Newbie ponder

[JamieB]

Lol, that’d be pond person, not thinking about newbies. So yeah, I’ve got an odd sense of humor. Well, I found this site because I happened to be looking for pond info. I’ve got an above ground pool, out in the country on well water, that was infested with mosquitoes. I had a dozen odd feeder goldfish that my turtle didn’t eat, so I put them in the pool. Then I saved some minnow and fingerlings from the culvert that was drying out, and next thing I knew, my pool was a pond. I added some plants,( they ate all the duckweed I put in, so I’m growing some in an old leaky aquarium, it now has a huge frog in it!) But I want my fish to have a better life, so I’m seeking to improve it next spring. Add more plants, some new fish , cause I ended up down to maybe 10-11 after I found they’d caught anchor worms from either another fish, or some plants I’d added. I didn’t know to quarantine everything before adding. I’m also looking into aquaponics as a kind of filtration for the water. Being out in windy Oklahoma, it’s done good without any pump going, and when I did have one, it failed horribly, not moving the water like it needed. My dogs ate the cord when I had the pool drained to deal with anchor worms... I think they were telling me to do better.
So on a personal not, I’m in my 30s, I’ve had a few aquariums, a turtle till he ran off, I’ve got cats and dogs, we’re on 10 acres that fell into disrepair after my step mom dies while we waited for the probate to get settled. This next year will be crazy busy, fighting back Johnson grass, fixing the house, doing yard work, pond work, a garden....
I want low maintenance, pretty plants, edible landscaping, that kind of stuff. I’ve had bad luck with plants. I’m National Guard, so when I’m gone for two weeks, the guys forget to tend that stuff, and it usually dies. So I’ll try aquaponics, with a timer! I’m looking for others who are into the same kind of stuff in my area if anyone like that reads this. Plants, seeds, and fish. I got some idea of how I want it all to turn out, now I just have to put the effort into it all. Trying to add a pic of the pool back when the level was low, pardon the algae bloom last summer.

 

[sissy]

Welcome and yep sounds like a big job you have ahead Are you going to change to a regular inground pond later .You will get more insulation and a better view of the pond that way

 

[JamieB]

If I do, I’ll have to fight herons, snakes, raccoons, opossum, and the dogs. One dog of very mixed parentage thinks he’s half duck, half goat. He loves water, eats everything, I’ve seen him chew glass. His moms half jackrussel, Half husky, no clue what his dad was, but he’s small and supper fluffy.

 

[qclabrat]

welcome Jamie and thanks for serving our country!
Look forward to reading more of what you have planned

 

[sissy]

Know that have had 2 neighbors dogs fall in my pond and have had to replace my liner 2 times because of it .I have lots of critters but seems because I put lights out by the pond it seems to keep them away from it .Plus I added security cameras that I got off ebay .Nets help also .I used to get deer and skunks ,turkey and yes even bear and fox here .But I put water troughs in the woods to give them a fresh drink out there .I put straw for bedding also .It has worked so far and keeping my fingers crossed .

 

[JamieB]

 

[JamieB]

The river is the back line of the property, so they can just leave my pond alone! We do get the occasional stray that was dumped off, but not often. The two closest neighbors, one has her dogs in an electric fence thing, to keep idiots from trying to dirt road her yard, and her dogs from chasing cars. The other one doesn’t have any pets. Good neighbors, about a mile away each!

 

[JamieB]

That pic is of the gazebo I’m debating on fixing up, or take it out and put in a bbq pit. Just to the right, that bush is a rose that’s half wild, our bees love it. We’ve got a dead tree with wild honey bees. We love it!

 

[sissy]

I love this house and it was my dream retirement house but since hubbies heart attack and can't help it is too much work for me .I bought a penthouse condo in Danville and cheap also .People do not know about loft living here and the guy bought up one of the Dan River Mills building and restored it and put in 2 penthouse suites that are 2 story with each having half a roof top deck .They did not sell ,this is not New York .Got it for less than 40 thousand .Plan on moving in the next 3 or 4 years .Right now rented to a doctor and his nurse wife that relocated here ,no children no pets .I love your river but does it ever flood

 

[sissy]

Make a nice green house .Is it on a slab ,but sounds like you have a lot of work to do there since you say it was left oh by the way love that tree ,the branch's are really neat

 

[JamieB]

Yeah, part of my reasoning for liking the pool pond. It’ll flood almost to the house, and I know goldfish can be invasive if let loose. I don’t want fish swimming into my pond, or out, without my help!

 

[JamieB]

The only problem I can see with a green house is guys forget things like plants need water if I’m gone. My luck, I’d get a full crop of nice seedlings and then get called away for a month or something, and come home to find them all dead.

 

[sissy]

Oh no that .Half above ground pond would be good but epdm liners are not cheap .I have creeks behind me and in front of me but I am up on a hill .When I moved here I had dirt and a house .That tree would make a grat place for a tree house .I miss trees like that .They cut every thing down here for the wood .It grows back but not like it was .They just got done foresting over 3 thousand acres here for southern gas company that is coming here .Thing is you go buy wood to build things and it keeps going up in price .Good for jobs but not for animals that live in the woods

 

[Angel]

That pic is of the gazebo I’m debating on fixing up, or take it out and put in a bbq pit. Just to the right, that bush is a rose that’s half wild, our bees love it. We’ve got a dead tree with wild honey bees. We love it!

Had me at bbq pit

 

[JamieB]

If we don’t do it there, we’ll be putting it where the old tool shed is. We will be making one!