callingcolleen1
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I don't know why I never saw this thread before, it's very entertaining and fun to read! 
Garden Pond 103
- Thread starter gardengimp
- Start date
Yumm, eggnog!
It actually got really warm today. Santa requested I bust out the mosquito repellant. Hard to imagine we had frost just a few days ago. Thanks everybody for your lovely comments. It appears though the poor fish are going to be deprived for another bit. A leak has appeared someplace within the top 3". Dang and tarnation. It is a fairly fast leak so hopefully it will be easy to find.
I found one of our original crew surfing on top the netting again today. Do fish commonly go cruising around on top of the netting that is suppose to be protecting them from flying sushi hunters? Silly fish. In the mean time, the babies over in their tub, they are all wrapped up with moving pads around their tub and netting covering the top. They are telling me they want nothing to do with that big huge wide open new living room with no roof. They crack me up how the whole bunch of them (10) pile up together into one little wad of green algae. Guess I'm going to have to get a pot of green algae growing down inside the fish fort to make them feel all safe and cozy.
It actually got really warm today. Santa requested I bust out the mosquito repellant. Hard to imagine we had frost just a few days ago. Thanks everybody for your lovely comments. It appears though the poor fish are going to be deprived for another bit. A leak has appeared someplace within the top 3". Dang and tarnation. It is a fairly fast leak so hopefully it will be easy to find.
I found one of our original crew surfing on top the netting again today. Do fish commonly go cruising around on top of the netting that is suppose to be protecting them from flying sushi hunters? Silly fish. In the mean time, the babies over in their tub, they are all wrapped up with moving pads around their tub and netting covering the top. They are telling me they want nothing to do with that big huge wide open new living room with no roof. They crack me up how the whole bunch of them (10) pile up together into one little wad of green algae. Guess I'm going to have to get a pot of green algae growing down inside the fish fort to make them feel all safe and cozy.
callingcolleen1
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Ymm egg nog is very good in coffee!
Good luck finding the Leak!
Good luck finding the Leak!
The fish fort I've mentioned a time or to. Designed to give the fishies a safe place to get away from predators.
I bought two milk crate type tubs. Used a hacksaw to cut the tops off each handle and the cut out a larger hole on the long side. You can see one of the larger cut out holes in the photo. There is a matching hole on the opposite side. I used a file to smooth all the rough edges from the hawksaw. Then put it together using wire ties. I did put a rock for weight inside before I zip tied it. So, the fort is a wide open interior that the fish can swim in and out of. On the top right now is a water poppy, and once things start back up in the spring I'm going to look for either a Banana lily (floating heart nymphoides aquatica) or Marsh pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) to plant up and put on top also. Hopefully, these will get established well enough and keep some cover going into the late fall when the water lilies go dormant and the wild cherry tree looses it's leaves. Thus exposing the poor fishies to high flying predators.
I bought two milk crate type tubs. Used a hacksaw to cut the tops off each handle and the cut out a larger hole on the long side. You can see one of the larger cut out holes in the photo. There is a matching hole on the opposite side. I used a file to smooth all the rough edges from the hawksaw. Then put it together using wire ties. I did put a rock for weight inside before I zip tied it. So, the fort is a wide open interior that the fish can swim in and out of. On the top right now is a water poppy, and once things start back up in the spring I'm going to look for either a Banana lily (floating heart nymphoides aquatica) or Marsh pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) to plant up and put on top also. Hopefully, these will get established well enough and keep some cover going into the late fall when the water lilies go dormant and the wild cherry tree looses it's leaves. Thus exposing the poor fishies to high flying predators.
j.w
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Good fort idea Dianne and if the wire rusts out you can also use the black zip ties. We do try so hard to protect our beloved fish from those pesky flying carnivores
sissy
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I put up ceiling fans in my house that had extra long coated wire that I cut off and installed 6 ceiling fans so have plenty of it and it ties in a nice neat knot .blue ,white ,red ,green and black wires on each one
Ahh humm, since it's going to the new year and all, could we please have you put the leaves back on the trees? And the lilies back on our roofs? We prefer that those nasty things flying overhead not be able to see us down here.
And about our expansion? What do you mean the inspection failed? Just what kind of contractor are you?
It is the New Year! We are expecting a fin-held tour of our new home!
Oh, and last but not least ....
Happy New Year!
May your waters always be smooth.
Yesterday was nice and warm. Poked around on the side that was wet under the liner and patched a few things that might have been leaks. Went back today, and found the real culprit. A flap of liner that flipped flat instead of flipping up. Garrrrrrr! I've made this mistake before and here I go making it again. Grrrrrrrr!
But the good news is ....
The Pond holds water!
The Pond holds water!
Hallelujah Hallelujah
Hallelujah!
Tomorrow test the water
Finish the edging
Hallelujah Hallelujah
Hallelujah!
But the good news is ....
The Pond holds water!
The Pond holds water!
Hallelujah Hallelujah
Hallelujah!
Tomorrow test the water
Finish the edging
Hallelujah Hallelujah
Hallelujah!
j.w
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Ran out of Likes but liked your last 2 posts and yay you found an easy fix and your pond holds water :claphands:
callingcolleen1
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Yes it is very good that you found the leak, fishes will be very happy and excited to have the new home up and running and I am sure babies will follow!
