An0n0m0us

I need some advice/opinions please

I've bought a house that's got a small pond at the bottom of the garden with 5 small Koi carp of about 6" in size. It's more of a puddle than a pond.

I've not had a pond before so i'm trying to find out what I need to do to get it in good condition and i'm getting differing information from each aquatics shop I call so I thought I would turn to the font of all knowledge, NSR

The pond has a Green2clean 6000 pump/filter which is blocked currently. I found this out as when I switched it on to test it and left it running the pond was 50% empty the next morning where the blocked filter just filled up and spilled the water out the top. I put 25% tap water in and luckily it rained for about the next week which filled in the other 25%. The fish are fine.

I know I need new sponges and a new UV bulb for the filter. I am also going to get a thermometer to check the water temp.

Now some places have told me the pump only needs to be on April - November and others have said it should be on all year round. The previous owner didn't run the pump at all during Winter or feed the Koi.

What should it be? Do I get it cleaned up now and switch it on now so it can start cleaning a lot of crud out the water that has built up over Winter? The fish are pretty dormant just slowly moving about at the bottom of the pond and not coming to the surface so I haven't given them any food, I bought some wheat pellets but only put a few in as a test and there wasn't much interest in them.

I also have blanket weed around the edges of the pond which I was going to remove however i've noticed there are a lot of newts living in it which has put me off removing it (I like the fact there is wild stuff living in the pond apart from just fish). There are also a couple of frogs in the pond. Can I leave the newts to occupy the pond or do they cause issues and I should evict them by removing the blanket weed?

I also have a couple of plants in the pond and have no idea what they are so if anyone can identify them from the below picture please let me know and if they need feeding/maintenance etc.



As I said just a puddle really compared to what a lot of pond keepers have but it's what i've inherited and so I need to make the best of what it is.

Blue by You

iTrader: (23)

Filters are a living thing. They are a biological purifier and require the passage of oxygenated water to function properly. If you turn it off for extended periods the naturally occurring beneficial bacteria that clean your water will die. If you need to clean any filter media you should only do it with pond water as chlorinated tap water will also kill the filter.
Frogs & newts are a personal preference.

Turbohot

You can't just evict newts, I hear. Apparently they're endangered in the UK. Especially the one with red belly. You can do secretly I think, but as long as you don't let them loose in my direction- that's all.

David Lock and Spoon may be able to help you here with your questions, An0n0m0us.
They have ponds> https://www.scoobynet.com/non-scooby...934-ponds.html

lordharding

iTrader: (1)

I personally have the pump on all year round
They Dont each much in the winter but best to throw some food in as they will go up and eat it later in when you go in the house untill they get used to you

They get fed at 1000 and 6pm with me
And look for us coming !!
Get rid if the blanket weed
Newts will disspaear although they won't harm the fish
Frogs are good fun and make some great noises
Nice Too see the tadpoles in teheran water too
They come back every year
Change the filter once every three years and shake up the rocks or replace if tiny cost maybe a tenner

Have you got a net on as the cats will get the fish or maybe a heron

thenewgalaxy

Amphibians are fast becoming endangered in the UK for various reasons.

It would be best to leave them alone as they do no harm yet we are facing a real danger of losing them.

They will do no harm to the fish in your pond and may even provide a little food source as just about everything rips on tadpoles. Very few survive to adulthood.

An0n0m0us

Thanks for the replies. I've had tropical fish before so I know the filter is currently dead in terms of friendly bacteria with it being switched off but i'm assuming it will recover quickly enough with new sponges and a new uv lamp?

There is no netting but as it's been like this since it was built by the previous owners and he didn't lose any fish i'm assuming cats aren't an issue. As for Herons my piddly little pond won't be of interest to them, plus it's next to the shed with overhanging trees and so it's not open enough for Herons to come in and feel safe. Plus two very protective Labradors who don't like anything in 'their' garden, especially cats means I struggle to get any garden birds on feeders let alone something like a Heron landing.

The pond plants are a bit messy and so should they be cut back so leaves aren't drooping in the water and any brown parts removed?

