Indoor Pond - some problems and anti-mosquito measures

[Wylie Wilde]

Hello,

I just moved into a tropical bungalow which has a shallow indoor pond. Its
new but hasn't been used for several years. I switched it on over the
weekend and its seems ok. But the water flow is dead slow at the end of the
pond. And I'm worried about it breeding mossies. there might also be some
problem with it. I'm hoping that some of you here who are more knowledgable
about it can help me and offer some constructive advice.

(I can't ask the previous owner; he moved off in a hurry overseas)

But first some info... Its large - measuring 14 feet by 14 feet. But the
depth is shallow- and measures an average of only a few inches.

Its flanked on both ends by two drains where the pumps and outlet pipes sit
(inside). The two pumps and what appears to be a drain value are on one end;
the outlet nozzles and pipes are on the opposite drain- which is on slightly
higher ground.

When I checked it out, the drains were still full of old water. I filled the
pond full of water then turned on the pumps. One section worked. The other
section didn't; its pipes are embedded into the concrete and I assumed join
the 2nd filter pump.

So I had water nicely flowing on the left side of the pond. Whilst the right
side was slightly stagnant. Concrete paving steps line the middle section of
the pond and prevent the working side from helping out the non-working
section.

To cut a long story short, the problem is that the pond is too shallow on
one end. The flow of water is not vigourous or flowing in 60% of the pond
and in certain section - the water is dead still.

Whats the best way to prevent mossies from breeding in the stagnant parts of
the pond. Even if I stop the pumps, the water still sits in the drains and
does not go away.

Much obliged for your kind comments.

--
Regards,
Wilde

___________________________
Classic Humor
www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail117.html

[Reel McKoi]

"Wylie Wilde" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> I just moved into a tropical bungalow which has a shallow indoor pond. Its
> new but hasn't been used for several years. I switched it on over the
> weekend and its seems ok. But the water flow is dead slow at the end of
the
> pond. And I'm worried about it breeding mossies. there might also be some
> problem with it. I'm hoping that some of you here who are more
knowledgable
> about it can help me and offer some constructive advice.
>
> (I can't ask the previous owner; he moved off in a hurry overseas)
>
> But first some info... Its large - measuring 14 feet by 14 feet. But the
> depth is shallow- and measures an average of only a few inches.
>
> Its flanked on both ends by two drains where the pumps and outlet pipes
sit
> (inside). The two pumps and what appears to be a drain value are on one
end;
> the outlet nozzles and pipes are on the opposite drain- which is on
slightly
> higher ground.
>
> When I checked it out, the drains were still full of old water. I filled
the
> pond full of water then turned on the pumps. One section worked. The other
> section didn't; its pipes are embedded into the concrete and I assumed
join
> the 2nd filter pump.
>
> So I had water nicely flowing on the left side of the pond. Whilst the
right
> side was slightly stagnant. Concrete paving steps line the middle section
of
> the pond and prevent the working side from helping out the non-working
> section.
>
> To cut a long story short, the problem is that the pond is too shallow on
> one end. The flow of water is not vigourous or flowing in 60% of the pond
> and in certain section - the water is dead still.
>
> Whats the best way to prevent mossies from breeding in the stagnant parts
of
> the pond. Even if I stop the pumps, the water still sits in the drains and
> does not go away.
>
> Much obliged for your kind comments.
>
> --
> Regards,
> Wilde
=======================
It seems too shallow to keep a few fish to control the mossies. However you
can always try a few rosy reds or even guppies since it's a tropical area.
If that's not what you want then get Mosquito Dunks. They would be the
least work.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Elaine T]

