New to ponds, couple of questions....

[Mmathis]

Lilies don’t like too much water movement (in general).

 

[qclabrat]

Most of us here will tell you to forget about adding bacteria. If you haven't bought it, I wouldn't.

@soxfan completely agree with Eric, bacteria and other additives become a crutch like a drug. Learn to maintain your pond without it. And you'll save loads of money in return. My neighbor blows about $75 a month on them and it's just lazy on his part to get clear and healthy water.

Btw, awesome location, looking great and keeping posting up your progress

 

[qclabrat]

One more question So I am heading out to gather rocks to put in the pond. I have a ton around here... I am going to step into the pond where I need to wearing socks so as to not damage the liner (45 mil.) Should I hose off the rocks really well first? Or is it ok to have some dirt in the pond?

why rocks in the pond? I've been told to be careful as they can damage the liner. Put my pond in last year and opted not to put in rocks inside. I have plenty to pots for plants so lots of places for the fish to hide.

also you question about GF vs Koi, cause I had the same question last year. And what made me decide on GF was that they don't really need much feeding. I go away a few times a year and for a full month in the summer. Some comes over to check the home and pond, but my fish don't get feed while I'm away. If I had koi, I'd need to get an autofeeder

 

[soxfan]

why rocks in the pond? I've been told to be careful as they can damage the liner. Put my pond in last year and opted not to put in rocks inside. I have plenty to pots for plants so lots of places for the fish to hide.

also you question about GF vs Koi, cause I had the same question last year. And what made me decide on GF was that they don't really need much feeding. I go away a few times a year and for a full month in the summer. Some comes over to check the home and pond, but my fish don't get feed while I'm away. If I had koi, I'd need to get an autofeeder

The rocks hide the liner and make the pond look more natural

 

[qclabrat]

I put on aqua socks/shoes, as the bottom can get slippery. When the algae grew in I really don't see the liner. But rocks do make a nicer natural look

 

[soxfan]

I put on aqua socks/shoes, as the bottom can get slippery. When the algae grew in I really don't see the liner. But rocks do make a nicer natural look

I can't wait till the algae grow and cover the rest of the liner! I couldn't hide all of it, just some parts of the shelves and the bottom...

 

[soxfan]

Sooooo I'm tempted to add fish this afternoon. It's SO hot here.

 

[soxfan]

Dug up some of my blue siberian iris and put them in the gravel! So we are done, just need to put the aerator in the bottom, hide the liner and landscape around the pond...

 

[Angel]

. The pots the guy sold me do NOT have holes Should I cut slits on the sides of the pots? I am putting them in the water on my plant shelf with the base of the plants at the waterline

if you plantting the pots in water then yes i would make slits or holes if they are water plants. even if you "submerge" the pot i would still add slits or holes

 

[qclabrat]

what did you pot the plants in th water with? I used Walmart kitty litter as suggest by folks here

 

[soxfan]

what did you pot the plants in th water with? I used Walmart kitty litter as suggest by folks here

I used very heavy clay garden soil that we dug to put the pond in. And I put gravel over the top.

 

[soxfan]

Got my fish! 3 shubunkin and 3 red/white goldfish. The pond guy gave me a bag of bacteria from cleaning the filters at the store, and told me to dump them right in. They are very happy swimming around, eating, seem very healthy. I got small ones because they cheaper and they will grow. My husband attached the UV filter and we also put in an aerator.

Do we NEED an aerator? I know we do in the winter, but is it necessary for the summer? Also, do we leave the aerator and pump/waterfall on all night too?

 

[Lisak1]

I like to run my aerator at night in the warmer months. My logic is the plants give off oxygen during the day, but at night they reverse the process and take up oxygen, so a little aeration makes sense. And yes - your waterfall should run all the time, especially since it's your filtration. Shutting it down would kill the beneficial bacteria and defeat the purpose. You do have filter media inside the bio falls, right?

 

[soxfan]

I like to run my aerator at night in the warmer months. My logic is the plants give off oxygen during the day, but at night they reverse the process and take up oxygen, so a little aeration makes sense. And yes - your waterfall should run all the time, especially since it's your filtration. Shutting it down would kill the beneficial bacteria and defeat the purpose. You do have filter media inside the bio falls, right?

Ok, yes, we have the filter square and bio balls in the waterfall filter. But we also have filtration in the skimmer as well.

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

@soxfan the way I look at it is the aerator running 24/7 isn’t going to hurt anything and I leave mine going year round. Active fish need a good supply of oxygen and expel a good amount of carbon dioxide so the aerator is only going to enhance that gas exchange which is a good thing.

The skimmer really only filters debri off the surface. The main mechanical and biological filtration will be done by the biofalls so you should definitely leave it running 24/7.

Also, we’d love to see pictures of your new fish. Shubunkins are my favorite goldfish!