Ducks in the pond

How do I clean a very muddy pond?

I have a pond (natural, not man-made) that has a very thick heavy layer of mud on the bottom and the water is brown. I have no fish in the pond, although It did have once many years ago. I now have ducks in the pond, and although they seem happy I would like to make it a bit cleaner for them, if possible.

• 
  
  You are right. The ducks love it the way it is.
• If you want to clean it up a bit try some vegetation growing in pots or even at the sides. Irises work well as filters. There are flocculants that will clear up your water. Here's one:
• http://www.pondscapedesigns.com/floccula…

Choosing the right pond pump

My pond is about 5'x 5' and its 2' deep. I want a pump that makes the water noise. Now I have a cheap solar one. Is 700 gph good? I think so. Will it overflow, cause I want to put it going down 3 tier rocks?

Do pumps come with the tubing?

Answer:

700 gph is not a very strong pump. If you are trying to pump the water up three tiers and from a depth of 2', it may not pump up that high. The biggest problem you are likely to run into is the water splashing out if the drop is higher than 1/2 the width of the pond.
• Most pumps do not come with tubing, but tubing is very cheap and available at hardware stores and most big box DIY stores, so you can get as much or as little as you want.
•
• Look at the 'head' specifications of any pump you wish to buy and make sure it will pump as high as you wish. The head specs will be on the box and tell you how high the pond will pump water. Get one that has more head than your waterfall is high.

Clear pond?

Pond is more clear after it rains? How to keep it clear?

My house was built in the 50s with a koi pond on the front patio before koi ponds were trendy. There is no filtration or waterfall. The electric outlet outside the pond is broken. The only thing we have to filter the pond is a pipe in the pond that acts as a slow drain. There are 12 fish in the pond and they are very healthy. They've been there for 2 years and have had 3 babies. Even though I scrape the bottom of the pond for debris and skim the top once a week, the water is brown and murky. I add new water to keep the drain going and I use a water treater and a barley/health bacteria treatment. There is some minor algae build-up on the sides, but no plants. However, when it rained last week, the pond was clear for about 3 days. Why was the pond clear after it rained and how can I keep it clear?

I should clarify that there are 9 adult comet goldfish and 3 babies, not full-sized koi.

• 
  
  Read and heed this article that I wrote and you will have clear water. Feeding your fish is what is making the water murky.
• http://www.pondlady.com/modules.php?name…
• 
  

Choosing a pond pump

Question

Difference between Pond Pumps & Waterfall Pumps?

I've researching pond pumps for sometime and I've finally found one that right around my budget. My ponds gonna be right around 3000G and I found a pump rated at 5000GPH. but the pump says it's a waterfall pump. I will have a waterfall but I was planning on having the Pump I chose pump water to the Bio-Filter and then out the filter to the Waterfall. So is there a difference or are they all the same. I'm a newbie who needs a bit of guidance please and thanks.

Answer

• 
  The difference is probably the 'head' if there is any difference at all. Large pumps like yours are built for waterfalls, but that doesn't mean you have to use them for that.
• Be aware that there are great, good and rotten brands of pumps. Factor in the warranty length.
•  Some pumps have 3 years some 2, some 1. The pumps with longer warranties are more expensive, but worth it. 
• Cheaper pumps also cost more to run, sometimes twice as much. 
• Here's an article I wrote on how to choose a pump:
• http://www.pondlady.com/Articles/choose_…

What are these small black insects living in my pond and eating the algae ? Scotland question.?

these little black insects are living on top of the pond theres a group of them eating the algie that and they can swim down to the bottom of the pond they kind of wriggle and dart about and go upside down occasionally when they move and it looks like they are white underneath, these insects are really small about 1 centimetre in length and very thin about the thickness of a thick pin for sewing, im just wondering what these are as i only cleaned the pond out, re sealed it and put new water in 3 weeks ago and there is algie growing inside it, white pond slugs and allsorts in it alread ytho i have never noticed these little black things in the pond before, then again iv never really noticed having algae in the pond either. I live in Scotland if thats any help.

