Help... New house came with pond with frogs and no info.

[missminniemason]

We recently bought our first home. It had a somewhat run down pond that we thought we'd have to take out. Once spring rolled around we noticed frogs. It came with no instructions or info. I do not know if it has filter or pump. I live in Oregon and get lots of rain and it does not overflow. There are hoses just plain green garden hoses... so maybe they made themselves. It has a large stone thing in it that is heavy. Maybe that is something? There are a lot lily pads and other plants. It is built up with stone ledges. It looks like it was a waterfall at some point. I dont have the money to have a pond person come evaluate. A neighbor said the renters before put bleach in it to kill mosquitos... I dont want to do that, I bought some mosquito discs that apparently kill only mosquitos and larva. I have a dog and a baby,. I am concerned with it becoming a swamp this summer. Also I don not know where the overflow water is being pumped to. I spend a lot of time in the back yard and would love to save this feature. Maybe even make it the focal point if I get the waterfall running. Any ideas would be helpful. Thank you guys.

 

[tbendl]

Hey that looks like what I started with! Unfortunately the first think you're going to need to do is clean it out and see what the liner (if there is one) looks like. Once you get it cleaned out and filled, you'll need a pump to be able to circulate water, hopefully using that waterfall feature. As long as you don't put fish in, that should do it.
I've got a few before and after shots I just posted here...

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/before-and-after.21438/

And welcome!

 

[missminniemason]

I figured.. I was just concerned with the frogs that live in it.

 

[missminniemason]

Also it has a the plastic tarp looking liner that looks relatively clean not any slime or algae

 

[tbendl]

The good news is the frogs will be fine, they will hop-a-long while you work and come back when you're finished.
The big thing is that the liner hold water. Once you get it mucked out, then the fun begins. Have you gotten any rain to be able to see if it holds water since you've been there?

 

[MitchM]

Welcome!

With that amount of plant growth throughout the pond, I think you have a fair amount of sediment that has built up.
Ideally, you should completely drain, clean and refill it. That only takes some elbow grease.
For starters, can you pull on that green garden hose and see if you can find a pump buried somewhere in the pond?
If so, take a picture of the pump and post it here.
Also, if you can find a blunt stick, try and determine how deep the pond is.

 

[missminniemason]

so I tried to pull up the hose, its to hard. Ill have to have my husband do that. It seems to be just over a foot deep, yes rains here often it hold water but does not overflow. It seems to always stay the same level no matter how many inches it rains

 

[missminniemason]

so i would shop vac the water?Will the lily pads be able to be salvaged? I looked on craigslist and they are 20$ each

 

[MitchM]

Ok, I think that pond had pretty much filled up with dirt and sediment.
You'll have to get a shovel and carefully dig it out.
You have to be careful because you don't want to damage the rubber liner.
If you want to save some plants, have a separate tub or container that you can transfer them into as you are digging.
Make sure to have a bit of pond water to keep them wet in their new containers

 

[tbendl]

Hmmm, well you have a lot of growth in there that could be sucking up the water. Hopefully that's the deal and not that the liner no longer holds water. Keep us posted but digging out and replacing will probably be your solution. I don't know if you clicked the link but this was my yard when I first moved in compared to now. You can do it!

 

[missminniemason]

There is this large stone thing with a tube sticking out of it above the water. It looks like this is what keeps the water level and from overflowing

 

[MitchM]

As you clean the pond out, you'll be better able to identify which mechanical components are useful and which are not.
Identify which plants you would like to keep, keep a few of each.
Good luck!

 

[missminniemason]

thanks you guys ..i will keep updating as i find out more. Tb yours look amazing. Im on a mission now to have mine look half as good. I love the patio area around it.

 

[MitchM]

You would do very well to read up on how @tbendl transformed her pond!

 

[Mmathis]

@missminniemason For my opinion..... I would pull all the plants out [ugh, & yuck!], and anything else that's in there, totally drain it, and clean it out, top to bottom. You can collect and relocate the frogs: they'll come back eventually. You need to know what's down there. And since the pond never seems to overflow, I would suspect that there's a leak/hole somewhere in the liner. That's where I would start, but beware that it's not going to be an easy or fun affair...... While you're doing all of that, you can be searching for signs of equipment such as filters, hoses, pumps, etc. It would be nice if you could follow that garden hose to a source. Is there any electricity close by? That might be the place to look for some equipment.

I admit that I didn't read through all the replies before I started this, so apologize if I'm repeating what's already been said.

Once you get it all up & running, you're really going to enjoy it! @tbendl already mentioned her story, and she shared it with us as it unfolded -- so you'll have to give us updates, as well!