Decomposing leaves

Is it a good or bad idea to let leaves that fall into my pond decompose?
It's a pre-fab pond that holds about 80 gallons (if I remember
correctly) and is 24-30" deep.

If it is a good idea, is there some general rule of thumb as to how deep
to let the layer at the bottom of the pond get before doing some
housecleaning?

I do not currently have any fish in the pond but am considering getting
some.


--

See the changing faces of Michael Jackson!
www.smartassproducts.com/fun.shtml#jacko

"ScrubsFan" wrote in message
ink.net...
Is it a good or bad idea to let leaves that fall into my pond decompose?
It's a pre-fab pond that holds about 80 gallons (if I remember correctly)
and is 24-30" deep.

If it is a good idea, is there some general rule of thumb as to how deep
to let the layer at the bottom of the pond get before doing some
housecleaning?

I do not currently have any fish in the pond but am considering getting
some.


You will never find the kind of fish we put in a ponds living in a natural
80 gal pond. At best youll find a few minnows, rotting leaves at the bottom
will contribute to the pond turning green, and giving that authentic pond
smell. If you just net the leaves out reguarly while they float on the
surface it's much easier.

On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 05:59:17 GMT, "Snooze" wrote:

"ScrubsFan" wrote in message
link.net...
Is it a good or bad idea to let leaves that fall into my pond decompose?
It's a pre-fab pond that holds about 80 gallons (if I remember correctly)
and is 24-30" deep.

If it is a good idea, is there some general rule of thumb as to how deep
to let the layer at the bottom of the pond get before doing some
housecleaning?

I do not currently have any fish in the pond but am considering getting
some.


You will never find the kind of fish we put in a ponds living in a natural
80 gal pond. At best youll find a few minnows, rotting leaves at the bottom
will contribute to the pond turning green, and giving that authentic pond
smell. If you just net the leaves out reguarly while they float on the
surface it's much easier.



Any suggestions for larger ponds? My pond is about 1/4 acre and in the
woods. each year there are a LOT of leaves that fall into it. Some
float off at the overflow but many do not.

In a confined environment like a typical pond its not a good idea to
let any debri collect on the bottom. While it may be fine in a natural
pond it sets up an environment in which many nasties for fish
propagate. Just disturbing them at a later point will release hydrogen
sulphide gasses which are extremely deadly to fish......and gf and koi
will root in this mulm and stir it up, causing blocked filters and
strainers and in general make a mess. Its best to keep it clean of any
debri. A little bit usually does no harm, but a layer of leaves is
not good. You can probably get buy with it if no fish are in this pond
and only plants. I even try and remove as much pinestraw and leaves
from my natural pond as I can as even there you can see bubbles etc
from decomposing matter that builds up. Since you do not have fish in
it now, why not remove the trash and do frequent filter cleanings,
before introducing any fish, and just make future leaf removal a part
of routine maintenance.
On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 02:57:58 GMT, ScrubsFan
wrote:

===Is it a good or bad idea to let leaves that fall into my pond decompose?
=== It's a pre-fab pond that holds about 80 gallons (if I remember
===correctly) and is 24-30" deep.
===
===If it is a good idea, is there some general rule of thumb as to how deep
===to let the layer at the bottom of the pond get before doing some
===housecleaning?
===
===I do not currently have any fish in the pond but am considering getting
===some.


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

If you have a preformed pond that is 2-2.5feet deep it is not likely that it
is 80 gallons unless the shelf makes most of it much less deep than that.
What is the width and length?

"ScrubsFan" wrote in message
ink.net...
Is it a good or bad idea to let leaves that fall into my pond decompose?
It's a pre-fab pond that holds about 80 gallons (if I remember
correctly) and is 24-30" deep.

If it is a good idea, is there some general rule of thumb as to how deep
to let the layer at the bottom of the pond get before doing some
housecleaning?

I do not currently have any fish in the pond but am considering getting
some.


--

See the changing faces of Michael Jackson!
www.smartassproducts.com/fun.shtml#jacko

I Have a 1+ acre natural pond, with lots of oak trees and pine trees,
and a few willows and cypress......Its also 21+ fet deep in the
middle...Other than pulling out limbs etc that are easy to get to I
leave whats in it there. 2 times a year I do a PP treatment and it
cleans up a lot of the decayed matter and does a very respectable job
of housecleaning a pond that would be otherwise next to impossible to
clean up. Since I am retired, I have time on my hands, so a lot of
time i walk around the edges with a long handled skimmer net and
remove floating items.........a little at a time and it all adds up,
along with a PP treatment 2 times a year. You can get by better with
more water volume and a natural bottom with debri (up to a certain
point) than you can with a liner type pond with less water
quanity......


