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.
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.