Great forum

[BarbAZCA]

I have an extremely small pond compared to some of the photos I see posted by forum members. Would love to have a bigger one sometime in the future.

I have PH issues but it doesn't seem to affect the goldfish. They seem lively and happy. As long as they learn to hide from the raccoons that visit nightly. I finally put a 3" water pipe in the bottom of the pond held down by two heavy rocks. I've seen the fish go in there. Here's the link to see the raccoon party video - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hbW5oJe8HxWFVqM3R8ASXAvTj-kWqx5E/view

The PH and summer heat caused a lot of string algae. It kept the water clear and gave the fish something to nibble on. The raccoons would stir it up and load up the filter pad - needed to be cleaned a couple times a day. Now that it has been in the 20s at night and 70s during the day, the algae has abated.

I look forward to seeing the awesome photos of your ponds and getting tips on how to solve problems.

 

[brokensword]

@Ian wanted to name it 'Great Pond Forum' but spellcheck messed that up for him. We concur, though.

You'll find pH isn't bad unless you change it suddenly, or sometimes, at all. My water ph is routinely mid 8 (I fill from a well) and I have lots of happy fish and plants, so don't worry so much re pH. KH and GH numbers are more valuable. The biggest concern re 'small pond' is that changes affect the fish/plants a lot quicker and more seriously, so keep an eye open.

If you can incorporate some sort of bog filtration for your pond, you'll find string algae may start but will soon be gone as your plantings will compete and help with those excess nutrients. Check out the myriad threads re bog construction here and you'll get the idea of their usefullness.

And finally, WELCOME! (damn, need @j.w to show up right about now with some sort of silly gif...)

 

[Mmathis]

How big or small is your pond? It tends to be easier to keep the water parameters balanced with larger volumes. What has your pH been running?

 

[JRS]

Welcome!

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our forum!

 

[BarbAZCA]

@Ian wanted to name it 'Great Pond Forum' but spellcheck messed that up for him. We concur, though.

You'll find pH isn't bad unless you change it suddenly, or sometimes, at all. My water ph is routinely mid 8 (I fill from a well) and I have lots of happy fish and plants, so don't worry so much re pH. KH and GH numbers are more valuable. The biggest concern re 'small pond' is that changes affect the fish/plants a lot quicker and more seriously, so keep an eye open.

If you can incorporate some sort of bog filtration for your pond, you'll find string algae may start but will soon be gone as your plantings will compete and help with those excess nutrients. Check out the myriad threads re bog construction here and you'll get the idea of their usefullness.

And finally, WELCOME! (damn, need @j.w to show up right about now with some sort of silly gif...)

I tried water plants - unfortunately the raccoons dug them all up from their underwater pots and fouled the pond. 10 raccoons nightly use my pond.

 

[Doctor mcboy]

OMG that looks like godzilla to a fish! i had chickens and the raccoons would pick them off 1 by 1. they are super smart and cute. i shot about 7 of them and they left my birds alone for a while. but i felt bad shooting racoons so i stopped keeping chickens. that only thing that will stop these is concrete , steel and lead.

 

[Lisak1]

@BarbAZCA - to me, that's nuisance level raccoon activity. I would either start trapping and re-locating them myself or get a professional. I don't think it's even healthy for you or your pond. Raccoons are known to carry parasites and diseases that can be passed to other animals and humans. Roundworms, giardiasis and leptospirosis all come to mind - all can be passed via feces, urine, saliva, etc. The sheer number of them isn't good for them either - they will only get bolder and more desperate for food as their numbers grow. Is someone near you feeding them? My daughter lived in a neighborhood where a lady was putting out loaves of bread and dog food every night for the raccoons - they ended up eating their way into my daughter's attic and setting up housekeeping. It cost her thousands of dollars to get rid of them and repair the house. They are a terrible nuisance.

You will struggle to keep a pond balanced without plants. And as long as you have nightly marauders, you obviously won't have plants. The only suggestion I can make there is to get your plants naturalized in the pond - growing directly in the pond, not in pots. But they would need a few months to get a head start before the herd shows up or they won't last either.

 

[addy1]

We have raccoons, but they don't bother the plants. I have seen them enter the water to snack on a few snails. None of the plants have ever been harmed. I have watched them on the cams.