Posted by graske (My Page) on Wed, Sep 12, 07 at 7:37

Well where do i start..my mother in law has moved to a new house and we have just discovered a pond hidden in the garden,it was over grown.Now she was going to fill it in because it looked really neglected but on further inspection it has about 15 fish and some frogs as well as the normal pond life.Now we have no experiance with ponds we are not sure how to go about cleaning it out,what plants we should have in it,the water is rather green,should there be a filter,what are the fish eating(they look like gold fish to me)please help..Graske...

That seems like a lot of fish for a small pond, Graske. Can you find out if there was ever a pump and filter? It would be a shame to fill it in. I would start with getting rid of weeds I know are weeds and cut back everything else so you can get an idea of just what you are dealing with. Next spring you can get a better idea of what you want to keep and what you want to eliminate.
For the rest give us some more detail, such as the size of the pond, what it is made of, etc. Then we can give a more detailed response. It sounds like you may have a treasure. Sandy

Lucky you! I agree with what Sandy offered. Maybe you can give a few fish away, but it depends on the size of the pond. In the mean time, the fish eat what nature's given them, I only feed my fish 2-3 times a week, so if there's algae and insects don't worry about them for a bit. I see you are in the UK, perhaps some of our friends 'across the pond' can help here too.

The pond didn't get in that state in a few days, and you don't have to "fix" it in a few days. It'll probably take a few months or even longer. Relax, decide it you even want a pond, then give us all the info you can. There are many great people here to help!

I have just came home from the pond...its 11 ft by 4 ft and its 2 ft deep,there is definitely about 15 fish all about 5 inches long, there are also a couple of frogs.We have cleared around most of the edge at the front of the pond..i dont think there has ever been a pump or filter..i have some pictures i will post after i up load them...Graske

Bumping up post for graske.

That sounds like a good size for a newby to ponds. Not so small that it is uninteresting and not so large it would be overwhelming. It sounds to me like Mother Nature has been making the decisions for the wildlife which was a good thing for the 15 fish that have survived. If those 15 have been living there for a while then a natural cull has been taking place and those passed. If there has never been a pump or filter then the water may be coming from a spring. Try putting something onto the surface of the pond to find the flow pattern. Maybe a small block of wood would do. You may not need a pump or filter. Sandy

Can't wait to see the photos. Certainly a managable size if you and your MIL are interested. Take it slow. The one thing I would say is DON'T be tempted to drain it and scrub it down. Ponds have to 'cycle' and yours is probably better than most. What you want to do is 'help' Mother Nature give you what you want, whether it's a bog, a pond for critters, or a plant pond or a fish pond, because unfortunately our man-made ponds are never 'natural'.

If your MIL is interested, it will give her unlimited joy...my little pond does.

We love a challenge, hope we can help! More info please.

Well i have done loads of work now on the pond it looks brilliant..i have cut all the grass back that had over grown in to it..it has a stone edge all the way around it, at the back there has been a rockery..that was all over grown(that still needs work) as soon as my wife sorts the photos out i will post them..i think the pond is only fed by rain water...the water is quite green..will a pump sort that out..and can you get duel pumps ie pumps the water out and cleans it then pump it out again as say a water fall?

Well i have done loads of work now on the pond it looks brilliant..i have cut all the grass back that had over grown in to it..it has a stone edge all the way around it, at the back there has been a rockery..that was all over grown(that still needs work) as soon as my wife sorts the photos out i will post them..i think the pond is only fed by rain water...the water is quite green..will a pump sort that out..and can you get duel pumps ie pumps the water out and cleans it then pump it out again as say a water fall?

Great news! Yes, most of us have pumps that take water from the pond, run it through a filter, and then empty back into the pond via a water fall. Set-ups can be very elaborate or very simple, and depending on what you want to spend (or how handy you are) - purchased as a system or built yourself. Green water is caused by algae, start by reading the 'frequently asked questions' at the top of this forum page. It can definately be cleared up by filtration, plant coverage, etc. What kinds of plants are in the pond? How about those pictures?

Good Luck, sounds like you're enjoying it already!

There are no plants in the pond, but i did find some small plant pots in the pond when i run a net through it..so there has been some at some point...what plants should we put in?..i hope to have the picks on today..

pond pics

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:229698}}

more pond pics

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:229700}}

fish pics

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:229701}}

Looks like you've really accomplished alot! And what you have is a lovely pond.

Normally I would suggest plants, but I have no idea what zone you're in, so the plants here are only for examples. What you want eventually is a sturdy submerged plant or 2 for oxygenating (hornwort, anacharis), several marginals - plants that grow in shallow water along the edges- may be grown in pots and put on a ledge or a block or bricks (pickeral rush/weed, water iris, water canna lilies, cattail, papyrus, umbrella palm - the list is endless). Maybe a water lily - usually potted and sitting on the bottom. And perhaps a floater or 2 - plants that float on the top of the water (water hyacinth, water lettuce, watercress - yes, from the grocery, just toss a hunk in - azolla/fairy moss, duck weed). These often grow agressively, but are easily controlled by pulling them out and tossing them in the compost. Again, check what's hardy (and legal) for your zone. Some can only be grown as annuals, others can be kept over winter (I pay attention to that when it gets to -20F here at times!)

