Need Expert Advice

I know enough about outdoor fish ponds to be "dangerous". I built three
small ones on my property when I lived in Florida for over 25 years. Now I
am back in New Jersey and I think some of the rules have changed --- not the
least of which is the weather. So here are my brief questions:

1) Some pond suppliers have said I only need go as deep as 18-24 inches for
fish to survive the winter (goldfish and koi --- noting exotic for me). The
pond will only be about 7' x 7'.

2) I never needed a UV filter in Coral Gables but I am seeing that almost
everyone recommends them here. Do I also opt for a pre-filter.

3) In Florida I used the standard 40 mil liner ... should I spring for the
60 mil for added peace of mind?

4) Aside from raccoons (I covered my pond at night --- the only way I could
beat 'em), I never found an adequate way to control frog breeding (tadpoles)
or mosquito larvae. My cichlid pond never had a problem --- it was "snack
food" for them; but my koi and goldfish never quite kept those pests from
intruding all the time. Any ideas?

Thanking you all in advance --- I expect to be a frequent visitor here ---
the threads are very informative.

Norm

Hi Norm,
Welcome back North!

1) Not an expert here but I would change some of the things the suppliers
told
you to do. I would dig down about 3 feet. Yep - 3 feet. In fact that
would
be a minimum. My LFS told me the same thing.... I'm in Missouri and she
said 18 - 24 inches would be fine. I didn't listen - instead I dug down 3
feet.
Am glad I did - now the Koi are large and really need the space for
swimming.

2) I don't have a UV. I waited out the green water until the pond balanced
on its
own. Your choice here.

3) I would suggest you go for the 60 mil liner. The guy who put in mine
used
roofing liner. Never have had a problem.

I don't know about keeping out the frogs and such. My koi and goldies keep
the mosquitos in check.... You can always throw in a Mosquito Dunk for
extra
care.

Good Luck!

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"Norm" wrote in message
...
I know enough about outdoor fish ponds to be "dangerous". I built three
small ones on my property when I lived in Florida for over 25 years. Now
I
am back in New Jersey and I think some of the rules have changed --- not
the
least of which is the weather. So here are my brief questions:

1) Some pond suppliers have said I only need go as deep as 18-24 inches
for
fish to survive the winter (goldfish and koi --- noting exotic for me).
The
pond will only be about 7' x 7'.

2) I never needed a UV filter in Coral Gables but I am seeing that almost
everyone recommends them here. Do I also opt for a pre-filter.

3) In Florida I used the standard 40 mil liner ... should I spring for the
60 mil for added peace of mind?

4) Aside from raccoons (I covered my pond at night --- the only way I
could
beat 'em), I never found an adequate way to control frog breeding
(tadpoles)
or mosquito larvae. My cichlid pond never had a problem --- it was "snack
food" for them; but my koi and goldfish never quite kept those pests from
intruding all the time. Any ideas?

Thanking you all in advance --- I expect to be a frequent visitor here ---
the threads are very informative.

Norm

Norm, A correction on the liner.
My guy used 45 mil EPDM..... instead of 60 mil.

Nedra
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"Norm" wrote in message
...
I know enough about outdoor fish ponds to be "dangerous". I built three
small ones on my property when I lived in Florida for over 25 years. Now
I
am back in New Jersey and I think some of the rules have changed --- not
the
least of which is the weather. So here are my brief questions:

1) Some pond suppliers have said I only need go as deep as 18-24 inches
for
fish to survive the winter (goldfish and koi --- noting exotic for me).
The
pond will only be about 7' x 7'.

2) I never needed a UV filter in Coral Gables but I am seeing that almost
everyone recommends them here. Do I also opt for a pre-filter.

3) In Florida I used the standard 40 mil liner ... should I spring for the
60 mil for added peace of mind?

4) Aside from raccoons (I covered my pond at night --- the only way I
could
beat 'em), I never found an adequate way to control frog breeding
(tadpoles)
or mosquito larvae. My cichlid pond never had a problem --- it was "snack
food" for them; but my koi and goldfish never quite kept those pests from
intruding all the time. Any ideas?

Thanking you all in advance --- I expect to be a frequent visitor here ---
the threads are very informative.

Norm

Norm wrote:
I know enough about outdoor fish ponds to be "dangerous". I built three
small ones on my property when I lived in Florida for over 25 years. Now I
am back in New Jersey and I think some of the rules have changed --- not the
least of which is the weather. So here are my brief questions:

1) Some pond suppliers have said I only need go as deep as 18-24 inches for
fish to survive the winter (goldfish and koi --- noting exotic for me). The
pond will only be about 7' x 7'.

2) I never needed a UV filter in Coral Gables but I am seeing that almost
everyone recommends them here. Do I also opt for a pre-filter.

3) In Florida I used the standard 40 mil liner ... should I spring for the
60 mil for added peace of mind?

4) Aside from raccoons (I covered my pond at night --- the only way I could
beat 'em), I never found an adequate way to control frog breeding (tadpoles)
or mosquito larvae. My cichlid pond never had a problem --- it was "snack
food" for them; but my koi and goldfish never quite kept those pests from
intruding all the time. Any ideas?

Thanking you all in advance --- I expect to be a frequent visitor here ---
the threads are very informative.

Norm



Hi Norm,
You don't mention what part of Jersey you're in, but fish
can and do survive in my 2' pond very well. I'm in NW NJ -
Warren Co. But I dug a deeper koi pond.
I've never needed a UV and don't intend to get one. My
goldfish pond is 60ml, I wouldn't do that again. Way to
heavy and Ken at Kenco sells a much better product (I just
can't think of the name). It's stiff (foldable) and very
light weight so it's cheaper to ship.
I haven't had any problems with raccoons but I have had a
few herons visit.
--
Bonnie
NJ
http://home.earthlink.net/~maebe43/

Koi and goldfish should keep mosquito larvae in check as the larvae must stay
at the top of the water and are easy pickings. Why they are so bad in temporary
ponds due to heavy rainfall, no fish to eat them.
But a Mosquito Dunk would be extra protection.

Frogs. Short of netting the pond securely you aren't going to keep most frogs
out. Some smaller species will not want to risk a pond with large fish but
reproduction drives are strong. Other frogs have no trouble.

Fish will eat a lot of the eggs and some of the tadpoles, much of it depends on
how much food comes from the pond keeper.
Toad eggs and toad tadpoles have a better chance of survival as they taste a
bit nasty like their parents. But again each pond and population of fish is
different.

You can keep some of the traffic down by netting up the frog/toad spawn and
transporting it to a nearby natural body of water.
You can try and catch the canoodling couples by spotlighting them at night and
using a sport fishing net to catch them. Cart them off too.


kathy :-)
algae primer
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html

In article , Bonnie
writes:

Ken at Kenco sells a much better product (I just
can't think of the name). It's stiff (foldable) and very
light weight so it's cheaper to ship.

it's permalon and that's what my pond is lined with. the only thing I noticed
about the permalon is it took the algae way longer to form on the sides, but
not that it's there the pond cleared on its own with out a UV.

Karen
Zone 5
Ashland, OH
http://hometown.aol.com/kmam1/MyPond/MyPond.html
My Art Studio at
http://members.aol.com/kmmstudios/K....M.Studios.html
for email remove the extra extention