Wylie Wilde wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I just moved into a tropical bungalow which has a shallow indoor pond. Its
> new but hasn't been used for several years. I switched it on over the
> weekend and its seems ok. But the water flow is dead slow at the end of the
> pond. And I'm worried about it breeding mossies. there might also be some
> problem with it. I'm hoping that some of you here who are more knowledgable
> about it can help me and offer some constructive advice.
>
> (I can't ask the previous owner; he moved off in a hurry overseas)
>
> But first some info... Its large - measuring 14 feet by 14 feet. But the
> depth is shallow- and measures an average of only a few inches.
>
> Its flanked on both ends by two drains where the pumps and outlet pipes sit
> (inside). The two pumps and what appears to be a drain value are on one end;
> the outlet nozzles and pipes are on the opposite drain- which is on slightly
> higher ground.
>
> When I checked it out, the drains were still full of old water. I filled the
> pond full of water then turned on the pumps. One section worked. The other
> section didn't; its pipes are embedded into the concrete and I assumed join
> the 2nd filter pump.
>
> So I had water nicely flowing on the left side of the pond. Whilst the right
> side was slightly stagnant. Concrete paving steps line the middle section of
> the pond and prevent the working side from helping out the non-working
> section.
>
> To cut a long story short, the problem is that the pond is too shallow on
> one end. The flow of water is not vigourous or flowing in 60% of the pond
> and in certain section - the water is dead still.
>
> Whats the best way to prevent mossies from breeding in the stagnant parts of
> the pond. Even if I stop the pumps, the water still sits in the drains and
> does not go away.
>
> Much obliged for your kind comments.
>
Sounds like perfect water for some of the tropical killifish species.
They are perfectly happy with slow moving or even still water and will
wriggle into quite shallow water to nab a tasty larvae.

There's some real killifish experts in rec.aquaria who might suggest
species and where to get eggs. Male killifish are brightly colored too.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Elaine T]

Elaine T wrote:
> Wylie Wilde wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I just moved into a tropical bungalow which has a shallow indoor pond.
>> Its new but hasn't been used for several years. I switched it on over
>> the weekend and its seems ok. But the water flow is dead slow at the
>> end of the pond. And I'm worried about it breeding mossies. there
>> might also be some problem with it. I'm hoping that some of you here
>> who are more knowledgable about it can help me and offer some
>> constructive advice.
>>
>> (I can't ask the previous owner; he moved off in a hurry overseas)
>>
>> But first some info... Its large - measuring 14 feet by 14 feet. But
>> the depth is shallow- and measures an average of only a few inches.
>>
>> Its flanked on both ends by two drains where the pumps and outlet
>> pipes sit (inside). The two pumps and what appears to be a drain value
>> are on one end; the outlet nozzles and pipes are on the opposite
>> drain- which is on slightly higher ground.
>>
>> When I checked it out, the drains were still full of old water. I
>> filled the pond full of water then turned on the pumps. One section
>> worked. The other section didn't; its pipes are embedded into the
>> concrete and I assumed join the 2nd filter pump.
>>
>> So I had water nicely flowing on the left side of the pond. Whilst the
>> right side was slightly stagnant. Concrete paving steps line the
>> middle section of the pond and prevent the working side from helping
>> out the non-working section.
>>
>> To cut a long story short, the problem is that the pond is too shallow
>> on one end. The flow of water is not vigourous or flowing in 60% of
>> the pond and in certain section - the water is dead still.
>>
>> Whats the best way to prevent mossies from breeding in the stagnant
>> parts of the pond. Even if I stop the pumps, the water still sits in
>> the drains and does not go away.
>>
>> Much obliged for your kind comments.
>>
> Sounds like perfect water for some of the tropical killifish species.
> They are perfectly happy with slow moving or even still water and will
> wriggle into quite shallow water to nab a tasty larvae.
>
> There's some real killifish experts in rec.aquaria who might suggest
> species and where to get eggs. Male killifish are brightly colored too.
>
Whoops. Rec.aquaria.freshwater.misc I never did get used to the split.

--
__ Elaine T __
><__'> http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><

[Wylie Wilde]

Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively inexpensive
proposition.

However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few inches
high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with river
rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.

There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from keeping 80%
of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you need to
keep pouring it on.

Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a comfortable
state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to be
working and operating even in such circumstances.

I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile I thought
that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even cheap lemon
detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.

If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
apprecate it.

