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[Tick Tock]

Thought you would like an update on the pond, especially as Fishy Dave gave out some good advice.    It's been a lot of hassle this year, and keeping the water in good order has been nothing but problem after problem, you get rid of one issue, and another comes along. Seriously thinking about jacking it all in and filling with aggregate and soil to make a feature reed and grass bed. The Indian Rhubarb plant loves those sort of conditions and can get quite big, usually penetrating the liner after 10 years resident!

Getting the water to a decent quality (you could almost drink it with no ill effects) took about 3 or 4 weeks of hard work, pumping 75% of the pond water out (with the fish netted when the level dropped low), removing lillie plants, all into a 1000 gallon swimming pool which cost £45, then a lot of scrubbing all the sludgy shite out, and wheelbarrowing it to the flower borders, brushing the liner, hosing and pumping of the last, cleaning out the pump and filter, new UV light, that was £30, additional water pump with fountain to aerate the pumped back in water.


This shows it the week after putting the water and fish back, and getting better. We've had these pond floats for years and they do a good job of protecting the fish from attack. The Kingfisher dives down between them, so we lose the small ones to him. The Heron is a devious bugger and it takes a lot to stop them once they've had a fishy taste, especially this time of year bring up the chicks. I hate netting and wires strung all around the place looking like the catenary at Crewe station.

Here's a couple of links to Herons trying to get the fish in a pond. They're so gangly, you wonder how they fly!




So now there's only 5 brown fish left, 2 slightly different types of Grass Carp and the largest being 18 inches long. If it was easy enough to find a home for them, I'd gladly fill it in and spend my time doing other more enjoyable things.... You've really got to want a garden pond, because they are hard work keeping on top of it.

Now a invasive stringy fluffy weed has invaded due to the clarity and circulation of water, so god knows where that's come from. 


 

[Tick Tock]

https://youtu.be/gXzE-1-rUPE Heron in action 

[Tick Tock]

https://youtu.be/hsrE2YMroFc and again

[Doctor Gollum]

https://youtu.be/gXzE-1-rUPE Heron in action 

An optimistic bugger thinking foxgloves would support his weight... 

[dave the builder]

"you keep water, not fish"   
and keeping water good enough for fish to live in is either time consuming or very costly (or both if you get it wrong  )

my pond water is pumped to a rotary drum filter takes out most of the solid waste ,then an 8 foot long multi bay bio-filter that is planted with fast growing mint (takes the nitrates out and processes ammonia ) then to a pressurized bead filter    full of ceramic media ,through a UVc lamp and back to the pond ,water gets exchanged / topped up via a 5 stage water filter ,then there is the pond water treatments ,anti parasitics etc etc 
you can spend thousands ££££   
my filtration needs very little maintenance fortunately

glad you are getting on top of it    looks like a lovely mature pond 

you can get a Heron ,cat and pest sniper clicky
personally I use nets and grids ,my stupid koi like jumping out 

if you are getting algae blooms or string algae you may have high nitrate levels ,fast growing plants use it up 
 regular part water changes help to some extent ,also shade from the sun cuts it down .

your water looks very clear  well done ,not easy