Tour of The Pond

Tour of The Pond

Tour of The Pond

Welcome to the Tour of The Pond at Mezzacello. This is not just a pond, or a well of water: This is an aquatic ecosystem with specific inputs and outputs. It looks good and it is pleasing but it plays a pivotal role in the ecosystems at Mezzacello.

An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact.

Wikipedia

More Than Just Fish

It's true the pond is water and it has koi and catfish that live in it. But beyond the fish there are at a minimum seven different outputs and inputs that this pond is useful for. Let's run through them.

Remember that two of the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals deal with water and life underwater. This is a very important aspect of Mezzacello. We take water, water purification, and water management very seriously here, and you should as well.

So what is the value of this pond?

1. The pond is 6.8 KL (1,800 G) and is 1.8 M (6 ft) deep

2. This depth serves a purpose

   • It never freezes over in winter

   • The fish can live just fine in the coldest of weather

   • The pond is essentially drought-proof as we have 6.8 KL of water

3. The fish produce nitrates that become nitrites and ammonia

4. There is a biofilter that pulls out nitrates, nitrites and algae from the pond

5. The biofilter and the UV filter destroy harmful pathogens

6. UV radiation destroys microbes and sterilizes water

7. The biofilter contains media that traps algae and nitrates on sponges

8. These sponges can be pulled out and the algae and waste manures can be harvested

9. Algae is an excellent source of fertilizer

10. The algae at Mezzacello is collected, dried, packaged and reused

11. The Bakki Shower further filters the water so that the water that returns to the pond is 95% pure

12. The pond is run entirely from renewable energy in the form of solar and wind power

13. The fish that live in the pond are sources of food (catfish) and beauty (koi)

14. There are two types of plants that we grow in the pond

15. The plants that live in the pond are selected because they perform five functions:

    1. The plants eat algae

    2. The plants shade the fish from sunlight

    3. The plants roots give the fish a place to lay eggs

    4. The plants produce oxygen and moisture

    5. The plants allow pollinators to land safely on the pond and drink water

    6. The plants also produce oxygen which makes the air fresher and better to breathe

    7. The pond cools the surrounding atmosphere

    8. The fish in the pond will eat fish food and rabbit droppings

    9. Using rabbit droppings makes the farm even more sustainable.

    10. The pond is a source of beauty at Mezzacello.