Water Gardening: Info on Pond Skimmers and Biofalls Filters please., 1 by bedouin

bedouin wrote:
BeaHive, thanks for the below information and link to alohawatergardens.

I'm enlarging a 3 year old pond, incorporating a waterfall, stream (small scale) and a gentle incline to encourage visits from frogs. The present pond I have is stable but not frog-friendly, so I've decided to add some features which will be more aesthetically pleasing as well as frog and bird friendly. I'm in zone 10 so have to be concerned with the temperature of the water during the summer as well as keep in mind that Herons love my little goldfish! I have a large waterlily, parrots feather and a few other plants which are all doing very well.

I'm not familiar with Pond Skimmers or Biofall Filtres. Your experience with these would be very educational and welcome.

If you have a pond skimmer and/or a Biofall filter, please do let me have your comments re their installation as well as functional durability as I'm absolutely clueless about them. Thanks to BeaHive, I now have a starting point re mechanics! (oh, oh, as I type the frogs are croaking at the pond! So welcome)!

BeaHive re:
auto fill - you mean its a connection to your waterline and you turn on a tap to top the pond water up? I've been using a birdbath with a dripper to keep the water fresh for the birds as well as drip down into the pond to keep it filled. Its worked very well other than the green buildup on the base of the birdbath, which I wash away with a hose now and again! But, a waterline (pvc pipe)? to fill it up will be very handy as the dripping wont keep a larger pond filled!
Shutoff valve: There will be a waterline to the top of the little waterfall which will have a shut off valve.
Overflow drain: You mean a pvc pipe into which the excess water will be routed to another area. Or into a gravel drain?
Bottom Drain: I'll have to do research on this as well as everything else. When I've needed to empty the pond, I've used a sump pump but thats entailed so much prior work, its exhausting what with the moving of the plants and trying to keep goldfish and mosquito fish, snails etc alive! I wonder if there is an easier way to clean a pond????
Clarifier: I've never used one. The only problem I've had was that awful green slime. Plus clarifying the water after a pond clean-up.

I agree! I dont test or change water other than its annual cleanup and the only time chemicals ever entered my pond was when my DH fertilized the lawn and wondered why the goldfish were all floating in the pond afterwards! Sigh!

I keep the pond water 'bell' on 24/7 as well. It certainly needs regular cleaning though, but thats easy to do!

When you laid the stones and pebbles, did you need to do anything other than just lay them down? (cleaning)? Did you use cement to keep the large slate/stones in place?

Did you line your boggy area with pebbles? How did you ensure the soil did not slide down into the pond? Does the pond water lap over into the boggy area to keep it wet? Is this where the frogs enter to pond? Do you have platforms in the water for the frogs, or do they stay either in the water or on your wet stones?

So many questions!!!

A photo of my Momma Frog! Croaking away - what with the eternal rain we've had for the last few weeks! From utter drought to flooding! What crazy weather!

Info from BeaHive: "I have a boggy area on one area of the pond that goes from about 1" to 1'ft of water. The rest of the pond is between 3-4FT deep.
I had waterlines installed and if you can I recommend it. I have an auto fill and an overflow drain for use during the rain. I do not have a bottom drain and at times I wish I did to remove some of the gunk. But I vaccum when it gets horrible.
Hers is a link to a picture of a set up that is like my set up. I have a ecosystem which requires very little maintenece and only a weekly clarifier once it gets balance. I never test my water, never change the water exepct for yearly cleanout and I never pour unnecessary chemicals. I think the closer you get to nature the happier the creatures will be. I keep the water running 24/7 and use a deicer when the pond starts to freeze up. Not often here, but I keep it on hand for those rare icy days"