With a pond your size please consider dwarf varieties of many plants, pond plants tend to REALLY grow and you may find yourself overgrown again in a year or 2. For instance, one dwarf Sioux waterlily in my small pond, potted and sitting in 28" of water will produce enough lily pads to cover a 4' circle and produce 6 or 8 blooms at once. And they need to be divided every year or two or three, so then you have to give them away - or trade them for even more plants here on the plant exchange....oops...sorry so long, I love the plants, and tend to get carried away :)

Anyway, the idea is to have a variety of plants that will help filter the pond by using up excess nutrients produced by the fish.

In your 1st photo, looks like there may have been rocks up above to the left? Any evidence of an old water fall?

no waterfall...but its what i was looking at...if i put a pump come filter in what do you recommend to do the job of filtering and giving me a water feature..im in England...how long should it take to clear up the green water if i just put plants in..Graske

Pure guess here. I'm in zone 4 meaning - our low temps reach -34 to -29C or -30 to -20F, in zone 6 low temps reach -23 to -18C or -10 to 0F.

Using just plants, and NO MORE fish, you may achieve somewhat clear water eventually.

If you have decided that you want clear water, fish and some plants, I would think you'll need some type of filter. As I said, you can go on-line or to a pond store and buy kits with everything you need. Or you can easily construct your own for alot less $$. Check out the Skippy site below. I made my own, the 1st one was a 1/2 whiskey barrel and kept my 300ga pond very clean. I now have a 60ga variation of a skippy/veggie filter without all the big drains etc. It would probably keep a 500 ga pond crystal clear. Most of these filters are easily modified to make a small waterfall or brook feeding back to the pond...for example... someone here (search skippy filters) made a beautiful one with a 1/2 barrel and an old hand pump pouring water out into a stream.

This is my very simple skippy type filter (early spring, a month later you can barely see it 'cause the plants have grown, see below... (it also needs more rocks to hide the plastic).

{{gwi:176978}}

{{gwi:179934}}
Oops, actually this is now my 60ga stock tank skippy/veggie filter (on the right) about 2 months into the growing season, also needs some rock work to cover the plastic, and now another month later you can't even see the tank for all the overgrown water cress. The 1/2 barrel skippy is farther back , filtering my 2nd pond. Most people use liner to created their waterfalls, mine happen to be ugly preforms for now :) BTW, that's my dwarf Sioux waterlily in the front pond with it's 1st bloom, the pond is 5'x5'x28".

Probably one of the best way to get rid of green water is a "pre-filter" around your pump (if it's submerged). Simply set your pump in a bucket in the pond and wad some quilt batting around and over it, or if the pumps too big for a bucket just wrap the intake with quilt batting. Change the batting frequently until the water clears. The batting catches the algae particles. I do this for about 2 weeks each spring after I start my pond up. Some people change the batting daily, I do it about 2x's a week for 2 weeks, the maybe once a week for 2 weeks, then remove the batting and I'm done with the pre-filter for the summer. Results may vary!

Whatever you decide, we can help you thru it. If you want specifics on mine you can e-mail me thru my member page.

HEY, you guys, more suggestions!? Who's got the calculator? How many gallons is 11'x4'x2?' deep.

Sarah

(skippy site below, take it and make it your own, you don't need their bacteria, or their special media - pot scrubbers work great!. PS: I never clean mine:)

Here is a link that might be useful: skippy site

Hi Graske, I just got back from a visit to my loved ones in California so I'm a little behind. I live in zone 5, which means winter lows around 0 F (-16 or so C), and our night frost free season is from late May until early October. My sister in the Netherlands probably has more the same climate as you have. She has a dwarf cattail (typha minima), a flowering rush (butomus umbellatus), variegated water grass (glyceria aq. var.), a hottonia (NOT a houttuynia!) palustris, and I think a water chestnut (trapa natans). These might work for you. Also, I think primulas would love to be near your pond if you have a little shade for them. I love primulas. But it gets too hot for them here in the summer.

Btw, some of these might be annuals, I don't really know, all I know is they would definitely be annuals here. My sister has only just got her pond, and the plants haven't gone through the winter yet. I myself bring some of my more tender plants inside for the winter.

Your pond look so lovely. You should plan a little sitting area near it, especially once you have the sound of falling water going! Thoughts on a waterfall: we wish we had kept ours lower, it looks almost like a volcano-shaped pile of rocks. Too late to change it now, because we have a filter tub built in and the tubing is all buried. So -> keep in mind how natural it will look before you pile the stones on top! Also, make sure that the water doesn't run back behind stones and over the wrong side of the edge. We used some rubber liner (EPDM) under the entire waterfall area so the water can only -> return to the pond. Our sitting area (my husband made a wooden deck) is directly across from the waterfall, so we can sit and enjoy the look and the sound. And it has a skippy-type filter built in. We only clean it at the end of the season, when winter is coming. Only once a year, because we have three other filter entities running.

We found that the green water needed to be filtered with quilt batting-type material to trap stuff, with pot scrubbies to provide helpful bacteria a place to attach, an area where it streams through slowly enough to settle (out of which we can then drain the yucky sediment), and with a surface skimmer. It has become a complicated system. IMHO you should try a skippy first, and maybe an in-the-pond mini skimmer next; or combine these, because the skimmer will have a pump, and the water can then be brought via a rubber tube to your waterfall. If possible, include a little faucet or valve at the bottom /at the back of the skippy so you can drain the sediment out without having to rinse the media.

You're going to have so much fun with this!

:) Mary

How's the progress graske?