Hello from Southend-on-Sea

[MamaOwl]

Hiya!!!

I've recently (Jan 2019) moved back into and taken over my childhood home. I did have a lovely pond here as a child/teen but it was destroyed over the years the house was left abandoned.

I bought a tiny plastic pond form and put two 4cm tiny ordinary goldfish in it, Scampy & Chips

Last Spring (2020) during lockdown the fish had grown to 6cm I decided as I had lots of time on my hands I would dig a new pond for them. All was lovely until February this year when I thought "Hmm, this needs to be at least 3x bigger!" (Please tell me this urge for a bigger pond stops!)

So I got digging & now I have a 13 maybe 14 foot by 5 foot pond that is about 3 foot deep at the deepest (will measure for sure now I am on here)

It's going through NPS at the moment, pea soup galore!

Occupants are:
2 gold fish
4 frogs (a few tadpoles but think the fish ate them)
2 adult newts and 3 baby newts
About 15 Lymnaea Stagnalis Snails

Various plants I threw in from the old pond including two new Water Lilies that are only just sending leaves to the surface. YAY!

I've not sorted electrics yet so I have 4 solar pumps,
1 pumps to the waterfall
3 fountains spaced out

So that's my set up!

As I say the pond is on NPS stage so I haven't seen the livestock in weeks, today I went out and OH MY WORD....... the fish were chilling near the surface and they are both around 12cm!! Way to go guys!

Saw a frog bloop down as I approached and the water is a little clearer but still soupy.

I'm in no rush, am going to buy a few more mature plants on pay day but for now I am happy the fish are happy, they'll slow down growing as their growth hormone catches up with the new volume of water.

Anyway, this is me! Nice to 'meet' you all.

 

[j.w]

and welcome @MamaOwl
Sounds like you are on the right road and doing things slowly by not adding a bunch of fish to your new pond. Keep the 2 going fine and when adding new ones just add slowly. Lots here use bogs to clean there ponds and they work great. I am sorry to say I do not have one. I just have a pot edge filter and use a Laguna pump due to its great reduction in power consumption vs others. I do have a couple other Pondmaster pumps I use also.

And no we never get over wanting to go bigger and add more to our ponds. I just got through making a smaller pond just for the frogs, birds and critters.

 

[brokensword]

Howdy! NPS is real. LPS is also real, sorry/not sorry to say!

 

[MamaOwl]

I'm hoping to avoid electricity use so will be trying different methods....

Oh dear, husbeast wont be pleased if I announce next year that I want a bigger pond!! hahaha.... I did the same with hens 20 years ago "Lets just get one......"

 

[brokensword]

I'm hoping to avoid electricity use so will be trying different methods....

Oh dear, husbeast wont be pleased if I announce next year that I want a bigger pond!! hahaha.... I did the same with hens 20 years ago "Lets just get one......"

tell him you're looking for buried treasure and it just happens to be near the existing pond!

 

[brokensword]

View attachment 139339and welcome @MamaOwl
Sounds like you are on the right road and doing things slowly by not adding a bunch of fish to your new pond. Keep the 2 going fine and when adding new ones just add slowly. Lots here use bogs to clean there ponds and they work great. I am sorry to say I do not have one. I just have a pot edge filter and use a Laguna pump due to its great reduction in power consumption vs others. I do have a couple other Pondmaster pumps I use also.

And no we never get over wanting to go bigger and add more to our ponds. I just got through making a smaller pond just for the frogs, birds and critters.

@j.w ; you know, in re-looking at a pic of your pond, it sure seems you have lots of space to add a bog! I circled an area that seems like it would work! And, you could even incorporate a stream FROM the bog to your pond, if you wanted! If I had room, I'd sure do something like that! You ARE in expanion (LPS) mode, no? Just something to think about...!

You wouldn't even need to net it, either!

 

[MamaOwl]

tell him you're looking for buried treasure and it just happens to be near the existing pond!

HA hahaha!!!!!! Hmmm....... I may just do that!

 

[j.w]

That's funny @brokensword as my hubby suggested that same spot! He even wants to get involved w/it! Problem is tho I now have a brick path I made not too long ago that I really like and I would have to get rid of that or do an around the bog thing and not sure it wouldn't look strange.

 

[MamaOwl]

OR..... rip up a section of path, build the bog and then a bridge over the bog !!

with solar lights under it!!!!


oohhhhhh

 

[j.w]

Oh my aching back!

 

[MamaOwl]

" He even wants to get involved w/it! "


Correction.... oh HIS aching back!

 

[brokensword]

That's funny @brokensword as my hubby suggested that same spot! He even wants to get involved w/it! Problem is tho I now have a brick path I made not too long ago that I really like and I would have to get rid of that or do an around the bog thing and not sure it wouldn't look strange.

View attachment 139342

you could run the stream UNDER your path; would just have to take up a patch, provide 'bridge support' and put it back. And since hubby is interested, I'd run with it while the iron is hot!

 

[JRS]

Welcome!