Newbie here...

Greetings from Ontario Canada folks.
I just bought a 550 gallon pond kit. for my mom's backyard. I went medium
sized for her so she can look after it when I move next year. Then I plan
putting my plumbing skills to work and building a 1500ish gallon pond at our
new house.
Anyway I have everything in & working. I'm surprised I got the waterfall
feature to look so natural in so little time. I have some minor landscaping
to do & I'm just waiting for the muckiness to be removed from the pond, some
of the outlining rocks were a little muddy.
Anyway I know I can't get too fancy with this pond cause its a kit. (A
Beckett Kit if that helps) No UV, skimmer etc, just a pump.
I have a few questions.
Once the murkiness clears how long after can I put goldfish in. From the
various posts I read in here, I assume goldfish are far easier to maintain
than Kois. My mom or even me in the future doesn't need to be checking this
& that every day if you know what I mean.
Do I need to add chemicals weekly to the pond for the fish to survive.
I'll be adding plants after the pond goes clear. The pond gets a lot of sun
so I take it I need to add algaecides as well.
any help is greatly appreciated. I will try to take a pic and link it up
later this week.
Thanks for the help in advance..

P.S. If anyone needs any plumbing info, don't hesitate to ask.
--
The~Doofie~Man ©
"LET ME SEE YOUR CIGARETTE LIGHTERS!!!!!"
Putting the fun back in FUNeral!!
http://www.geocities.com/doof70/index.html

I would put some plants in now.....hold offon the goldfish, forget about
koi....put in a lily (shade from the lilypads) hyacinth (roots filter the
water) and let it cycle for a week or so.....it will get green after the brown
settles....so when you add a couple fish you might not see them for awhile till
it clears again.

Stay away from chemicals, use nature, it is an easier balance.

Good luck enjoy each addition.
Maureen

YES! Plants, Plants, and more Plants. Plants are your insurance policy
against so much that can go wrong. Maureen is right.
No Chemicals.

Nedra in Missouri
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118
"Mosfunland" wrote in message
...
I would put some plants in now.....hold offon the goldfish, forget about
koi....put in a lily (shade from the lilypads) hyacinth (roots filter the
water) and let it cycle for a week or so.....it will get green after the
brown
settles....so when you add a couple fish you might not see them for awhile
till
it clears again.

Stay away from chemicals, use nature, it is an easier balance.

Good luck enjoy each addition.
Maureen

May you enjoy the pond!

Koi want a min of 1,000 gal. and an additional 100 gal per additional koi.
550 gal is too small.

Loads of plant growth will help our algae problems.

Good luck.

Jim

--
____________________________________________
See our pond at: home.bellsouth.net\p\pwp-jameshurley
Ask me about Jog-A-Thon fundraiser (clears $120+ per child) at: jogathon.net

"The~Doofie~Man©" wrote in message
...
Greetings from Ontario Canada folks.
I just bought a 550 gallon pond kit. for my mom's backyard. I went medium
sized for her so she can look after it when I move next year. Then I plan
putting my plumbing skills to work and building a 1500ish gallon pond at
our
new house.
Anyway I have everything in & working. I'm surprised I got the waterfall
feature to look so natural in so little time. I have some minor
landscaping
to do & I'm just waiting for the muckiness to be removed from the pond,
some
of the outlining rocks were a little muddy.
Anyway I know I can't get too fancy with this pond cause its a kit. (A
Beckett Kit if that helps) No UV, skimmer etc, just a pump.
I have a few questions.
Once the murkiness clears how long after can I put goldfish in. From the
various posts I read in here, I assume goldfish are far easier to maintain
than Kois. My mom or even me in the future doesn't need to be checking
this
& that every day if you know what I mean.
Do I need to add chemicals weekly to the pond for the fish to survive.
I'll be adding plants after the pond goes clear. The pond gets a lot of
sun
so I take it I need to add algaecides as well.
any help is greatly appreciated. I will try to take a pic and link it up
later this week.
Thanks for the help in advance..

