Screen vs. Net for our pond?

15 years ago

Hello,

we had a pond professionally installed over the summer (goldfish had outgrown our two hand-dug plastic ponds and we wanted to give them a better home) and it is approx. 1500 sq. feet, kidney shaped. The more shallow end is about 18 in. and it slopes to approx. 3 1/2 ft deep. it has a river rock border (no adhesive was used).

We used a net last year for our smaller pond (and just had 8 fish at the time) but are wondering what the best option would be for our larger pond. The pond company suggested a custom made screen which sounded like it would be shaped like the pond and consist of several sections; it would lay level on top of the rocks. We're wondering if we could build something ourselves fairly easily to save money.

Due to the size of the new pond and the amount of leaves the pond area gets from a large oak and several other trees (dogwood, walnut), we don't feel a net would work as well as a screen(?), but wanted to check with experienced pond folks to see what you'd suggest.

(we feel fortunate not to have had a heron visit yet, and are hoping the screen would also help deter any that might show up). Our fish population has boomed... there are 6-7 5 in. goldfish, 30-40 some others ranging from 4-1 in. long and some tiny fry. We definitely want to keep the water healthy and safe for all our fish.

http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo290/darbygurl_photos/pondwplants.jpg

(hope I linked this correctly!)

http://s384.photobucket.com/albums/oo290/darbygurl_photos/?action=view&current=pondwplants.jpg

any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

many thanks in advance,

maria

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Comments (10)

nkm56
15 years ago
Nets work great for all sizes of ponds. However, if you want to have a screen custom made for the pond, I see no reason why that would not work great as well. If you're worried about herons, just make sure the sections cannot get separated and leave a gap between them.
sleeplessinftwayne
15 years ago
I have a problem with a screen that lays essentially flat if you have any snow. Here, the amount of snow we get would collapse it. I use the frame for the top of a gazebo. The frame has six sides rather than four although that might not make a difference. It is sturdy, covers the whole pond and has enough of a pitch that snow doesn't cause a problem. I have been trying to think of a way to add clear plastic to it to keep the ice down in the pond but don't think I will be doing that this year. You might discuss this kind of support with your contractor. Sandy
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There are a number of ways to make keeping your pond maintenance more efficient without the outrageous price your handyman puts on the job. The first problem of fine leaved Honey Locust leaves could be solved by making a screen sided or mesh sided basket to put into the top section of the pond to collect the leaves. Just leave it in place between cleanings. If you are handy, the screen sided bucket is simple enough but premade mesh fish nets come in some rather large sizes and shaping the handle to serve as a cup type handle is easy enough as is making some sort of shelf to hold the net in place. Just lift the net out by the handle, let the water drain back if it is sufficiently clear and dump the leaves out. I am putting in a link for a website that happens to show several products on the same page that would do a good job of cleaning the mulm under the bottom drain. The fish capture nets are there, too. The Muck Vac is about as simple as it gets. The price is a bit steep but it works. All you need is 50 lbs water pressure in the hose. The leaf vac uses a bag to catch debris and I use one to collect leaves on the bottom. It isn't as good for mulm unless you get the extra bags for that purpose. The price is hard to beat. It adds water to your pond so prepare as for a water change. The Python pond vac is a more elaborate version of the Muck vac designed to collect leaves and mulm. It is more difficult to get into tight places and I have a problem opening and closing the jar that collects the debris because my hands hurt a lot. The pond vacuum on this page is pretty expensive but you can get a garage(utility)vac with a continuous flow(water)discharge for between $75 and $90. It works, too. Just add a hose to run the water to the garden. I got one at Walmart and I've seen them at Lowes, Menards, etc. It took me a while to get the hang of it but Horton came through for me with proper instructions. UV, UV. Hum-mm. I don't see anywhere the flow rate would be low enough to let the UV work. I see you have valves all through the system that makes in-line space at a premium even if it lets you adjust the flow. It seems to me that adding another pipe with a valve to control that flow would make the system complicated to the point of maintenance inefficiency and it would certainly raise the scream level. Maybe I am wrong. Since you are going to move, I would use a small submersible pump and a stand alone UV + filter. It might even be possible to get by with only the sponge included prefilter to protect the pump. The object is to increase dwell time to allow the UV time to work. You can get small fountain pumps for cheap. Try Harbour Freight.I found the UV and filter from Laguna on sale for 45 bucks. several years ago. That screwdriver must be a sign of ingenuity or ineptitude. I don't know which. One of these days you will laugh at it. In a number of stores I see wire shelves that are stackable in the laundry and storage departments. I don't see how deep the hole is but I bet you could find one of those shelves that would fit close enough. You might need to do a bit of bending or cutting. Please do not put stones on the bottom of the pond. It will make cleaning an impossible task and eventually the water will become stinky. Now I will let the smart guys take over. I still like your pond. Sandy Here is a link that might be useful: Simple inexpensive ideas that work well
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koijoyii
15 years ago
Maria:

Here is a link if you want to do netting over your pond. It is not hard to do and only take a few minutes to install.

