Water Gardening: First nymphaea bloom, 0 by Sheila_FW

Sheila_FW wrote:
Hey there, just surfing around and read through your thread. I too have the "Attraction", the pic is the first bloom this season. Also when I first bought WLs they were rooted in clay. I placed they in larger pots and put the aquatic gravel medium to fill in. That night I went out to feed the fish (lights in the pond) and could barely see them. They had a field day with one lily digging in and eating the roots and the clay was what clouded the water! So I have figured out (after several methods) to put the WLs in the pond pots and sew the large poly netting over the tops. You can do this in early spring before they start to send up shoots.
I am definately not a professional at ponding and definately have made my share of mistakes. However if I may offer my trials and errors here. Everything you have experienced sounds very familar! LOL!....
Please excuse me ahead of time for the length of this post.
I had a pre-formed two level pond for about two years before we decided we wanted a bigger one. But I can relate to the clear water and two days later the pea soup starts and you panic etc. Later we all hate it but learn to live with it for a while. I have read where some of the ponders here have good luck with the HP even on the pea soup type. But I would encourage you to continue to use the bacteria everyday for 10 days to two weeks when you switched water. Then at least once a week afterward. Depending on what type of pump/filter sys you have, don't wash the filters or bio-balls too throughly. Only rinse the large debris off with clear water and never use cleaners. You won't have to rebuild the bacteria from scratch and your water will be clearer. That is what causes the pea soup when your "good biologicals" are destroyed and aren't there to help break down the debris.
As for feeding where you have a pump going, especially goldfish food, I have a suggestion. Make a ring of thin flex plastic hose by using a wooden dowel to connect the ends and seal with tape. It will float and you can tie it off so it stays in place to feed your fish and get pictures! I will try to find the old pic to include later.
I tried the aglae eaters with no luck and couldn't catch them to over-winter. Lost them at 55 degrees here. I also wouldn't recommend the water colorant for everyone. I like to see the true color of my fish for one, but also I want to see if they have a disease, etc.
The lily pads will definately help with keeping down the aglae growth. Oh and in a few pictures I saw where they were eating the Water Lily pads. Maybe you could tie a lettuce core with a string and float it for them to nibble on. My Shubunkin and Koi love it.
One of you mentioned draining and pulling up the liner or pond to avoid run off of dirt, smart idea. Even when we built our in ground pond, we had problems and had to go back in a few low places and do that. It improved the quality of water for sure.
Again sorry for interrupting your thread, but I have enjoyed reading your posts.
Sheila