[ANHBUC]

You have done loads of work there casper, shifting gravel is not light work.  I'm sure your OH will love the pond once it is all finished and be able to watch all the wildlife it brings.   

We are battling with blanket weed in our pond and the weed is winning at the moment.     I am really fed up of treating it with barley straw extract (not cheap for a large pond) and having to put waders on to remove it.  It tangles in to the oxygenating plants so most of them have to be composted as well.   

[casper]

Aw sounds like such hard work, i do think they are worth it, my Dad had a pond and it was a real focus point, used to love having a cup of tea on the bench and watch the fish come to the surface, he just did Gold fish with no filtration and all was good until it got a hole but do love them 

[ANHBUC]

Ours has been in for around 11 years and the blanket weed only became a problem a few years ago.  It must have been brought in by a heron or other bird.  Taking it out also means losing some of the tadpoles, dragonfly and damselfly nymphs.  We do leave it on the side of the pond for them to get back in but not all will.  If we leave it in the pond it will just choke everything up and they would die anyway. 

We have four golden orfe, one goldfish and a fantail at the moment.  We did have some success with goldfish breeding in the pond but the heron took a lot and they stopped breeding when the blanket weed arrived.  It is still worth it to see the frogs, newts etc. in the pond and the bats that skim the pond on a night feasting on bugs.   

[casper]

Aw yes you are damned if you do and damned if you don't sometimes, I was like that when  i emptied it, felt like a murderer, hopefully give more back when i am done, cleaned today so garden day tomorrow, although weather supposed to be raining tomorrow, not complaining though as the toms love it x 

[ANHBUC]

We have had the heavy rain here this morning with more forecast this week.  I don't mind either as the pond was about 2" below its full level and needs a top up.

[casper]

Haha will defo learn if the pond has a hole, it will soon be full with this rain, my Toms are looking good for it, my garden is like a swamp, but it had a membrane with gravel so the soil was solid, so a bit of rain will add some good to the soil, which i plan to turf