stupd pond cleaning questions

Okay, since it's that time of year here in Atlanta, I'll be one of the first
with the newbie pond cleaning questions. (And if there's a website or FAQ
site that I should be going to for this info, let me know!) My main reason
for cleaning is that the stones that were lining the sides of my pond have
slipped into the bottom of the pond. I know most of the instructions--use a
shop-vac, calculate gallons and add declor, take out the fish, etc., but
still have a few questions:

One: What do you do with all the water from the pond; i.e., will the ground
soak up most of it, or do I have to divert it somewhere? I don't have a
huge yard and it's sloped, so the only option is the ground or onto the
street, I think.

Two: Should I save some of the water to put back in the pond?

Three: I know I get all the gunk off the bottom, but I assume I leave the
good algae on the sides of the pond intact? And do I need to scrub the
rocks that fell down to the bottom, or is a good spraying with water enough?

Thanks for your answers; I'm probably making this much more complicated than
it has to be :-)
Kirsten

I must be really stupid, because I can't even spell it!
Kirsten
"k conover" wrote in message
...
Okay, since it's that time of year here in Atlanta, I'll be one of the
first
with the newbie pond cleaning questions. (And if there's a website or
FAQ
site that I should be going to for this info, let me know!) My main
reason
for cleaning is that the stones that were lining the sides of my pond have
slipped into the bottom of the pond. I know most of the instructions--use
a
shop-vac, calculate gallons and add declor, take out the fish, etc., but
still have a few questions:

One: What do you do with all the water from the pond; i.e., will the
ground
soak up most of it, or do I have to divert it somewhere? I don't have a
huge yard and it's sloped, so the only option is the ground or onto the
street, I think.

Two: Should I save some of the water to put back in the pond?

Three: I know I get all the gunk off the bottom, but I assume I leave the
good algae on the sides of the pond intact? And do I need to scrub the
rocks that fell down to the bottom, or is a good spraying with water
enough?

Thanks for your answers; I'm probably making this much more complicated
than
it has to be :-)
Kirsten

I must be really stupid, because I can't even spell it!
Kirsten
"k conover" wrote in message
...
Okay, since it's that time of year here in Atlanta, I'll be one of the
first
with the newbie pond cleaning questions. (And if there's a website or
FAQ
site that I should be going to for this info, let me know!) My main
reason
for cleaning is that the stones that were lining the sides of my pond have
slipped into the bottom of the pond. I know most of the instructions--use
a
shop-vac, calculate gallons and add declor, take out the fish, etc., but
still have a few questions:

One: What do you do with all the water from the pond; i.e., will the
ground
soak up most of it, or do I have to divert it somewhere? I don't have a
huge yard and it's sloped, so the only option is the ground or onto the
street, I think.

Two: Should I save some of the water to put back in the pond?

Three: I know I get all the gunk off the bottom, but I assume I leave the
good algae on the sides of the pond intact? And do I need to scrub the
rocks that fell down to the bottom, or is a good spraying with water
enough?

Thanks for your answers; I'm probably making this much more complicated
than
it has to be :-)
Kirsten

"k conover" wrote in message
...
Okay, since it's that time of year here in Atlanta, I'll be one of the
first
with the newbie pond cleaning questions. (And if there's a website or
FAQ
site that I should be going to for this info, let me know!) My main
reason
for cleaning is that the stones that were lining the sides of my pond have
slipped into the bottom of the pond. I know most of the instructions--use
a
shop-vac, calculate gallons and add declor, take out the fish, etc., but
still have a few questions:
snip

KC,

No stupid questions. Nothing is obvious until it is pointed out to you.
So...

IMHO, draining the pond to clean is a naughty idea. I intend to never do so,
unless 1) I have a major disease that kills everything, at which time a
drain and clean may be the safest idea, or 2) I have a major tear that
requires re-lining the pond. Your pond is an ecosystem. Cleaning it out can
harm the ecosystem. Certainly you want to remove the mulm and other debris
from the pond, but why drain the water to do so? Scoop it out. Use a shop
vac, but you don't need to drain the pond fully to do so. And don't be
concerned if your pond always as a slight layer of goo on it. That's
natural.

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

On Mon, 5 Apr 2004 11:27:30 -0400, "Benign Vanilla"
wrote:

snip
Your pond is an ecosystem. Cleaning it out can
harm the ecosystem.
snip

LOL!

I live a few miles south of Atlanta, and between the pine pollen and
the lack of plants in my newish pond, it looks more like a vat of
green paint than any sort of ecosystem!

I'm anxious for warmer weather so the plants can start growing. Dumped
a half-dozen water hyacinths in there Saturday, but temps have been
hovering in the 40-50's so they aren't interested in doing anything
right now, I think.

Busily making a milk-crate filter today to see if it can help at all.
http://www.mvwgs.org/filter.htm

The way things look right now I figure I'll need to clean it at least
once a day for a while...


