cloudy water after adding plants

[sissy]

I even had to add some bigger rock to make it heavier as aggie is a terror when it comes to plants .I wish i had not gotten koi but back then did not know the difference .Oh well live and learn .No one told me fish would take over my world .I have 15 more dusty millers started in the kitty litter and started my tomato plants in it and roots were amazing .I am now trying carrots and radishes in it with a mix of light weight soil .

 

[addy1]

I never bother cleaning the kitty litter or letting it settle in a bucket. I don't believe it hurts the fish or the water quality. But that's just me. I want easy in easy out on most things for the pond.

I have never cleaned it either, never had more than a brief cloudiness. Just a poof and gone, when I did all the lilies, i.e. around 15 the pond did get a little cloudy but it did not last long.

I read the koi keepers add clay for their fishes health.

Agree with the easy jw, this is the easiest one I have built.

 

[Rivermist]

aren't you supposed to covert the ll surface of the pot with a thin wire so that the gravel stays in place ?

That's how I did for one lily.

Otherwise always rinse of any ravel you plan to use... can take many rinses but it makes the rest a lot easier.

i've had that happening once in my aquarium... I learned the lesson lol

 

[Rivermist]

I have never cleaned it either, never had more than a brief cloudiness. Just a poof and gone, when I did all the lilies, i.e. around 15 the pond did get a little cloudy but it did not last long.

I read the koi keepers add clay for their fishes health.

Agree with the easy jw, this is the easiest one I have built.

Ho I didn't know fish liked clay... although I could see them all very happy yesterday with the clay from the run off... now I get it ...

 

[addy1]

Nah I didn't cover the pots with anything, but I do not have koi. I used just the clay, stuck the plant in stuck it in the water. No gravel, no rocks no wires.

 

[Waterbug]

I'll have to try it. I grow a lot of marginals in pots now in regular yard clay. The clay isn't that much fun at transplanting time.

I agree pea gravel isn't that great, but I always thought that was only because of its large size.

I feel an experiment coming. I have a pile of decomposed granite and litter is easy enough to find. Not worried about the granite getting hard, that doesn't happen when it's wet.

 

[HARO]

The reasoning behind using clay is twofold: first, most ponds in nature are clay-bottomed, that's what holds the water, and so most pond plants grow in clay. Secondly, if you fertilize pond plants, the clay holds the fertilizer tablets where the roots can get to it. Pea gravel, stone, etc. will allow more of the nutrients to leach out of the pot, and by extension, to encourage algae to grow. As always, try it and see what works for YOU.
John

 

[Skeet Monroe]

When I use clay I just rinse it off before putting it in the pond. I've never had more than a small cloud form around the pot for a minute or two, and once settled, I've never had cloudiness from the clay.

I've had plants in clay and in pea gravel at the same time, and it seems that the ones in the clay always grow just a bit better. I don't know why. But I figure with the price of clay cat litter, who cares? It's cheaper than buying the same quantity of pea gravel anyway.

 

[addy1]

It is pretty cheap for me the litter works well, my plants like it

 

[mountaindew]

I rinsed the litter off first and it is still cloudy.Cleaned the filter several times and pumped some water out also.I hope sooner or later it will clear

 

[j.w]

Mine always clears up pretty quickly after I put it in and I never rinse it off.

 

[addy1]

Mine always clears up pretty quickly after I put it in and I never rinse it off.

I never do either, rinse it. I need to go get some more bags, just got some more neat plants.

 

[j.w]

Poor peeps who want the cat litter for their cats and get to Wal-mart and none left! Wonder if Wal-mart wonders why the big run on the stuff,lol!