Jenny

Here is a link that might be useful: Pond netting
darbygurl
Original Author
15 years ago
dear Nancy, Sandy and Jenny,
thank you all so much for your replies. I think we will go with a net based on your help. We don't have much snow/ice here (last few winters have been more mild) so hopefully that won't be too much of an issue. Great photos, Jenny--thanks!

Do you have any thoughts on keeping birds out of/away from the nets? (Last year we had one bird underneath the net over our smaller plastic pond and fortunately got to it in time to free it. Just wondering if there's a deterrant for smaller birds for their safety?

many thanks again to each of you,
maria
nancyd
15 years ago
That posting of netting was not very asthetic. Ugly in fact. Looked like a string puzzle. Wish I could post a picture of our pond. We use black bird netting - you can find it everywhere. We use stakes hammered into the ground approximately 10 feet apart. Depends on your pond angles to get the right fit. The netting is virtually invisible to the eye and allows for taller plants. It stretches very easily. I don't know about screens - snow and ice would concern me also. It sounds like it could be expensive and would limit you on the kind of plants you could use. If you keep the netting approximately 4 inches from the top of the pond, frogs and insects have no problem getting in and out. And I hate to be a party pooper, but I suspect a heron has already spotted your pond. It doesn't take them very long!
koijoyii
15 years ago
nancyd

I don't have a heron problem so I don't keep a net over my pond all year. The net is placed over the pond in the fall to catch the leaves. It is removed after I clean up the fallen leaves. Before the snow falls. Since ponding season is over I don't worry about asthetic.

Jenny
nancyd
15 years ago
Jenny, You weren't clear what you wanted and you did mention deterring a potential a heron so you've confused me. If it's only to catch leaves in the fall, then go with the net. It's your cheapest solution and easy to dump the leaves out. You know with oaks that you'll be dealing with debris all season. Their leaves don't fall all at once and many hang on right through winter. A net will get destroyed in the winter with the first icy snowfall. So depending upon how long you want to use it, maybe a heavy duty screen would be a better solution for you. Make sure it's a fine mesh. Good luck and hopefully that heron never shows up. :o)
koijoyii
15 years ago
nancyd:

I think you are confusing me with maria (darbygurl)who is the original poster (read the first post). At no time in any of my posts did I mention a potential heron problem.

Jenny
nancyd
15 years ago
Jenny - You're right! Sometimes we're talking to more than one person at a time. Sorry

Maria - The problem with any covering is that you need to leave a few inches open at the bottom to let in/out frogs, insects, birds, etc. We don't cover our pond tightly like saran wrap. We drape our net to about 5 inches from the top of the pond if that makes sense - we leave a 5 inch gap between the net and the pond surface. Now obviously this method will allow leaves to blow into your pond, but we had to made a call after finding our frogs on TOP of our net and almost baking to death. The poor things couldn't get off, just kept bouncing around like it was a trampoline. Same thing with birds under the net. They couldn't escape. I'd prefer to save wildlife than block out all the leaves. More maintenance for me, but after rescuing birds, frogs, butterflies and dragonflies all summer, we decided to leave the gap so they can escape when we're not home. We didn't want to unnecessarily kill anything we didn't have to.
sleeplessinftwayne
15 years ago
Maybe I am just lucky but the black 1/2 inch mesh bird netting I use has never been damaged by weather conditions, animals or the weight of leaves. It isn't easily taken down if only one person is doing it. I have been leaving it up all year since I got injured and since my pond isn't particularly natural looking the drape even adds an artistic touch. Remember, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.I have read several times the netting should be at least 24 inches above the surface of the water. I can say the frame I use is at least that. I know I don't want the netting to be loose or on the ground because that is how small birds and animals like chippers get trapped in it. If you can't get the bottom fastened down firmly and eliminate the droopy parts, then you should be sure there is a space under the bottom to let them have a way to get in and out. Sandy

Screen vs. Net for our pond?

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