CW's Back Yard Water Garden Begins!

[j.w]

YOU TELL HIM @YShahar HE WON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT damn caps

I think you should change your forum name to:
@GBBUDD and type underneath:
(DAMN CAPS)

 

[combatwombat]

Ok. Think fish are going to arrive this week. Just need to find a window time big enough to pick them up and get them situated in the pond.

Meanwhile, having trouble with aeration. The diffuser at the front of the pond blocks debris from getting over the negative edge weir. Bottom of pond is quite narrow, so nowhere to put it on bottom that fixes the problem.

Possible solutions:

1. Easy: Toggle aeration on an hourly timer. One hour on to aerate. One hour off to clear debris (or another interval that works better). This is what I'm currently doing.
2. Easy: Move the diffuser to a higher shelf. Degrades performance, but might get the bubbles out of the way.
3. Hard: Route the bubbles out of the way. Devise some contraption out of large PVC pipe (or similar) to put the diffuser in. Seal one end and route the other to another location out of the way.

What do you all think?

 

[Lisak1]

I think I wanna know what kind of aerator you’re using! Mine is laaaaaaaaaame! Need a new one. My air pump is likely fine but the diffuser stinks

 

[GBBUDD]

Ok. Think fish are going to arrive this week. Just need to find a window time big enough to pick them up and get them situated in the pond.

Meanwhile, having trouble with aeration. The diffuser at the front of the pond blocks debris from getting over the negative edge weir. Bottom of pond is quite narrow, so nowhere to put it on bottom that fixes the problem.

Possible solutions:

1. Easy: Toggle aeration on an hourly timer. One hour on to aerate. One hour off to clear debris (or another interval that works better). This is what I'm currently doing.
2. Easy: Move the diffuser to a higher shelf. Degrades performance, but might get the bubbles out of the way.
3. Hard: Route the bubbles out of the way. Devise some contraption out of large PVC pipe (or similar) to put the diffuser in. Seal one end and route the other to another location out of the way.

What do you all think?

If I was to build again and it was to be a pond as we build here not a raised rectangle . i would place the aerator close to the falls off in a corner and close to the wall so the flow only pushes away from the wall. and when i say close to the wall i am talking inches. this way the air only runs up the wall and all pushes off in one direction which being close to the falls is the same push that the falls is doing.

its in the same idea that i proved to have worked very well with the skimmer of to the side of the falls. as water comes into the area it displaces the water thus the water in the pond actually comes up toward the falls along the edges.

The diffuser in my eyes can't be beat using a rubber bladder that has tiny pin pricks in it it will never fail as far as falling apart. it may clog over time but blowing in the opposite direction would help to fix that.

as far as air pumps i would only buy a nitto or similar air PISTON drive not a bladder. and 40 would be on this light side and 80 on the high side as far as the ratings are concerned 20 to 40 is more effect than purpose imo

 

[combatwombat]

I think I wanna know what kind of aerator you’re using! Mine is laaaaaaaaaame! Need a new one. My air pump is likely fine but the diffuser stinks

*Checks email receipts....*

Medo LA45C Air Pump & (2) EasyPro RAD6 EPDM 6" Rubber Membrane Air Diffusers.

 

[combatwombat]

Photos of the diffusers in action because I'm too lazy to upload a video.

The one by the falls is tucked back into a large rock crevice and just sends a few big bubbles up at a time. The one near the negative edge is out in the open and has a straight shot up to the surface. Boils the water. My understanding is more small bubbles = more aeration, so the really active one is probably doing most of the work.

I have them each on valves, but even with the valve on the powerful one nearly closed, it still doesn't allow debris to pass very well.

Before I do anything, though, I might just go for a dive to find a crevice to stick the problem diffuser in and see if that helps.

 

[Lisak1]

That's the diffuser we've been using. - it gets clogged so fast. I seems to ATTRACT gunk to it, which is the exact opposite of what you would expect. When we first installed it, we got active, vigorous bubbling. Now it's just glub, blub, glub. We've replaced it several times with the same result - works great for a few weeks, but we barely get through a season before it's back to barely bubbling.

 

[combatwombat]

That's the diffuser we've been using. - it gets clogged so fast. I seems to ATTRACT gunk to it, which is the exact opposite of what you would expect. When we first installed it, we got active, vigorous bubbling. Now it's just glub, blub, glub. We've replaced it several times with the same result - works great for a few weeks, but we barely get through a season before it's back to barely bubbling.

Interesting. Never had a problem with mine (only 2 years old, though). Maybe try pushing more air through it?

 

[Lisak1]

It's the diffuser that comes with the air pump, so you'd think they would cooperate.

 

[combatwombat]

Ammonia back down to 0. All the plants are putting up lots of blossoms.

Except the lilies. I didn't fertilize them at all this year and they've struggled. Much smaller and weak looking than last year.

String algae starting to grow back in the shallow areas. It's the slimy stuff now. Not fibrous like before.

Spent most the weekend in the pond. No bites yet!

 

[Pablo]

Ammonia back down to 0. All the plants are putting up lots of blossoms.

Except the lilies. I didn't fertilize them at all this year and they've struggled. Much smaller and weak looking than last year.

String algae starting to grow back in the shallow areas. It's the slimy stuff now. Not fibrous like before.

Spent most the weekend in the pond. No bites yet!

Great to hear. I wish there was an easier way to fertilize the lillies. One of these days I am going to make @GBBUDD day by falling in because I leaned over too much to get the stupid fertilizer tab in the planter.

 

[addy1]

Great to hear. I wish there was an easier way to fertilize the lillies. One of these days I am going to make @GBBUDD day by falling in because I leaned over too much to get the stupid fertilizer tab in the planter.

Once a year, 1/4 cup osmocote under the litter. They bloom all summer.

 

[GBBUDD]

had 15 blooms today throughout the pond i went through and showed a few more tabs in them i have a gathering next weekend

 

[Lisak1]

Bigger pot. Lots of fertilizer. No way around it.

@addy1 does this only work when you repot? By the end of a season there’s no getting my lilies out of the pot to add osmocote unless it’s time to divide and repot.

 

[addy1]

No I do every fall or spring, usually fall when pulling them out to groom down for the winter. not a repot.

I just pick up the lily, the clay comes with it, throw the osmocote in the bottom of the pan, put lily and clay back down, done.