Cheers,

Wilde

[David]

Hi Wylie,

Since no one else has yet picked up on this, (most anyone would be
more qualified), I might offer a bit of encouragement:

I'm not sure where your tropical location is, but in southern Thailand
almost every home that I've seen has a mosquito-fish "pond". The
mosquito-fish are usually guppies or their cousins. The "ponds" are
almost anything that holds water -- ranging from ceramic pots, to
tubs, to more elaborate tiled pools. Some as shallow as you describe.
I see no reason why yours wouldn't work just as well, unless your pond
is completely in the sun where the shallowness might cause the temp to
increase to too high a level. And, BTW, most all of these ponds I've
seen have no air or circulation pumps -- they just let 'em go. And
whatever gets in there stays in there (leaves, bugs, algae, etc.),
until the (maybe?) annual cleaning. Of course, some of them get
pretty anerobic, and the fish swim around the surface for air; but
that's where the mozzie larvae are anyway aren't they? It's a
centuries-old tradition, so there must be something to it.

If it were me, I would skip the chlorine, oil, and detergent...

HTH, David

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:37:02 +0800, "Wylie Wilde"
> wrote:

>Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively inexpensive
>proposition.
>
>However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few inches
>high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with river
>rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.
>
>There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from keeping 80%
>of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you need to
>keep pouring it on.
>
>Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a comfortable
>state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to be
>working and operating even in such circumstances.
>
>I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile I thought
>that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even cheap lemon
>detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.
>
>If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
>apprecate it.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Wilde
>

[~Roy~]

I certainly would not place any detergents, chlorine etc into it as a
means of preventing mossies. If it was mine, I would drain it, and
clean it thouroughly, find the leak, fix it, and take stock of what is
actually in the tank in regards to filter, pump etc. If its in the
house and built in the floor, that leaking water is going somewhere
and probably not doing whatever its getting to any good. You never
gave a dimension on the ponds actual depth.

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:37:02 +0800, "Wylie Wilde"
> wrote:

>===<>Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively inexpensive
>===<>proposition.
>===<>
>===<>However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few inches
>===<>high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with river
>===<>rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.
>===<>
>===<>There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from keeping 80%
>===<>of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you need to
>===<>keep pouring it on.
>===<>
>===<>Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a comfortable
>===<>state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to be
>===<>working and operating even in such circumstances.
>===<>
>===<>I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile I thought
>===<>that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even cheap lemon
>===<>detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.
>===<>
>===<>If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
>===<>apprecate it.
>===<>
>===<>Cheers,
>===<>
>===<>Wilde
>===<>


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

[Wylie Wilde]

Hello Roy,

The pond is just a sunked concrete floor in the middle of a big bungalow.
This is what i Gathered so far from my study of the place. Originally, the
pond acted as an indoor concrete garden many years ago. The roof was open
and the area shut off with glass panels, and sliding doors when it rained.
The plants were placed in pots inside this atrium.

The owner then fitted in a skylight which prevented the rain from coming in.

Then he dug two drains into the ground and had it elevated so that one side
is tilted to allow for the water flow. The side that is lower - houses a
drain which sits two pumps. Lets call it Position B.

The depth of the pond is an average depth of 5 inches. 12 inches at best in
the deeper end. It is also covered with river rocks which so there's not
much average "swimming space".

I'm not sure where the leak is coming from - and I don't have the money to
go digging up the concrete flooring.

But at the moment - despite the leak, the water levels remain constant
enough to enable a water flow and cycle. There is no need to top up the
water level. But its very low at Position B,

The leak only seems to happen when I try to raise the water level to the 5
inch mark.

I suspect it comes from the big concrete urn looking thing which is stuck
near the middle of the pond. Its emplaced into the concrete ground.

As mentioned I don't have the money yet to got digging or drilling into the
concrete floor.

I will be hiring a local interior pond technician to check the place out.
And am saving money for that event.

Thanks.

Wilde.

