General maintenance
Once new plantings have established, you can start to stock new fish ponds with fish. Start stocking and feeding when the water is warm.
Don’t leave fish sitting in plastic bags full of water - get them in to the pond as soon as possible so that they have a sufficient supply of oxygen. However it pays to float the bags in the pond for ten minutes or to to allow the water temperatures to equalise.
From June tadpoles change into young frogs and toads, and will start to emerge from the pond. Help them by keeping the water topped up (ideally with rain water) and provide some cover from predators at the water’s edge such as allowing a lawn area to grow long or adding some perennial planting.
Troubleshooting
Continue to remove blanket and duckweed. In small ponds adding barley straw extract can help with algal problems.
Avoid introducing goldfish into the wildlife pond, as they will upset the pond's natural balance.
