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#1
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Based on responses from other posters, I guess I may be alone in thinking
that Scooby is describing an *indoor* water feature -- if so, wind would presumably not factor into things, but what happens if there is a disruption in your water source? I have visions of the house burning down when all those pumps get overheated! Just my $.02 worth, Anne Lurie Raleigh, NC "Little Scooby" wrote in message om... I am a pond newbie trying to create my first super pond. It is a very small pond using a preformed liner (Jamaica) http://www.maccourt.com/lp7818.html. I know, I know. It's teensy (100 gallon pond) but I will probably quadruple the size in about 2 years or so if things go as planned. The main purpose of this super mini-pond is to try to create a work of art using water effects. I already have a 55 gallon fish aquarium (stocked with black mollies - balloon and lyretail) in the house, so this super pond project will not have any fish in it. Once again, it will be a pond designed for water effects only (and of course the tranquil sound effects that come with it). I don't know how many users in this forum have fountain effects on their ponds but I'm looking at foam jet fountains (similar to this one: http://www.pondarama.com/Merchant2/m...duct_Code=Sky& Category_Code=NOZ&Product_Count=0 Actually, that was a joke. That one would be cost prohibitive of course (plus it's a geyser, not a foam jet). Here is the real one I want (or one similar): http://www.pondarama.com/Merchant2/m...duct_Code=CalF K9&Category_Code=PFN&Product_Count=18 I think they are kinda neat (they kinda look like freshly opened champagne bottles spraying up a few feet or so). Anyway, most of the foam jet fountains I have read about on the internet top out at about 30 inches in height or so using over 1000 gph pumps. Has anyone successfully made these fountains higher? I've seen some really professional ones that cost over $200 each but I'm not looking to spend that much per fountain. My goal is to try to squeeze 3 foam jet fountains in this tiny 5x4 foot pond (18 inches deep in the center, 9 or 10 inches around the sides). I was thinking of maybe having each fountain at a different height (or just have all 3 at the same height like you sometimes see at Banks, Parks, etc.). I would use a separate pump for each fountain. I don't even know if it will be possible or not. Is there a certain depth required to use these foam jets at certain heights? I don't know how hard the water comes down from them. Could it wreck the bottom of the preformed liner? Also. If a 1000 GPH @ 1 foot pump could get to 30 inches on one of these fountains, about how high would a 3000 or 4000 pump get? I'm looking to set some sort of record here because I'm guessing most pond enthusiasts aren't as interested in water effects as I am but I thought I'd ask anyway. Any answers you might have will be most appreciated. Thanks. One last one. Are there any side effects to having too much circulation? If I ran 3 4000 GPH pumps in a tiny 100 gallon pond, will I end up traveling backwards in time or cause damage to the space/time continuum? Would the pumps hurt each other at those speeds? They would be close to each other as well (within 1 foot of each other). Thanks again. (sorry for the super long post). -Little Scooby |
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"Hank Pagel" wrote in message . ..
