hey all. last august my partner and i moved into our semi-fixer-upper, which came with an existing little backyard pond. it had been untended for about a year before we bought the house, and then for various reasons we didn't focus on pond/outdoor matters until this summer. i'm more or less hyperfocused on it now, though!
ABOUT THE POND
ABOUT THE PROPERTY
my goal is to do whatever restoration/revamping i do on this pond with as much DIY and repurposed/free-sourced material as i can reasonably rely on.
i've been focusing on:
water quality improvement via...
crude filter v1
crude filter v2 (bright blue storage tub with window screen, quilt batting, dollar store scrubbing pads, etc.)
water level dropping issues:
raccooooooooons![Mad :mad: :mad:](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
this is the most recent photo, taken today. there's a LOT of water loss.
i was planning to ask about whether it'd be worth trying to patch the big tears, but now i'm thinking a full new liner is more or less required. though, input from more seasoned ponders is very much desired!
especially, right now, i'm wondering if i can house the goldfish in a large container of some kind while i overhaul this whole mess, or if i should find a way to re-home it instead?
the other big issue i'm considering is how to get a container bog filter set up - i've been watching youtube videos and am really into the style of filter ozponds uses:
[video]
wondering if anyone here has experience with this style of filter
thanks in advance for your input!!
ABOUT THE POND
- ~5½ ft by 4½ ft at roughly opposite points, max depth of ~18"
- unknown when dug & lined
- seems to have some amount of orange tarp underlayment, visible through tears
- as far as i can tell there are no planting shelves dug in, just seems to slope to the bottom
- has an upper tiny ~1½ ft radius pool/ditch with liner
- 1 goldfish left - i think there used to be more but. you know.
- no external electric available! i purchased a 360+ gph solar-powered pump and have been moving water with that when i can
ABOUT THE PROPERTY
- woodsy area within city limits
- close to huge park-like cemetery (home to many deer who come through)
- house next-door is condemned & currently inhabited by raccoons
my goal is to do whatever restoration/revamping i do on this pond with as much DIY and repurposed/free-sourced material as i can reasonably rely on.
i've been focusing on:
water quality improvement via...
- crude diy filtration setup
- aquatic plants (currently duckweed & water iris surviving)
- scooping out sludge/muck buildup from the bottom
- topping up water level from rain barrel
- beneficial bacteria added (not much, just a pouch of tetra from walmart)
crude filter v1
crude filter v2 (bright blue storage tub with window screen, quilt batting, dollar store scrubbing pads, etc.)
water level dropping issues:
- very visible tears near top edge BUT...
- have been losing seemingly more than usual in the last few days, and the liner is now billowing out from the pond depression. unsure if i introduced punctures while scooping, if the sludge on the bottom was dense enough that it was preventing water loss through existing tears, or if raccoon activity has caused new punctures
- deer (i've seen them drinking)
- raccoons (much more problematic - my best guess as to what decimated the water lettuce, water hyacinth, and the leaves of the water iris i put in)
raccooooooooons
this is the most recent photo, taken today. there's a LOT of water loss.
i was planning to ask about whether it'd be worth trying to patch the big tears, but now i'm thinking a full new liner is more or less required. though, input from more seasoned ponders is very much desired!
especially, right now, i'm wondering if i can house the goldfish in a large container of some kind while i overhaul this whole mess, or if i should find a way to re-home it instead?
the other big issue i'm considering is how to get a container bog filter set up - i've been watching youtube videos and am really into the style of filter ozponds uses:
[video]
thanks in advance for your input!!