Help - Garden Pond building and design

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peapod

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Help - Garden Pond building and design
« Reply #15 on: July 17, 2008, 08:06 »
Ive just found anchorworm on my fishies :-(
"I think the carrot infinitely more fascinating than the geranium. The carrot has mystery. Flowers are essentially tarts. Prostitutes for the bees. There is, you'll agree, a certain je ne sais quoi oh so very special about a firm young carrot" Withnail and I

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Knoblauch

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Help - Garden Pond building and design
« Reply #16 on: August 26, 2008, 21:11 »
I just dug and filled a small pond, only 4ftx3ft at the widest x17" at the deepest, there have always been frogs in my garden and now they can have a proper home (no fish).  I've got a lovely old sandstone trough to trickle water through and back into the pond too.

Is it worth trying to get rid of all the wrinkles in the liner?  Presumably when there's some plants it won't be noticeable.

Also,  I'm taken by lincspoacher's suggestion to use turf instead of hard landscaping round the edge, but could it be taken further and cut holes in the liner, sow seeds in the ground round the edge to grow through the liner?  I was thinking of something like heather.  Or maybe there's some sort of matting you can grow things on?

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Ruby Red

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« Reply #17 on: August 27, 2008, 09:47 »
I wouldnt bother about the wrinkles. We have lots of newts in our pond and they use the wrinkles to hibernate in. It gives good cover for lots of things. Our is a very large pond and we wanted to make it as natural as possible as it is purely a wildlife area. We made holes in the overhanging liner on the bank and laid the turf on it so it was just in the water. Eventually the turf roots have grown through the holes and it is firmly anchored. The roughness of the grass helps the wildlife crawl out as well. Ours is teeming with stuff.Partly round the edge of the bank, we have rockery stones  placed on biggish pebbles so small things can crawl underneath and a log pile. Its lovely good luck with it.  :D
Oh for those halcyon days of England long ago

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Ruby Red

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« Reply #18 on: August 27, 2008, 09:53 »
Reading these posts again it seems a big problem with gree algae etc. Please dont use chemicals . Buy a load of barley straw  (you can get it from aquatic centres)put it in some netting weigh it down with a stone and drop it in the middle. It REALLY does work to give you crystal clear water. We can almost see the bottom of ours and its 4ft deep  :)

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Pete C

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Help - Garden Pond building and design
« Reply #19 on: August 27, 2008, 11:00 »
Hi :)
I've only just come across this thread. I've been ponding for  a while now, and have never had to resort to chemicals or barley straw. Two ponds, mine 30" deep, my mothers 40" deep, both crystal clear. It's all a matter of sufficient planting, shade etc..  Plenty of filtration and airation are paramount. I have koi, comets, goldies and shubs in mine, all healthy, never had a sick fish.
http://blackberrymoon.co.uk/pond/
http://blackberrymoon.co.uk/pond3/
http://blackberrymoon.co.uk/pergola2/

These are 06/07 pics, planting has matured now, and pergola has climbers up and over.
If I can be of help with specific problems, just ask. I mod a pond forum and can draw on others knowledge if I can't help :)
Pete C

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peapod

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Help - Garden Pond building and design
« Reply #20 on: August 27, 2008, 12:08 »
Thanks for that pete, its nice to know theres an expert for us!

I could have done with you a few weeks ago,my fishes got lice (I think they are called) and after two years of my pond looking fab, I had to resort to a (very expensive) medication in the water.
Well they look ok now thankfully.

Anyway, my question is, Ive loads of oxygenators and duck weed on my pond. I know that some is good, but the stuff is taking over! Can I reasonably take out most of it, and expect the plants to grow again?
Or would it be bad for my fishies?
(BTW Ive got a pump and cleaner thing, dont know the name..a hazelock one)

Thanks!
Paula

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Pete C

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« Reply #21 on: August 27, 2008, 13:46 »
Hi Paula :)
Whilst duckweed will be helping with O2, shade, and take up of nutrients, you need to control it, or it will cover the entire pond in no time. Just net it out regularly. I'd guess you oxygenators are Elodea Crispa ? Thinning it out is fine......I pull it all out, get rid of bald stalks and poorly looking bits, tie in clumps with a stone at the base, and put back in pond.
LOL @ 'cleaner thingy'...... it's a filter. Hozelock kit is very good. Is it a pressurised filter, or a box? And does it have UV?

