how to care for pond

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hello,

I am not only new to ponds but also to posting on forums. We purchased a home about two months ago that had a pond. The previous owner told us to feed once a week, then her husband said to feed once a day. He also told us to clean once a year in the spring and when the water got low to just use the hose to add some. They didn't tell us much else except to clean the pump for the waterfall when the water slowed down. We have had aquariums and a few things didn't seem right, like using the city water - I asked him and he said that's what he does and they have had some of the fish 8 years. There are 17 goldfish, 3 sunny fish and one really big catfish in the pond. There are also 2 baby fish we noticed a couple of weeks ago. The pond was dirty when we moved in but it did clear up for a while. We have been feeding the fish twice a day (per can) and adding water as needed from the hose. The water is clear but there is dirt (muck) on the bottom and floating around if it is disturbed. I have been to some stores and have made some inquiries but I am not sure what to do. As far as I know there is not a filter in this pond...are we feeding them too much???? They eat it all in a couple of minutes. If this pond has sustained fish of 8 years - does it just need to be cleaned? I would appreciate any advice. :confused:
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
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So there is no filter that you can see. The muck on the bottom is fish poop, leaf debris etc. If it is deep it is best to vacuum it out, or use a bottom drain to remove it. It sounds like the pond is pretty balanced if you can see to the bottom.

Can you tell how deep it is? I see it is 6ft x 12 ft. Post pictures, it always helps us picture more of what you are talking about.

If your fish eat it within a few minutes you are probably ok, but I will let the fish keepers here answer that question.

We will be glad to help you out.
 

DrCase

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Welcome to the forum
I think you will find a lot of ? answered here
 
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Well I would recommend you do some type of DIY filtration... if you can somehow find an approx gal size for you pond we can get you going on that... 55gal barrels are pretty cheap or even free if you look at local carwashes...


not sure if the previous owner did something more than just clean the waterfall pump like he told you. Id buy a water testing kit which tells you various things about the water (ph, nitrates,nitrites,ammonia etc)

as far as the muck in the bottom, it can be cleaned by either draining the pond and taking it all out or a pond vaccum... i saw someone make an attachment to a 5hp wet/dry vac and it seemed to work well...
 

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