Notice - Pond help required.....

Am fairly new to looking after ponds.... Anyway, have a pond in our back garden. It's quite a small one (only holds around 110 litres of water) but enough for a small fountain, some pond plants and maybe (if I can get the environment right) a few small fish. But for now I'd just settle for a clean pond.....

The water is pea green.. Have tried Interpet Green Away & sludge buster for nearly a month now without any noticeable improvement - have set up my own DIY filter (a skippy up flow filter) which has been running 24/7 for about two weeks now and spiked it with plenty of good bacteria.

Have tested the water using test strips to check for nitrate/nitrite/ph level etc but everything seems within the levels stated for a healthy pond.

Have got several pond plants growing in an old washing up bowl ready to be put in the pond but I want ensure that the water is safe for them first. I put some in last year and they died within a few weeks.

Anyone got any advice as to what I can do to try and clean up the water a bit? Any help or advice would be very much appreciated.

TIA

The G Man wrote:
Anyone got any advice as to what I can do to try and clean up the water
a bit? Any help or advice would be very much appreciated.


Yeah.. Clorox or any other bleach. And don't quit your day job.


---------------------------------------------

CR......

Ponderkoi Ho OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

rec.ponds moderator

I used a google converter and I get about 30
gallons for 110 litres.

That's good for a couple of minnows.

I'd empty the pond, clean it out. Put in
new water, put in LOTS of plants and let
it go for a couple of weeks.Do not use
any chemicals to fight algae, that just
makes lots of suddenly dead algae to
feed the next algae bloom. Put in two
minnows and let any algae bloom pass.

Also post your exact numbers from any
tests. There is a difference between
readings that are fine and reading which
could impair the functioning of your pond.

kathy :-)
www.blogfromthebog.com

The G Man wrote:

Am fairly new to looking after ponds.... Anyway, have a pond in our back
garden. It's quite a small one (only holds around 110 litres of water)
but enough for a small fountain, some pond plants and maybe (if I can
get the environment right) a few small fish. But for now I'd just
settle for a clean pond.....

110 liters is pretty small for goldfish, but fine for a few _small_ fish.

The water is pea green.. Have tried Interpet Green Away & sludge buster
for nearly a month now without any noticeable improvement

That's part of your problem. Chemical solutions rarely solve the real
problem - in your case too many nutrients for the algae

- have set up
my own DIY filter (a skippy up flow filter) which has been running 24/7
for about two weeks now and spiked it with plenty of good bacteria.

That's a good start, but not knowing where you are, I can't say whether
there's any hope that a bio-filter would be having much success yet. It
takes many weeks if the weather's still cool, and spiking it with bacteria
may or may not speed it up.

Have tested the water using test strips to check for nitrate/nitrite/ph
level etc but everything seems within the levels stated for a healthy
pond.

I would guess so. Though you really should quote numbers - it's amazing how
often people tell us that some very small number for nitrite/ammonia is
"acceptable". However, you don't have fish so nitrite is completely
unimportant.

Have got several pond plants growing in an old washing up bowl ready to
be put in the pond but I want ensure that the water is safe for them
first. I put some in last year and they died within a few weeks.

Huh? You don't have _any_ plants in the water, and you want to get rid of
the algae first? Put the plants in there and forget about the horrible
chemicals! The plants are the only way to control the algae (as long as
you're not going to resort to a UV sterilizer).

Anacharis, hornwort, water cress (especially the water cress, because it's
really cheap) are the way to get started on cleaning it up.
--
derek

"The G Man" wrote in message
.. .

Have got several pond plants growing in an old washing up bowl ready to
be put in the pond but I want ensure that the water is safe for them
first. I put some in last year and they died within a few weeks.
======================
Are they getting enough sunlight? What plants did you add that died? I see
places selling plants that are not really POND plants, but damp soil lovers.
They don't always fare well in ponds. Algae killer can harm plants I read
somewhere. At this point, since your pond is so small you may be better off
simply dumping the water, cleaning it real well and starting all over. Make
sure any plants you add are real water plants.
--
Koi4Me.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
Do not feed the trolls.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Have got several pond plants growing in an old washing up bowl ready to
be put in the pond but I want ensure that the water is safe for them
first. I put some in last year and they died within a few weeks.

Anyone got any advice as to what I can do to try and clean up the water
a bit? Any help or advice would be very much appreciated.

Your up-flow filter will work as long as your fish load is not too high as
compared to your water volume in the pond - but - a brand new filter takes
from 3 to 4 wks to work biologically (can't seem to get the sp right ! ) as
the media is new - it comes on-line quicker after the initial start-up -
trusting your filter is large enough, it will work - you need patience (for
another wk or so) and you will getr up one morn and see the bottom (just
like magic is the way I felt :~)))))))))))))))))))))) )
Gale :~)

Thanks for all the advice so far - oh, apart from the one about the bleach and not quitting my day job - very helpful. I can't help being an amateur at something - after all, isn't that where we all start out and learn by experience??

To try and answer some of your questions - I can't remember exactly what I put in last year but they were all oxygenating plants from a reputable garden centre (World of Water) - I definately put in about 6 bunches of Elodia Crispa (Goldfish Weed) and a water lilly.

