A wildlife pond offers a very different proposition to a fish pond but it does have one very significant advantage in that it will actually populate itself over a period of time.

Wildlife ponds still need to be conceived through sensible planning, ensuring that they are located to minimize the risk of collecting polluted run-off water. They also require their design to incorporate a variety of depths and features to encourage as broad a spectrum of wildlife as possible. Surrounding features such as varied planting and shaded areas that are appealing to frogs in particular will add to the appeal of your pond for surrounding wildlife. Beyond these considerations, amongst others, the pond will not require features such as pumps and filters to maintain a healthy environment.

A key to having a successful wildlife pond is patience. Allowing the pond to populate itself will possibly test this patience to its limits as it will take many months to see real developments. Beneficially, as the pond populates itself naturally, it will develop its own natural balance. In a fish pond, the introduction of fish into a confined space can totally upset the waters balance, this will simply not happen in a naturally populated pond. As the pond tends away from a healthy balance, growth will either cease or slow down in the problem areas. The changes will be imperceptible to the observer but will nevertheless be taking place. Due to this self regulation, pumps and filters are not required.

Manual intervention in your wildlife pond should be minimal although it will potentially benefit from occasional silt removal. Many people will chose to have either a wildlife pond or a fish pond as the two do not generally mix well without the luxury of a substantially sized pond. However, there is absolutely no reason not to consider having both a wildlife pond and a fish pond to really achieve two very different and interesting environments.