• Answerer
  Do they look anything like these?
• http://www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk/caug…

When to put the fish in

Question

Fish in garden ponds?
When is it ok to put fish in a garden pond? The waters just gone in.

Answer:
If you put a dechlorinator in the water, you can put fish in instantly. Put the submerged and floating vegetation in at the same time.

Terrarium pond

Question:
I want to make a little pond in my terrarium, and my terrarium is covered all in substrate,?
How can I make a little pond without it mixing with the substrate, my tank is 20g Wide.
Answer:
It depends on how big you want the pond to be. If it is to be small, you can just sink a jar lid in. If you want it bigger, use a flat plastic or glass saucer. I have used the saucers that go under flower pots and found that they work well. I put bits of flat stones around the edges, so it all looks natural.

Settling Sediment

Question:

Why did my pond water change from a murky brown color to a transparent aqua overnight?

Answer:
Sounds like the suspended material, whatever it was, settled to the bottom. Many things can make that happen: The pond is now in balance ecologically; some enzyme you used finally worked. Most murky ponds fix themselves if we just have patience. I have often said that the pond teaches us patience. Glad for you. Whatever you have been doing, keep doing it.

Koi pond filtration

Our pond is a mess! What can we do?

Our koi pond is very dirty. What kind of filter can we get to keep our pond clean? It's about a 500 gallon pond. 

Answer

Koi are messy fish. And 500 gallons is really not big enough for koi. There is a filtration system you can try, but I think I would switch to goldfish.

• Bead/ultraviolet filters are expensive, but are the only ones I have found that work.
• http://www.underwaterwarehouse.com/Aqua-…

Submersible Vegatation

Question:

What is the best type of plant to fully submerge in a pond?
I am not going to keep fish in it, hoping for some frogs and newts to arrive and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on the best type of pond plant? I want 1 either full or partially in the water for creatures to hide in. Thank you.


Answer:
Depending on where you live, a hardy water lily or a tropical water lily would be perfect. You can also use floating plants like parrots feather or even water hyacinth.


Swimming ponds

My step dad is going to remove are pond need ways to stop him.?

My stepdad wants to dig out the hole pond and make it just a swimming hole but my pond has tons of animals who make their homes in it such as trout, frogs, cranes, other birds, salamanders, beavers, bears,and many bugs and other animals. I love this pond because it allows me to observe the wildlife which is my passion. 

If he does this all of the animals will probably die that live there and i couldn't bear that happening. So i came up with an idea to see if there is an endangered animal or plant that might live in my pond that way i can get my pond protected by a wildlife conservation so he can't tear it down. I was wondering does anybody know and endangered plant or animals that might live in a New York freshwater pond.

Answer:

• 
  You can have both. Ask him to work with you to build a natural swimming pond. It can be a great project for the two of you and you will both be happy with the results:
• Here's how:
• http://www.pondlady.com/Articles/swimmin…
• and
• http://www.pondlady.com/Articles/swimmin…

Planting water lilies

Question:
New water lily advice?
Hi, i've just purchased an 'Attraction' water lily, which has a good root stock,4 pads, on 6" stems, and 3 new spurs growing from the roots.
I need to plant it in my pond, but want to plant it deeper than the 6" the current pads are at.
What would your advice be? Could i cut the pads off, plant it deeper, and let the new spurs work to the top?
Also, will it live a day with no soil in the pond, floating, as i'm working tomorrow, and can't get the soil/basket etc till Friday.

Thanks.


Answer:

It will be fine just floating in the pond. Plant it in anything you wish. You don't need soil even. You can use any planting media at all. Put the lily in the media and put it at any depth you wish. The pads will make their way to the top in a few days. You do not have to cut any off.
When they do reach the top, fertilize with aquatic plant fertilizer.

Green slime

Question:

What is the green film on my pond and does it come from trees?
Answer:

If it's yellowish green and seems to be just floating on the top, not able to be netted, it's pollen. If it green, it's algae. You can get rid of it easily by using submerged and floating vegetation.