An0n0m0us

I was really pleased to find newts in the pond so I only asked about evicting them if their presence was detrimental to my fish and the fact the blanket weed they live in might take over my pond. If they can stay great as i've been sad enough to go to the pond at night and watch them with a torch shone in the pond. Funny little things. As I understand it they are in breeding season now and by June they will be clearing off anyway and go into a terrestrial season before hibernating. Once they all leave for that I can rip all the blanket weed out.

thenewgalaxy

Three species of newt in the UK, they're most likely common newts. They're usually black with orange bellies and a serrated tail (male) or an olive brown colour (female).

Palmate newts are quite small and the impressively sized great crested newt are rare, the latter being a notifiable species for conservation issues.

In a few weeks they will breed and lay eggs, along with frogs and roads. It is a sign of frog and toad decline that you do not see them on the roads at night as much down country lanes compared to ten years ago.

An0n0m0us

I can't tell if they are common or palmate, definitely no great crested present that i've seen. They are small with white/cream spotted bellies on them and olive green backs but that's about as far as i've got with trying to identify them so far. Probably commons as i've not seen anyof them with a spiked tip to their tail that the palmates should have.

I really don't like frogs and toads, don't know why just one of those things but i'm happy to leave them be. I'm hoping the tadpoles will provide free fish food and liven the Koi up as the weather warms.

Spoon

Putting tap water in isn't the best without using a dechlorinator. Rain water isn't great either in terms of balancing a PH level but then that is being extremely precise and often unnecessary for established ponds with fish that aren't new to pond life.
Your fish will appear fine because they won't be doing anything yet due to the cold water, it doesn't mean when it warms up they won't show signs of having to live in tap water. Again though, lots of established garden ponds with hardy fish are unaffected. Also, lots of pond owners lose fish at the beginning of the season when the water warms up. This is due to the fish having to remain cold over winter and naturally being at a low ebb and then being faced with parasites that are active sooner than the fish are.

Often, "garden centre" filters are pretty poor. They hardly do much, they clog easily and only ever really run at a tiny percentage of the claimed filtration. If the pump is matched to the amount of gallons in the pond and the filter is good, the turnover of pond water allows the best living environment for the fish. A thermometer is good, you'll quickly learn the water temperature habits.

A proper Koi pond with quality Koi would never turn the filter system off during winter. Fish still need the water filtering even if they aren't eating. In the case of a small garden pond you might be faced with a much higher chance of the equipment freezing and overflowing, therefore draining your pond of all water in very little time. A float switch in this case is handy to cut off the pump should the water level drop to a predetermined level. In a small pond with a submerged pump the water is also constantly being mixed over winter which can be less than ideal for fish wanting a stable environment during the cold months.

For me, I leave mine running and still flush the filters during winter just because I wouldn't lie in the same bath water for months having used it as my toilet and then expect to look and feel good in the Spring.

Start cleaning it now but don't yet disturb the fish. Don't feed them yet either, they won't come up to eat the food. Remove the food or you're just introducing more waste to an unready unfiltered pond.

I can't see any blanketweed from the picture but it needs removing when you can or the whole surface will be covered quickly, not to mention your pump will clog up too in no time. A dose of 'Blanketweed Answer' will help no end in preventing it returning. The wildlife will be fine left in the pond.

One plant is a Carex Pendula sedge (back left) and the other looks like an iris, possibly yellow in colour. Only thinning out will be required once they get too big. The sedge will remain green and look the same and the iris returns in spring.

Absolutely.

David Lock

Ponds are great fun, even small "puddles"

I bow to Spoon for pond knowledge but just a couple of points. Do you have kids? You won't have to teach them anything about "the birds and the bees" - just take them down to the pond when the frogs are mating!

Bradshaws is a good on-line shop for all things pond. A filter needs to be big enough to filter all the pond water every 2 hours or so. Your Koi will never get massive in a small, shallow, pond but you could put in some other fish without overcrowding it. Goldfish are fine and hardy and Shabunkins (spelling?) are pretty. Use decent food.

If you want a day's mucky work you could drain down the pond and give it all a good clean. De-chlorinate the tap water when you fill it back up and keep the fish in a decent size container in pond water while you do it. Perhaps wait for newts to go. Take out all blanket weed and hope you don't get duck weed which is that small leaved weed that spreads all over the surface.

