The new pond is 2 to 2 1/2 months old. I finally have all the plants in. They seem a little pale and slow to do anything, in spite of fertilizer spikes in the growing medium. I have some long, flowing trails of string algae in a couple of places. The waterfall and skimmer are working together great! The pond is around 9' x 12'. 3 feet at the deepest point -- two good sized plant shelves which take up some of the room for water -- but one shelf is hollow with a large fish cave carved into it. 10 goldfish, ranging in size from 2" to 6".
Fish are happy and active! They seem to enjoy the frenzy of eating a little food -- but don't act like they are starving, by any means. My ammonia readings are 0. pH is 8.
I've been through the stage of greenish, murky water. The water has since cleared up nicely and the thick algae overgrowth on the rocks seems reduced a bit. All seems well.
But I am wondering if this latest stage is normal too: the water is very clear and I can see perfectly down to the bottom -- but it has a very brownish tint. Is this another sort of algae growth?
I've mentioned before that the plants don't seem very happy. The lotus leaves look a bit "burned" on the edges and have some spots. Some of the other plants are more yellowish, rather than a good green. I bought a water celery plant that looked great, and since being in the water, it is sad. Maybe the water temps haven't gotten consistently warm enough for a good burst of growth? But here in the south, we have definitely been warmed up for a while. (I'm getting a bunch of water lily leaves. One has 13 and another has 10. Smallish now, but growing bigger.)
Just wondering if the brown tint is normal and if any of this rings any bells.
Fish are happy and active! They seem to enjoy the frenzy of eating a little food -- but don't act like they are starving, by any means. My ammonia readings are 0. pH is 8.
I've been through the stage of greenish, murky water. The water has since cleared up nicely and the thick algae overgrowth on the rocks seems reduced a bit. All seems well.
But I am wondering if this latest stage is normal too: the water is very clear and I can see perfectly down to the bottom -- but it has a very brownish tint. Is this another sort of algae growth?
I've mentioned before that the plants don't seem very happy. The lotus leaves look a bit "burned" on the edges and have some spots. Some of the other plants are more yellowish, rather than a good green. I bought a water celery plant that looked great, and since being in the water, it is sad. Maybe the water temps haven't gotten consistently warm enough for a good burst of growth? But here in the south, we have definitely been warmed up for a while. (I'm getting a bunch of water lily leaves. One has 13 and another has 10. Smallish now, but growing bigger.)
Just wondering if the brown tint is normal and if any of this rings any bells.