Had to pick between a bird bath and a small pond for my yard up here in Maine

I had this spot near the feeder that got afternoon sun and I couldn't decide what to put there. A friend said a bird bath is easier to clean but I went with a prefab pond kit for $80 at the local hardware store. First week I had goldfish and within 3 days a blue jay was splashing around with a cardinal waiting on the edge. But now I'm fighting algae every 2 weeks and the pump already clogged twice. Anyone else deal with this or should I just rip it out and go back to a basic bath?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenixh7425d agoTop Commenter

Honestly, I did the exact same thing with a little pond kit and it turned into a full time job scrubbing green sludge out every week? Ngl, I ripped mine out after one summer and just put a cheap bird bath on a cinder block and have never looked back.

jadeg8125d ago

That "full time job scrubbing green sludge" line hit me hard because I lived it too. I tried everything from barley straw to UV lights and nothing stopped that gunk from coming back every single week. What you did with the simple bird bath is actually genius because it cuts out all the headache while still giving birds a place to drink and bathe. I ended up doing something similar but I got one of those solar powered little fountains for like 20 bucks and it keeps the water moving just enough that mosquitoes don't lay eggs in it. The wildlife still visits just as much as they did with the pond and I don't have to waste my weekends fighting algae anymore. Honestly sometimes the simple solutions really are the best ones.