ducks and ponds

[TLWR]

We have a few indian runner ducks and are contemplating constructing a pond in our yard that they could have access to.

What I'm looking for is how big would the pond need to be so we don't have just a giant duck cesspool. The previous owners had a pretty decent sized above ground round pool that was gone when we bought the house, but the leveled area is still there with some built up dirt/clay to one side.
We do not know where the septic is for sure nor do we know where the water lines run around this property and there is no way to find out except trial and error. We have an idea of where the septic should be and would hope the previous owners wouldn't plop a big ol pool on top of it, so in theory, the area we were thinking should be fine. But DH wants to bring in more clay and build up around the old pool area to build a pond. So that's question 2.


1 - what size pond would we need for ~5 medium ducks to not need to clean and refill the pond often (or never would be nice!)
2 - can we build a pond by building up instead of digging?


we are ~30 miles off the coast in Alabama if that's useful in answering q1.

[Ky Kim]

Hi & welcome! You will get lots of good advice here. There is also someone else on here from AL, and a few others. I'm not familar with having ducks, so I just want to say WELCOME.

Kim

[PondmaninAL]

Oh, you are 30 miles inland. If you have five ducks, you might want a half acre farm pond which means no liner. You will need plants in it that ducks won't eat to use up the nutrients from the duck waste. Otherwise, you will need one heck of a filter system.

[Julles]

WELCOME! TLWR. 

PondmanInAlabama knows the natural pond biz in and out, so his advice is good.  In fact, I was going to say the same thing, about using plants to remove the duck waste.  And the bigger the pond, the more chance you have of a natural ecosystem settling in, and then Nature will take care of the cleaning for you.

But, how are you going to keep it to 5 ducks?  Won't more be attracted, and decide to stay?

[TLWR]

But, how are you going to keep it to 5 ducks?  Won't more be attracted, and decide to stay?

Neighbors have a large pond in the back with their horses and the only ducks there are their ducks that somebody dropped off to them. Only 3 ducks here now, but may add to them next year (maybe not, kind of like having just the 3, but we'll see).

I like the larger pond idea, but that will be $$ and would have to wait a while - after the gargantuan garage DH is planning to have built (not to mention we still have to have the back 4 acres cleared and then digging would involve lots of roots and lots of pine trees still in the way).