Here's a link to some photos I posted on this Gallery last month. These focus primarily on a stream which feeds my pond. I will try to get a few more pond pix posted soon. Thank you for looking! Bob aka Camper Man Here is a link that might be useful: My Stream & Pond Photos

"I moved into a new-to-me house last spring that has a small pond in the backyard - about 6'x3'x3'. It doesn't have any fish or plants growing in it, so pretty much all I did last year was clean out the leaves and pull out some of the rocks that had fallen in that were supposed to be around the edge. Tadpoles took over in May, so I left them alone, hoping that frogs would help with summer mosquitoes. If they did, I shudder to think what it would have been like without them around. (I also used dunks on a regular basis throughout the summer.) The water stayed remarkably clear overall." Hello Rosten18, If you had no plants and clear water last year then consider yourself lucky. Also, I wonder if you had frogs or toads. I'm in KS too and the Eastern American Toad is the primary visitor to my pond. My first year I had lots of mosquito larvae in the pond and used the dunks to take care of them. But last year I bought about 2 dozen Gambuzzia (sp), the mosquito fish, from the local tropical fish store and had absolutely no mosquito problem. "Now that spring is coming around again, I'm wondering what I should do with it. I'm afraid I simply don't have the time to deal with fish, and any plants would have to be really low maintenance. At one point it had a filter - it's still sitting out there - but the cord has been cut, and I have no idea where the rest of the cord is, or whether there is still power running to it. It's far enough from the house that I don't really want to try to run another line, so I was thinking about trying something solar powered." If you were to try mosquito fish you wouldn't have to do anything, at least not very much. They feed on the larvae that accumulates on the edges. My experience is that they have a hard time overwintering here in KS so you might have to spend a few bucks but they're not expensive (about the same as buying guppies). I'm not sure of the filter you speak. Is it a filter in a skimmer, or, is it a power filter in-line between a pump and a discharge? Perhaps it is part of a biological filter in a filter box? And what cable has been cut, the buried electrical cable or the cord to the plug of a pump? Sorry for so many questions. I would want water moving to help enjoy the pond so I would repair the setup. "I'd appreciate any advice, but in particular I'm wondering whether I need a filter if I don't have anything living in the pond. I would also like to know whether anyone has experience with solar powered pumps, and whether there are any brands in particular to look for. The main reason I would do a pump is to keep the water circulating, which I'm assuming would eliminate the need for mosquito dunks. Is that a safe assumption? " Do you need a filter? I would think you don't need much of a filter for a 6 x6 x 3 pond with out too much load but you will have sediment to handle. How do you want to keep your pond clean, by hand? It's your call. I don't have any experience with a solar pump. Sorry. I like mag drive pumps because they are oil-less and have great dependability and don't use as much electricity as regular pumps. A simple pump will do for you and your situation. You won't have to spend more than $100. You won't get a break from discouraging mosquitos, at least not too much of one, if you add a pump and circulate water. There are always areas or pockets that can support their existence. It is best to do the dunks or the fish. "Also, I've cleaned out most of the leaves again, but is there any reason why I shouldn't empty the pond entirely and refill it with clean water? I'm assuming the tadpoles will be back, so I should probably take care of most of this within the next month." Water chemistry, I guess. I would try to leave water that doesn't include chlorine or chloramines in it. If your water supported tadpoles last year then you probably have sufficient water this year. If you go and empty the pond you should expect an algae bloom and perhaps a reduction in aquatic life, unless you use a de-chlorinating water conditioner. Most city water in KS uses chloramines (make sure your water de-chlor. is able to handle this because some dry formulas cannot). I'm really not that lazy, but it's just me, and between working full time and going to grad school, there's only so much I can do! I'd like this to be fairly maintenance free, so I can devote any spare time I have to a garden. Thanks in advance for your help! It sounds to me that you can go either way. Not do a whole lot besides hand cleaning, or. you can invest and make a beautiful ornamental pond out of it and have aquatic plants. I just can't imagine a pond without plants! One or two hardy water lilies and some anacharis (sp), a few floating water hyacinths. And you have an easy and beautiful pond. Good luck!

