How much time do you spend on your pond?

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Looking at all these pictures of everyone's beautiful ponds i was just wondering on average per day how much time you spend tending to it? I work at night so I get to play during the day. I will spend on average two hours a day just tweaking and what not and yet it just never looks right.
 

JoaniePA

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I spend about 2 minutes a day tending on week days - and that is mainly pulling a stray water hyacinth from the skimmer intake, emptying the skimmer basket, topping it off, and feeding the fish. Then maybe an hour or two fussing on weekend days editing the gardens around it, cleaning the skimmer filter, taking out extra water hyacinth and trimming dead lily pads. Course that doesn't count the occasional extra few minutes it takes when the fish knock over a shelf plant or a storm blows branches into and around. I mostly spend hours and hours sitting on the bench daydreaming, listening to water, watching birds and fish, etc. People always ask me if it's high maintenance, but I really don't feel it is. Even spring and fall startup and shutdown only takes a few hours, it seems.
 

addy1

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well with our heat and dryness, have spent most of my time tending the gardens. I would say on a normal day not much, just enjoying it right now, feed the fish, once a week or so a hour grooming the lilies.

No filters to clean, except the leaf basket, that is just when I see the water fall slow down.
 

taherrmann4

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Just a few minutes every few days to clean the skimmer out, and about an hour a week to clean the filter, pads and any debris in the pond that may have settled to the bottom.
 

fishin4cars

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I average about 20-30 minutes a day in maintance. That's several ponds now. I have the main pond, the smaller pond and now about 8 small tub gardens, i do clip back water lily leaves in the tubs, fert. water changes backflushing filters etc. But at the same time I'm enjoying being outside and enjoying nature and the ponds so is that considered working on?
 

addy1

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I average about 20-30 minutes a day in maintance. That's several ponds now. I have the main pond, the smaller pond and now about 8 small tub gardens, i do clip back water lily leaves in the tubs, fert. water changes backflushing filters etc. But at the same time I'm enjoying being outside and enjoying nature and the ponds so is that considered working on?

not really, I love being outside when it is not horribly hot, have to hide inside when it is.
 

DrDave

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With my ponds it varies, but if I were to put an average daily time it would be 15 minutes or less. I spend a lot more time on my Garden Pond Plants that are not in the pond.
 

sissy

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I'm always outside when I can be and I always end up at the pond doing something there and it makes my day .
 

DrDave

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It is very important to check your pond daily so you don't wind up with a stalled or plugged pump. I have a check valve that is inline with my waterfall that gets stopped up. When that happens the bio filter stops.
 

j.w

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Clean filter once a month and each day feed fish for a few minutes and clear out dead stuff once in awhile (never timed it) and spend prolly an average of an hour or two or three per day depending on the weather just gazing at it from the porch and checking the fish and tads.
I have an auto timer set for each day to add some new water for 15 mins. Guess I can't count that tho cuz I'm not actually holding the hose :rolleyes:
 
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I mostly spend hours and hours sitting on the bench daydreaming, listening to water, watching birds and fish, etc.
YES! :razz: Takes a few minutes a day cleaning filters etc :luxlove: -- heat and drought aren't helping any. Finally had to cover my stream to keep the birds from adding to many nutrieints to the water. :grumble:
 

addy1

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YES! :razz: Takes a few minutes a day cleaning filters etc :luxlove: -- heat and drought aren't helping any. Finally had to cover my stream to keep the birds from adding to many nutrieints to the water. :grumble:

The birds, squirrels, raccoons are all coming for a drink and a bath. One of the younger squirrels leaned over to take a drink yesterday in the stream and slid right in.........

I don't think the birds will hurt your stream that bad, I have not seen excessive poop on any of my rocks.

In the evening hours they seem to really flock to the bog to drink and bath.
 
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My small pond has found a balance and I don't even clean the filter any more. I top it off during these hot days and play with the fish, maybe 10 minutes a day. The big pond I clean the leaf basket and filters almost daily, 5 minutes then play with the fish 30 minutes throughout the day. Of course I have had the summer off because I work at a school. That all changes Monday, back to work. Maintenance only of the ponds 1 1/2 hours a week, playing with the fish 5 hours a week.
 

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