Buy an uncomplicated book about keeping ponds. Take anything that you are told in an aquatics shop with a pinch of salt and buy a shotgun for any stray Heron as they will swoop in a dawn raid

dl

An0n0m0us

Cheers Spoon and David for the detailed replies, I was hoping the two of you would see the thread and reply as i've read your pond threads previously. All your points are duly noted.

The weed I have is just stuck to the edges of the pond, none coming up from the bottom or across the pond surface. It's just a bushy mess a couple of inches thick around the outside of it that the newts are living in. If I remove it will the newts just move to the water plants or likely to up and leave? Is it best to use a piece of cane to wrap it round? I tried removing some with the fish net and it was a futile exercise.

I'd like my children to enjoy the fish once it's cleaned up and the water warms and the koi can be tamed to come to the surface to feed. Plus for them to learn about frogs and newts, a good little habitat project for school etc.

The new sponges and uv lamp for the filter box I was going to buy form World of Water as there is a huge one about 30 minutes drive from me. I'd rather go there than a garden centre as they seemed to give me good advice when I called them the other day and matches much of what you've said above such as keeping the pump on 24/7 365 days a year etc.

I'd love to add other fish but I was worried 5 koi was already pushing it in that volume of water. If I could add other fish without stunting the koi any more than they are already going to be then great. How many goldfish or shabunkins could be added? What about a couple of tench or are they going to just lay at the bottom and never be seen and cause a lot of mess? I'd be happy with anything that is surface friendly and tames easily for feeding time.

The entire cleaning out may have to wait until next year, having only moved in 2 months ago I have a million and one things that need doing and emptying and cleaning the fish pond is going to be right at the bottom of the list for now unfortunately. A spring clean is about as far as I can go with it at the moment.

Spoon

Removing the weed won't affect the newts and they won't leave. A cane will work for the majority then you could use Cloverleaf Blanket Answer. http://www.orchardfisheries.co.uk/cl...blanket-answer once used you'll need to check your filter for excess detritus. Also used early Spring every year it does prevent growth starting.

Working on the filter you have I'm assuming, if sized correctly, you only have about 1000 gallons. At present you are using 200 gallons per fish which is still less than I use but then I have some big fish that dump more than my hounds so not overloading the environment is important. It is your choice whether or not you add more fish. You, the wife and children could add one each and watch their progress? Again the children could be involved in choosing the fish and moving them to their new home.
Tench should be seen in your pond assuming the water is clear enough. They won't be any more messy than Koi, that is for sure. Plus, it is really only large Koi that destroy anything in their way should they feel like it. Saying that, your pond shouldn't have masses of debris in anyway. It is smaller enough to keep very clean in comparison to larger ponds. How old are your Koi? Chances are they will remain the size they are now too.

b3nmw

Keep filter/ pump running all year. Keep filters in gd condition. I use an air pump as we'll with air stones to generate more oxygen in the pond. I feed my fish march til late October.

Spoon

Just to add. Your Carex Pendula sedge will throw hundreds of seeds every summer and if you don't prevent this you will find sedge everywhere. You will see all the seeds hanging from the plant when the time comes. I notice in the picture you have what looks like a couple more at the back. If not kept in check you will be inundated.

If you haven't already got one, buy an air stone to sit in the pond to help with aeration in the summer. They really do help, we all need oxygen. Small bubbles are more beneficial. Perhaps a 20 litres/minute pump will suffice with one central 5 inch stone though you'd need to see first hand how powerful that would look. You don't want to produce tidal waves. I use air stones all year round in my filters and in both the fish pond and wild life pond, but then I do shut down 2 of the 4 stones in the winter in the fish pond and the working stones are a good distance from where the fish rest over winter.

Water changes weekly will always be another benefit to their environment. Just drain some out and replace with dechlorinated tap water.

Decent food is a help too. Orchard, as per Blanketweed Answer link above sell food my fish love to eat and I've been through many brands over years.

An0n0m0us

Thanks again Spoon. I've no idea how old the fish are, I never asked the previous owner. They are only about 6" long, perhaps once cleaned up and the water warms i'll be able to get some pics of them at the surface. One does look bigger than the other 4 and will be easier to check their size when I get a proper look at them on the surface.