Am not 100% sure at the moment how many litres per hour my filter will process. I assume this is determined by how powerful the pump is? At the moment I am running it from a small fountain pump but I have recently purchased a separate pump which delivers 1200 litres per hour and will dedicate that to the job of keepeing the filter running.

The pond is basically a quarter circle shape which I have lined with pond liner. The pump is seated on a household brick in the middle. The edging for the pond is also brick which I have sealed with masonary paint. I have netting over the top to stop leaves falling in.

It's in a semi-shaded area of the garden - ie. It probably gets about three hours of sunshine a day.

I live in the north-west of England (between Liverpool & Manchester) and at the moment the weather is mixed - yesterday was hot & sunny, today dull with rain. Temperature wise - yesterday was in the mid 70's - today is a bit colder.

Not sure whether this is a good or bad sign - when I cleaned the pump the other day I noticed some water snails attached to it (which I put back in with the pump of course!) Is this a good sign? Also, a big blood worm came out. Blood worms are one thing I did have a lot of last year!

If I empty the pond (as suggested) will this not kill the good bacteria in my filter since I'll have to switch it off for a few hours while I clean the pond? What about the bit of life I have in the pond?

By the way... I seem to have a mini-cycle going on in the washing up bowl. Yesterday the water was thick and green - this morning it's a lot clearer!!

Can someone tell me what a google converter is??

Will do some more tests on the water and post my readings. Are there any better kits than the test strips?? Also, what are the best plants to add to a small pond?

"The G Man" wrote in message
.. .

Thanks for all the advice so far - oh, apart from the one about the
bleach and not quitting my day job - very helpful. I can't help being
an amateur at something - after all, isn't that where we all start out
and learn by experience??

## Ignore the rude posters using *other people's names* here. :-) That
was a TROLL, not me.

To try and answer some of your questions - I can't remember exactly
what I put in last year but they were all oxygenating plants from a
reputable garden centre (World of Water) - I definately put in about 6
bunches of Elodia Crispa (Goldfish Weed) and a water lilly.

## Odd that the elodia would die. As for the water lily - they need to be
planted in large pots and fertilized regularly to thrive. Still, they
shouldn't have died so quickly. Most places will give you a refund in such
a case. It's possible these plants were infected with some form of rot when
you got them. Elodia needs to be a crisp green and in excellent health when
bought or can fail - it's happened to me. I'm real careful to inspect every
plant I purchase now.

snip

It's in a semi-shaded area of the garden - ie. It probably gets about
three hours of sunshine a day.

## That's not much for pond plants. Before we removed the trees behind the
house my pond plants back there didn't exactly thrive. Water lilies need
at least 6 or more hours of sun to do really well. I have read about some
that will do ok in more shade. I never found any locally. The elodia likes
sun as well.

I live in the north-west of England (between Liverpool & Manchester)
and at the moment the weather is mixed - yesterday was hot & sunny,
today dull with rain. Temperature wise - yesterday was in the mid 70's
- today is a bit colder.

## And our weather has been the same here in Tennessee. :-) It's overcast
here and drizzling lightly.

Not sure whether this is a good or bad sign - when I cleaned the pump
the other day I noticed some water snails attached to it (which I put
back in with the pump of course!) Is this a good sign? Also, a big
blood worm came out. Blood worms are one thing I did have a lot of last
year!

## Bloodworms are harmless. My fish must eat them all as I never see any in
my ponds. I do see an occasional hairworm in the filter material. Snails
are fine - but I think my fish must eat them as well.

If I empty the pond (as suggested) will this not kill the good bacteria
in my filter since I'll have to switch it off for a few hours while I
clean the pond? What about the bit of life I have in the pond?

## If there are no fish in your pond killing the bacteria is not going to
be a problem. The will recover rapidly once you turn it back on again.

By the way... I seem to have a mini-cycle going on in the washing up
bowl. Yesterday the water was thick and green - this morning it's a lot
clearer!!

## I have seen my ponds go clear as gin overnight only to turn green a few
hours after the sun comes up. :-(

Can someone tell me what a google converter is??

## I have no idea.....

Will do some more tests on the water and post my readings. Are there
any better kits than the test strips?? Also, what are the best plants
to add to a small pond?

## The lack of sun may be a problem for you in selecting plants. Someone
with a shady pond may offer you some suggestions. And please remember -
someone is FORGING my headers and using my name to post immature, silly and
sometimes NASTY posts in my name.....
--
Koi4Me.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
Do not feed the trolls.
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

Have tested the water using test strips to check for nitrate/nitrite/ph
level etc but everything seems within the levels stated for a healthy
pond.

Algae isn't the sign of an unhealthy pond.

Have got several pond plants growing in an old washing up bowl ready to
be put in the pond but I want ensure that the water is safe for them
first. I put some in last year and they died within a few weeks.

You think algae had something to do with that? It shouldn't. Are
these plants entirely submerged? What kind?

Anyway, how may liters per hour does your filter process?

What's this pond made out of, and what's on the bottom right now?

C//

Koi4Me wrote:
"The G Man" wrote in message
.. .

Thanks for all the advice so far - oh, apart from the one about the
bleach and not quitting my day job - very helpful. I can't help being
an amateur at something - after all, isn't that where we all start out
and learn by experience??

## Ignore the rude posters using *other people's names* here. :-) That
was a TROLL, not me.

Yeah I am Carol and I can't never take responsibilities for my actions.