Should it stay or should it go

[AlexS]

This is about 15 years worth of growth. 2 feet ish of solid root, sludge decaying plant, growing plant.

I’ve been vacuuming the pond and have water quality issues as seen in my other thread.

I’m thinking I should take this all out?

This is in the middle pond water flows through it on the way back to the main pond.

 

[BKHpondcritters]

If you've got a lot of dead/decaying root mass in there, you could pull it all out and divide it. Toss the non-productive/dead parts & replant all the healthy growth. If you're already battling water quality problems, you definitely want good growing plants in there, though, so don't get rid of it all. Add more if you can.

 

[GBBUDD]

The plant you have chosen is a slow grower very slow actually. Try creeping Jenny, watercress, for get me nots, monkey flower, or even impatience if the water is not too deep.



But yes I'd rip out the plants like @BKHpondcritters suggested. And all the muck place new gravel in there but only a couple inches then take some of the muck as we call it and spread it out on top of the rock then place more rock to your finish height. If your adding like 20 inches I'd do two layers of muck. It has all the bacteria and microbes in it that your pond needs to do its job.

 

[AlexS]

Thank you very much @BKHpondcritters @GBBUDD

I will do that

Just to check - the ‘muck’ is the silty stuff between all the roots right now?

Thanks for the suggestions GBBUDD I’ll look those up now.

I had actually ordered more plants already - thinking that more plants would help the pond and I can utilise that middle pond with allot of plants.

Aponogeton Distachyos,​

Callitriche Stagnalis * 5​

Chalene Straw Water Lily​

Polygonum Amphibium​

ELODEA DENSA​

I hope these are ok

 

[AlexS]

I also added some air stones into the top pond along with bio media stuff to try and boost bio filtration:

I don’t really know what I’m doing hence have landed these poor fish in this situation , but trying my best to help them from here

A more substantial filter system will be coming in the next months - hopefully this will help for now.

I put a pond bomb in it to try and kick start it with the bacteria.

 

[j.w]

Thank you very much @BKHpondcritters @GBBUDD

I will do that

Just to check - the ‘muck’ is the silty stuff between all the roots right now?

Thanks for the suggestions GBBUDD I’ll look those up now.

I had actually ordered more plants already - thinking that more plants would help the pond and I can utilise that middle pond with allot of plants.

Aponogeton Distachyos,​

Callitriche Stagnalis * 5​

Chalene Straw Water Lily​

Polygonum Amphibium​

ELODEA DENSA​

I hope these are ok

How wide is your Elodea Densa, is it the really thick stuff or just the skinny kind? I was trying to find the big thick stuff like rope that grows good but never could find a place that sells the really thick stuff. Where did you find yours?

 

[AlexS]

I’m

How wide is your Elodea Densa, is it the really thick stuff or just the skinny kind? I was trying to find the big thick stuff like rope that grows good but never could find a place that sells the really thick stuff. Where did you find yours?

mine is just from Amazon - biotape aquatics Ltd

It hasn’t arrived yet - I’ll let you know when it arrives!