Here we go -- FINALLY! A pond for wildlife...
- Thread starter bagsmom
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While the pond is getting in balance, I am getting a gorgeous crop of emerald green algae on everything. I think it is pretty cool. Since the deer keep eating the plants, I am sure the plants will be slow to absorb nutrients. I'm glad for the algae picking up the slack. My only area of concern is the intake bay. Is there any chance that the algae on the rocks could clog the flow of water? Maybe I need to get some water hyacinth to float in there and make some shade?
YShahar
Enthusiastic duct-tape engineer
I'd be more worried about the roots of the water hyacinth clogging up the works than the algae. My hyacinths and water lettuce invariably go sailing into the intake bay, so I'm constantly taking them out and putting them back where I want them. I've now got most of them propped up against the Iron Net Air Defense System (TM), but every now and then, one gets away and makes a foray into the intake bay.
The fish have started going in the intake bay and munching on something in there. Not sure whether it's insect larvae, fish fry or what. I do have a ton of tiny fish fry all over the place now.
On another note, as soon as I got that crop of algae, the water turned really clear, to the point where I could see all the gravel on the floor of the deep zone. Now it's gone pea soup again, so I'm not sure what's up. I was worried that a tortoise or a hedgehog and fallen in and died or something, but now I think it might be just that I added a bunch of plants in pots in the shallow zone (water lilies, canna, calla lilies....). I don't yet have the bog built, so I may have to wait until then to see my fish, except when the visit the surface or the intake bay.
I can't remember how long a new bog typically takes to mature and be effective. I don't have any plants in it yet, because Big Mama and Sister keep eating them all. (I am going to try to find some plants they don't like but I haven't been able to get out and do it yet.) I remember seeing a video about how the magic of the bog is really in the bacterial colonies on the gravel. Plants are nice and they do some more of the work but the gravel bacteria is doing the heavy lifting. My bog is now glorious with flowing, emerald green string algae. Should I leave it? I feel like it must be helping clean the water, since the bacterial colonies in the gravel are apparently not yet fully developed.
I wonder when this will happen?
I have 50 rosy red minnows and 4 small goldfish in there. Lots and lots of tadpoles and frog eggs.
The bog is certainly getting some waste material in it from the residents. Now I need the bacteria to eat it up and multiply!
I wonder when this will happen?
I have 50 rosy red minnows and 4 small goldfish in there. Lots and lots of tadpoles and frog eggs.
The bog is certainly getting some waste material in it from the residents. Now I need the bacteria to eat it up and multiply!
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I get algae, some string in my bog in the spring. As the plants grow it gets wiped out. I never worry about it.
If you haven't already I would grab some of the front pond gravel. Place it close to the intake then stir it up letting the cloud run into the bog you'll see the bog very quickly that way . Wish you were close I could give you a halve doze fish without a second thought.
Great idea! I will do that!
Here are a few pictures. As of this morning, I see that the deer has wandered all over the place - but no signs of snacking, which is good! Here is one tiny finished corner of the big project. We ran electric from the house to an outdoor box with GFCI outlet, then ran the pump cord through outdoor conduit and buried it. The rocks are the finishing touch and gives me hope that this will all look nice someday in the future! (The cardboard is there to prevent the dirt from washing away where we buried the conduit. We have had some big rain here lately!) 
I put some creeping Jenny (still in pots for the time being) beside the intake bay - it is nice to see the green softening the rocks there. The tadpoles are getting bigger and are pretty funny to watch! They seem to enjoy the string algae! Yesterday I planted rosemary and spearmint on the the bog berm and put a couple of dwarf papyrus in the bog. They all survived the night so I am crossing my fingers they are not appealing to Big Mama and Sister. Funny story: do you see the resin frog on top of the snorkel cover? My husband got that for me for my birthday in 2019, the year I started digging my "little frog pond." (Not so little now!) The frog finally made it to the bog! The last picture is of the ginormous pot I moved from the front yard pond to the back. The lotus had not bloomed there for a couple of years, due to the increasing shade from the trees out front. It seems to really like the sunny back yard! Two blooms are up already!
I put some creeping Jenny (still in pots for the time being) beside the intake bay - it is nice to see the green softening the rocks there. The tadpoles are getting bigger and are pretty funny to watch! They seem to enjoy the string algae! Yesterday I planted rosemary and spearmint on the the bog berm and put a couple of dwarf papyrus in the bog. They all survived the night so I am crossing my fingers they are not appealing to Big Mama and Sister. Funny story: do you see the resin frog on top of the snorkel cover? My husband got that for me for my birthday in 2019, the year I started digging my "little frog pond." (Not so little now!) The frog finally made it to the bog! The last picture is of the ginormous pot I moved from the front yard pond to the back. The lotus had not bloomed there for a couple of years, due to the increasing shade from the trees out front. It seems to really like the sunny back yard! Two blooms are up already!Attachments
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Thank you!!!! As for the outlet - I'm not sure that is what we used. The Mister did all of this part so I am not familiar with the terminology. We ordered the special outdoor outlet that came with its own handy box. (Home Depot online. They didn't have it in the store.) It also has an on/off switch so if I want to turn off the pump, I don't have to actually unplug it. (Although me - being Safety Girl - I probably will!) We debated on what to use for a post, then remembered we had a landscape timber (made of Trex kind of composite stuff) that seems sturdier than anything else we could find. (We were going to use it on the woodland path for terracing some steps on an incline - but never got around to it.) I was miraculously able to dig a post hole 2 feet deep and we also cemented it in, then backfilled with dirt. So far, so good!
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Ah, cool. Was looking at the pics on my phone and looked like an all-in-one outlet/pedestal.
Minimally. It will depend how much rock and what size is over the volt and the over all size of the vault. But I doubt you'll let it get out of control. Keep pulling it out your removing the nutrient it used to grow.
It already looks NICE once you get the deer situation calmed down and plants growing it's going to be a 5 star resort..
I believe it was you who recently added some lights. By far my favorite time of day with the lights and now candles, strongly recommend the candles. Going to shut down the return jets and go for reflection tonight.
By the way a buddy of mine up here use to rent out guard dogs he'd come in at what hour you wanted and he'd set the perimeter for the dogs and he'd leave. Dogs would stay there over night hed pick them up in the morning. I know he went as far as using them on woodchucks , deer and raccoons. That's the best scent to keep them away "a barking dog "
Thank you! The deer have been behaving lately (knock on wood.). My neighbor saw a big coyote cruise through the back alley so all the critters need to be extra cautious. Maybe he will make them change their snack bar location!
I saw the post about the lights. I think that was an old one when I added some to my front yard pond. I did put some solar spotlights in the flower beds around the backyard pond - pointed at the waterfalls. It makes fun reflections from the moving water.
I should have my neighbor bring her dog over to wee a bit in the yard. But he is such a crazy boy - he is already obsessed with my compost pile and I can see him escaping her and coming over to bark at the compost (Why? We don't know) and an unauthorized swim!
I saw the post about the lights. I think that was an old one when I added some to my front yard pond. I did put some solar spotlights in the flower beds around the backyard pond - pointed at the waterfalls. It makes fun reflections from the moving water.
I should have my neighbor bring her dog over to wee a bit in the yard. But he is such a crazy boy - he is already obsessed with my compost pile and I can see him escaping her and coming over to bark at the compost (Why? We don't know) and an unauthorized swim!