Hi from Tampa

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I built my pond 10 years ago and it's working pretty well, after a couple of major setbacks.

First setback: the water lilies that had escaped from their pots and rooted in the oak leaves on the bottom looked so pretty that I left them there, and the acidity of the water gradually built up to the point that all my beautiful goldfish died over about a three day period.

When I partially recovered from that trauma I bought some feeders and started again. They had reached a respectible size when setback number two happened. The county started putting chloramines in the water, and I believed the man at the big box store who told me the whole house filter I had on my input hose would filter out the chloramines, but he lied. More fishy corpses to net out.

I decided to give up on goldfish, since I had lots of Florida Flags (a small native fish) that somehow had survived both setbacks, possibly as eggs. Then a friend whose pond was too small for her goldfish gave them to me.

Now I scoop out the oak leaves from time to time, and add a chloramine neutralizing product when I top off the pond or do a partial water change, and keep my fingers crossed that there won't be a setback number three.

I used to have a major problem with string algae, but the plants in my upper pond/vegie filter are finally doing their job.

I'll try to attach a few photos of my pond. As you can see, leaves are a big problem. There was no place in my yard to put a pond without nearby oak trees. The mangrove, which I grew from a seed, is in a big pot. It actually blooms, and a few years ago it produced a child, which I gave away.

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sissy

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welcome and thats a pretty pond minus the leaves .I love you trellis .I found out some oak leaves are poison to animals and on my property here I planted no oaks I read it was just certain kinds but i was not willing to take the chance with the leaves .Not sure it was true but why plant if your not sure was my attitude .Would netting your pond at least help you with some of the leaves .
 

addy1

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Welcome to our group! Your pond looks pretty, love the mangrove

do you have a skimmer running? that might help pull some of the leaves off the top of the water.
 

j.w

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Harriett
Nice looking pond and lots of pretty plants. Do the leaves fall all the time or just in fall?
If just in fall you could put a net over til they are pretty much done falling and then take it off again.
Skimmer would work very well too as long as you emptied those leaves out regularly so as not to contaminate the pond w/ the acid problem you said you had before.
I just use a net for mine but then I don't have tons of leaves like you do.
 

fishin4cars

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Nice pond, I love the idea of the mangrove, That would be a cool plant to try but I doubt it would make it here even as far south as we are.
Oh and BTW, WELCOME ABOARD! :goldfish:
 

j.w

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Oops meant to say I use a net on a pole up there in my last sentence.
 
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Welcome! Such a pretty pond! Are those orange trees in the background and a banana tree? Gorgeous!
 

koidaddy

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Welcome from across the Bay in The St. Pete area. The mangrove is a cool idea. Try to incorporate some sort of bottom drain to help with your leaf problem.
 

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