Sounds interesting ..................... but ................. the first wind that comes along will empty your 100 gallon pond in seconds. You will find that the higher you go the more effect wind or even algae growing on the nozzle will have on where the water comes down. Trying to keep it in a pond that small will be the problem, also how much of that hundred gallons will be displaced by your pumps or be in the air at the same time. Even small globe fountains can empty a small pond in the wind.(voice of experience with the globe) Good luck, but I think it is back to the drawing board for this one. Good point. I definately haven't thought of that. Is the wind really that powerful that it can blow a huge, heavy stream of water by an entire foot or more? If so, would this piece of art work on calm days under close supervision (i.e. whenever I am out in the yard doing yardwork, entertaining guests on a calm day with no wind, etc.)? or would a tiny little gust of wind throw it all out of the pond? I guess what I'm asking is how many miles per hour does the wind have to be blowing in order for it to be strong enough to blow the jet foam streams of water over a foot or two of distance which would be out of the pond? I'm not sure about how many gallons of water would be in the air at any given time either. I would have to calculate that somehow but I don't know how. It's starting to sound like I might have to limit myself to only 1 or 2 of the foam jet fountains in a little 5x4 foot pond, even then though, the wind may become my worst enemy until I can build a bigger pond. What if I just had 1 foam jet in the center of the pond? Would that work on a windy day? If not, what is the smallest pond I could purchase that could handle the wind problem? If I went with only 1 jet, the wind could blow the foam jet stream 2 feet in 2 directions and 2.5 feet in the other two directions before the water would leave the pond I guess, which leads me to my last question. Say a big 35 mile per hour gust of wind comes by. About how far does it normally blow a 3 or 4 foot high foam jet stream? 2 feet? 4 feet? 6? Anyone ever measure? I'm hoping my project isn't going to become a catastrophe because of this wind issue (Damn Mother Nature!). -Little Scooby |
#3
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![]() Little Scooby wrote: "Hank Pagel" wrote in message . .. Good point. I definately haven't thought of that. Is the wind really that powerful that it can blow a huge, heavy stream of water by an entire foot or more? If so, would this piece of art work on calm days under close supervision (i.e. whenever I am out in the yard doing yardwork, entertaining guests on a calm day with no wind, etc.)? or would a tiny little gust of wind throw it all out of the pond? when wind gets 10 mph it starts drifting the water colums on my TT's to where most of the water falls to the side so thats about 18 -24 inches here we get 20-30 mph winds quite often those push the taller column (the 2ft one) 10-12 ft to the side mind you I am out in the open no buildings around at all in a city i think it wouldnt happen too often John Rutz Z5 New Mexico never miss a good oportunity to shut up see my pond at: http://www.fuerjefe.com |
#4
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Pardon the pun, but I think we have a pipe dream here.
Simple math ..... three 3000gph pumps ...... less than 100 gal. of water .... that's one complete turnover every 30 seconds. Simple hydraulics ..... Too much turbulence. Pumps would cavitate. Water could not return to the pumps fast enough. Have you ever watered your lawn or washed your car on a windy day? You get as wet as the car. Like the song says "Don't tug on superman's cape or spit into the wind!" Try using a garden hose to simulate the effect you want. I think you will find it much less than 3000gph. (IMO) Time your garden hose into a 5 gal. bucket ......... See how far you get in 30 sec. "Little Scooby" wrote in message om... "Anne Lurie" wrote in message .com... Based on responses from other posters, I guess I may be alone in thinking that Scooby is describing an *indoor* water feature -- if so, wind would presumably not factor into things, but what happens if there is a disruption in your water source? I have visions of the house burning down when all those pumps get overheated! Just my $.02 worth, Anne Lurie Raleigh, NC Unfortunately, it is in my nature to defy the odds so I have to make this an outdoor feature versus an indoor one, somehow there must be a way (perhaps upgrading to a slightly bigger pond immediately if needed (but only as big as needed to adjust for the wind blowing which is why I need to find out about how far the wind would blow the jet streams (perhaps if I also trim the height of the jet streams down to lower levels). I'm curious though, if this were to be an indoor pond, what do you mean by disruption in my water source? Do you mean if I left the feature unattended for weeks and all the water evaporated or something? Or if the preformed liner cracked and all the water leaked out? A feature like this would require daily attention and I never go on vacations and if I did, I would unplug the pumps first. I'm