The pond dig has begun!

[taherrmann4]

It was so blasted hot today, 111 degrees at I think around 2:30, that I donned my swimsuit and took my mask and snorkel and got into the koi pond. There were some lily leaves that I'd not been able to reach to prune, so I got that done today, and cooled off at the same time. I was thrilled to see at least 3 different baby fish, probably goldfish, that are about 2" long already. One I've seen several times, and am hoping it's a baby koi. It is marked really different than my goldie babies have been, but we shall see. It's mostly white, with red on the top and bottom fin, and black tail, or something like that. LOL
The big turtle was close to the surface across the pond and I got him in this picture.
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My buddy, Bully, the biggest bullfrog in the koi pond, poses so nicely, it's hard NOT to take more pics of him.
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My tropical lily, Miami Rose, has been blooming, but since I was gone last weekend and since it opens during the day while I'm at work, I've not had a chance to take any more pics. This picture was taken at about noon, and I swear I looked at the bud at 11 and it was tightly closed yet! I love the color!
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These pink and white lilies were so pretty today, too!
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I'm waiting for my new Laguna to be delivered, hopefully Fri or Mon. My Sunterra shot craps on the weekend, and has been mailed in. Good news is it's under 2 year warranty, and it's 1 year old. Bad news is that I probably won't see it for 2 weeks or ????? I am using my air pump to push oxygen into the pond for now, but the filter is getting stagnant, and so is the pool at the end of the waterfall, so I've been trying to add water into the filter when the pond needs a refill, just to keep the water a little more fresh. It's beginning to stink, so will try to remember to do that water change daily.

CE could you set up a hose and trickle water into your pond starting in your filter, then letting it trickle all the way through your cycle? Are you on a well?

 

[CountryEscape]

Todd, I think the pump is going to arrive tomorrow, hopefully anyhow, It's in IL now, and came from MD, left on Tuesday, so I figure it will get to me tomorrow, at least that's my hope! Yes, I am on a well, and I could do a trickle, but it would need to overflow if I left it on for very long, and koi pond overflows (only when water level is too high) into the stream, which feeds the goldfish pond, and I don't have an overflow area for the goldfish pond yet. I ran water into the filter again tonight, and let it add water that way, down the waterfall, through the lower pool of the waterfall, then into the pond. Not so much smelliness tonight! Just need to do that daily until I get the filter running again.
Thanks, JW, I love the frogs and turtles as well. Found a caterpillar on one of my lily pads, so tossed it for Bully, and he said "thanks!". He's so funny! Some of the smaller frogs on the koi pond will jump but not Bully. I tried to feed a leopard frog in the koi bog tonight, too, but he just stared at me, didn't notice the worm was floating away.

 

[fishin4cars]

CE, On the filter, If it starts smelling plan on pumping it out and starting the filter over. I would think you probably have enough live bacteria in the pond itself to kickstart the filter back pretty quickly. I would worry more about anarobic bacteria giving off gases and such in the stagnant filter. If it's been empty of water then your probably lost the majority anyway. As for the Hyacinths. Salt in low quanities doesn't harm Hyaciths. I saw some of them growing and blooming today in the marsh close to the coast line. i have has the same problem before. Some years I can grow so many that I actually have to throw blooming ones away because I can't get rid of them fast enough. some years like this year. Not one survived. water lettuce is doing horrible in the pond but holding steady and not looking to bad in the tub gardens that are in the shade.

 

[CountryEscape]

The filter has been full of water the whole time, but not moving, except for the 3 or 4 times I have stuck the hose in there. So you think I should drain it, or leave it when I get the pump, hopefully today?
This Baby Turtle (I have Baby Turtle and Big Turtle LOL) has learned to climb on top of the lily pads to get koi food, so now I toss some in it's direction, and it actually looks on top of the lily pads!

Then, when the koi notice the food, he has to hold his own, or get toppled off of the pad. Soooo cute!

 

[j.w]

So cute CE............love that little one!

 

[CountryEscape]

I've fed him successfully twice now, so hoping he will get to be more like Aris and start watching for me at feeding time. He's not been quite as skittish lately, I can usually spot him before he ducks under, but he's still far more worried than Aris ever was! Aris would literally swim across the pond to right in front of me as if to say, "Hey, down here ... can you see me? Toss some food!" In time, Baby Turtle might get it all figured out. We'll see ...

 

[j.w]

He'll get more friendly once he is sure you are just going to feed him and not hurt him. Wonder where the turtles go or why they leave your pond when they have it so good there? Guess we need to do some more research on the ins and outs of turtles and what their habits are all about.

