Our 6 year old prefab must have sprung a leak (I didn't even think they COULD spring a leak thru that heavy material). But I turned off the little waterfall and moved all plants away from the sides of the pond and checked for anything splashing. Still, every day for the last week or so, it has lost 2 or 3 inches (and it's only 2' deep at the most). grrrr.
So today, I moved all the goldies to our newer and larger pond except for a few that have evaded the net.. for now. Any ideas how one of those heavy plastic units could leak? Rocks? Temperature changes (but we don't have bad winters)...? Thoughts?
Also, I guess I'll have to leave all the fish in the one pond until we repair or replace the other one. They're already way overpopulated, but I guess it's not so bad in the winter since they won't be eating much (no eat no poop). :-)
jo
leak in old prefab pond
Do you mean two or three inches a day? Are you having a lot of dry weather there? If so, is your little pond accessible to critters like possums, raccoon or deer? If that is the case some of your water loss may be due to them looking for a dependable water source. Something you could try is to stop filling it and see if the water levels out at a certain depth and look for cracks above that. Another suggestion would be to drain the pond and put a flexible pond liner in it right over the plastic one. That would definately stop a leak if you have one.
Yes, it has been very dry, but that's been the case for a long time. But rather than adding another inch of water every few days (as we had been), now we've been adding 2 or 3 inches a day.
This morning, it looks like it's down a bit since last night, but not dramatically so... so we might have found the level where the leak is. If so, is there any way to patch it without draining the rest of the water?
Of course, your idea of using a flexible lining on top of the other one makes the best sense even though it requires draining the water that's left. I guess we could put it in the kiddy pool temporarily (it's really good pond water - tests beautifully).
I was reading this link about how to repair pond leaks. I thought the idea to locate the leak using milk was interesting. I haven't tried it so I can't say if it actually works or not. If you can locate the leak, draining the water just below the hole so that it is dry, then try using a tire puncture repair kit.
http://www.gardenandhearth.com/Backyard-Ponds/How-to-Repair-a-Pond-Liner.htm
Deborah
Got home from work and it looks like the pond is at the same level as when I left this morning. Just a few inches lower than where it should be. So that's good news because it indicates that the leak is somewhere on the side rather than on the bottom. Cordele, thanks for the link.. both the milk and sand ideas sound interesting. I'll be home tomorrow, and this weekend should be mild, so if we can't locate the leak visually, we might try one of those. But the article sound more like it's describing fixing a leak in a flexible liner -- ours is a preformed so am not sure whether it would work (DH said we should just use super glue).
Tetley, we're still considering the flexible liner over the preform option because we will be draining the pond anyway . Sounds like a good bit of insurance, even if we do manage to locate and fix the leak. We still have three little goldies that evaded our first relocation project; but I'll bribe them with fishfood and move them tomorrow.
In a way, I'm kinda glad this happened because we really DO need to work on the old pond because it has settled at too sharp an angle and doesn't hold nearly as much water as it could. But we have been procrastinating because it will be a big job for a coupla old guys like us.. So the universe stepped in. Gotta love it!
Has anyone had experience with draining ponds? We have a muckvac that we got on ebay and haven't used yet, and two kiddie pools. I know we can move the water and muck that way. I'd like to keep and reuse as much as possible because we have very good, bacteria-rich well water and probably have dragonfly larva and possibly hibernating frogs in the muck. I'm such a softie! LOL
jo
Just curious....is there any plumbing that goes outside the perimeter of the pond? If so, the leak could be from there.......if a siphon is being maintained, the water could wick out thru the plumbing even with the pump off. I also find it hard to believe the hard liner is leaking :( Sorry for your troubles!
My prefab cracked along the mold area where the plant ledge meets the upper side.
I tried to repair with with pond liner repair patch but it doesn't work well. I will have to try some other method or use a liner over it.
Boy, I'm getting glad I've never bought one, they look so sturdy!
No - there's no outside plumbing at all. I have removed all tubes and pipes and hoses and plants. I even removed the pump (plenty of oxygen left for those three little fishies). So there's no way the water could be wicking out.
Budgielover-- I appreciate your response re the prefab. I'll definitely take a look at that particular area by the shelf and will try to patch it if I find it. Either way, I guess we'll be using a liner.
Bugger.
I had a whiskey barrel tub that my dogs attacked before I got it filled. I was not about to throw it out before trying to fix the holes. I took silicone caulk and fixed the holes. It worked for me. Of course you have to find your hole first.
This stuff works. Aquascape silicone sealant. The surface must be bone dry and squeaky clean and allowed to cure. A fix on the top lip of a waterfall weir has held for six years.
http://pondscape.safeshopper.com/26/cat26.htm?302
Never did find the hole, but it's a small pond and shouldn't take too large a piece of pond-cloth to line it. Meanwhile, I managed to trap and move all my goldies to the other pond. One little bugger kept me working for several days though. It found a little niche behind a rock that I didn't even see (half way embedded in the mud). One of those dark ones - great camoflage. I really thought I had them all out for several days before I saw it moving around. Now my main pond is really overcrowded (at least 150), but they all seem real happy. Amazing that they really did seem to recognize each other, each time I moved a batch from the little leaking pond to the larger newer one. They are all related -- all descended from 4 that we bought seven years ago. I honestly think they know it! But then, I'm crazy.
jo
How llarge do they need to be before they breed. I have 7 common goldfish now about 4 in long. 1 black moor arountd 6 in and 1 calico type about 7 in
That's plenty big, I would think. How long have they been in there? Is your pond water healthy? Here in GA, it's the change in the weather temperature that seems to trigger spawning behavior. Maybe that's not true in Florida.??
About 8 months or so. Water is good and clear. It's a small prefab about 100 gal so I don't know if it's large enough for them to breed. I do need to add some plants though.
Goldfish will breed in a tea cup if the water is good. They don't need a lot of encouragement. This can be a rewarding experience or it can be an enormous aggravation.
They make good fertilizer.
Oh don't say that, snapple... Despite my best intentions, I can't help feeling somewhat attached to my goldfish. If we start to starve to death, well then.. I might turn them into plant food,,, or dog food... or people food (a few of them are large enough for a decent meal!)
Budgielover - I think your lack of plants might be part of the problem. They do lay their eggs on vegetation. See if you can find some anacharis or something. I bet that would help.
jo
I have to say, when I first read snapples' post - I laughed so hard!
Snapple - thanks for the ha ha! I needed it today!
Carolyn
budgie, yours will spawn in spring for sure, as soon as things start to warm a bit.
I dunno what's so funny......they do make good fertilizer! We got rid of all ours, whew, what a chore to catch them and get rid of them.