Help! I don't know where to start!

[MissV]

Hi,
We bought our house in May and in addition to cleaning up the overgrown yard, I am also trying to clean and fix the pond that obviously was not maintained by the last owners.
I am guessing the pond holds about 250 gallons. It does not have a pump hooked up to the filter so the water is filthy and when I tried scooping out the water by bucket, I found there are tadpoles so now I am worried about how I can clean the water without hurting the frogs. There are all kinds of leaves floating around as well - I scooped out about 5 buckets worth so that's a start but there are plenty more. I don't know what kind of filter is installed and I don't know how to open it to clean it. I know there needs to be some aeration in there so should I install a waterfall? Should I introduce small fish or will they be a problem with the frogs. How big of a filter should I get? Does anyone know how to work this type of filter? Should I use algaecide to get rid of the algae blooms or should I just use floating plants? What about mosquitos?
Help! I am clueless

 

[sissy]

To start with unkink the hoses coming out of it .It either unscrews or has a band that locks it down .If you can find other water places like creeks or stream, take the taddies there they will thank you

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

What area of the country do you live in? You could start by buying a aerator to get the water moving some.
How much muck is on the bottom? you need to scoop it out, but do not totally scrub the pond clean.

 

[peter hillman]

Mosquito's prefer stagnant water, get that water moving.

 

[MissV]

Thanks for the advice! I live in southern New Jersey (Zone 6b) Would installing a waterfall be equivalent to using an aerator? There is probably a ton of muck at the bottom but the water is so bad, I can't tell. How do I scoop it out. I replaced about half the water when I cleaned out the leaves so maybe that helped? I heard that you aren't supposed to move tadpoles due to spread of disease and predators.

 

[peter hillman]

I'm glad you've decided to work with it, many 'sold' ponds won't survive new owners if they're in bad shape. Now might be the time to consider a rebuild, most of us here have gone thru some type of expansion, rebuild, repair. The smaller the pond the harder it is for nature to do it's work, you'll need to help it. Just a thought, but you've already got the location, and some rocks....... From there it may never end.

 

[Usman]

one option is to clean it all and save some tadpoles in bucket, leave some water and old stones in it for bacteria , keep walls damp with algae , dont clean that much , i would have done this , i have no idea how to save tadpols .
other option is do as ur doing scoop as much u can but if theres alot of leaves and mud then ur filter will have tuff time sooner or later u will need to clean
is that duck weed or blue green alg? u can use fine fishing net or cloth to remove algae and leaves from bottom , when ur filter will work it will take care , yes fishes will help .

 

[CometKeith]

There are three nozzles or ports on your filter. The center one connects to the pump. The one that says work is the one normally that pushes the water out to your pond. The one that says clean is only used when you clean your filter. There looks to be a lever. When you lift or lower the lever it changes the flow from work to clean and vice versa. You must never let a hose connect to the clean port and go to your pond and change the lever because then mucky water will go into your pond. I recommend you stop your pump when you move the lever to go from work to clean and back again. The purpose of having the clean function is so you can clean the filter without opening it up and losing all the beneficial bacteria (bb). I usually clean my filter once a year at the start of the season and keep it closed the rest of the year and only clean it using the clean feature. There may be a little red indicator somewhere. That tells you the filter is dirty and needs cleaning. Don't let your pump sit on the bottom of the pond for two reasons. One if a hose or something breaks all the water will be drained out and your fish will die. Two. It will keep taking in muck from the very bottom and will foul your filter very quickly. I'll let others answer the rest of your questions but I would recommend not to be in too much of a hurry right away so you don't do anything that may hurt your frogs or fish. Good luck!
hmmm. Normally I agree with sissy but I wouldn't move the tadpoles. If they are bullfrog tadpoles they are considered invasive and will kill other frogs. I never let plants or anything living from my pond in any other body of water. Also when you have a pond it creates it's own harmony with nature. You can plant sedges or other thick plants to help small creatures survive but you don't need thousands of frogs or anything else for that matter!

 

[MissV]

thank you! keep the advice coming!
I would love to expand the pond but that will have to be a long term goal since i have two small children a very little time to devote to this. I'd like to get it working for now so i can expand later.
yes, thats algae on top. I looked into a net to scoop it out but i also saw that plants can help and i saw these small barley straw bales that are supposed to work wonders with water clarity - does anyone have experience with those? And what kid of fish should i get?
CometKeith, thanks so much for info on the filter. i can't seem to find a power source so does that mean the pump pushes water through? what size external pump should it get? I was looking into getting an 8" pond boss waterfall and a tetrapond water garden pump for 500 gall ponds to start.
does that make sense?
Thanks again!

 

[Mmathis]

Whatever you end up doing, tadpoles won't survive in untreated water, so be sure to add dechlorinator to any water they will be in. And taddies won't eat mosquito larvae. They start out in life as herbivores, transitioning to eat bugs (and other things) only as they get ready to leave the water.