Thanks, Gilroy! I wonder if anyone has success posting images from their libraries directly to gardenweb? We've gone back and forth--from making the pond into a firepit--which would mean somehow making it drain snow melt and rainwater, to reviving the pond, which means a bigger financial and time committment, plus lots more to learn (just trying to figure out the GPH and the lift and the head height and immersible vs external and direct drives vs mag drives...! Yikes!) We've also talked about making it a firepit surrounded by a pond or somehow making it into a hot tub or outdoor pizza oven. It's the focal point of our backyard and letting it fill up with algae and Mosquitos and weeds every summer just isn't working. Our neighbor put in a swimming pool and all the noisy equipment sits atop the hill just above the pond's retaining wall and behind a hideous chain link fence. We're hoping to cover up the noise with the waterfall sounds and eventually put up our own wooden fence to hide the chain link. But, wow, what a lot of work and expense. I love old houses and am glad you're trying to stay true to the design of your home's era. Have you posted any photos of your home and where the pond is sited in relation to the house? Good luck!

Hi Jane, the upper smaller pond is called a bog and it's purpose is to clean your water and offer a naturalized setting. This is a good thing that someone planned that feature. Your iris as with most of the water iris can be on the aggressive side. I divided mine with a saw a year ago. You wouldn't know that today though. I have Gamecock and Yellow flag. Yellow flag are super water cleaners. My gamecock has never bloomed but I do feed them with the approved pond tabs so as to not upset the overall environment. Personally, I would wait to divide as you could still get some cold snaps and they might be too stressed to handle the cold under those conditions. Placing them in a water garden plastic container/basket would make the job of dividing in the future much easier. There are many bog type plants to choose from. I love parrot feathers. They like to float on top and koi like to eat them so it is better the two don't meet. In regards to water: You might check to see if there is a koi club nearby or a garden center with knowledge about water gardens and koi. Of course the internet is full of information and it can be like the wild, wild west. You will run into many differences of opinions. I ran into that and it was very disheartening and totally confusing. In the end, it's up to you to do homework on water chemistry and how best to maintain your pond. I only say this because of experience and I hope you understand. I would gladly tell you what works for me but our ponds and environments are very different. Sad experience tells me that stuff happens on Saturday nights when there are no stores open to get emergency supplies so now I have those things, just in case. At minimum, you should know how to test your water. The good news is your pond is established meaning you have all those beneficial bacteria working for you. That can take months to get going. The first year of a pond can be an adventure :( Barring an ammonia spike, the bacteria should be able to handle the majority of work. Prior owners said to just add water occasionally. That probably would be okay because of your total volume. Doing the whole chlorine removal probably isn't necessary unless you are changing out thousands of gallons. A couple of hundred gallons added to what you already have will dilute it enough, I would think. Looking to the immediate future, spring is coming which will mean a food change. Water warms up, bacteria get more active. I would imagine the number one mistake people make is overfeeding. When the water temp. is low, you might not feed at all. The fish's metabolism slows down and food won't process. Koi can live in iced over conditions with a small vent hole for gasses to escape. They can do this for a long time so don't feel you are torturing them. But then spring comes and they are hungry and you need to be careful with the type and quantity of food because they will make a lot of waste and your bio filter needs to warm up in order to process waste. Are your Koi more cigar shaped (male) or rounder (female)? Spawning season is coming and that affects water quality too. Finally, think long and hard about adding more fish until you feel really confident in your maintenance routine. You probably will have to muck out the debris on the bottom, old leaves and such. Does this pond have a liner? Cleaning it out is messy and exhausting. Your filter will need to be cleaned or backwashed and you should check all your equipment for wear and tear. Pumps do wear out mostly when you least expect it. Hopefully they left you some notes on the how, what, where for reference. Did the prior owners take care of this themselves or hire a service? I hope this helps a little. Have a great day!