confused. How would the pumps possibly burn out because I would never let the water level get to even a slightly dangerous low level (I have a 55 gallon aquarium that I fill with water every couple of days just because I don't like to see the water level dip more than an inch in the aquarium. Plus, don't these pumps have safety mechanisms built in that would prevent them from starting on fire? Especially the nice Cal-pumps, etc? I would only use a top of the line but resonably priced pump. Although, even if they didn't start on fire, smoke damage could be just as bad so I would hope they would just shut off after so many minutes of no water in them (or is this totally off base?). I've never let a pump run dry on any of my indoor fountains (tabletop versions) so I don't know what would happen to them, let alone a 3000 or 4000 GPH pump. -Little Scooby |
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Little Scooby wrote:
... Is the wind really that powerful that it can blow a huge, heavy stream of water by an entire foot or more? In reading your questions and the responses, I would suggest solving the wind problem first. Check with local weather stations / forecasters / online to determine range of wind speeds. Limit wind variables by screening, walls, location, location, location, of your water feature. Limit wind variables by using fountain only when supervised. Connect water feature to wind sensor to shut off if wind speed exceeds a specific point. Then design your water feature with whatever pump / basin / amount of water will work for your area / location. Sounds like a fun project -- keep us posted. -- Kathy B, zookeeper 3500gal pond, 13 pond piggies Oregon, Zone 6 |
#6
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![]() "John Rutz" wrote in message ... Little Scooby wrote: "Hank Pagel" wrote in message . .. when wind gets 10 mph it starts drifting the water colums on my TT's to where most of the water falls to the side so thats about 18 -24 inches here we get 20-30 mph winds quite often those push the taller column (the 2ft one) 10-12 ft to the side mind you I am out in the open no buildings around at all in a city i think it wouldnt happen too often John Rutz Z5 New Mexico never miss a good oportunity to shut up see my pond at: http://www.fuerjefe.com Thanks. That gives me something to start with. What a difference an extra 15 MPH wind gust makes! And that's only a 2 foot column? I'm hoping for 3 to 5 foot lighter foam jets. Hmm. Hope that high wind sensor shutoff unit has a quick response time. http://www.smarthome.com/7196.html Thanks for the info. I can't wait to start experimenting. I live in a rural area with high winds so a unit similar to the one above will be a necessity for this to work. -Little Scooby |
#7
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![]() If the response time of a unit similar to this one is quick enough, wind will not be a problem for this project: http://www.smarthome.com/7196.html "Hank Pagel" wrote in message ... Sounds interesting ..................... but ................. the first wind that comes along will empty your 100 gallon pond in seconds. You will find that the higher you go the more effect wind or even algae growing on the nozzle will have on where the water comes down. Trying to keep it in a pond that small will be the problem, also how much of that hundred gallons will be displaced by your pumps or be in the air at the same time. Even small globe fountains can empty a small pond in the wind.(voice of experience with the globe) Good luck, but I think it is back to the drawing board for this one. "Little Scooby" wrote in message om... I am a pond newbie trying to create my first super pond. It is a very small pond using a preformed liner (Jamaica) http://www.maccourt.com/lp7818.html. I know, I know. It's teensy (100 gallon pond) but I will probably quadruple the size in about 2 years or so if things go as planned. The main purpose of this super mini-pond is to try to create a work of art using water effects. I already have a 55 gallon fish aquarium (stocked with black mollies - balloon and lyretail) in the house, so this super pond project will not have any fish in it. Once again, it will be a pond designed for water effects only (and of course the tranquil sound effects that come with it). I don't know how many users in this forum have fountain effects on their ponds but I'm looking at foam jet fountains (similar to this one: http://www.pondarama.com/Merchant2/m...duct_Code=Sky& Category_Code=NOZ&Product_Count=0 Actually, that was a joke. That one would be cost prohibitive of course (plus it's a geyser, not a foam jet). Here is the real one I want (or one similar): http://www.pondarama.com/Merchant2/m...duct_Code=CalF K9&Category_Code=PFN&Product_Count=18 I think they are kinda neat (they kinda look like freshly opened champagne bottles spraying up a few feet or so). Anyway, most of the foam jet fountains I have read about on the internet top out at about 30 inches in height or so using over 1000 gph pumps. Has anyone successfully made these fountains higher? I've seen some really professional ones that cost over $200 each but I'm not looking to spend that