I have a pond....


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Old 04-20-09, 03:28 AM
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I have a pond....

a small ornamental pond, about 7'wide, and maybe 9' long. maybe 2' deep.

its been neglected for many years. Full of slime, algae, and little black snails. LOTS of little black snails.

I'm thinking of emptying it completely, and beginning again. there is black liner, a few non-descript rocks around it, and I think some water lilies.

once I empty it, whats the most important first step? pump installed, then water?
is it deep enough for some fish? would I have to take them indoors in winter?

how about on the bottom? do I add anything? sand? gravel?
I have a million other questions.

I need to learn about pumps. should it be electric? connected to a power source? or could I go with solar powered?
is it small enough that just some fish could take care of it?

I need this to be as low maintenance/cost as possible. (its just a leased property but I want it to look as good as I can make it).

thanks!
 
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Old 04-20-09, 06:29 PM
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You are done. A pond full of algae & slime is low maintenance and low cost. Unfortunatley it is probably not what you want. Natural balanced ponds tend to be slimy and dirty. A crystal clear pool of water full of large colorfull fish is very artificial and expensive to maintain.

I would drain the pond. Clean everything out as best you can. Install a pump/filtration system that you can afford, refill with water and let it run for several days. Then put one or two small fish into the pond. Clean the filters regularly and feed the fish very sparingly. The fish will most likely not survive your winters so get cheapies.

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Plain old corded (plug into electricty) pumps are the most functional, usefull and affordable. Solar powered pumps are available but usefully sized ones tend to be expensive and they do not work at night when they are needed most. Any solar pumps small and affordable are decorative more than functional.
 
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Old 04-22-09, 03:33 AM
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If I was you I would completely drain the pond, possible save the lilies.
After you drain it, clean it up as good as possible. Fill the pond up with water. For a pond that size you will need to get the proper size pump (I would get an electric pump, something with a cover on the intake). I personally think the cheapest and easiest filter to get is the Tetra pond Biological pond filter would be your best bet. You can probable get the smallest one they sell. They are very easy to maintain and the filters are cheap. Don't waste your money on one of those cheap under water filters, they are a pain in the butt to clean, and everytime you want to clean it you will have to get your hands in the pond , disconnect everything under water pull it up clean it then go though the nightmare of putting everything back to geather. The filter I recommended is very easy, you just unscrew the lid, pull the filter out, rinse it off and put it back in.
Also if you don't buy a ultra violet light your pond will be green and full of slime within 2 weeks again. So invest in a tetra pond ultra violet clarifier. You can get the smallest one they sell. With these you will need to replace the bulb each year, no matter what. even though it still works the bulb will still need to be replaced each year.
Other then that you should be good to go. Remember don't add fish until the water sits for 2 days. As far as fish go, get a couple small fish. They will grow very fast, there is no need on getting big fish.
If you want the fish to live year round, in the winter. get yourself a air filter. Put the filter under a bucket and run the hose to the pond. get yourself one of those green cubes that make millions of bubbles. put it all the way on the bottom of the pond. As long as the water has that in it to get water movement the water will not freeze where the bubbles are. Or buy a pond heater. The pump is cheaper and more relieable.
About 5 years ago i bought a couple 1 inch kio and fancy goldfish. Today my kio are well over a foot long and the the gold fish are the size of baseballs.
 
 

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