Took off the Frame and Netting! Getting ready for March!

[barryian]

Not today it wasn't...at least for me. This is my 2nd Ariens. The first lasted 18 years.

You have nice spot in a rural area! Is the Red barn where you run Moon Shadows out of? Great site! Have to check it out further. I used to have a house over in Henryville that I built myself in '89... We kept it 20 years and sold it as the kids were getting older and didn't use it as often. Sorry we don't have it anymore as it would get used again but I no longer double bills of everything coming in .... Great little house though! Just wanted to consolidate and it was also a great time to sell. Market peeked. We were just there recently. Since we sold, we've always came back to visit and stayed at Mountaintop, French Manor and a small place in SwiftWater called Woodfield Manor ( Frogtown Chophouse restaurant ) which my wife stayed at as a little kid when it was the Antlers .... Brings back memories! ...

 

[MoonShadows]

Where we are is nice, but just a short distance down the road is Rt 611 which is becoming strip mall paradise, something I moved here to get away from. I remember when you could drive from Stroudsburg to Mt Pocono, and there was only one traffic light and that was a blinker in Bartonsville. Now, you can barely get accelerated and you are breaking for the next traffic light. It is getting more and more crowded, and the tone of the area is more like NY and NJ then the Poconos of 20 and 30 years ago. One good thing about where I am located is I don't see it developing too fast in the next few years.

The only red building we have on our property is our chicken coop. We actually have another building we built 4 years ago out of which we run our business. We started in the house, moved to the new building thinking we could never fill it to capacity and are now trying to figure out how we are going to expand our space for the next few years. I guess it is a good problem to have.

 

[barryian]

Where we are is nice, but just a short distance down the road is Rt 611 which is becoming strip mall paradise, something I moved here to get away from. I remember when you could drive from Stroudsburg to Mt Pocono, and there was only one traffic light and that was a blinker in Bartonsville. Now, you can barely get accelerated and you are breaking for the next traffic light. It is getting more and more crowded, and the tone of the area is more like NY and NJ then the Poconos of 20 and 30 years ago. One good thing about where I am located is I don't see it developing too fast in the next few years.

The only red building we have on our property is our chicken coop. We actually have another building we built 4 years ago out of which we run our business. We started in the house, moved to the new building thinking we could never fill it to capacity and are now trying to figure out how we are going to expand our space for the next few years. I guess it is a good problem to have.

All sounds good! I recall how much more built up it got when we were there in Dec. 611 that is! We naturally hit the crossings! Well, it still not like the Island! Parkways always bumper to bumper. Hey you enjoy! Sounds like good problems ... .... Ciao 4 Now !!!

 

[MoonShadows]

Next time you are up here, take a ride down 611 through Bartonsville. From the old truck stop down to the Mall there are nothing but stores, hotels and even a new hospital.

 

[Gemma]

View attachment 97219 View attachment 97220 View attachment 97221 View attachment 97222 View attachment 97223 View attachment 97224 View attachment 97224 So, today with temps in the 60's and 6-12" of snow due here tomorrow, I used the blower to clean up a bit more. Took the netting off the pond, disassembled the framework, check the chemicals, brought up the kH, threw them some food with 52F water temps and topped the pond. Perfect day in a T shirt on Long Island in February. Awesome day!!! Koi seem ecstatic ... ...

Hope some others out there got ambitious ....

I totally love your pond!
How many koi do you have, in how many gallons of water?

 

[barryian]

I totally love your pond!
How many koi do you have, in how many gallons of water?

Thanks Gemma - I have 10 Koi, quite larger than they appear ... Largest is 25" .... 2000 Gal, 4 ft depth ... Right now, I have the Savio circulating via the falls with a blue matala in the skimmer... March 1st, I start the bio .... Doesn't all look so hot in winter ...

 

[Gemma]

Thanks Gemma - I have 10 Koi, quite larger than they appear ... Largest is 25" .... 2000 Gal, 4 ft depth ... Right now, I have the Savio circulating via the falls with a blue matala in the skimmer... March 1st, I start the bio .... Doesn't all look so hot in winter ...

10 koi that size in 2000gl makes me feel really good.
I have 10 koi and 2 Shubunkin in 3000gl, most of mine are babies bought last Spring so it's hard to resist temptations to add a few more... I'd really like to see them grow large and not have to worry about over crowding

 

[barryian]

10 koi that size in 2000gl makes me feel really good.
I have 10 koi and 2 Shubunkin in 3000gl, most of mine are babies bought last Spring so it's hard to resist temptations to add a few more... I'd really like to see them grow large and not have to worry about over crowding

12 fish in 3000 gallons with excellent water quality, good feeding and you be glad you be happy you curbed your temptations. One reason I have no problems is I'm not over crowded but just right. My bio will handle up to 5000 gallons + I have a savio, pre-filter and 2 UV's ... Overkill can never hurt!

 

[Gemma]

My bio will handle up to 5000 gallons + I have a savio, pre-filter and 2 UV's ... Overkill can never hurt!

I have a skimmer and 2 bio waterfall, that's all!
I would love to "overkill" if only I knew what to add, but unfortunately, I don't have neither the knowledge, nor the room by the pond

 

[barryian]

A bio-filter never hurts. When rebuilding my pond of 20 years, 5 years ago, I used the Alpha One 2.5 >>>
If someone has unlimited funds for their pond, check out some of the assembled units on the platforms.
Amazing along with amazing prices. They're complete systems with UV's to boot. I bought my
components separately and created my own setup....

http://www.aquabead.com/AquaBead-250-Filter/AquaBead-250-Filter-from-GCTek-p-28.html ...
It's costly and the picture is without the external pump. It's low energy at 1/4 horsepower. Check the
site out. Some outrageous things. The owner was quite good when it came to warranty. I had only one
problem with the 1 hp bead blower as I left it on from March to November. The inside from humidity became
rusted. I rebuilt it, but, he sent me a brand new one at no charge and suggested popping it when not in use.
I also put a Jandy valve just under as a failsafe in the event the spring valve went. Other than that, I swear by
the unit. Never have ammonia or nitrite problems except when 3 koi spawned at once. Ugh! Wish there was a way
to sterilize female fish. What a mess. 2 spawned within a day of each other, cleaned up the mess and the 3rd female
2 days after. Bizarre! Took a toll on the pond and me ... lol ...