much per fountain. My goal is to try to squeeze 3 foam jet fountains in this tiny 5x4 foot pond (18 inches deep in the center, 9 or 10 inches around the sides). I was thinking of maybe having each fountain at a different height (or just have all 3 at the same height like you sometimes see at Banks, Parks, etc.). I would use a separate pump for each fountain. I don't even know if it will be possible or not. Is there a certain depth required to use these foam jets at certain heights? I don't know how hard the water comes down from them. Could it wreck the bottom of the preformed liner? Also. If a 1000 GPH @ 1 foot pump could get to 30 inches on one of these fountains, about how high would a 3000 or 4000 pump get? I'm looking to set some sort of record here because I'm guessing most pond enthusiasts aren't as interested in water effects as I am but I thought I'd ask anyway. Any answers you might have will be most appreciated. Thanks. One last one. Are there any side effects to having too much circulation? If I ran 3 4000 GPH pumps in a tiny 100 gallon pond, will I end up traveling backwards in time or cause damage to the space/time continuum? Would the pumps hurt each other at those speeds? They would be close to each other as well (within 1 foot of each other). Thanks again. (sorry for the super long post). -Little Scooby |
#8
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Don't get me wrong? I like the idea. Especially at night with the
right lighting, but (here I go being negative again) IMO I think that the surface area of that pond is too small and that 100 gal. is not enough water to achieve the effect you are looking for. The water needs a larger surface area to return or you will end up with a high-tech very costly lawn sprinkler. I really am interested in how this turns out, but, but, but, but, but, (Just my nature I guess) "Buckaroo" wrote in message ... No pipe dream here. I think this piece of artwork is achievable with the right equipment/circumstances - run only on supervised calmer days, winds less than 5-10 MPH, high wind detection auto shutoff sensor unit (cheap probably under $100), slower pumps (under 1000 GPH), etc. It's just a matter of tweaking each variable to the perfect notch. It's like fine tuning your home network or tweaking your cars computer module with a superchip upgrade for maximum performance. http://www.kap.uk.com/superchips.htm#superchip%201 (sorry for the lame UK link). Anyway, I was kinda thinking that three 3000 GPH pumps would not get along together in such a small area (hence the reference to the space time/continuum in my previous post). I guess my questions need to be separated a bit. Out of curiousities sake, I was wondering how high a 3000 or 4000 GPH pump could make a foam jet. John R said he's gotten his standard fountains to be over 2 feet high with a 2400 GPH pump. The thing is that I'm thinking his fountains are more of the solid water stream type whereas the foam jets are fused with air bubbles so the streams should theoretically be lighter since they are part water and part oxygen not just all heavy water. So, let's say I went down to three 1000 GPH pumps. The specs for the foam jets say that with a 1000 GPH pump, you can expect the height of the foam jet to be 30 inches. That's pretty close to 3 feet. The circulation would be at an acceptable level with only 1000 GPH pumps, and yes, the pond would possibly start to resemble a whirlpool of sorts but that doesn't matter since nothing living will be in it and the main goal is the 3 high spouting foam jet fountains. Avoiding the wind sounds like the biggest obstacle, but it sounds like this little gem: http://www.smarthome.com/7196.html (or a competing product like it -hopefully smaller, maybe painted black or green to blend in with the surrounding environment- would do the trick) and it only costs $69. I dunno. I think it might just be possible, but yes, it would be one touchy son of a bitch water display with the patience of a madman to make it all work perfectly. What are your thoughts about it working with 1000 GPH pumps instead of 3000's? Do-able or still impossible? -Little Scooby "Hank Pagel" wrote in message .. . Pardon the pun, but I think we have a pipe dream here. Simple math ..... three 3000gph pumps ...... less than 100 gal. of water .... that's one complete turnover every 30 seconds. Simple hydraulics ..... Too much turbulence. Pumps would cavitate. Water could not return to the pumps fast enough. Have you ever watered your lawn or washed your car on a windy day? You get as wet as the car. Like the song says "Don't tug on superman's cape or spit into the wind!" Try using a garden hose to simulate the effect you want. I think you will find it much less than 3000gph. (IMO) Time your garden hose into a 5 gal. bucket ......... See how far you get in 30 sec. "Little Scooby" wrote in message om... "Anne Lurie" wrote in message .com... Based on responses from other posters, I guess I may be alone in thinking that Scooby is describing an *indoor* water feature -- if so, wind would presumably not factor into things, but what happens if there is a disruption in your water source? I have visions of the house burning down when