Well, I really miss all the green color on the rocks, but things are now returning to something more closely resembling "normal." There's still some odds & ends from the cleanup effort lying around in the picture, but here's the back corner of my little place of escape.
Here's an odd view from the end of the pond. Believe it or not there's 20+ feet from the little bell fountain in the foreground to the base of the waterfall. Also, the fountain is actually 12 inches or so above water level, but the water hyacinth under it has grown so tall from being trapped inside the semi-cirlce the fountain is enclosed within. This pic really doesn't show off the pond at all, but I sorta thought it looked neat.
Looking back towards the willow tree from mid pond. The glare blots out the bell fountain, but you can see the swing where the LOML and I enjoy an evening drink but want/need to be further from the waterfall (during the spring, the treefrogs are deafening)
I love your pond, Bogweedbuck. It's around the same size as mine, I'll have to take pics to show everyone! Wat kinda fish do you stock in the pond?
Lori
Well, there were more there prior to 2 weeks ago, but the mix is about the same: koi, Shubunkin, Sarasa, and a couple generic comets. Starting today that'll change to include some gambusia (mosquito fish, aka: wild guppies) for the upper basin that feeds the waterfall. :o) (thanks to blkwolf)
Of the koi, all but 2 are pretty common domestic and butterfly koi, with some others that are of unknown origin. One is directly from Japan and the other is from Japanese stock raised / bred in Israel. The one directly from Japan was supposed to be a Hikarimono, Gin Matsuba koi, but it has since developed a red spot on its side so it's no longer a show fish nor does it properly qualify as being a "gin matsuba." [Hikarimono are single color metallic koi: gin matsuba is the silver ones] The one from Israel is a Shusui koi that seems to be true to the type of fish that I paid/hoped for. [Shusui are doitsu koi (scales along dorsal and lateral lines only). They are blue-grey with dark blue scales along the dorsal and lateral lines and red on the sides and fins]. Who knows ... they're ALL fun in their own way and each seems to have distinctive traits that are each enjoyable.
The shubunkins are from last year. They are a beautiful fish whose history traces back to china rather than Japan, and tend to be a great deal more hardy and disease resistant than koi, which hail from Japan. Sarasa are also originally from China, but have coloration is more of a true red than the orange common to your generic comets. In the end, they're still a form of goldfish like all other comets.
Here's a so-so picture of the main group of fish.
OK Buck, in the first pic at the the very bottom in the middle, what is the plant sticking up?
The pond is looking great. Glad to see it's back on track even if you have PDPD :~D
Lana
Did they make it????? I have cramps in my fingers and toes...they have been crossed since I bagged the lil buggers!!!!!!
BTW...when you get bored...come on down...I have a green pond that keeps whispering ...Help Me BOGWEEDBUCK...Help me!!
LOL
Hahahahahaha! Sue, I may have to do just that some day! So far as the feeshies, no sign of 'em yet. I can't imagine it'd be any later than today, tho.
Daisy: If we're looking at the same thing, that would be Dwarf Papyrus. That stuff is insane! Every little tip on the top of each of those little tufts all has the potential to become a new plant, and in pretty short order at that. Unfortunately, though, it's not winter hardy in our neck of the woods. I'm going to work on wintering some over, though, just to save me a few sheckles come springtime. (ps: it's the fish that have the PDPD [sorta sounds like something that someone would utter in the midst of a petite mal seizure!] I just live in a war zone)
I've been reading your threads and admiring your pond pictures. Your pond is amazing. I think I bought a bigger pond than I had originally planned (though it's still small compared to yours) because I subconsciously wanted a dramatic one like yours. The area is dug out, but I still have a lot of work to do this weekend to get it going. I am new with ponds.
Bogweed Buck,
Nice job! Your pond is beautiful.
Bogweed, what size pump are you using for your waterfall? I love it.
fireant ... make it bigger! :o) (and thanks for the compliments)
Dave47: thank you, sir!
rylaff: thanks, and it's a combination of pumps. The lower 4/5's of the 'fall is being fed by the 125 gallon raised basin you see behind it. That is being pushed by a 5,000gph unit.
Above that is a "cap piece" that extends the falls above the feeder basin by about 8 inches or so (it's some rocks glued to a piece of slate ... with a large Gatorade bottle being used to "decompress" the water) ... that piece is being driven by a pump that feeds that and a small water feature at the other end of the pond. That one is a 4,200gph unit, but the waterfall cap is getting only a fraction of that amount.
