AndyH AndyH
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  • Posted on: 15/11/2012 11:33
New pond owner. #1
Hi all, bought my house in May 2011 and inherited a pond.

This was it as of March this year.
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Emptied it out and found an old fountain in the middle which no longer works.
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126 frogs!
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Filled it back up and laid a cable for my pump.
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Worked out the dimensions at about 2500L.
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It has a fresh cold feed from the waterfall which I only used to fill it the once.

I bought 9 Gold fish from the local pet shop and they're still in there. 3 Gold, 3 Yellow and 3 Comets.

I have one of those Hozelock 3 in 1 Easyclear 3000 jobs running on a timer. This fixed the algae I had but even after 3 weeks constant running I couldn't see the fish. It's rare I see them. I don't feed them though. I want a low maintenance pond but with some life in it really.

The pump is running through the day only now. Is it more the fact my fish are small and timid and the pond is too large for me to see them regularly?

Thanks,

A
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  • Posted on: 15/11/2012 19:57
Re: New pond owner. #2
Hi, as its winter the fish will slow down / hide due to their metabolism also slowing down due to the temperature. So I doubt you will see much of them.

You should also give the fish some where to hide when they want to, a short section of 4 inch pipe works well.

As for the all in one filter pump / uv / unit you have, you can find out more if you CLICK HERE
Good quality costs. Bear this in mind before you start.

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AndyH AndyH
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  • Posted on: 16/11/2012 10:25
Re: New pond owner. #3
I've not seen them in 6 months!
ianbo ianbo
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  • Posted on: 26/11/2012 19:18
Re: New pond owner. #4
I think you should of seen them during the summer.Is your pond netted?You may have had a heron taking them.I suppose you will have to wait until spring to see if they are on the bottom
AndyH AndyH
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  • Posted on: 27/11/2012 9:40
Re: New pond owner. #5
I saw 7 maybe 8 this weekend!

They've got bigger despite never being fed. The shallower half of the pond I could see the leaves on the bottom.

I might net it purely to keep the debris out.

Guess my fish are still quite shy. Should be bigger and better next year.

Do I keep my pump, filter & fountain going throughout winter?
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  • Posted on: 28/11/2012 5:54
Re: New pond owner. #6
Quote:

AndyH wrote:

Do I keep my pump, filter & fountain going throughout winter?


You may want to read THIS article (The last part in particular)
Good quality costs. Bear this in mind before you start.

Sorry if my reply is NOT want you want to hear, but what I have said is true.

We can only go by what you type.

A "thank you" costs nothing, but goes a long way.
AndyH AndyH
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Re: New pond owner. #7
Quote:
Not Mentioned. But worthy of note:

Biological filters should be left running 24/7-365.

The UV lamp should be changed once a year, usually at the beginning of the season. (It can be switched off and removed at the end of the pond season)


Which is it in my case then with a 3 in 1? Ideally I'd like to leave it on it's day time timer.

I doubt the bottom will ever freeze but I don't want to damage the pump if the fountain is blocked.
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Re: New pond owner. #8
The idea is that that a biological filter builds up "good bacteria" These bacteria convert the fish waste from "nasty stuff" to "nice stuff"

(Or you could say that bacteria eat fish waste. The other analogy would be: Imagine if I left you in a warm swimming pool for a month, gave you food and a toilet, then after a week I take the toilet away.)

The bacteria occur naturally, and given some where nice to live (the filter media) they multiply over time. The more bacteria there are the more fish waste they can convert.

The bacteria also need oxygen as well as food, both are brought to them by the moving water. (From the pump)

If you switch the pump off (timer in your case) the good bacteria die. (no food or oxygen = starvation) Then when the pump comes on, it dumps a load of dead bacteria into the water, which is not good.

Its true that as soon as you switch the pump off all the bacteria do not instantly die, but give them a few hours and most will be dead.

While there are few "working" bacteria the fish waste contamination goes up, eventually the fish die.

In winter almost everything slows down, the only real constant is bacteria still die quickly.

The way round it is to keep the biological filter running 24/7 The fact you have an all in one makes no difference (apart from its efficiency) bacteria still need food and oxygen to live.
Good quality costs. Bear this in mind before you start.

Sorry if my reply is NOT want you want to hear, but what I have said is true.

We can only go by what you type.

A "thank you" costs nothing, but goes a long way.
AndyH AndyH
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  • Posted on: 29/11/2012 11:31
Re: New pond owner. #9
OK thanks.

I'll run it 24/7 whilst it's close to freezing. The eco system seems to be fine at the moment with it switching off overnight. It's more the damage to the pump I'm concerned about.

I squeeze the mud off the filters about every two weeks.

My neighbour has a smaller pond with less, bigger fish and runs no pump or filter. Just has it netted.
Judgegeo Judgegeo
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Re: New pond owner. #10
"Ammonia poisoning can happen suddenly, or over a period of days. Initially the fish may be seen gasping at the surface for air. The gills will begin to turn red or lilac in color, and may appear to be bleeding. The fish will being to lose its appetite and become increasingly lethargic. In some cases fish may be observed laying at the bottom of the tank with clamped fins.

As the damage from the ammonia poisoning continues, the tissues will be damaged as evidenced by red streaks or bloody patches that appear on the body and fins. Internal damage is occurring to the brain, organs, and central nervous system. The fish begins to hemorrhage internally and externally, and eventually dies."

This is what can happen if you don't have the bacteria to break down the ammonia. Its not a nice way to go.

EDIT: Quote is from an article on ammonia poisoning on About.com