We have completed a "pondless, waterfall/stream" but have done nothing more with the "pondless" part than simply call it that. We now have a basin 8 ft wide, 5 wide and 5 deep. The pond will hold all the stream water and double. It's lined. The pump is installed. To make it a pond - WITHOUT fish, what should I get to keep the water clear,etc. The teenagers like the idea of sitting on the pond side and putting their feet in -
I don't know, I just don't want a muggy mess and will shut it down in the winter and drain it. SUGGESTIONS please!
kathy
Have stream and changing to pond - HELP
There are so many options here - from simple to extremely complicated. My setup is somewhere in the middle. If you want to keep it simple, I would suggest you just add a biofilter. Here's a good DIY one that you can put at the head of your stream: http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm
One other note - I wouldn't drain it in the winter - you need the weight of the water/ice to prevent breakdown of your pond walls from freeze/thaw cycle. Just take out the pump and let it freeze over (unless you have fish or frogs, in which case, you should keep a small hole open with a deicer ($30ish)
I'm sure others with small ponds will come around and give you some more suggestions.
P.S. I give you a month before you add a few fish ;o)
Goodness! You're basically set up for the "hard part" of ponding already! I would go for it, listen to the kids....if it keeps them around and gives them something to do at home, go for it!
5 feet deep is deep enough to winter over fish. You don't have to get the most expensive koi on the block, but there are some VERY attractive goldfish out there that aren't your average gold comet. They come in red and whites.....or calicos......different style tails, etc....
The main expense usually is the set up of depth and width....you are one step ahead already!
If you get a simple bio-filter with a UV light off Ebay, with a pump, at the MOST it will cost you $200...........if you don't want to go that way and just want to go with a "natural" setting, believe it or not, it will run you about the same (you can get addicted to water lilies too!)
I say GO FOR IT! We're all here to help you!
:)
Ok, I've decided it must be a pondless stream. I can't deal with the extra work of a pond.
k
no no nooooooooooooooo, the point is, with a few things, it WILL be an easy process for you....Trust me, look at how many posts there are for ponders! Once we added one, we LOVED it!
:) reconsider.....
Ms. Mary - give me more to shoot for here. I have the hole, liner, and pump ready, stream flowing, waterfall flowing. Now. If I want to make a pond what more do I need? A filter in the pond? I really don't want something that's going to turn green and nasty and I have to keep cleaning. I also like turning off the pump at night to save electricity.
If I had nice clear water and a few water lilies I may be okay with it.
k
I would get a bio filter with a UV light....the UV will keep your water crystal clear.....then a few fish here and there will be no problem. If you have surface plants, such as lilies, it shades the water and keeps some of the algae away too.
