My goldfish pond

[CometKeith]

Hi CE,Yeah I'm just throwing them out now. My water lilies have totally taken over my pond so there isn't much room for anything else. I know one of the caps on my filter has a little drip and is missing a gasket but I can't believe I can be losng 1" a day from that! We became members of the botonical garden this year and I was there today and took some nice pictures of bonsai trees. Some of them were really amazing.

 

[Lisak1]

Don't forget that all those plants put a lot of water back into the atmosphere and contribute to water loss. So hopefully your small drip is just that and no more leaks, especially in the liner!

Your pond looks great!

 

[addy1]

Don't forget that all those plants put a lot of water back into the atmosphere and contribute to water loss.

With my bog full growth right now I had to up the water input by 15 more minutes to keep the water level up in the pond.

 

[CometKeith]

Thanks but I'm sure there is a leak. I have never lost water this fast. It dropped 3 inches in one day despite raining last night. I checked to see if any of the hoses have leaks because there is a really wet area on the back of the pond a few feet from the waterfall. The only problem is every time I try looking i get eaten alive by mosquitoes!

 

[CountryEscape]

I had to spray myself with repellant before I went outside this evening, since I was going to be walking in the pasture. The mosquitos are thrilled with the warmer weather, that's for sure! I didn't miss them when we had nights getting down to the 50's. LOL I hope you find your leak soon, Keith. Sounds like you know where it is, just need to pinpoint the spot and figure out how to fix it. Good luck!

 

[CometKeith]

Thanks CE. I have like a dozen mosquito bites right now because i refuse to give up going outside by my pond in the evening. The water dropped 5 inches in the last day. This would be my excuse to redig it a little deeper but i hate the idea of having to recycle it in the middle of the summer. I really don't want to lose any fish and all my fish have been in perfect health since the winter. Some things I know now are to keep my pump and biofilter running constantly even if in a tub so the bb doesn't die out. Also I may cut the old liner in strips and lay it in the new one even if it is a little muddy (Addie gave me this idea a few years ago). Hopefuly some of the bacteria cultures on the liner will help the pond recycle sooner. I keep thinking I'll find a leak in a hose or something because there is so much water at the rear left side of the pond but i have no idea how it is getting there. i don't see any water leaking out anywhere. Here are a few pics of bonsais I saw at the botonical garden. The first tree is over 200 years old. The last pic is my pond tonight. You can see how much liner is showing with all the water missing. I'm conditioning some water to add tomorrow morning.

 

[addy1]

The mosquitos are thrilled with the warmer weather,

I have not seen one, I think all the bugs, birds, etc eat them up

 

[CountryEscape]

I wonder if something got into your pond and your hole is in your liner, Keith! However, if the water outside the pond is on the surface, you must have a hole somewhere that is likely draining down the edge of something ... a rock, the liner edge, etc. ... and ending up where you see it. Think like a roofer ... don't look just above where the leak is dripping, but over the whole roof! I know you will understand what I mean, since you are a builder. I bet you will find the leak. May need to pull back everything on the outer edge of that side of the pond, and keep going farther and farther until you locate it. Keep in mind, if you have plants up against the edge, is it possible the water is wicking up and over on the plants? Look under rocks on the liners edge, see if there is a fold that the water is seeping up through. Or, maybe let the water drain down and keep watching it. If it stops draining, you will know the hole is in your liner at that level!

 

[CometKeith]

Thanks CE. Yea I'm really stumped. I actually have roofers that work for me and have been doing construction and building renovations a long time so you would think I could figure it out. All the hoses and liners look dry. The only thing I can think of is when I dropped the top limestone rock in the pond a month ago it ripped the liner but then why would the dirt outside the pond be wet? Even my wife realizes now it needs fixing. We lost 6 inches in the last 24 hours. She almost offered to help and then suggested a college student we know that likes to make extra money. I don't want to tear my pond apart unless I really need to. I hate the idea of recycling it in the middle of the summer.

 

[CountryEscape]

Keith, take pics of the pond, then close ups of where it's wet. Maybe someone will have an idea of what else to look at. When my liner was slit (I think a turtle did it) in the bog, it was on the pond side of the bog, and I noticed the water on the outside edge of the bog. Also, keep in mind if you have had a lot of rain, the ground is saturated, so anything extra is going to go the easiest direction ... toward the edge, not down.

 

[CometKeith]

Thanks CE. Well some good news. I decided to rebuild my waterfall and angle the rocks more like how they used to be. It looks like the pond is holding water a lot better now and at least not losing 3-4 inches a day like before. Hopefully this was the problem. As nice as it would be to redig the pond deeper and put in a new liner I don't really want to do it now.

 

[Lisak1]

Aw, man... I was looking forward to your rebuild thread!

JUST KIDDING! Glad you got a handle on it, even if it's just for the time being - get you through the the hot summer!

 

[CountryEscape]

Oh, good, glad you found the possible leak! And, the rebuild can always wait ... we will just sit here and be patient, and bug you every now and then about "when are you going to rebuild?"

 

[CometKeith]

Hey, Thanks Lisak and CE for the encouragement. Actually I might have something way better than a rebuild thread brewing. We made an offer for a property in the city after looking at probably over 100 properties in the last year. This will be our major attempt to downsize as our youngest finishes college next year and the property will provide us with income as well as a nice place to live albiet much smaller than what we have now. If it works out I will definitely start a construction thread!

 

[CountryEscape]

Yippee!!! Good luck on your possible new purchase, Keith!!!!!