On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:41:17 -0400, "Ridge Roofing, Inc."
wrote:

===On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 05:59:17 GMT, "Snooze" wrote:
===
==="ScrubsFan" wrote in message
.earthlink.net...
=== Is it a good or bad idea to let leaves that fall into my pond decompose?
=== It's a pre-fab pond that holds about 80 gallons (if I remember correctly)
=== and is 24-30" deep.
===
=== If it is a good idea, is there some general rule of thumb as to how deep
=== to let the layer at the bottom of the pond get before doing some
=== housecleaning?
===
=== I do not currently have any fish in the pond but am considering getting
=== some.
===
===
===You will never find the kind of fish we put in a ponds living in a natural
===80 gal pond. At best youll find a few minnows, rotting leaves at the bottom
===will contribute to the pond turning green, and giving that authentic pond
===smell. If you just net the leaves out reguarly while they float on the
===surface it's much easier.
===
===
===
===Any suggestions for larger ponds? My pond is about 1/4 acre and in the
===woods. each year there are a LOT of leaves that fall into it. Some
===float off at the overflow but many do not.


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

dkat wrote:
If you have a preformed pond that is 2-2.5feet deep it is not likely that it
is 80 gallons unless the shelf makes most of it much less deep than that.
What is the width and length?

I don't know its exact dimensions, but it's a freeform shape about 3' at
its widest point and 2' at its narrowest, and probably 4' long. If
you're familiar with Toyota RAV4 SUVs, this will be meaningful: I
brought it home, in its carton, in the back of my RAV4 with the back
door shut. So it really isn't very big!


--

See the changing faces of Michael Jackson!
www.smartassproducts.com/fun.shtml#jacko

What is a PP treatment?


On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 01:26:43 GMT, (~Roy~) wrote:



I Have a 1+ acre natural pond, with lots of oak trees and pine trees,
and a few willows and cypress......Its also 21+ fet deep in the
middle...Other than pulling out limbs etc that are easy to get to I
leave whats in it there. 2 times a year I do a PP treatment and it
cleans up a lot of the decayed matter and does a very respectable job
of housecleaning a pond that would be otherwise next to impossible to
clean up. Since I am retired, I have time on my hands, so a lot of
time i walk around the edges with a long handled skimmer net and
remove floating items.........a little at a time and it all adds up,
along with a PP treatment 2 times a year. You can get by better with
more water volume and a natural bottom with debri (up to a certain
point) than you can with a liner type pond with less water
quanity......


On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:41:17 -0400, "Ridge Roofing, Inc."
wrote:

===On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 05:59:17 GMT, "Snooze" wrote:
===
==="ScrubsFan" wrote in message
s.earthlink.net...
=== Is it a good or bad idea to let leaves that fall into my pond decompose?
=== It's a pre-fab pond that holds about 80 gallons (if I remember correctly)
=== and is 24-30" deep.
===
=== If it is a good idea, is there some general rule of thumb as to how deep
=== to let the layer at the bottom of the pond get before doing some
=== housecleaning?
===
=== I do not currently have any fish in the pond but am considering getting
=== some.
===
===
===You will never find the kind of fish we put in a ponds living in a natural
===80 gal pond. At best youll find a few minnows, rotting leaves at the bottom
===will contribute to the pond turning green, and giving that authentic pond
===smell. If you just net the leaves out reguarly while they float on the
===surface it's much easier.
===
===
===
===Any suggestions for larger ponds? My pond is about 1/4 acre and in the
===woods. each year there are a LOT of leaves that fall into it. Some
===float off at the overflow but many do not.


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

What is a PP treatment?


On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 01:26:43 GMT, (~Roy~) wrote:



I Have a 1+ acre natural pond, with lots of oak trees and pine trees,
and a few willows and cypress......Its also 21+ fet deep in the
middle...Other than pulling out limbs etc that are easy to get to I
leave whats in it there. 2 times a year I do a PP treatment and it
cleans up a lot of the decayed matter and does a very respectable job
of housecleaning a pond that would be otherwise next to impossible to
clean up. Since I am retired, I have time on my hands, so a lot of
time i walk around the edges with a long handled skimmer net and
remove floating items.........a little at a time and it all adds up,
along with a PP treatment 2 times a year. You can get by better with
more water volume and a natural bottom with debri (up to a certain
point) than you can with a liner type pond with less water
quanity......


On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:41:17 -0400, "Ridge Roofing, Inc."
wrote:

===On Fri, 08 Apr 2005 05:59:17 GMT, "Snooze" wrote:
===
==="ScrubsFan" wrote in message
s.earthlink.net...
=== Is it a good or bad idea to let leaves that fall into my pond decompose?
=== It's a pre-fab pond that holds about 80 gallons (if I remember correctly)
=== and is 24-30" deep.
===
=== If it is a good idea, is there some general rule of thumb as to how deep
=== to let the layer at the bottom of the pond get before doing some
=== housecleaning?
===
=== I do not currently have any fish in the pond but am considering getting
=== some.
===
===
===You will never find the kind of fish we put in a ponds living in a natural
===80 gal pond. At best youll find a few minnows, rotting leaves at the bottom
===will contribute to the pond turning green, and giving that authentic pond
===smell. If you just net the leaves out reguarly while they float on the
===surface it's much easier.
===
===
===
===Any suggestions for larger ponds? My pond is about 1/4 acre and in the
===woods. each year there are a LOT of leaves that fall into it. Some
===float off at the overflow but many do not.


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