I need some advice. We installed one of those preformed ponds over the weekend. During the installation a lot of dirt (now mud) fell into the ponds. How do I get it out?
New pond mud
probably would have been better to scoop it out before filling it with water. now all you have to do is scoop it out with a pale. of couse, you'll be taking out water, too. might be a good idea to move any dirt away from the edge so that you don't have a repeat occurrence. btw, that is a nice pond and i really like your dirt. is is clay?
If it is fine dirt, not rocks or clods, you can probably siphon or pump it out. I have one of these http://www.amazon.com/Python-No-Spill-Clean-Fill/dp/B000255NXC and it is wonderful. It is similar to a water bed filling system, which is a little cheaper. Using a water pump and a piece of flexible hose on the intake, you can vaccuum fine dirt right up and out with the tip of the hose, won't lose much water that way and most pond pumps will tolerate a little dirt going through them (although it isn't ideal). Just move real slow so the dirt stays settled and does not get all suspended in the water. Hope this helps!
tucson: I'm glad you like our clay because I would give it all to you if I could. It is hard to dig in, garden in, and stains everything it comes in contact with...shoes, clothes, lawn furniture, white dogs, etc. Alas that is what we are stuck with here.
Sylvi: Thank you for the link. I figured siphoning it out was the answer but I was afraid of taking too much water out at the same time. The whole thing would collapse in from what I've read. We have a large fish tank that eventually will be set up. I will be able to use the siphon kit mentioned for that too at some point. Oh, and yes it's just fine dirt.
I just love Dave's garden.
You could also scoop out what you can and just let the rest settle to the bottom. The water will clear up eventually.
Collapse in? Is the liner flexible? I had a preform pond in MI for several years and I used to drain it for the winter and never had anything collapse, but it was a rigid plastic liner. The plastic was less flexible than a rubbermaid container, pretty heavy duty. Seriously, I LOVE that python! It was the BEST purchase I ever made for my fishkeeping hobby!
I read that it would collapse only because it was just installed. The earth around it hasn't harden or formed yet. I dunno just what I read. It is one of those very hard rigid plastic things.
I thought about just leaving the dirt there too but it's our darn red clay and you can see it next to the black pond, ugh, Also if I wanted to put fish in would they live with the dirt in there?
On another note, I've had to rescue a young small toad from suicide 3 times already. I'll scoop him out put him in a flower garden and boom, back in the water a day or two later. I need to put a plant in there quickly so that next time he can get himself out.
Well its always good to be cautious. You sure don't want to have to pull it out and reset it! My soil settled quite a bit the first year and had to be back filled a little.
I don't think the dirt should hurt the fish any unless it is somehow affecting the water quality. Have you checked the pH? If you are looking at goldfish or koi, they like to spend a lot of time rooting around, so they may keep dirt sort of stirred up in there. They will also dig madly in potted plants if you put any in. In my pond, I always ended up with a certain amount of dirt in there every year anyway no matter how clean it was in the spring. Just check the intake to the pump regularly because things like fallen leaves will get trapped there and clog it up. I used to just pull mine up by its hose and scraped the gunk off and drop it back in, no big deal.
I used to get leopard frogs that would sit on my lily pads and jump into the water sploosh! when I got to close. They were really fun. Can you tell I miss that pond!?
I'm really jealous of your zone by the way!