Given lift consierations, drag/friction, etc. ... I imaine the total actual flow rate to be around 4,000gph. I use the top basin for a major part of my filtration. The output of the 5,000gph enters a large crate that performs the lion's share of my mechanical filtration. Inside the basin is an 850gph pump that further clarifies the water and drives the UV filter/sterilizer. Within the basin I have all sorts of bio-media, as well as a large number of plants, many of which are potted in those "aqua pots" that are basically plastic square sieves. So, the roots get to do a lot of work in the filtration department too. Our skimmer is being driven by another 850 that feeds a separate stand-alone biological filter. The clarity of this pond is truly off of the charts when everything is running as it should!!! I'll take a couple more pics today to show off the water clarity and whatnot (those images above were a day or two after the clean-up from the monster disaster in August)
Its all so beautiful!!!!!
Love those falls!!!!
Very very very beautiful!
crested & lib, thank you both very much! :o) I need to get some updated pictures to show the water clarity (that one of the fish above is ... well ... rather cloudy, needless to say) and the waterfalls now that the algae and color have finally begun to return. Put a green rock in the sun for not so long and it loses its color right fast! We spent a lot of time weeding and piddling and moving plants this weekend. It's a shame that the season is drawing to a close already!
BB,
My pond should be so cloudy!
What sort of filtration do you have, Dave?
I'll check my filter and get back to you. I don't have a biological filter.
Well, I meant more in the generic, dude ... in essence, to get the sparkling clear water l;ook you need 3 types of filtration (unless you make your pond REALLY big ... say, a few acres or so):
Mechanical: this is the one with pads that need on-going attention. This removes larger visible debris.
Biological: yeah, this one really is a plus. Whether you maintain one or not, Mother Nature is continaully attempting to set one up for us, so go ahead and give her a hand. All it takes is a source of water that is not overloaded with detritus and a large surface area for the bacteria to colonize upon. A bucket loaded with lava rock and "Loofah" (sp?) sponges would even work ... although you'll need to have the water filtered before it gets pumped into this bucket. Biological filtration typically follows mechanical filtration when the units are connected or integrated.
Ultra-Violet Sterilization: This is one of those that gets (or at least used to get) a lot of debate. In my experience, it is an invaluable part of a smaller, man-made mini "ecosystem." This sucker, in essence, kills single cell algae (the stuff that gives pond water that funky pea-soup green appearance) and the dead algae is collected by the mechanical filter. Before hooking one of these up, you'll want to make sure your mechanical filter is ready to receive lots of gook! :o) Also, if the water flow is not too intense, these units also kill quite a few pathogens as well.
I cut a lot of corners where I can in order to save the money for filtration. Like I said, I make most of mine and would be more than happy to share some of my ideas and ... well ... "designs" (for lack of a better word) They're pretty cheesy looking sometimes, and ALWAYS need to be well hidden, but the results have made all the effort, expense and trial-and-error worth it all.
Bogweed, Thanks for all the information. I have a roughly 600 gallon pond with a 926 gal. per hr pump and a 3 channel mechanical filter.
No biological filter or ultra-violet sterilization unit. I probably use Accuclear and/or Pondzyme 6 times/season.
I guess I should improve my system. My pond is next to a natural stone outcropping. I pump the filtered water up the stone to create a waterfall. Any suggestions on how to put a biological filter into the mix without making it look hideous ?
Dave
Yeah, man! Have a picture of your pond? It sounds nice by the way you describe it.
How tall is the stone work for your waterfall? My last pond had a very small waterfall-like feature that was just big enough for me to hide my UV unit behind.
As far as a biological filter is concerned, if your waterfall is tall enough, that's a great place to tuck this behind as well. If not, which was my case last year, moderately tall grasses serve that purpose all too well. I had some grasses that needed to be divided anyhow, one large clump was used to disguise my homebrew bio filter. Here's how my hook-up worked:
- One pump was used for my mini waterfall. I had one of those submersible type filters to catch the larger detritus. Everytime that filter started getting full of gunk, the waterfall rate of flow was visibly affected. At least it was painfully clear when it was time to clean that one! :o)
- Another pump was used to drive the bio and UV filters. There was also a rough "pre filter" attached to the intake of this pump as well. It was a bit more crude and less efficient than the other one, but it kept baby fish and larger debris out of the loop. Above water I had a "T" fitting in place with a ball valve installed beyond the "T". It really doesn't much matter which line the ball valve is placed on: less flow on that line diverts more water to the other. My goal here was to make sure that my UV unit ALWAYS had water flowing through it. Let it dry up and it's burn-out time.
