I'm sure you can't overpower a 48" uv light with 2900 gph, and that's good that you upsized your pipe. But I have some questions: how much head height do you have? The 4' depth doesn't count, because the pump doesn't have to work to lift water in the pipe to the height of the pond, only to lift it higher than the pond. Do you change your uv light yearly? Do you ever look to see if it needs to be cleaned? Do you clean out your pressure filter yearly? Do you add pond bacteria to your pond, like Aqua One? And if so, do you turn off your uv light for a day or two so you don't kill the bacteria as soon as you add it?
and thanks for the compliments on Bea's pond.
Never been to Alaska. Do you have to keep a heater in the pond? how long?
The fun begins!
Oops, yeah. That last post was for mstella.
Sand added to clay can = cement. I think we better start fresh. Our dry season is coming to an end and I would like to get all the plants I brought from the old house in the ground before the rain begins. It will never happen if I am fighting with every hole I dig. I have also ordered 2000 red worms to add around the yard. I have only found three worms in a month. Not good. :)
OMG, Jamison. please come to my house!!!!!!!
Bea, I'll trade you some worms for Jamison. LOL. You're certainly worth more than worms, but that's about all I have to offer!
Morning all, I overslept. ahem....accidently deleted this first time around. I also have lots of wigglers. found one so long once that I thought it was a snake and almost soiled myself. No snakes in Alaska.
Jamison, you are a man of many questions. All good ones. As soon as I get a cup of coffee and my brain is firing on all cylinders (or as many as I have left) I will answer.
D tested the thruput coming through the pressure filter and UV and determined that indeed it was pitiful. We have the new tubing and are waiting for the 1 1/2" pressure adapter fittings to install. Very hard to find online and none up here. Lots of places won't ship to Alaska and if they do they want three times the cost of the product for shipping.
But, while we flush the pressure filter regularly, I think I will take it apart and see what is in the bottom. D says it doesn't have anything to do with the thruput loss as the gunk sinks to the bottom and would only affect the efficacy of the bioballs if they are sitting in mud. I clean it out thoroughly each fall in prep for storage and it is always a mess.
Mary
Okay. Coffee'd up, read my morning allotment, garden pictures taken, now to answer questions: Oh, my first Anna Epple water lily bloomed. I figured I wouldn't have any this year as things have been so slow.
My guess would be about 3' additional head above the pond surface, thence through the 55W UV, then through the Pressure filter, then back through about 5' of pipe to dump into the upper falls. the pipe is all corrugated so I assume there is a little loss there due to friction. The new pipe is smooth inside.
D is of the mind that since it (UV) only operates maybe 5-6 months of the year he doesn't need to trade it out each year. I don't think he checks the UV in the pressure filter as he hates to go through the process of extracting it. I will pull it today and look. the other UV is new and has been in operation only a short time. We bought a replacement for it already ($69.00).
Damien does the flushing as I said on the pressure filter and I completely disassemble it each fall, clean it and store it in the garage with the top slightly askew per directions.
I feed the pond with a low temp bacteria toward the end of fall (MicrobeLift Fall/winter) and being in about March or April with Spring/Summer, also a low temp activated bacteria. I start MicrobeLiftPL as soon as temps allow. I am careful to turn off the UV's for the three days or so it requires so I don't kill off the good guys until they get a good start. I go through this at least three for four times each spring.
In the fall we pull the UV's and all but one pump. We have experimented with various methods of keeping up flow to encourage oxygen levels. There is no issue with 'strata's as the pond at 4' isn't deep enough. It is a solid 33F all winter. I sink a thermometer on a rock to be sure. We run three deicers to keep holes open, and have pumped from the shallow end (until the ice cap got so thick it threatened the pump) around the pond to the lower falls to get a little agitation. We have decided to just run a pump toward the middle end to avoid the ice cap which is unpredictable, to circulate the water at the bottom. Our concern is that the fish like to sleep in the deep caves and we have lost larger fish. We think they all cram in there and go dormant right through oxygen deprivation which takes out the big guys first. Only speculation. I lost no fish last winter including two 12-14" ones. biggest I had last spring. they are all growing like mad now, and I have four new koi that are also getting bigger.
that's about it.
Reinesse
Noid Lily and Daisy
Oh piffle. I meant to post these on the lily thread not here. Sorry.
Thats Ok. Beautiful pic & flower combination...
Baby deer resting in the shade over in the nieghboors yard.
The koi tonight swimming around.
They know it its dinner time.
This hosta/fern/water hyacinth combo is looking great in their new pond.
This mallard pair found a cozy nook to settle into.
Sweetpea and Blossom like their new yard. Lot's of new sights,sounds and smells to explore.
Just had to share this piece of beauty.
All is calm at Bea's house tonight.
Bea
Simply gorgeous. I love your shishui like fish and your yard looks like a real haven - especially after a long day.
