Few odd Questions Any help appreciated (pond/water couorse building/sturgeon) (UK)

I *think* that the answer to the burning question "what (who?) exactly is
PORG, anyhoo?" may be found in the FAQ for this inestimable* newsgroup:
http://www.geocities.com/justinm090/faq.html

* It's a compliment!

Anne Lurie
Raleigh, NC

"Newbie Bill" wrote

[snipped]

ps Inquiring minds have wondered what this secret handshake porgies thing
is

"The secret handshake... the memo got lost with the German Shepherd sized
Bullfrog whose orgins are now lost in the mists of rec.ponds time."
Ah the handshake....anyone care to add on?

I think it starts out by looking like you are tossing some fishfood into the
pond......then you put your hand up like you are holding a test strip......then
you scoop down like you are pulling (string algae, wh, or pinecones) from the
pond.....

Maureen in Phila (merlot preference)

WELL SAID! ~ jan

I too am very new to all of this. I read a very interesting newbie article
once which said "Figure out how many fish your pond can support - then start
with 1/10th that." Also read "Pond keeping is not a science it is an art".
Ponding is not a formula. There are just too many variables which can
frequently change making each pond it's own little learning experience. You
will make mistakes - that's a given. Start slowly and your mistakes wont
cost you nearly as much in time, money and satisfaction. The bigger the
cushion to start the less the bruise in learning. Get to know your pond,
your filter, your fish, your unthought of problems. Quarantine all new fish
and plants before adding new problems to your pond. Don't start with
feeders. These things and more will help to keep new problems from becoming
a string of disasters. I say this having not done most of these things, but
I sure would do it differently if I had a second chance. Things will be
just so much more controlled and happy for everybody and everything. I
suspect there are some 'fast track' people who could also add their
disasters - but they're no longer ponders. Yes I think the 1000+ rule is
probably overstated.
I have already seen several EXPERIENCED ponders who have broken it. But if
you are soliciting advice and INEXPERIENCED this is probably a very good
rule. Start slowly and someday you will probably figure out how to 'break
the rules' safely in your own pond with your specific variables, or figured
out why you shouldnt. Or if you're like many in this group you'll have a
bigger pond and altogether different issues.

Bill Brister
Austin, Texas


(Do you know where your water quality is?)

The Borg said:
"We are _Borg_ resistant is futile, you will be assimilated."
The Porg say:
"We are Porg, resistant IS futile, you will be pond-elated."

P - Pond, O - Oriented, R - Recreational, G - Group ~ jan


PORG, ??? please elaborate
Falcor

(Do you know where your water quality is?)

I dont know about handshake but nobody enters full porgdom without baptism .... 45oF
water with a backwards 1.5 gainer. Ingrid

(Mosfunland) wrote:

"The secret handshake... the memo got lost with the German Shepherd sized
Bullfrog whose orgins are now lost in the mists of rec.ponds time."
Ah the handshake....anyone care to add on?

I think it starts out by looking like you are tossing some fishfood into the
pond......then you put your hand up like you are holding a test strip......then
you scoop down like you are pulling (string algae, wh, or pinecones) from the
pond.....

Maureen in Phila (merlot preference)



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

It is quite odd but my DH and I did a 1.75 hour drive out into the boonies to go to
the only "Staples" in the area that swore they had an all wood file cabinet (they
didnt of course, but they dont mind lying).
Anyway... we loved a drive in the open spaces. there are certain roads out there
with hills you can almost look forever over rolling hills, fields, woods. then as we
got in closer we hit wave after wave of McMansions all built out in the middle of
former farmers fields. And there was no human person to be seen.
we got back into the city and immediately I see all kinds of people everywhere, life
and excitement everywhere people walking or sitting outside in cafes, walking their
dog. kids playing in the alley. so after dinner at our favorite very lively
bar/restaurant we went back to sit in our very private and quiet 25' x 25' backyard
next to the koi pond with a cup of coffee, fed the fish and relaxed while the sun
went down.
I dont know how it is that I was raised in the country and simply love the energy of
the city so much. Ingrid

"gunnar" wrote:
welcome to the habit susan. i live directly in center of city of warwick but
step behind my fence and find yourself in a acre of natures beauty.i just
sitting out watching world go by


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

yep. you got it. anyone keeps fish in a tank successfully will almost surely be
able to keep em in a pond (well except for the deaths due to predators, the incoming
waves of cooties from birds bathing and dumping in the pond, the occasional spray of
fish killing pesticides). knowing about water quality is the single most important
information, keeping on top of water quality is 99% of keeping fish ... and it is all
science, no art. Ingrid

wrote:
I already had many years of keeping ornamental fish
in aquariums.
pond keeping isn't a bigdeal.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

and they also got a 1 gallon bowl called Goldfish. Ingrid

"Lostin1999" wrote:
Oasis (pond Product manufacturing company) produce a 223
litre pond Called Koi.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Being a scientist I must see more science in "ponding" and very little art at all.
well except for the colors I use in my veggie filter.
Jo Ann Burke sold expensive fancy GF for 25+ years and came up with a "formula" for
newbie success in keeping GF in aquariums. It went against many if not most of the
"common" wisdoms, like no UGF, no gravel, feed lightly and high quality foods and LOW
stocking levels. Water quality is 99%. Her method is now widely used and
successful.

There is a nearly fool proof formula for a koi pond for newbies as well. Setting up
the pond to optimize water quality is 99% of keeping fish alive .. for those who are
building a pond because they specifically want to keep KOI OR fancy GF.

Those who are building as natural a pond as they can for "wildlife" that is so easy
it needs no formula at all. Dig a hole, line it, put some rocks and gravel around
the edges, plunk down some plants and fill with water. the wildlife will come.

Then there are people who want BOTH a natural pond with "wildlife" AND fish in the
pond. This is MUCH more difficult to achieve, balancing the needs of wildlife and
highly inbred fish. It takes a lot more work and knowledge. I personally think
people who want natural ponds with wildlife should at least start without koi or
fancy GF. Maybe some gambusa or mosquito fish to keep mosquitoes down. or use
mosquito dunks.

People who really want both koi/GF and "natural" are going to have to have it easy.
Net the pond to keep the fish in and the herons out, but that prevents other animals
from getting in and out as well. Do I keep birds out because they carry disease or
do I want them splashing in the fountain? Do I want gin clear water or a natural
pond? Do I want plants in the pond or fish? Most people find the plants getting
whacked by the fish, the fish driving up the waste and getting sick from all the
cooties the wildlife is bringing in. And many treatments are not possible with
plants in the water.

The people on this list seem to have a firm grasp of what the "essentials" are for
natural ponds in general, for fish ponds in general and for balancing their own
particular natural pond with fish. Maybe we need an essentials list that gives
newbies benefit of our knowledge without our having to repeat it all the time?

Ingrid

Also read "Pond keeping is not a science it is an art".
Ponding is not a formula. There are just too many variables which can
frequently change making each pond it's own little learning experience.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

Well said Ingrid and thanks for all the tips past and present. Thanks!!
MIKE
wrote in message
...
Being a scientist I must see more science in "ponding" and very little art
at all.
well except for the colors I use in my veggie filter.
Jo Ann Burke sold expensive fancy GF for 25+ years and came up with a
"formula" for