Here's one of those "T" inserts:
The "Bio Filter" ...
This was basically an unused 5 gallon painters bucket with a tight lid that I purchased at a local hardware store. Here's where you can some fun being creative. In short, you need to provide a leak free way of pushing a large volume of water through this bucket. This set-up requires one to make use of gravity to get the water back into the pond. Therefore, water entered the top of the bucket and exited towards the bottom.
1) I drilled a hole in the middle of the lid large enough where I had to use a little force to get a 3/4" a 90 degree insert elbow fitting pushed in.
One of these guys ... (the threaded part is pushed into the lid, the "barbed" end is where it inserts into your hosing)
2) Another hole is drilled towards the bottom of the bucket. This hole is barely large enough to accept the threaded end of a PVC "insert male adapter." One of these:
before continuing on .... make sure to apply a liberal amount of silicon glue around this lower fitting to prevent leakage.
3) Finally, make sure to add another outlet on the side of the bucket, but just a couple inches from the top of the bucket. This is for overflow in the event that your primary return on the bottom of the bucket ever clogs up. It happens, so don't skip this step! :o) To keep appearances clean, I use another 90 degree elbow fitting for this.
Now to fill the bucket with stuff that makes a happy home for your nitrobacter and nitrosomonas bacterias! Again, LOTS of room got arguments and debate here, but this is what has worked for me: a combination of lava rock on the bottom, covered by a half dozen or so nylon mesh sponges. The sponges can be cleaned up a few times a year in another bucket filled with pond water ... just hand rinse out the excess detritus and it's ready to return to service! If your pre-filter for this pump is efficient enough, this can be a once a year cleanup! (yeah, baby!)
Dose the heck out of this set-up with a bacteria culture (lord knows, there's plenty of those to choose from these days!) a couple times the first month of use (repeat in the spring time) and you're on your way to wonderfully healthy water!
Or, so I think at least! I've been doing this fish rearing/breeding thing for over 20 years, so I'm sorta stuck in my ways about what I think fish do and don't need. :o)
Oh, here's a picture of the nylon sponges I mentioned. (I have heard that "loofah" sponges work well too, but they can be a bit more expensive and tougher to clean. ALSO ... I have heard some really good reports about the use of the course pads used by industrial floor scrubbers, "chopped" into 4 ~ 6" pieces)
This message was edited Sep 8, 2005 9:02 AM
Of course, there are ways to incorporate a filtration system into a new waterfall as well ... let's look at what you have now and go from there, tho.
BB, THANK YOU!
Basically, I set up a second system with pump, prefilter and your nifty invention istead of trying to put it on my rock where it would seem impossible to hide.
Questions:
Where do I get the bacteria culture? I know they exist in nature but could you be more specific?
Where do I get lava rocks? Fish part of pet store?
Once constructed, you put the bio filter on something to protect the elbow on the bottom?
Am I correct in assuming that you use the "t" to also divert water to your UV filter?
This was extremely kind of you! Thank you for all your time.
Dave
PS No pictures. We lost the darn camera.
The rock outcropping is about 5' tall but probably only about 3', over my pond.
I run hose up its face, hiding the hose with large stones up the face of the outcropping and have the water double back over the rock & stone (no basin at the top) It works pretty well-- I have had a couple of people ask how the "spring" comes out of the rock. But then again - they weren't the sharpest pencils in the box.;^)
Or ...... you're feeding them too many tasty beverages before showing off your pond! :o)
1. Where do I get the bacteria culture? I know they exist in nature but could you be more specific?
2. Where do I get lava rocks? Fish part of pet store?
3, Once constructed, you put the bio filter on something to protect the elbow on the bottom?
4. Am I correct in assuming that you use the "t" to also divert water to your UV filter?
BB, Thanks again. You have been great!
1) Got Pond-Zyme
2) Just plain old gas grill lava rocks?!
3) How far/where am I running the 1 1/4" tubing from the bottom of the filter?
Maybe I'm the one who is not a sharp pencil!
You have given me a great education. I owe you one. Would you be interested in any of my children?
Due to my dull pencilness, it might be a whole lot safer if I just check out Lilypons.
dave
Bogweed, Went to Lilypons. The Tetra PF-3 was shown as $119. Maybe the sale was just for walk-ins? I may have to actually get handy!