Mike Patterson
Please remove the spamtrap to email me.

"Mike Patterson" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 5 Apr 2004 11:27:30 -0400, "Benign Vanilla"
wrote:

I live a few miles south of Atlanta, and between the pine pollen and
the lack of plants in my newish pond, it looks more like a vat of
green paint than any sort of ecosystem!

I'm anxious for warmer weather so the plants can start growing. Dumped
a half-dozen water hyacinths in there Saturday, but temps have been
hovering in the 40-50's so they aren't interested in doing anything
right now, I think.

Busily making a milk-crate filter today to see if it can help at all.
http://www.mvwgs.org/filter.htm

The way things look right now I figure I'll need to clean it at least
once a day for a while...


A filter with lava rocks? Even a milk crate sized filter can be pretty
heavy, especially when you're leaning into a drum, or the pond to pick it
up. Fill the milk crate with something light and easy to clean, I personally
use cheap scouring pads, that I got from a restaurant supply store.

To clean them all I have to do use spray them with the garden hose.

Sameer

"Mike Patterson" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 5 Apr 2004 11:27:30 -0400, "Benign Vanilla"
wrote:

I live a few miles south of Atlanta, and between the pine pollen and
the lack of plants in my newish pond, it looks more like a vat of
green paint than any sort of ecosystem!

I'm anxious for warmer weather so the plants can start growing. Dumped
a half-dozen water hyacinths in there Saturday, but temps have been
hovering in the 40-50's so they aren't interested in doing anything
right now, I think.

Busily making a milk-crate filter today to see if it can help at all.
http://www.mvwgs.org/filter.htm

The way things look right now I figure I'll need to clean it at least
once a day for a while...


A filter with lava rocks? Even a milk crate sized filter can be pretty
heavy, especially when you're leaning into a drum, or the pond to pick it
up. Fill the milk crate with something light and easy to clean, I personally
use cheap scouring pads, that I got from a restaurant supply store.

To clean them all I have to do use spray them with the garden hose.

Sameer

On Mon, 5 Apr 2004 11:27:30 -0400, "Benign Vanilla"
wrote:

snip
Your pond is an ecosystem. Cleaning it out can
harm the ecosystem.
snip

LOL!

I live a few miles south of Atlanta, and between the pine pollen and
the lack of plants in my newish pond, it looks more like a vat of
green paint than any sort of ecosystem!

I'm anxious for warmer weather so the plants can start growing. Dumped
a half-dozen water hyacinths in there Saturday, but temps have been
hovering in the 40-50's so they aren't interested in doing anything
right now, I think.

Busily making a milk-crate filter today to see if it can help at all.
http://www.mvwgs.org/filter.htm

The way things look right now I figure I'll need to clean it at least
once a day for a while...


Mike Patterson
Please remove the spamtrap to email me.

"k conover" wrote in message
...
Okay, since it's that time of year here in Atlanta, I'll be one of the
first
with the newbie pond cleaning questions. (And if there's a website or
FAQ
site that I should be going to for this info, let me know!) My main
reason
for cleaning is that the stones that were lining the sides of my pond have
slipped into the bottom of the pond. I know most of the instructions--use
a
shop-vac, calculate gallons and add declor, take out the fish, etc., but
still have a few questions:
snip

KC,

No stupid questions. Nothing is obvious until it is pointed out to you.
So...

IMHO, draining the pond to clean is a naughty idea. I intend to never do so,
unless 1) I have a major disease that kills everything, at which time a
drain and clean may be the safest idea, or 2) I have a major tear that
requires re-lining the pond. Your pond is an ecosystem. Cleaning it out can
harm the ecosystem. Certainly you want to remove the mulm and other debris
from the pond, but why drain the water to do so? Scoop it out. Use a shop
vac, but you don't need to drain the pond fully to do so. And don't be
concerned if your pond always as a slight layer of goo on it. That's
natural.

--
BV.
www.iheartmypond.com

ok.. here is what the pros did to clean my 2 big UNNETTED ponds at my mothers.
1. they had a couple really large metal troughs. they filled this with pond water.
(suggestion for doityourselfers, get a cheap kiddie pool holds 600-800 gallons.)
2. they got 2 huge pumps with large diameter hose on them and started sucking the
water out. (get large diameter hoses and learn how to get the siphon going)
3. when the fish were nearly flopping on the bottom they netted everything
(including the tadpoles) out and into the big troughs and then put styro over the top
to shade and quiet the fish.
4. they "washed" the plants down with the pond water and removed them from the pond.

5. When the pumps were getting gunked up too fast the have these smooth plastic snow
shovels and they shoveled the muck into buckets .. 1 up to take the buckets and dump
them, the other in the hole to fill em. they use a broom to move the gunk to the low
point. they broomed the sides but didnt scrape them. At the end they used very
little fresh water to wash the sides of the pond down.
6. they start filling the pond and then put the fish in and pump the water from the
troughs back into the pond and they were done.
Ingrid



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