The children would love to be involved, my 9 year old would buy fish after fish if he had his way and so I will add perhaps just a couple and see how it goes. However I want it all cleaned up, the water clear and the existing fish feeding happily before I introduce any new fish.

I'll get some of that weed treatment, thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks, yep once i've got this sorted out i'll just leave it on. There is a small waterfall for the returning water from the filter and so I think that will be oxygenating the water enough so I won't add an air stone (used to have one in my tropical tank and are a nice feature though).

An0n0m0us

LOL thanks, just replied saying I won't need an air stone and it looks like i'm wrong and will need to get one. Does a waterfall not create enough oxygen in the water?

As for the seeds do they just need picking off the plants when presented? If they fall in the pond will they grow even without anything to root into?

Oh no not water changes again, that was the part I hated about my tropical fish tank.

As for food i'll check what the old tube of food is in the shed as I put in a tiny amount out of curiosity when I moved in and switched the pump on and they came up and ate that having ignored the wheat based pellet, they obviously like it. It was only a tiny amount of both types I tested but I know now not to do that in Winter again due to the harm it could cause the fish. I'm just looking forward to being able to feed them!

Spoon

Waterfalls can produce a bit of oxygen from the splash but can also freeze during the winter and evaporate during the summer. Keep an eye on that if you run it continually. The fish will love a airstone though.

Yes, just pull them or snip them off. They won't seed in the water but just produce unnecessary debris.

Obviously Some things aren't essential as lots of pond owners hardly bother with their ponds at all and their fish survive. For me, I enjoy the fact I have done a bit towards making the water a fair quality at all times. Then again, I have the time and nothing beats being up the ponds on a decent day.

An0n0m0us

Cheers again. I'm off to the World of Water place tomorrow now as I just want to get it sorted and have a nosy at all the fish they stock. My 5 are all metallic coloured koi so would be nice to be able to have some different colours in the pond. Can't wait to get the pump working so will see if I can get that cleaned up this week.

An0n0m0us

Having had a look at glassfibre ponds online mine looks to be the Atlantis Denver one which is only 450 litres or 100 gallons. My filter is for 6000 litres so seems a bit overkill!

Spoon

Blimey, how deep is it then? It looks more than 100 gallons. I would ignore the claimed filter capacity and never worry about being oversized anyway. Your fish can only ever benefit from that. Your pump speed will also determine your filtering capabilities, too fast and it is going to hose everything in sight and too slow your pond water turnover will suffer.

Don't expect decent quality Koi from World of Water but they are fine for a garden pond.

David Lock

Re air stones it is said that Oxygen is mostly absorbed by surface movement on water and not the bubble stream.

Your kids are a perfect age to enjoy the pond wildlife and you/they will be surprised at the variety of creatures that visit. So look out for Dragonflies hovering over the water surface for example. If you are lucky you may even get a Kingfisher snooping about. Garden birds will love the waterfall to clean themselves up.

I'd forget Tench and go for a couple of long-tailed Shubunkins. Very pretty. Get some prawns and Koi will soon learn to come up and grab them from your fingers. Pure delight for kids. Use good quality floating Koi pellets. Dogs will love them as treats and great for dog's coats because of the fish oil in pellets.

One summer I would send Missus away one weekend and get a mate in and dig a bigger pond with a rubber liner and some rocks around

Enjoy. D

Turbohot

Now we know what you are obsessed with------------> ponds.

Good obsession, honestly.

An0n0m0us

At a guess about 18" to 24" deep that's all.

I've changed the sponges over and uv lamp, what a bitch of a job that was and some real horrible creepy crawlies swimming about in the filter water.

It's powered on and i'm worried it's still draining down. Although I guess it took a lot to fill the filter up. The flow out on to the waterfall seems quote powerful and i'm wondering if i'm losing water over the sides of the waterfall. It's not obvious because of all the overhanging bushes. I'll find out in the morning for definite if I find half the water gone again

I had a look at the fish whilst I was at the shop and think I may well go for some of those shubunkins but not until everything is settled in the pond first.

I also bought some blanket answer although i've not added it yet as I want to know if it's losing water first. I got a load out just with a piece of garden bamboo cane.

As soon as the waterfall started the fish came straight over to it so i'm wondering if they are looking for food. I haven't fed them yet.