Pond landscaping

Question:
I am making a small pond in my backyard around 100-150 gallons. I want to put a tree beside it and was wondering which trees would be the best. It needs to be a small tree preferably around the small size as a Japanese Maple. Any help would be great! Thanks!

Answer:
Dwarf Japanese maples look great. But remember that if a tree loses leaves in the winter, you have to scoop them out at least weekly.

ponds and sidewalks

Question:
How can pond liner be attached to a concrete sidewalk and house foundation?
I have a nice curved sidewalk on one side and the house on the other. I would like to attach the pond liner in some way so it looks like the side of the pond is the sidewalk. Any tips would be appreciated.


Answer:
Dig slightly under the sidewalk and use bricks or rocks to hold the liner in place. The biggest problem with this approach is that the pond is below grade and subject to run off daily from the sidewalk and surrounds.
There is a liquid epoxy spray/paint on liner that works well, but it's very expensive. Check that out.
Another way would be to stack rocks or bricks inside the liner from the bottom to the top of the liner. You would still have your runoff problems tho.

Pond Install Cost

Question:
How much would setting up a nice 2000 gallon pond cost?
One of my dreams once I get a my own house is to build a really nice, big pond and fill it with Koi.

How much would something like that cost? The pump, the rocks, what else would I need?

Answer:
If you do it yourself, probably 4 thousand bucks. A professional installer would cost perhaps twice that much. That includes planting around the edges as well.
See my website for how to DIY.

To find more pond information, go to pondlady.com

Natural Pond Pumps

Question:
If have a large drainage area on property that is half the time a "pond"..can fill this up and recycle water ?
How costly would it be to buy a pump large enough to recycle water in a pond that is say 100 feet wide and 100 feet long and 6 feet deep?

Where does the pump sit and how costly as well to have a thing that shoots the water up a bit in the middle to recycle this water?

How difficult to maintain this?

Can I grow lilly pads and lotus planets with this water shooting up a bit too?

Answer:
You can buy 'floating' pumps to move water in a pond that large. The cost will be determined by how large the pump is and how long you run it every day.
Yes you can grow water lilies and lotuses assuming the pond is in the sun. Be sure to keep them both away from the pump so water does not fall on them.
The pump sits in a ring like an inner tube. You can buy them already in the ring and must anchor them in the pond.
Be sure to keep your plants in pots and repot them often or they will take over the pond and you will have a full time job just keeping them from taking over.

String algae/blanketweed

To get rid of string algae or blanketweed, add about 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide per 1000 gallons of water.  When the algae grows, clean out as much as you can and just pour the peroxide in.  It gets rid of all of the algae.

Lotus, water lilies and catfish

Question:

How well will lilly pads and Lotus plants grow in a small pond that contains lots of catfish?
Is it possible to grow these in a small catfish pond? please explain.

Also, if you happen to know how big does a catfish pond need to be really and how many catfish you can put in a 200 square foot pond? How deep should dig it and how quickly will they reproduce catfish?





Answer:

You cannot grow lilies or lotuses with catfish. Growing catfish is aquaculture and needs special tanks, aeration, food and more. Fish farming is common in Louisiana.
Check with your local extension service to find out where to learn about aquaculture. Some community colleges offer courses in it.

Choosing a pond pump

Question:
How do you pick a garden pond water pump?
I bought a house that has a three-tiered water fall pond in the backyard. The pump that was previously in there died and now I have to buy another one. My question is, how do I know which pump to purchase?

The pump would need to pump the water about 20 feet horizontally and 5 feet vertically. Other than that, I don't know what other information would be needed to answer this question.

I'm looking for a low-cost solution pump if its possible. To replace the exact pump that was in there would cost nearly $600.

Thanks for any help any of you can offer!
The one like you had would be the best one. A good pump for you would have a head of 10' at least and be able to be attached to a manifold to spread out the water.
Oase makes a good pump. So does Little Giant. Check them out and look for a pump that pumps at least 5000 gph.
Remember that the more expensive the pump usually is the least expensive to operate and therefore is the best buy.