"~Roy~" > wrote in message
...
> I certainly would not place any detergents, chlorine etc into it as a
> means of preventing mossies. If it was mine, I would drain it, and
> clean it thouroughly, find the leak, fix it, and take stock of what is
> actually in the tank in regards to filter, pump etc. If its in the
> house and built in the floor, that leaking water is going somewhere
> and probably not doing whatever its getting to any good. You never
> gave a dimension on the ponds actual depth.
>
> On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:37:02 +0800, "Wylie Wilde"
> > wrote:
>
>>===<>Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively
>>inexpensive
>>===<>proposition.
>>===<>
>>===<>However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few
>>inches
>>===<>high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with
>>river
>>===<>rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.
>>===<>
>>===<>There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from
>>keeping 80%
>>===<>of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you
>>need to
>>===<>keep pouring it on.
>>===<>
>>===<>Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a
>>comfortable
>>===<>state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to
>>be
>>===<>working and operating even in such circumstances.
>>===<>
>>===<>I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile I
>>thought
>>===<>that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even cheap
>>lemon
>>===<>detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.
>>===<>
>>===<>If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
>>===<>apprecate it.
>>===<>
>>===<>Cheers,
>>===<>
>>===<>Wilde
>>===<>
>
>
> ==============================================
> Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

[jedi]

Are the stones removable? If so, I would take them all out, use a sealer on
the entire pond (silicon in the cracks and seams - the type you would use
for an aquarium), let it cure, put stones back in, fill and let sit, put in
plants, put in goldfish (12" is deep enough for them- you don't care about
the average - you care about the max and how much of that you have - so a
10gallon aquarium is only 12"X8"X8") or other small fish.


"Wylie Wilde" > wrote in message
...
> Hello Roy,
>
> The pond is just a sunked concrete floor in the middle of a big bungalow.
> This is what i Gathered so far from my study of the place. Originally, the
> pond acted as an indoor concrete garden many years ago. The roof was open
> and the area shut off with glass panels, and sliding doors when it rained.
> The plants were placed in pots inside this atrium.
>
> The owner then fitted in a skylight which prevented the rain from coming
in.
>
> Then he dug two drains into the ground and had it elevated so that one
side
> is tilted to allow for the water flow. The side that is lower - houses a
> drain which sits two pumps. Lets call it Position B.
>
> The depth of the pond is an average depth of 5 inches. 12 inches at best
in
> the deeper end. It is also covered with river rocks which so there's not
> much average "swimming space".
>
> I'm not sure where the leak is coming from - and I don't have the money to
> go digging up the concrete flooring.
>
> But at the moment - despite the leak, the water levels remain constant
> enough to enable a water flow and cycle. There is no need to top up the
> water level. But its very low at Position B,
>
> The leak only seems to happen when I try to raise the water level to the 5
> inch mark.
>
> I suspect it comes from the big concrete urn looking thing which is stuck
> near the middle of the pond. Its emplaced into the concrete ground.
>
> As mentioned I don't have the money yet to got digging or drilling into
the
> concrete floor.
>
> I will be hiring a local interior pond technician to check the place out.
> And am saving money for that event.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Wilde.
>
> "~Roy~" > wrote in message
> ...
> > I certainly would not place any detergents, chlorine etc into it as a
> > means of preventing mossies. If it was mine, I would drain it, and
> > clean it thouroughly, find the leak, fix it, and take stock of what is
> > actually in the tank in regards to filter, pump etc. If its in the
> > house and built in the floor, that leaking water is going somewhere
> > and probably not doing whatever its getting to any good. You never
> > gave a dimension on the ponds actual depth.
> >
> > On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:37:02 +0800, "Wylie Wilde"
> > > wrote:
> >
> >>===<>Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively
> >>inexpensive
> >>===<>proposition.
> >>===<>
> >>===<>However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few
> >>inches
> >>===<>high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with
> >>river
> >>===<>rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.
> >>===<>
> >>===<>There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from
> >>keeping 80%
> >>===<>of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you
> >>need to
> >>===<>keep pouring it on.
> >>===<>
> >>===<>Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a
> >>comfortable
> >>===<>state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to
> >>be
> >>===<>working and operating even in such circumstances.
> >>===<>
> >>===<>I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile
I
> >>thought
> >>===<>that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even
cheap
> >>lemon
> >>===<>detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.
> >>===<>
> >>===<>If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
> >>===<>apprecate it.
> >>===<>
> >>===<>Cheers,
> >>===<>
> >>===<>Wilde
> >>===<>
> >
> >
> > ==============================================
> > Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!
>
>

[Derek Broughton]

Reel McKoi wrote:

> "Wylie Wilde" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hello,
>>
>> I just moved into a tropical bungalow which has a shallow indoor pond.
>> Its new but hasn't been used for several years. I switched it on over the
>> weekend and its seems ok. But the water flow is dead slow at the end of
> the
>> pond. And I'm worried about it breeding mossies. there might also be some
>> problem with it. I'm hoping that some of you here who are more
> knowledgable
>> about it can help me and offer some constructive advice.