all those pumps get overheated! Just my $.02 worth, Anne Lurie Raleigh, NC Unfortunately, it is in my nature to defy the odds so I have to make this an outdoor feature versus an indoor one, somehow there must be a way (perhaps upgrading to a slightly bigger pond immediately if needed (but only as big as needed to adjust for the wind blowing which is why I need to find out about how far the wind would blow the jet streams (perhaps if I also trim the height of the jet streams down to lower levels). I'm curious though, if this were to be an indoor pond, what do you mean by disruption in my water source? Do you mean if I left the feature unattended for weeks and all the water evaporated or something? Or if the preformed liner cracked and all the water leaked out? A feature like this would require daily attention and I never go on vacations and if I did, I would unplug the pumps first. I'm confused. How would the pumps possibly burn out because I would never let the water level get to even a slightly dangerous low level (I have a 55 gallon aquarium that I fill with water every couple of days just because I don't like to see the water level dip more than an inch in the aquarium. Plus, don't these pumps have safety mechanisms built in that would prevent them from starting on fire? Especially the nice Cal-pumps, etc? I would only use a top of the line but resonably priced pump. Although, even if they didn't start on fire, smoke damage could be just as bad so I would hope they would just shut off after so many minutes of no water in them (or is this totally off base?). I've never let a pump run dry on any of my indoor fountains (tabletop versions) so I don't know what would happen to them, let alone a 3000 or 4000 GPH pump. -Little Scooby |
#9
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I'm thinking it is going to be very very close to very very very very close
if it works. I always have the option to upgrade the pond size as the final tweak but I want to save that option as the last resort option. If it works and looks good under the right conditions in such a tiny pond, it will definately make me want to upgrade the size of the pond sooner than later but after digging 100 gallons of hard clay and dirt all last weekend with a Garden Claw and a shovel by myself when it was 90 degrees outside, I don't want to touch another shovel for a while (didn't seem right to rent a small Bobcat or excavator device for what at the time seemed like a puny 100 gallons) and I haven't looked into how much it would cost to hire someone to dig out another 100 to 200 gallons of earth (if anyone knows the cost, please tell me), plus, I want to see if I can defy the odds by getting it not only to fit in the tiny pond I have selected, but to have it look really nice as well. Plus, this particular pond has the perfect shape for the area I have selected in the yard (considering there aren't very many good designs for preformed ponds - in my opinion). I don't want it to look overcrowded either though, but since I have mastered the art of making small rooms inside the house look huge, I should be able to mask the fact that this pond is tiny and still have it all look perfect. When you mention that the surface area of the pond is too small, what exactly do you mean? Do you mean that with slight winds, the jets would blow the water the couple feet out of the pond or that the jets require a larger surface to land the water safely under calm to zero wind conditions? The reason I ask is because besides the looks, the other reason I'm going with the foam jets is because they have very small diameters when they come down (compared to other fountains like the 3 tier sprinkles, etc.) The diameter of space the jets need is very very small. I'll just have to wait and see how it turns out I guess. Who knows. In 1 week I could be digging again, but I hope not... -Little Scooby "Hank Pagel" wrote in message .. . Don't get me wrong? I like the idea. Especially at night with the right lighting, but (here I go being negative again) IMO I think that the surface area of that pond is too small and that 100 gal. is not enough water to achieve the effect you are looking for. The water needs a larger surface area to return or you will end up with a high-tech very costly lawn sprinkler. I really am interested in how this turns out, but, but, but, but, but, (Just my nature I guess) "Buckaroo" wrote in message ... No pipe dream here. I think this piece of artwork is achievable with the right equipment/circumstances - run only on supervised calmer days, winds less than 5-10 MPH, high wind detection auto shutoff sensor unit (cheap probably under $100), slower pumps (under 1000 GPH), etc. It's just a matter of tweaking each variable to the perfect notch. It's like fine tuning your home network or tweaking your cars computer module with a superchip upgrade for maximum performance. http://www.kap.uk.com/superchips.htm#superchip%201 (sorry for the lame UK link). Anyway, I was kinda thinking that three 3000 GPH pumps would not get along together in such a small area (hence the reference to the space time/continuum in my previous post). I guess my questions need to be separated a bit. Out