P.S. If anyone needs any plumbing info, don't hesitate to ask.
--
The~Doofie~Man ©
"LET ME SEE YOUR CIGARETTE LIGHTERS!!!!!"
Putting the fun back in FUNeral!!
http://www.geocities.com/doof70/index.html

*waves from Niagara Falls*
I agree with the others, no chemicals. If the murkiness is from muddy rocks
and it's good Ontario clay you may need to drain, clean it out and refill.
There's something about Niagara Escarpment clay that just doesn't want to
settle out of the water. DId you buy your kit at Home Depot by chance??
Hubby was telling me yesterday that they are now carrying Beckett pumps
which are very reasonably priced (4500gph waterfall pump priced at $169!!)
Now's the time to be thowing in the plants. If local nursaries don't have
their water plants out yet grab some anarcharis from local pet/aquarium
store. Mine is growing like crazy right now. It overwinters in the pond.
Iris is good in the pond as are many other plants. You'd never be able to
overwinter koi in 550 gallons, think comets and other goldies. Be prepared,
you will have algae, it's not all bad. )

Janet in sunny, warm Niagara Falls where the fish are spawning like
rabbits! P

--

"The~Doofie~Man©" wrote in message
...
Greetings from Ontario Canada folks.
I just bought a 550 gallon pond kit. for my mom's backyard. I went medium
sized for her so she can look after it when I move next year. Then I plan
putting my plumbing skills to work and building a 1500ish gallon pond at
our
new house.
Anyway I have everything in & working. I'm surprised I got the waterfall
feature to look so natural in so little time. I have some minor
landscaping
to do & I'm just waiting for the muckiness to be removed from the pond,
some
of the outlining rocks were a little muddy.
Anyway I know I can't get too fancy with this pond cause its a kit. (A
Beckett Kit if that helps) No UV, skimmer etc, just a pump.
I have a few questions.
Once the murkiness clears how long after can I put goldfish in. From the
various posts I read in here, I assume goldfish are far easier to maintain
than Kois. My mom or even me in the future doesn't need to be checking
this
& that every day if you know what I mean.
Do I need to add chemicals weekly to the pond for the fish to survive.
I'll be adding plants after the pond goes clear. The pond gets a lot of
sun
so I take it I need to add algaecides as well.
any help is greatly appreciated. I will try to take a pic and link it up
later this week.
Thanks for the help in advance..

P.S. If anyone needs any plumbing info, don't hesitate to ask.
--
The~Doofie~Man ©
"LET ME SEE YOUR CIGARETTE LIGHTERS!!!!!"
Putting the fun back in FUNeral!!
http://www.geocities.com/doof70/index.html

I'm new here but I would be wary of any name brand sold at big chains.
Check the model numbers carefully. If you cannot find the same model
numbers in the manufacturer's catalog they are most likely made in such
a manner as to make the $169 price possible.
Mark B.

Janet wrote:

*waves from Niagara Falls*
I agree with the others, no chemicals. If the murkiness is from muddy rocks
and it's good Ontario clay you may need to drain, clean it out and refill.
There's something about Niagara Escarpment clay that just doesn't want to
settle out of the water. DId you buy your kit at Home Depot by chance??
Hubby was telling me yesterday that they are now carrying Beckett pumps
which are very reasonably priced (4500gph waterfall pump priced at $169!!)
Now's the time to be thowing in the plants. If local nursaries don't have
their water plants out yet grab some anarcharis from local pet/aquarium
store. Mine is growing like crazy right now. It overwinters in the pond.
Iris is good in the pond as are many other plants. You'd never be able to
overwinter koi in 550 gallons, think comets and other goldies. Be prepared,
you will have algae, it's not all bad. )

Janet in sunny, warm Niagara Falls where the fish are spawning like
rabbits! P

On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:33:14 -0400, "Janet"
wrote:

Mark the pump is indeed listed at Beckett's website. It's actuallly listed
as 4983 gph at 1" lift. I haven't seen it yet, hubby spotted it yesterday
while at Home Depot. Hubby actually subcontracts for HD in the At-Home
Services section and was asking a few questions of a staff member he knows.
Seems HD Canada is moving towards carrying exclusively Beckett pond
products....
Janet in Niagara Falls

My parents found out the hard way about using a cheap pump. Is a
question of you pay me now or pay me later. a $169 pump gets
expensive if you paying $20 or $30 a month in power to drive it. I
suggest you compare watts to gph/head before making a purchase.

And I totally agree with what everyone else says about plants. The
more the merrier.

