New pond came with house - need advice!

[scotsman]

So just bought a house and it has a pond put in by the previous owner - see photo below. It is a very minimal rectangular pond with a number of paradise gouramis in it.

There is a hose to top up manually, a pump and a DIY weir. It is surrounded by trees so has constant leaves, and there is a net for laborious leaf removal. The water is quite brown I presume from the tannins out of the leaves.

What could I do with it? I definitely want to put in a system that tops it up automatically, some kind of skimmer to deal with the leaves, and a better weir. It would be nice to encourage some interesting pond life including lilies and perhaps frogs.

Some creative ideas needed! Thanks!

 

[koikeepr]

Lucky you! It saved you from digging! LOL!

Well, that tree is super close. If it were my pond and I was planning on keeping it, I'd be cutting that tree down. If you don't want to do that, you'd need to build a frame with some netting to prevent leaves from going in, No skimmer will be able to keep up with that volume of leaves effectively.

I would then drain the pond and start all over with getting rid of all the crud from decomposed leaves likely sitting on the pond floor. Give everything a good scrubbing, then refill and add the appropriate dechlorinator.

You don't mention if there is a filter of any kind, and every pond NEEDS a filter. There are some good DIY plans for one in our DIY forum if you are handy. Otherwise you will need to purchase one.

You don't mention the size/gallonage of this pond, either.

 

[Sunshine]

Hi Scotsman. Nice pond. Yea, that tree is close. I would also be worried about the roots finding their way to the water. Looks like it's right off your patio. Mine is too. You'll love sitting out there watching the fish.

 

[chilligirl]

Paradise Gouramis? Where do you live? I'm thinking it's warm year round there?

If you don't want to ditch the tree, and it IS warm year round, you could go with South American Cichlids - they thrive in soft, slightly acidic water and do well with the leaves slowly composting in the bottom.

I'm talking fish like Kribensis, German Blue Rams, Apistogrammas, etc.

Or, if you want bigger fish (not sure how big that pond is), you could do Oscars, Jack Dempseys, etc.

 

[DrCase]

Can you make some kind of decorative tall screen frame to keep the leaves out and enjoy the pond from the covered side ?

 

[scotsman]

Hey thanks for all the great replies. So in answer to the questions in no particular order:
1) No there is no filter, just a pump with a home made water feature.
2) I am in Austin Texas, and yes it can be warm! Apparently the fish just go dormant in the Winter, and survived fine the last one. Cichlids look fun, although I wonder if they can deal with the crazy swings in temperature that we get here.
3) The total volume is about a 1000 gallons.
4) Unfortunately I can't remove the tree, but I am not so worried about it. It actually roots on a lower terrace below the pond.

It is kind of a cool pond - you can't quite see from the photo (I'll see if I can find a better one) but I can open the french doors in the living room and feed the fish from an armchair. The overhanging ivy etc. is kind of tropical.

I am hoping to get a rainwater tank so that I can top the pond up without using tap water.

I wonder if I can just accept the leaf issue and turn it into more of a bog pond that has interesting lillies, watercress etc. and fish to keep eating the mosquito larvae.

I am a total pond newbie, although did keep a reef tank for a number of years so am familiar with a fair amount of aquatic husbandry.

Thanks again, and keep the ideas coming!

 

[koikeepr]

You need a filter. Fish and water will not do well without proper filtration.