The pond dig has begun!

[fishin4cars]

That camera will get to be part of you as time goes by, Never know what you'll see by a pond! LOL, I have one I carry out with me and another that hangs right by the back door just in case!

 

[Luke]

what liner did you use?

 

[taherrmann4]

Yes, I will do that, Addy. I also want to buy a lettuce plant. Just one, since they multiply, right? I think the lettuce also does not survive the winter, is that right? I'm seriously thinking of putting a tub of hyacinths and anything else that is not winter hardy in IL in the basement with a bubbler and try to keep them through the winter. I know koi like to eat the lettuce, so I guess it would need separate ring with a net under it. No koi yet, though ... just goldies.
No floaters this a.m., so that's a good sign! Ordered UV light, can't wait to get it and hook it up and get clear water!
And, my frog population is now up to maybe 5! Those babies are the loud ones, too, but I love it! One has a green racing stripe on his back. Keep forgetting to take camera outside with me for pics. Others are mostly brown, little guys, less than 2" long when sitting. LOUD, though. LOL

Country the water lettuce will not make it through the winter unless your in zone 9 or 10 I think. There is another thread discussing the probability of over wintering them inside a basement or garage (water lettuce pea soup thread I think). I would build the koiguy ring that is discussed, very easy and cheap.

Good luck.

 

[taherrmann4]

My floating rope is working great country, since I don't need to protect the plants, even grab the rope and move them every now and then to a different pond spot. Had to increase the size, since those suckers keep growing. Tons of fry hide in the roots of them and one of my frogs sits on them and croaks at me.

Addy what is this floating rope? Any ordinary rope?

 

[addy1]

Home depot rope, it is bright yellow, there is some black and orange it says it floats right on the package. What is nice I can make the circle bigger as needed, again I do not have koi and am not protecting the plants from them

here is a link to 4 different kinds

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...H+ALL&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[CountryEscape]

Luke, I got the liner at my local lumber yard. It was the exact same as ordering on-line, no shipping, delivered it to my garage, cheaper, all the things I like. It is the same stuff used for rolled roofing, 45 mil, and called Firestone EPDM. Lots of good reviews on it in this site, so that's why I chose it.
Taherrmann4, yeah, I know the lettuce is not hardy in Zone 5, but am thinking of trying the basement tub with pump and bubbler going and see if I can keep them through the winter. Probably more trouble than it's worth, though. Never hurts to try, though.

 

[CountryEscape]

Guess who showed up this evening, and posed for pics? I have at least 5 frogs now, probably far more! Couple of them were doing the "love dance" in the parrots feather. Can anyone tell me a type of frog these are, or shall I just call them "peepers"? Two that I photographed have the green down their back, although I have many that are simply brown, probably females?
And, I know that the waterfall is falling from far too high, but I wanted it running for now. It will be dug into the waterfall hill eventually. It works super! Much more room in new filter box for filter media as well.
The pond plants are from my farm pond, and likely NOT something I want to introduce to my koi/goldfish pond after all, but wondering if anyone has any idea what they might be, and if they bloom. I will look on a link I was given as well, just not gotten to that point yet.
And, great news to pass on! I put 7 goldfish in last night. Two that were about 4-5" long that friend had in his aquarium and wanted to get rid of, and 5 from Petsmart. 3 of the ones from Petsmart were maybe 1.5" and 2 were closer to 3". I think I saw ALL of them tonight! I'm so very excited! My water is still very murky, but they were swimming around the edge, even found the food I put in for them. So far, so good! Let's see if they make it past the next couple of weeks, my goal.

 

[j.w]

That's pretty much where I got my liner, at a construction company that does irrigation work. The first one I got from a roofing company. No problems w/ either one.

That little frog looks like he doesn't know whether he wants to be green or brown and those plants are pretty nice looking. Wonder if they could be a form of Water Cress?
Be careful if they are cuz we were all talking about liver flukes in them if they are near cattle.

Looks like your falls are working great and pond is coming together looking good :regular_waving_emot

 

[CountryEscape]

JW, I'm not sure when cattle were last on my property, but not for at least the last 7 years. But, that may not keep the disease from being in the pond, so I think I will leave them where they are and not bring them to my new pond. Also, I know there are leeches in my farm pond, and I sure don't want them in my koi/goldfish pond either. The fact my farm pond is not deep, also leads me to worry about other things that may be in there without adequate water in dry summers.

 

[j.w]

Yep prolly better to leave them where they are and stick w/ plants you know are safe.

 

[koiguy1969]

C.E.... looks good...how many gph do you have going thru your trash bin filter there? do you only have four nuts and bolts holding on your weir? i have 5 across the bottom mounting tab, and 1 on each side tab....

 

[CountryEscape]

KoiGuy, you caught me! Yep, I only have 2 on the underside and one on each tab. That's a super simple fix, though, will get 3 more bolts today and add them.
And, I have probably about 3000 gph going over the waterfall, my guess anyhow. I have a splitter from the 4200 gph pump to the waterfall and fountain, and try to send more to the waterfall.
And, I was just thinking .... that's a scary thought! ... when I get the UV light, why not put it after the valve and before the fountain, since I can send the water pretty slow through there so the UV light works better. I know it should go after the filter, but besides putting it after the skimmer, no other place to put it after a filter.

 

[koiguy1969]

i have used as U.V for years before my filter...no problems! the idea is that the cleaner water will make the U.Vs job easier....dont worry, you'll be fine!

 

[CountryEscape]

Great! Thanks again, KoiGuy. BTW, I LOVE the waterfall weir!!! Can't wait to see it working properly, cascading over rocks instead of plopping into the water from 3' up. LOL But, good thing is that it's adding oxygen and movement to the water. The goldies I added Sun evening seem to be very happy so far. If all ok in 2 weeks, will add my prettier goldfish I have still in my aquarium, including a 5" fantail. The goldies I got with my 55 gal aquarium, that I really didn't want, have started this whole project! Funny how "free fish" have ended up costing me thousands, and hours and hours of hard work .... but I'm ever so thankful for this project! I sure understand why people call it a "labor of love".
UV light is on the way, hoping to get it tomorrow. Question: I know I can turn it on and off, but do I install it and leave it there, or would it be best to install it where I can remove the whole assembly in the wintertime or when it's not in use? I've gotten really good at adding and removing things from my water lines. I have flexible clear tubing that I'm using, so it's very easy.

 

[sissy]

watch those clear lines because they do not hold up for to long .Once they start to turn from clear to white they are already breaking down .If you add salt to your pond they will break down faster and with changes in weather they become brittle so inspect them often and make sure you can get at them .Sun also effects them .That of course is from one maufacturer of them from lowes .They recommend checking often or going with the fiber reenforced ones .But even then they say are not good in direct sun or extreme weather changes .They tell you to go to the ones recommended for ponds and exposure to that kind use