Pet the puppies for me.
You really had me going with the ducks. I was stunned that you would have mallards finding you pond and settling in. the hosta/ferns will actually live with their pots in the water? I would have thought it would be too wet. It all looks just heavenly. You and Jamison are a great team for producing a perfect pond garden.
LOL with the mallards... I have had great sucess with hostas in my pond. Most are bare root just stuck inbetween rocks. Cut them back in the fall and they have come back every season. The one in the photo is in a pot as it moved with us. I will most likely split it up and remove the soil at the end of this season. Some for the yard and some for the pond. The fern is one that can take moisture according to the plant tag. (to early and not enough coffee yet to remember name). Hoping it works out...if not off to the shady part of the yard..
Bea,
How long is the whole pond? It looks like the creek I had seen in one of a vacation site!! If we ever go to Oregon to play golf can I come to see it? LOL!!! In fact we were in Texas for 3 weeks in April and May and played in 3 cities. i think we played 12-15 times.
Absolutely gorgeous and relaxing. Do you have mosquitoes there? We have tons here but i use mosquito coils.
Belle
The stream is 25ft long and the pond is 20 ft long x 12 ft wide. Your welcome to come for a vistit if you come to Oregon. We do have mosquitos in OR but they do not seem do be a problem in the pond as the fish will eat them and their larve. Standing water is where they breed, so elimate that in the yard and you will be Ok.
Mary
I know there were discussions about hostas in ponds quite awhile ago. I have not tried it myself, but really love the look. Here is the discussion. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/756378/?hl=hosta
It seems to me that SongsofJoy had no problems with the hostas coming back the following year.... Songs if you are lurking - give us a heads up on how your hostas have done over the years in your pond.
Carolyn
thanks Carolyn. I will take a look at the thread. I know I couldn't keep them in the pond overwinter. At least I don't think they would live, although they do live quite nicely in the ground. I would think that their roots would freeze and die, or maybe the crown would freeze and die. Although I was amazed that water celery roots down in the rock survived and came back after this long hard winter. I thought I had dug it completely out.
Carolyn,/ mstella,
I went back to read the thread and songs of joy has good luck overwintering hostas. I had not tried it because my pond is saturated with plants. I know for sure that elephant ears does very well during summer but does not over winter.
I agree with water celery I had to remove more this morning. Last spring it covered the water fall.
Bea,
I sure will come and see your pond if there are clubs we can play at.
Belle
This message was edited Jul 31, 2011 7:29 PM
I would expect WC to be invasive in your warm environs in VB, Virginia. Just judging by how it grows here. I really thought that the temps, ice, etc would kill it so wasn't worried. I think the roots went deep into the rock below the ice. It came back on both sides of the pond. Actually I am rather happy as our growing season is so short that to have a nice water plant that is vigorous is good. And the winter will always slap it back down.
I think this is also edible because it looks like the Italian celery in the market. It is hard to kill it , I had this for years.
Well, D vetoed the ferns. Some of them (their roots) escaped a bed by our sidewalk which is asphalt and broke up through the asphalt and was working its way across. I dug it all out broke the connection to mama, then poured brush killer in the cracks to assure no pieces of root survived. He says those roots could push over the rock. I find that hard to believe but he is the engineer, not me.
Know anyone who lives in Wyoming? D was looking there as a possible place to retire.
Yes, the hostas survive my 5b winter in the pond. I've had two in there for 3 or 4 years now.
3-4 years. Sounds like it's worth a try Mary....
Songs - thank you (good to hear from you!)
Thanks, Carolyn. I do find that my pond hostas don't get very big though. I think they tend to be a few weeks behind my garden hostas because the water doesn't warm us as quickly as the ground in the spring. Still, I like having them in the pond.
SongsofJoy, did the plants actually freeze. Like they get covered with snow and such? New Hampshire is pretty cold in winter I thought.
Oh man, B, that's so great looking. You've inspired me again, I keep thinking I need to expand! LOL. I need to find some strong young dudes to come do the work for me.
Yes, they freeze solid. I am sure the entire rootball is encased in ice all winter yet they survive.
Bellieg..I am not a golfer(except mini golf) but there are courses here in Oregon. Finding a non rainy day is the trick! Plan a summer visit and your odds will be better to complete 18 holes!
Thanks Marna.. Yes the young strong men sure come in handy during times like these. Missing my frogs... Jamison..ya know any creeks with an abundance of tadpoles or frogs. Bet your kids would love to go go frog catching... I can pay them for their efforts... My neighbor has a pond I found out and he says...no frogs. So sad...
Well, SofJ, I will give it a try, at least with the hosta. Thanks
The Bobcat was back today and kept very busy. The old yucky dirt was hauled away to the front yard. Pick up tomorrow. Thank goodness there is a use for fill dirt.
The bobcat moved dirt from the lower yard to the upper yard.