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peapod

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« Reply #22 on: August 27, 2008, 14:07 »
it has UV (a box in the garage with a pipe leading to the fountain bit, also with those bacterial filters? (hehe useless thats me!)


I will enjoy pulling all the eloda(rings a bell so methinks you are right first time :D), I know to leave it at the side of the pond for a while
Itll be good stuff in the compost bin. :-)

When can I do this? Anytime? Or shall I wait a month or two? I need to split a lot of plants in there, so can do that at the same time

Itll be nice to see the fish again  :oops:  :oops:
Paula

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Pete C

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« Reply #23 on: August 27, 2008, 15:36 »
You can harvest Elodia anytime. As for the plants, treat as you would garden stuff. When it's finished flowering/died back. Or wait till early spring ;)

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Ruby Red

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« Reply #24 on: August 27, 2008, 16:55 »
Nice ponds but a bit too ornamental for me. I think I prefer the more natural type. The edging doesnt look very wildlife friendly. Still you said it had fish in it anyway the would soon eat all the spawn lol :wink:

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Pete C

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« Reply #25 on: August 27, 2008, 17:01 »
Quote from: "Ruby Red"
Nice ponds but a bit too ornamental for me. I think I prefer the more natural type. The edging doesnt look very wildlife friendly. Still you said it had fish in it anyway the would soon eat all the spawn lol :wink:

Each to his own I guess. But, my mums pond has frogs, newts and goldies in. They all seem to get on ok :)

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peapod

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« Reply #26 on: August 27, 2008, 18:27 »
Mines a built up pond, straight sides about 3ft, dug into our patio, so about 4ft at the deepest.
We have a shallow shelf on the edges
It would seem that not a lot of wildlife would be happy, as its sort of like a huge box filled with water! But we have frogs, taddies, fish, and loads of other critters making use of it. I think they arent too fussy as long as theres water and a way to get out of it :-)
We put a piece of decking into the pond last year to help the frogs crawl out but they managed it anyway, we havent needed to this year
Paula

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Knoblauch

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Help - Garden Pond building and design
« Reply #27 on: September 29, 2008, 13:11 »
All I have to do apart from plumb in the water feature is get some plants for mine, there's just a couple of oxygenators in now as recommended.  Is there any reason not to order them immediately? - having seen what's on offer at the local aquatics centre I'll certainly be ordering from an excellent site like this, but is it better to wait for Spring?  I'll probably get a couple of marginals and a couple of deep-water ones (not lilies).

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Pete C

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« Reply #28 on: October 29, 2008, 05:53 »
Quote from: "Knoblauch"
All I have to do apart from plumb in the water feature is get some plants for mine, there's just a couple of oxygenators in now as recommended.  Is there any reason not to order them immediately? - having seen what's on offer at the local aquatics centre I'll certainly be ordering from an excellent site like this, but is it better to wait for Spring?  I'll probably get a couple of marginals and a couple of deep-water ones (not lilies).

Sorry, I missed this thread for a while. Yes, Merebrooks are fine for plants. I have used them. Wait till spring........they'll have very little ready atm :)

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mikem

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« Reply #29 on: January 04, 2009, 17:16 »
When you decide to put fish in only get say 3 or 4 and see how they settle down for a month or so.  You don't want to buy lots of expensive fish and then find out that the pond isn't right for them yet and they end up dead.

When the goldfish breed the little ones are black for a year or so and then gradually turn yellow/gold.  A fish pond is very relaxing and worth the effort, the fish eventually will come up and feed from your hand when they get to know you.  :D



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