The wheatgerm sticks is Nishikoi and the summer food left behind is Tetra variety sticks.

David having seen some big Koi at the shop today i'd love a bigger pond but don't think that's going to happen due to lack of anyone to help where I have moved to.

Spoon

I'd be concerned that isn't deep enough to keep fish, well, all but tiddlers. There's no depth to escape the heat or cold. Then there's the freezing over of the pond.

You'll have to befriend all creepy crawlies.

It is possible of course your waterfall is throwing it out and you'll need to find out hopefully before you lose all of the water. I'm thinking by the morning will be too late.

Good plan.

When you do, use half the recommended dose and it should suffice. Even if you don't have much weed visible still dose it. The pond will go white but will clear in a few days.

If the fish are moving and appear to want food then try just a few pellets but be prepared to pull the pellets out if not eaten.

LeedsTopLad

nicenatural pond you have there matey. surprised previous owner did not cover all the data off with you as most want to take fish with them if they have had for a few years. we clean ours out once/twice a year and ours is bit bigger than yours.

An0n0m0us

Thanks Spoon, again. And thanks LTL, it will look good once working!

Well it's a total crapper as 25% of the water now gone as i've just checked when taking the dogs out in the garden

The pump is now off again. It's either the waterfall leaking over the sides or more worryingly it's a split pipe from the pump round to the filter which is buried deep in the ground and no way can I dig it up to check.

Not sure where to go with this now. To confirm if it's the pump pipework leaking water the only thing I can think of is I will have to buy a new pipe and just lay it over the ground. If the water level stops dropping then I know the pipework under the ground is split/leaking. If the water level still drops then it's the pipe to the waterfall or the waterfall itself. And if it's those i've no idea how to rectify it.

I am going to have to pull the pump up from the bottom of the pond now to find out what size pipework I need and to disconnect the old and reconnect new piping which I know I am not going to enjoy, I envisage a real sh1tty mess getting that out the water.

I've had a good look all round the filter box and no sign of leaking water from that, everything is dry.

A real pain in the ar$e I don't need right now.

David Lock

Stop making such a fuss about a simple job

It's probably the waterfall which is either leaking inside or splashing too much. Take the joint off from the pipe behind the waterfall and put the pipe directly in the pond and see if that stops the leak.

I doubt if pipe is leaking where it is buried but it won't take a second to pull the pump up and stick a new length of pipe on. Tip if you have the right size pipe but if it is tight to fit shove the end in a cup of hot water which will soften it up. Get circlips to suit and tie some string on pump so you can pull it up next time without getting wet.

D

An0n0m0us

Thanks David. LOL at making fuss, yep I was you are right and I see now the waterfall is easy to bypass too now. I'm just so swamped with things i've got to get done I just didn't need the hassle of the pond not working straight away - thought it would be one of the quick jobs to get done and ticked off the list not the hassle i've got with it now.

The problem is I have no spare piping so I will have to do the hours round trip to the shop just to get some. Although at least whilst there I can pick up some dechlorinator as I forgot yesterday. I did call them this morning and they said just fill it with tap water just this once and it will be fine on the basis it was an hours round trip.

They agreed with you that it was highly unlikely it's the pipe splitting that is buried and more a case of the waterfall is leaking over the sides. I said I could see the earth on the right hand side of the waterfall was wet in places but I didn't think that could account for a 25% water loss in a few hours and they said it most definitely could, just a small constant drip would reduce water levels very quickly.

It's debris free so it's not that, I think it's not been placed level and so the right hand side as you look at it is letting water leak out of one of the two pools as the water comes down it. They advised to try and raise it slightly and that I should easily be able just to prop a small stone or something under the edge to lift it enough to stop it leaking.

David Lock

To save you an hour's drive think about this

http://www.bradshawsdirect.co.uk/hose-and-clips-pack

Make sure you get the right size. Free delivery I think. Get some de-chlorinator stuff and anything else you may need whilst you are at it.

You should be able to straighten out waterfall. You have a fairly powerful pump which doesn't help. If all else fails get a slightly bigger waterfall. I don't think they are too expensive and they are nice to have.

You could have dug half of a new pond with all the time you have spent on this thread

d

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