of curiousities sake, I was wondering how high a 3000 or 4000 GPH pump could make a foam jet. John R said he's gotten his standard fountains to be over 2 feet high with a 2400 GPH pump. The thing is that I'm thinking his fountains are more of the solid water stream type whereas the foam jets are fused with air bubbles so the streams should theoretically be lighter since they are part water and part oxygen not just all heavy water. So, let's say I went down to three 1000 GPH pumps. The specs for the foam jets say that with a 1000 GPH pump, you can expect the height of the foam jet to be 30 inches. That's pretty close to 3 feet. The circulation would be at an acceptable level with only 1000 GPH pumps, and yes, the pond would possibly start to resemble a whirlpool of sorts but that doesn't matter since nothing living will be in it and the main goal is the 3 high spouting foam jet fountains. Avoiding the wind sounds like the biggest obstacle, but it sounds like this little gem: http://www.smarthome.com/7196.html (or a competing product like it -hopefully smaller, maybe painted black or green to blend in with the surrounding environment- would do the trick) and it only costs $69. I dunno. I think it might just be possible, but yes, it would be one touchy son of a bitch water display with the patience of a madman to make it all work perfectly. What are your thoughts about it working with 1000 GPH pumps instead of 3000's? Do-able or still impossible? -Little Scooby "Hank Pagel" wrote in message .. . Pardon the pun, but I think we have a pipe dream here. Simple math ..... three 3000gph pumps ...... less than 100 gal. of water .... that's one complete turnover every 30 seconds. Simple hydraulics ..... Too much turbulence. Pumps would cavitate. Water could not return to the pumps fast enough. Have you ever watered your lawn or washed your car on a windy day? You get as wet as the car. Like the song says "Don't tug on superman's cape or spit into the wind!" Try using a garden hose to simulate the effect you want. I think you will find it much less than 3000gph. (IMO) Time your garden hose into a 5 gal. bucket ......... See how far you get in 30 sec. "Little Scooby" wrote in message om... "Anne Lurie" wrote in message .com... Based on responses from other posters, I guess I may be alone in thinking that Scooby is describing an *indoor* water feature -- if so, wind would presumably not factor into things, but what happens if there is a disruption in your water source? I have visions of the house burning down when all those pumps get overheated! Just my $.02 worth, Anne Lurie Raleigh, NC Unfortunately, it is in my nature to defy the odds so I have to make this an outdoor feature versus an indoor one, somehow there must be a way (perhaps upgrading to a slightly bigger pond immediately if needed (but only as big as needed to adjust for the wind blowing which is why I need to find out about how far the wind would blow the jet streams (perhaps if I also trim the height of the jet streams down to lower levels). I'm curious though, if this were to be an indoor pond, what do you mean by disruption in my water source? Do you mean if I left the feature unattended for weeks and all the water evaporated or something? Or if the preformed liner cracked and all the water leaked out? A feature like this would require daily attention and I never go on vacations and if I did, I would unplug the pumps first. I'm confused. How would the pumps possibly burn out because I would never let the water level get to even a slightly dangerous low level (I have a 55 gallon aquarium that I fill with water every couple of days just because I don't like to see the water level dip more than an inch in the aquarium. Plus, don't these pumps have safety mechanisms built in that would prevent them from starting on fire? Especially the nice Cal-pumps, etc? I would only use a top of the line but resonably priced pump. Although, even if they didn't start on fire, smoke damage could be just as bad so I would hope they would just shut off after so many minutes of no water in them (or is this totally off base?). I've never let a pump run dry on any of my indoor fountains (tabletop versions) so I don't know what would happen to them, let alone a 3000 or 4000 GPH pump. -Little Scooby |
#10
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I say, "Go for it." When you figure it all out, let us know worked, and
pictures please. ~ jan On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 19:54:25 -0500, "Little Sccoby" wrote: I'm thinking it is going to be very very close to very very very very close if it works. I always have the option to upgrade the pond size as the final tweak but I want to save that option as the last resort option. snip I'll just have to wait and see how it turns out I guess. Who knows. In 1 week I could be digging again, but I hope not... -Little Scooby See my ponds and filter design: http://users.owt.com/jjspond/ ~Keep 'em Wet!~ Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a To e-mail see website |
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Fish pond water kills all fish within 24 hours. | Timothy Tom | Goldfish | 61 | August 20th 03 07:50 AM |