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Good job! I had a leak when I first filled the bog, the liner had a fold I missed, that water tracked right out. Easy fix at least.
sissy
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I know after the earthquake here I acquired a couple of leaks and was worried maybe something happened to the ground or my septic tank cracked and settled .Had to have the septic tank inspected just in case .Was worried about my well at the time also .I know after I put the new liner it it settled another 5 inches ,I marked the liner just to see if and how much it would settle .
Wowzers, I can't believe how fast two months have flown by. Time, time, please slow down!
So, the pond extension is coming along. Still have a few problems here and there to iron out. Hopefully, nothing that time and money won't solve. Some small issues, some not so small. My biggest problem is that try as much as my limited equipment and knowledge allowed, I did not get the 'top' of the two ponds level. The new side is about 3" lower than it should be . And, because I was greedy with my liner, in a few spots I don't have enough spare to build the sides up another 3". Grumble.
So, here are some pictures.
The large green urn is an upflow filter, the patch around the hole where I ran the tubing through was leaking, so I hauled it out and sealed it really good with the spray on water sealer. That stuff is pretty good for applications like that were you want the runny gooey stuff to seal up all the little nooks and crannies. Plus, the pond liner extends under the urn so any minor leaks will just go back into the pond anyway.
The black square plastic pot in the foreground was intended to sit on a plant shelf inside the pond and hold a blue pickerel. That didn't work out quite as I intended, so it will sit just outside the pond proper, and I'll eventually rock and landscape around it and make it look more part of the pond.
My biggest issue is right at the corner there where the pond side and sidewalk meet. Have some issues that will take several days to get worked out. Going to have to take out the lintel section along side of the sidewalk and over the connecting pipe. The lintel is just about three or four inches too long for the amount of liner I have. The rock is fairly soft, so banging away with a punch, maybe starting some score holes with a drill, and I think we can knock enough off the end. Hmm, sounds like a good project for hubby and his dad!
Then I had a bit too much settling of the concrete block along this side by the square pot, so I'll lift the liner and padding up and adjust it with a variety of pavers and tiles I've picked up from Habitat for Humanity. At least, that is my plan, hopefully it will work out to be that relatively easy. Ha-ha she says.
Then get it all put back together and make another trip to Pebble Junction. Or have JW collect me rocks some while she is out on her walk-abouts. :razz:
Oh, speaking of rocks. Our house came with purchased rock and a few decent size boulders. We had one of the boulders moved one time when we had yard work being done and a bobcat was here. There is another largish boulder in the back yard that I would just love to get to the front yard beside this pond. I've been keeping an eye out for somebody working in our neighborhood with a bobcat to see if I can slip the workers a nice tip to come move the boulder for me. Can't really think of any way 3 men and a gimp could get the thing moved. But it would make such a nice bench near the pond!
Next post up will be my ramblings and speculations on moving the big pond pump. Perhaps I can get the post done a little more promptly than two months. :redface:
So, the pond extension is coming along. Still have a few problems here and there to iron out. Hopefully, nothing that time and money won't solve. Some small issues, some not so small. My biggest problem is that try as much as my limited equipment and knowledge allowed, I did not get the 'top' of the two ponds level. The new side is about 3" lower than it should be . And, because I was greedy with my liner, in a few spots I don't have enough spare to build the sides up another 3". Grumble.
So, here are some pictures.
The large green urn is an upflow filter, the patch around the hole where I ran the tubing through was leaking, so I hauled it out and sealed it really good with the spray on water sealer. That stuff is pretty good for applications like that were you want the runny gooey stuff to seal up all the little nooks and crannies. Plus, the pond liner extends under the urn so any minor leaks will just go back into the pond anyway.
The black square plastic pot in the foreground was intended to sit on a plant shelf inside the pond and hold a blue pickerel. That didn't work out quite as I intended, so it will sit just outside the pond proper, and I'll eventually rock and landscape around it and make it look more part of the pond.
My biggest issue is right at the corner there where the pond side and sidewalk meet. Have some issues that will take several days to get worked out. Going to have to take out the lintel section along side of the sidewalk and over the connecting pipe. The lintel is just about three or four inches too long for the amount of liner I have. The rock is fairly soft, so banging away with a punch, maybe starting some score holes with a drill, and I think we can knock enough off the end. Hmm, sounds like a good project for hubby and his dad!
Then I had a bit too much settling of the concrete block along this side by the square pot, so I'll lift the liner and padding up and adjust it with a variety of pavers and tiles I've picked up from Habitat for Humanity. At least, that is my plan, hopefully it will work out to be that relatively easy. Ha-ha she says.
Then get it all put back together and make another trip to Pebble Junction. Or have JW collect me rocks some while she is out on her walk-abouts. :razz:
Oh, speaking of rocks. Our house came with purchased rock and a few decent size boulders. We had one of the boulders moved one time when we had yard work being done and a bobcat was here. There is another largish boulder in the back yard that I would just love to get to the front yard beside this pond. I've been keeping an eye out for somebody working in our neighborhood with a bobcat to see if I can slip the workers a nice tip to come move the boulder for me. Can't really think of any way 3 men and a gimp could get the thing moved. But it would make such a nice bench near the pond!
Next post up will be my ramblings and speculations on moving the big pond pump. Perhaps I can get the post done a little more promptly than two months. :redface:
j.w
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Your getting all the little and big bugs worked out and soon you'll have it just the way you want it. I like the way your whole yard has that woodsy look to it. Nice big trees and all your cool plants! Bet it helps keep it cooler there. Yep I'm still picking up rocks and if they didn't weigh so darn much I'd send you a crate full. Guess we better move to the moon! Postage would be cheap up there
