, so it’s super important to understand how it helps. “Bacteria is essential for maintaining the overall health of the pond and keeps the water nutrient levels in check. Ecosystem ponds typically have a large amount of surface area on the filter media, as well as the rocks and gravel, which allows beneficial bacteria to colonise” Ben explains.
The aim with an ecosystem pond is to strike a balance between nutrient load in the water, the plants and the bacteria throughout the pond. This is referred to as the nitrogen cycle, which is a multi-step process that breaks down waste in the pond into usable components for plants to use as food. This is the backbone of the whole ecosystem; “getting this right will maintain a balanced ecosystem and you will have a beautiful, clear and healthy pond.” Ben explains that you should expect a decent establishment period for an ecosystem pond and that “ecosystem ponds are living environments and it can take up to 12 months for the entire ecosystem to settle and move into its natural lifecycle, so patience will be the key.”
“Without the nitrogen cycle, ammonia levels would constantly increase, leading to issues with water quality and fish health.” It sounds complex on first read, but it’s actually very logical and easy to understand and Ben is a firm believer that it’s vital to take the time to learn how it works so you can more easily care for your pond and troubleshoot when it’s out of balance. We’ve gone into more depth on the nitrogen cycle in another learning hub article, be sure to have a read!
I asked Ben about some of the questions he receives when he builds ecosystem ponds, and these are the two most common; “every new ecosystem pond will have algae and water bugs in various forms as it establishes. These are living environments building an ecology from scratch.”
The topic of algae is one that Ben is very familiar with, and has a rather enlightening view on; “Algae is a really good indicator of a developing healthy ecosystem. The most common type that shows up in ecosystem ponds is string algae and it’s there for a really good reason. In the initial stages of the developing ecology, it uses up excess nutrients in the system as it grows. Its growth is accelerated by a number of factors, including pond position, sunlight, heat, nutrient load in the system to name a few.”
Ben makes it very clear to his clients that as their “new ecosystem pond establishes, they must remember that it is a living body of water that doesn’t yet have all its elements in the lifecycle and like any developing ecosystem, the dominant species will take hold to begin with.” Ben is confident that as the ecology of a new pond settles in, the algae will also begin to settle down.
Waterbugs are clearly a passion of Ben’s, and he’s certainly noticed the small details in the ecosystem ponds he’s built. “Within a short space of time you’ll see a whole bunch of different water bugs in your ecosystem pond. You will notice small black larvae hanging on to rocks and pebbles in waterfalls, dragonflies and damselflies, red worms and backswimmers to name a few. You don’t need to get rid of any of them, they all play an important part of the life cycle within the ecosystem.” Ben encourages his clients to do a little more research on these amazing new critters, as most that show up in the first year of a newly established pond will generally hang around as new residents of the ecosystem (which is a very good thing). With all these new bugs hanging around now, you’ll probably even get some frogs so keep your ears open and eyes peeled!
A big thank you to Ben from Ben Hutchinson Landscapes for his wealth of knowledge on ecosystem ponds. You can follow him on Instagram, Facebook or visit his website at benhutchinsonlandscapes.com.au.