New guy.

[coldwater]

Been lurking to skim off information for a while, and finally joined up. We (my wife) decided we (my wife) wanted a pKoi ond last year, and because I had to excavate and landscape for a new patio anyway, I figured I would try building my first pond. It took me forever to finalize a layout I liked, because of the sloped nature of the patio area, and stone walls that had to be incorporated to make everything work. Last summer was a disaster for water qualit, and I spent a FORTUNE with the local "pond guru" (as he calls himself) buying hundreds of dollars of chemicals trying to clear the water and keep the algae at bay, which sadly never happened! Thankfully, through research I found an online retailer that solved my problems almost overnight, and our pond is now beautiful, and pretty much maintains itself!:regular_waving_emot Anyway, I present my first pond/garden.

 

[taherrmann4]

Good looking pond and patio.

Oh and welcome to the forum.

 

[KennethO]

Welcome. Looks great.
What solved the problem? Guessing a uv or finer filter? Can't believe the "guru" just kept having you add chemicals. Should never have to add chems as in most cases they are only temporary fixes. I wouldn't go back to him. But glad you got it worked out.

 

[coldwater]

Welcome. Looks great.
What solved the problem? Guessing a uv or finer filter? Can't believe the "guru" just kept having you add chemicals. Should never have to add chems as in most cases they are only temporary fixes. I wouldn't go back to him. But glad you got it worked out.

Thank you! In the end, I never had to add a UV filter, or additional screening or filter media. There's a pond builder / "expert" just a few minutes from my house, and To hear him tell it, he's the leading expert in all things pond!! I built the pond early spring, and with the first warm weather, came the water horrors. I spent at LEAST $500 last summer on his miracle cures that never worked, even a little bit. His answer? just keep using more chemicals and be patient. The water was green, and the string algae was copletely choking the pond to death. The waterfall was a mass of green slime, and the answer was always the same, buy more chemicals. I finally ordered some super concentrated bacteria from a place called the pond digger, and it cleared the problem in a week. I still had string algae, so I bought an algae treatment from him as well, and within a few days, the stuff had turned white, let go of all the rocks, and sucked into the skimmer. This spring, I treated right after the weather broke, and my water has been as clear as drinking water, and algae free. My maintenance is now adding a few ounces of bacteria once a week, and that's it. I use nothing else (so far) and my cost is about $100 for the entire year. No kidding, I was about ready to just fill it in and be done with it, thinking pond people were nuts if this is what having a pond was all about. Things I learned. Some pond sales people will lie to you to rob you of your money, and don't really know what their talking about. Some products are WAY ahead of others. You don't have to poison your pond or go broke to get it clear. And when you finally figure it out, it just kind of takes care of itself, so you can enjoy it rather than hate it! But it was a heck of a learning curve to get here.

 

[Pond Boy]

Welcome to the forum. There are a lot of hacks out there that THINK they know how to have a successful pond. Glad you got it all sorted out pond looks great...

 

[sissy]

I spray my rocks with peroxide .I just turn off the waterfall and spray everything and let it sit for an hour and it all turns white and puff gone .I leave some of the gunk but try not to let it get to thick .Welcome to our little pond group and glad you joined .Thats one nice looking pond and the bridge is great and it is tucked nice and neat there

 

[j.w]

coldwater
Lovely pond and landscaping. Glad you got the algae/water quality figured out. Lot's use hydrogen peroxide/barley straw to rid the pond of algae. Wonder if that's what's in the stuff the last guy gave you.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group, your build is beautiful1

 

[DrDave]

You did a nice job.

 

[pinon ponder]

Nice pond, coldwater! Glad you found an answer to your problem. So irritating to be sold one chemical after another when there are simple, inexpensive solutions.

Btw, when you say the ponddigger, do you mean Eric Triplett in So.Cal? If so, I know the bacteria you speak of. I use it, too. Great stuff! It sinks rather than floats like most others. I think it's the reason he does so well with all the rock bottom ponds he installs. Oh, and he's a really nice guy and always generous with his ponding expertise. I drive 45 minutes to buy stuff from him. Have you seen his videos?

Diana

 

[coldwater]

Thanks Diana! And yes, I buy from Eric triplett. It was like a miracle the first time i used his brand of bacteria, I now use only his products religiously, and I cant begin to tell you the money I have saved bu doing so! This is what I use early in the spring to get my pond up and running, then switch to the regular bacteria. My water is as clear as a swimming pool.
http://www.theponddigger.com/suppli...-Bacteria-Super-Strength/c4_72_148/index.html

 

[pinon ponder]

Yep, can't say enough good things about the guy and his products. If you ever visit our beautiful state, you'll have to pay him a visit. He has a store front in Yucaipa with several ponds set up, fish, plants, supplies, well, the whole works. No hard sell and very honest, imo. He also has a pond set up at a nearby nursery called Newells. Beautiful nursery, which gladly takes lots of my money. Anyhoo, that's where hubby and I first met him. He was doing a pond seminar so went to check it out. I ended up winning the small container water garden that was part of the presentation. And he was giving out packets of his bacteria, explaining why it works so well. Took it home and put it in the old pond and soon saw some changes so got a little more from him. Started using it in the new pond a couple weeks ago and water is looking great. Good stuff!

Also, if you ever watch that DIY show called Yard Crashers, he was on it once, installing an awesome waterfall in someone's back yard. It was the crash that took 3 days instead of the usual 2 because it rained like mad. Amazing job in the end. Lucky homeowners! :yikesu: