I have an old pond that hasn't been used in years, help!

[sissy]

Now looking at your pic that is a quick click connector that laguna uses and it is just clamped to the end of the hose and any pump that has a fitting the size of the hose will fit if you take the quick connect off .Also looking at those screw on clamps they look rusted or corroded and you may need stainless steel clamps .I would check them by loosing them to see if it is just dirt and muck or if they are corroded

 

[sissy]

I took these pics when my new laguna came last year in the mail

 

[Chad Smulders]

I went to the pet store today and picked up a Laguna for $99. It's too powerful for my little waterfall so I am using the toggle to slow down the flow, otherwise the water shoots right out of the hole onto the grass!!

 

[CountryEscape]

Or, Chad, you can get a divider, and run 2 or maybe 3 things from the same pump! If you have a spitter, you can hook it up to that as well, or fountain, too.

 

[slick]

If it was me while I was buying the new pump I would also replace the pipe and fittings, as plastic pipe can degrade over time, nothing worse than fitting it altogether filling up the pond and then find out that the pump has sucked the pond dry due to a split in the pipe half way between pump and water fall (I know this from a past experience)

 

[Chad Smulders]

today, i am going to investigate where the leak is.....

i will be replacing the tubing with the proper size tubing and see what they have for spitters!

is there anything else that's neat (like spitters) that i can incorporate into my very small pond, to take advantage of the extra flow?

 

[Chad Smulders]

Another question I have is: my laguna pumps filter will filter out pieces of grass or leaves, but it's definitely not fine enough to filter out very small particles (like ammonia?). Will I need to buy something extra to help filter the water if I want to get some koi or goldfish?

Maybe I can replace the current filter with a custom filter?

 

[Chad Smulders]

I bought a frog spitter from home depot today. And I replaced the tubing for the waterfall! Will post a pic soon

 

[MitchM]

Hi Chad,
With the size of your pond, it's not big enough to run year round. You'll have to bring in any fish or plants that you buy and want to survive the winter.
You'll need to set up a tub or something in your basement or garage with a filter to use once your area reaches freezing temperatures.
It could be a nice water feature only with a few plants during the summer months, but you will still need to feed the plants.

Ammonia isn't something that can be mechanically filtered out. If you want to keep fish, you need to buy an ammonia test kit because ammonia is deadly to fish. Your pond store will sell the liquid test kits.
If you are only going to keep plants, the test kit is not needed.

 

[Chad Smulders]

I am going to let my pump run for a week to make sure I don't have any more water leaks. I think I will just buy goldfish to start (next weekend). I didn't find a water test kit at home depot, I will have to get one next weekend as well. Can you recommend a plant species or two?

 

[MitchM]

Marsh marigolds are nice for our climate, and they can stay out year round.
Maybe a couple of iris, or corkscrew rush, mini cattails?
Have a look at what your pond store carries.
Home Depot will probably not carry any liquid test kits.

 

[Chad Smulders]

 

[addy1]

Nice, love your dog

 

[CountryEscape]

Love the frog spitter! Keep in mind, on a windy day, the water may blow right out of the pond, draining your pond. Good idea to run the pond for several weeks before you think about adding any fish, IMO, just so you know if any leaks, and also if any other issues will happen to cause the water to drain out. Pooch is adorable.