Hi everyone, I bought a house with a huge concrete pond that was neglected for years, no fish just frogs & hundreds of pounds of cat tail reed roots (photos here). I decided to completely clean it & start over, the roots were so dense it took a long time and had to use the winch on my Jeep but with help I eventually cleaned it all out and was able to see the condition.
No major cracks and it holds water surprisingly well, with the spring rains it filled back up and the frogs & tadpoles are back. Part of me would like to make this beautiful and take up a new hobby, but right now I just don't have the time or motivation to spend money on it. Maybe in a couple years when I retire.
Right now, just looking for advice on the bare minimum to keep it from becoming a disaster again. Details:
- Roughly 10,000 gallons, kidney shaped concrete (think swimming pool)
- Deep end is 6' and gradually becomes 2' at the shallow end
- No filters, pumps or electricity (it's about 300' from the house)
- I bought a pool net & I've been cleaning it once a week, lots of debris blows in from surrounding bushes & trees
- I bought some cheap goldfish & koi just to see how they do, not sure I want to get more or feed them frequently
- The frogs are a really small species & slow, I didn't think they'll eat many fish as long as they're over 3"
- The winters get down to 30⁰ at night
Basically looking for advice on the bare minimum maintenance i could do to keep it from getting too dirty or becoming an eyesore. I'm not willing to run electricity or spend thousands of dollars on this yet, but I am willing to add specific plants, large stones, loaches, check pH, add chemicals, etc.
Thanks!
No major cracks and it holds water surprisingly well, with the spring rains it filled back up and the frogs & tadpoles are back. Part of me would like to make this beautiful and take up a new hobby, but right now I just don't have the time or motivation to spend money on it. Maybe in a couple years when I retire.
Right now, just looking for advice on the bare minimum to keep it from becoming a disaster again. Details:
- Roughly 10,000 gallons, kidney shaped concrete (think swimming pool)
- Deep end is 6' and gradually becomes 2' at the shallow end
- No filters, pumps or electricity (it's about 300' from the house)
- I bought a pool net & I've been cleaning it once a week, lots of debris blows in from surrounding bushes & trees
- I bought some cheap goldfish & koi just to see how they do, not sure I want to get more or feed them frequently
- The frogs are a really small species & slow, I didn't think they'll eat many fish as long as they're over 3"
- The winters get down to 30⁰ at night
Basically looking for advice on the bare minimum maintenance i could do to keep it from getting too dirty or becoming an eyesore. I'm not willing to run electricity or spend thousands of dollars on this yet, but I am willing to add specific plants, large stones, loaches, check pH, add chemicals, etc.
Thanks!