Your best bet would be to stay away from lower end "Beckett" Pumps. Look
for "Mag-Drive"(magnetic driven) pumps. Supreme is one brand. Lower energy
consumption and long lasting. Stay away from ANY oil filled pump......IMHO
and experience. Mike
"coati" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:33:14 -0400, "Janet"
wrote:

Mark the pump is indeed listed at Beckett's website. It's actuallly
listed
as 4983 gph at 1" lift. I haven't seen it yet, hubby spotted it yesterday
while at Home Depot. Hubby actually subcontracts for HD in the At-Home
Services section and was asking a few questions of a staff member he
knows.
Seems HD Canada is moving towards carrying exclusively Beckett pond
products....
Janet in Niagara Falls

My parents found out the hard way about using a cheap pump. Is a
question of you pay me now or pay me later. a $169 pump gets
expensive if you paying $20 or $30 a month in power to drive it. I
suggest you compare watts to gph/head before making a purchase.

And I totally agree with what everyone else says about plants. The
more the merrier.

I have both Beckett's (4 of them) and Supreme Mag Drive's
(2 of them) all from Home Depot. I don't see a huge leap in my electric
bill from
summer to winter... My house is old and I am All Electric so you
can see that I probably cool and heat the outside in
summer and winter as well as use the pumps
I just buy what I need from Home Depot ... and let the chips fall where they
may ;-)

Nedra in Missouri
Zone 6
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

wrote in message ...
Your best bet would be to stay away from lower end "Beckett" Pumps. Look
for "Mag-Drive"(magnetic driven) pumps. Supreme is one brand. Lower
energy
consumption and long lasting. Stay away from ANY oil filled
pump......IMHO
and experience. Mike
"coati" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:33:14 -0400, "Janet"
wrote:

Mark the pump is indeed listed at Beckett's website. It's actuallly
listed
as 4983 gph at 1" lift. I haven't seen it yet, hubby spotted it
yesterday
while at Home Depot. Hubby actually subcontracts for HD in the At-Home
Services section and was asking a few questions of a staff member he
knows.
Seems HD Canada is moving towards carrying exclusively Beckett pond
products....
Janet in Niagara Falls

My parents found out the hard way about using a cheap pump. Is a
question of you pay me now or pay me later. a $169 pump gets
expensive if you paying $20 or $30 a month in power to drive it. I
suggest you compare watts to gph/head before making a purchase.

And I totally agree with what everyone else says about plants. The
more the merrier.

Nedra I tend to agree with you. Up here in the Great White North pumps (and
pond supplies) can be quite pricey. Last year we paid $289 for a Laguna 7000
(2142 GPH). The Mag Drive we looked at at a local nursery that specializes
in ponding was a jaw-dropper at $599! Hydro is still fairly cheap up here in
Ont. at 4.3 cents per KWH, I don't see any difference in running the stream
and ponds.... Now the pool is a different story! LOL! Gotta luv the Home
Depot, I just wish they offered an employee discount. (
Janet in hot, muggy Niagara Falls

--

"Nedra" wrote in message
link.net...
I have both Beckett's (4 of them) and Supreme Mag Drive's
(2 of them) all from Home Depot. I don't see a huge leap in my electric
bill from
summer to winter... My house is old and I am All Electric so you
can see that I probably cool and heat the outside in
summer and winter as well as use the pumps
I just buy what I need from Home Depot ... and let the chips fall where
they
may ;-)

Nedra in Missouri
Zone 6
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pines/4836
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

wrote in message ...
Your best bet would be to stay away from lower end "Beckett" Pumps.
Look
for "Mag-Drive"(magnetic driven) pumps. Supreme is one brand. Lower
energy
consumption and long lasting. Stay away from ANY oil filled
pump......IMHO
and experience. Mike
"coati" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 13 May 2004 11:33:14 -0400, "Janet"
wrote:

Mark the pump is indeed listed at Beckett's website. It's actuallly
listed
as 4983 gph at 1" lift. I haven't seen it yet, hubby spotted it
yesterday
while at Home Depot. Hubby actually subcontracts for HD in the
At-Home
Services section and was asking a few questions of a staff member he
knows.
Seems HD Canada is moving towards carrying exclusively Beckett pond
products....
Janet in Niagara Falls

My parents found out the hard way about using a cheap pump. Is a
question of you pay me now or pay me later. a $169 pump gets
expensive if you paying $20 or $30 a month in power to drive it. I
suggest you compare watts to gph/head before making a purchase.

And I totally agree with what everyone else says about plants. The
more the merrier.