Bag End garden pond (newbie thread)

[audioenvy]

In June I bought a home in a residential neighborhood that has fairly unique backyard for the area (I think it's because it was one of the first homes built in an area that used to be a cherry orchard). Anyway, I'm not sure if the original buyers/builders of the home ever had fish but the most recent owner(s) did not--nor do they know anything about the pond.

I've never had a koi pond (nor have I ever even owned a fish tank!) but after perusing some of the ponds on this forum I'm motivated to work on mine. In this thread I'll post photos and ask questions.

I named this home Bag End because in the basement there is an ornate "hobbit house" room with special doors and windows. Rather than paint over it, I've decided to leave it for nieces and nephews who visit.

 

[audioenvy]

Here are photos from spring showing the backyard and the state of the pond before I started working on it:

As you can see the pond was pretty shallow and devoid of fish. The bottom was lined with several layers of rocks (some of them quite large).

 

[audioenvy]

Here is how the pond looks today (still very much a work in progress):

There is some sort of pump that draws water to the top of the waterfall (not sure what brand but has only a very coarse filter inside) and I added an additional pump (the little shower head looking one in the water) that has two filter elements and bio balls inside. I also got a few treatment supplies and have a water test kit on its way.

The pond is roughly 8 feet in diameter and about 30" deep in the middle. I've been taking out rocks from under water but only a couple at a time because it stirs up quite a bit of sediment when I do. Should I remove as many rocks as possible from the bottom?

 

[tbendl]

Beautiful property and what a neat room.
As far as the pond, some people say rock bottom, others say bare. I think it is an aesthetic choice but if you do choose to keep the rocks you will probably need to get a vaccuum of some kind to get the accumulated sediment out. Any idea how much muck is on the bottom?

 

[audioenvy]

I started out with some inexpensive pet store goldfish to see what would happen but after two days they were essentially all gone. Not dead, not floating on the surface, just gone! So I set up a game camera and a live trap to see what was happening.

The cats might have gotten the first set of goldfish--I'm not sure--but after making the pond deeper (by removing rocks especially on the edges) and placing a couple of flat rocks in the middle for fish to hide under I was able to keep fish for longer.

 

[audioenvy]

Beautiful property and what a neat room.
As far as the pond, some people say rock bottom, others say bare. I think it is an aesthetic choice but if you do choose to keep the rocks you will probably need to get a vaccuum of some kind to get the accumulated sediment out. Any idea how much muck is on the bottom?

Thanks! Yeah the hobbit house is hand painted so I couldn't bear to paint over it.

Here's a couple photos of the bottom:

The water itself is reasonably clear (I know that doesn't mean much so I've ordered a tester and will report my findings) but you can see sediment especially on the rocks at the bottom of the lower photo. The top photo shows some string algae that I've been treating and removing by hand.

You can see the flat rock perch I placed at the bottom so the fish have a place to hide from predators (you can see orange fish under there if you look closely). After making the water deep enough to prevent cats from reaching in, I bought some pet store koi and they seem to be doing very well although there is still something occasionally reducing their numbers. I'm about 95% sure it's snake(s) so I'm going to buy a snake trap and report my results.

 

[audioenvy]

I tried using a shop vac to suck out the sediment and it doesn't work well at all. I'm open to recommendations.

 

[tbendl]

You might not even need to remove it, I think it depends on what is down there. I don't have rocks so don't have to worry about accumulated debris. Maybe someone with a rock bottom will weigh in. I would also wait and see what your water parameters are since I've got that much algae on the bottom of mine as well.

 

[audioenvy]

You might not even need to remove it, I think it depends on what is down there. I don't have rocks so don't have to worry about accumulated debris. Maybe someone with a rock bottom will weigh in. I would also wait and see what your water parameters are since I've got that much algae on the bottom of mine as well.

Thanks!

 

[Gemma]

I love that painting, I wish it was in my house!

Lovely backyard too! ...once you learn the basics and get through the initial setup, you're going to love your pond, and perhaps some day you're going to wish it was even larger!

 

[AJ1500]

Wow that is an amazing piece of property you have found. I love the hobbit house room inside
that looks like it will be a nice pond as well

 

[Tula]

One disadvantage of large rocks in the pond, is the water volume they displace, resulting in less area for your fish to swim.

Do you know who the kitty belongs to?

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group! Love the hobbit room, someone spent a lot of time painting it.

I have a rock less bottom, it does give the fish more swimming room. Easier to clean I brush and net it without running into rocks.

 

[Mmathis]

@audioenvy Hello and welcome! Where do you live?

OMG, that room is a masterpiece! Your pond looks nice, too, and much improved after your work. Personally, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE rocks.....but not on the bottom of the pond. The arguments for and against can get heated, so as @tbendl mentioned, in the end it's your choice. What a sweet kitty! Does it belong to a neighbor -- it looks calm, and well fed (sorry).

@callingcolleen1 You have to see this basement treatment! That would so fit in with all of your fairies!

 

[Mmathis]

@audioenvy Looking at the pics again, I don't think the kitty in the cam-shots is the same one in the trap.