> It seems too shallow to keep a few fish to control the mossies. However
> you can always try a few rosy reds or even guppies since it's a tropical
> area.
> If that's not what you want then get Mosquito Dunks. They would be the
> least work.

I had an outdoor lotus tub which developed goldfish accidentally (eggs must
have been transferred on plants from the main pond). When I emptied it out
for the winter (the lotus was kept at the bottom of the main pond) I found
a 6", extremely healthy, goldfish, who had lived his whole life in never
more than 3" of water (and often less). So, if he's got 200 sq.ft. of
pond, even just 4-6" deep, I'd say go with goldfish.
--
derek

[Reel McKoi]

"Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
...
> Reel McKoi wrote:
>
> > "Wylie Wilde" > wrote in
message
> > ...
> >> Hello,
> >>
> >> I just moved into a tropical bungalow which has a shallow indoor pond.
> >> Its new but hasn't been used for several years. I switched it on over
the
> >> weekend and its seems ok. But the water flow is dead slow at the end of
> > the
> >> pond. And I'm worried about it breeding mossies. there might also be
some
> >> problem with it. I'm hoping that some of you here who are more
> > knowledgable
> >> about it can help me and offer some constructive advice.
>
> > It seems too shallow to keep a few fish to control the mossies. However
> > you can always try a few rosy reds or even guppies since it's a tropical
> > area.
> > If that's not what you want then get Mosquito Dunks. They would be the
> > least work.
>
> I had an outdoor lotus tub which developed goldfish accidentally (eggs
must
> have been transferred on plants from the main pond). When I emptied it
out
> for the winter (the lotus was kept at the bottom of the main pond) I found
> a 6", extremely healthy, goldfish, who had lived his whole life in never
> more than 3" of water (and often less). So, if he's got 200 sq.ft. of
> pond, even just 4-6" deep, I'd say go with goldfish.
> --
> derek
====================
Fish are a lot prettier than Mosquito dunks. :-) He can give them a try.
If it's well lit pond plants would also do well. Darn! Now I wish I had
something like that to play with....
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
"To persevere in one's duty and
be silent, is the best answer to calumny."
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Derek Broughton]

Reel McKoi wrote:

> Fish are a lot prettier than Mosquito dunks. :-) He can give them a
> try.
> If it's well lit pond plants would also do well. Darn! Now I wish I had
> something like that to play with....

No kidding. 200 sq. ft. of indoor pond, even if it's very shallow, is a
luxury that most of us can't afford - until last fall, I only had 400
sq.ft. of floor space in my whole house. We've tripled that now, but a
14x14 pond is _still_ out of the question (and how would I keep the dogs
out of it, anyway!)
--
derek

[Reel McKoi]

"Derek Broughton" > wrote in message
...
> Reel McKoi wrote:
>
> > Fish are a lot prettier than Mosquito dunks. :-) He can give them a
> > try.
> > If it's well lit pond plants would also do well. Darn! Now I wish I
had
> > something like that to play with....
>
> No kidding. 200 sq. ft. of indoor pond, even if it's very shallow, is a
> luxury that most of us can't afford - until last fall, I only had 400
> sq.ft. of floor space in my whole house. We've tripled that now, but a
> 14x14 pond is _still_ out of the question (and how would I keep the dogs
> out of it, anyway!)
> --
> derek
===============================
I'll have to be happy with my little sunroom oilpan pond until spring. :-)
Hey, it's better than nothing and is indoors.
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
"To persevere in one's duty and
be silent, is the best answer to calumny."
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>