 

[CountryEscape]

I have a feeling it has to do with breeding, but not certain. They leave to lay eggs, or mate, and then come back. Problem is that my dogs have decided painted turtles taste good, as I have found at least 3 turtle shells mostly cleaned out. I hate that, but what can I do? Kind of like I hate it when my cats find a baby bird on the ground or on a branch and grab it. It's all part of nature, even though I don't like it. I never was one that could watch a cougar take down an antelope either. But, they all have to survive. I figure I have enough turtles to supply my pond with one or two, so I'm ok with that. If I had bought the turtles and they had gone wandering and gotten eaten, I would be upset, or have to find a way to keep them in. But, as it is, they are wild, they are free to come and go, and I'm happy if they want to stay, as long as they don't chew on my fish.

 

[j.w]

Yep that's prolly it about leaving to breed and too bad about the dogs getting them and just have to live w/ it and hope they don't get too many. Sad but that's the way it goes. Maybe you shouldn't name them or get too attached.

 

[CountryEscape]

Right, but in my mind, calling them "Baby Turtle" and "Big Turtle" is not really naming them, just distinguishing between their sizes. LOL No more naming any of them ...although I have named the bullfrogs. I wish I could get a video of one jumping to get a bug from a plant that is 2' or more above the water! Saw it again tonight, split second action.

 

[CountryEscape]

Saw Baby Turtle in the goldfish pond tonight ... or another one that is about the same size!
Got my new Laguna Max Flow 4200 today and have the waterfall up and running again! Need to switch out the old clear 1" tubing for 1 1/4" flex tubing and get the water fountain going again. Found a slit on the flex tubing so wondering if that was a problem before, or if that happened since I had the pump removed (I mailed it in a week ago, we'll see how long it takes Sunterra to replace a bad pump ...). Anyhow, it's a wonderful wound to hear the waterfall running. That was an eerily quiet sound with no running water! My goldfish pond just has the stream quietly running into the pond, so not really any splash. Maybe I need to make it splash! Without the waterfall and fountain, it was too quiet. Had the air pump running a major boiling bubbler, but that air pump is LOUD! I have finally written to the seller, as he has a pond store, and asking if this is normal. If not, maybe he will replace the pump. Only ran it half a day for the last 5 days or so, pretty much brand new yet.

 

[pondlover]

Glad your new pump came in. We have the Laguna 4200 also and I'm really pleased with it. Main reason we decided on that one through webbsonline was because of their warranty. I sure hope I never have to put it to the test though.

 

[CountryEscape]

I asked about pumps, Laguna was highly recommended, and then I messed up last year and didn't want to wait to order one, so that's why I got the Sunterra. I was told it didn't hold up very well, and that is correct. I'm just glad it had a 2 year warranty, and hope they will replace it.
I have a Laguna in the goldfish pond that I bought last year as a back up, since the Sunterra quit just a month after put in operation, and then the Laguna went into the goldfish pond as the bog pump, so then I was without a spare. The Sunterra will definitely be my spare from now on, though.
Tomorrow I will get new fittings and change the rest of the 1" clear tubing for 1.25" flexible tubing and then get the fountain repaired, too. It broke,and I bought a new set, but cannot figure out what I need to attach it to what I had, so going to pretty much start from scratch or find a fitting to attach the new to the old. Will need to get into the pond to bring the bucket out that the fountain is anchored in, but tomorrow and the next day at least the pond will still be very warm, I'm sure!

 

[LindaKay]

Hi girls
It seems like a lot of people have trouble with the sunterra. When I built my presant pond I bought a sunterra and it only lasted a few weeks. I took it back and got a new one. Bought a bigger better pump that I am sure is a laguna but it has been in the pond so long that I couldn't tell you for sure what it is. I still have the box put away someplace . I keep the sunterra for emergency use. I only have to pull the pump out once in a while to pull stuff out of the intake when it starts running slow. I run it 24x7. year around. I don't know how many years I have had it, you know how time gets away. I don't have a skimmer , just a home made filter. I use quilt batting, bio balls and dish scrubbers. I read that the net wrap they use on hay bales works good in the filter. I haven't tried is yet but a friend of mine came over and got a bunch of it from us . she is going to try it on her new filter that they are making. She has always had green water and am anxious to see if it works.

 

[CountryEscape]

Took a panorama pic of the koi pond.

Then, wanted to remember (try to anyhow) what color lily is where, so next year I might have a chance to know which is which. Probably will need to mark it on a piece of paper, as some pots have 2 colors. Anyhow, here are the lilies, moved 2 pots of them to in front of the bog, on top of a basket shelf.

Have quite a few really small bullfrogs showing up the last few days. Must have been tadpoles somewhere, probably hiding under the plants in the bog, that I never noticed. They are sooo cute! Little bitty guys, some only about an inch or little more long. This little one was next to one of the peach colored lilies that I love so much!

Then this juvenile was larger, in the koi bog, went under the green slimy algae, looks like he has a slime robe. LOL

Couldn't resist this dragonfly. Once again, one of the "standing on it's head" types. Getting better at my super macro mode on new camera!

I missed a pic of the first flower, it wasn't very pretty, then petals started falling off. Have 2 more buds to go yet.