First home, first pond.. water is dirty!

[Lisak1]

around ponds

If by "around ponds" you mean in the grass, bushes, etc that surround your pond. Moving water and fish in your pond will keep your pond free of larvae, but if you're like us, the mosquitoes still have plenty of places to hatch and controlling them around the pond without getting chemicals IN the pond is a challenge.

We burn citronella lanterns, plant things they don't like (mint, lavender, lemon balm, lemon thyme, etc) and then just avoid being outside when they are bad. We live in an area that has so many natural bodies of water that there is very little we can do to control them, except by not adding to the problem in our own yard. We use no chemicals of any kind in our yard and that includes for insect control. Sometimes we just gotta let them have their space, too.

I do use mosquito spray on myself if I have to be outdoors during the "witching hour" and then just make sure I shower and wash it off right away when I get back indoors. West Nile is a real problem in our area, so it's a two-edged sword.

 

[Mmathis]

Does anyone have a solution to mosquito control around ponds?

The pond itself isn't a problem, but any containers lying around that collect water -- that's where the mosquitoes are going to lay eggs. They prefer non-moving, stagnant waters. Even if they did lay eggs in the pond, your fish would eat 'em. So dumping standing water whenever you find it is a good start. By day, the little blood-suckers hang out in shrubs and such.

Oh, and like Lisa says, I use spray on myself.

 

[lynntran]

Is a universal utility hose different than a pond pvc hose? My filter says to not downsize the hoses and I can't seem to find a 1-1/2" hose anywhere at homedepot or lowes. I saw a hose for sump pumps but I'm assuming those won't hold the pressure.

 

[Tula]

We found what we needed at a plumbing supply store. It was white, so I spray painted it

 

[addy1]

The birds, frogs, insects must take care of ours. We have none in our yard.

 

[Mmathis]

Is a universal utility hose different than a pond pvc hose? My filter says to not downsize the hoses and I can't seem to find a 1-1/2" hose anywhere at homedepot or lowes. I saw a hose for sump pumps but I'm assuming those won't hold the pressure.

Some on here do use and swear by the sump hose. I have a flexible, corrugated hose that came from Lowe's [I think]. It's in their outdoor garden section with pond stuff. Home Depot might carry it, as well, but have never seen it at ours. But this tubing, while it says it's 1-1/2" it's hard [for me] to find things for it to connect to. Plus, it doesn't stand up 100% to the elements. I am planning to switch to FLEX PVC, which lets you use standard PVC fittings & connectors.

Just a suggestion, but it might help you get more of a variety of responses from members if you post specific questions about equipment, and such, as a separate thread. For now, the only members who will see your question are the ones who are following this thread. It's perfectly OK to do it either way, but helps with continuity -- you'd be surprised how many people have the same questions about "things" in general!

 

[sissy]

I have used the same pieces of sump pump hose for 10 years and it is great .You do have to cut where it is smooth and there are cut lines so you end up with a smooth end on each end .Sump pump hose comes in 1 1/4 inch and 1 1/2 inch .I use regular fittins from both my laguna pumps .i also got my uv off of topdog sellar was the name and replacement bulbs i got cheaper off of CLL pets on ebay

 

[lynntran]

*AUGUST UPDATE*

So my main stock tank blew up and then our 2nd stock tank with the lava started leaking too.

I ordered a tetrapond with uv clarifier, hooked up the best I could for now.. Having a hard time with 1-1/2" corrugated hose to fit right even with a clamp. The new hose I'm using for the outlet is a pvc hose. Regardless, we hooked up the original proline 3200 to the filter and after 12 hrs I could see submerged pots from their plants! 2 days have passed and the water is much less dense! I could see my fish a few inches below the water.

On a funny note, I walked out today and saw an outlet just sitting in the grass and had realized we haven't plugged the filter in yet. It had been powered on by the pump the entire time. LOL. Oops, well time to let the uv work.

And yes I gutted most of the l vegetation out! So much work!

 

[addy1]

You are getting there, laughing about not plugging it in!

 

[Tula]

Lots of work, but exciting to see your fish

 

[lynntran]

Lots of work, but exciting to see your fish

They seem to be more active and social since I've started running the new filter and added new water. Are they just used to me now or they are as excited as I am that the pond is cleaning up? Hahaha.

 

[Lisak1]

I think you need to change the title of this post to "First home... First pond... Water is clean!"

 

[lynntran]

I think you need to change the title of this post to "First home... First pond... Water is clean!"

Close but not yet!!! I need to backflush the filter a few times but I'm seeing improvement! Even when I didn't have the filter plugged in!!! Doh.

 

[lynntran]

Also, since I dumped out the leaking skippy filters and pulled out the plants and realigned the rocks I noticed a huge reduction in mosquitos outside. When we first moved in I swear I stood outside for 10 minutes and came back in with over a dozen welts! I'm allergic so these welts were the size of softballs. I'm sitting outside in my patio typing this right now and haven't been bothered yet. Two birds with one stone?

 

[johan]

Looking good... isn't it great to see your progress