Newbie to ponds

Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Santa Ana, CA.
Just purchased a home with a stream/pond. Fish, turtles etc. I'm so new to this I can't even describe what I have. Could use some help in learning to maintain it. After 6 weeks of living here I finally have the salt water pool figured out, now I move to the pond. Any help is appreciated.

Keith
 

sissy

sissy
Joined
Jan 17, 2011
Messages
33,086
Reaction score
15,702
Location
Axton virginia
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
7A
Country
United States
welcome and if you could post pics and lets us know how big it is and what kind of filter and if there are fish and how many and how big they are we will be glad to help
 

addy1

water gardener / gold fish and shubunkins
Moderator
Joined
Jun 23, 2010
Messages
44,338
Reaction score
29,089
Location
Frederick, Maryland
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
6b
Country
United States
Welcome to our group! ^^^^ agree with Sissy, feed us some info and we will help you out.
 
Joined
Nov 2, 2012
Messages
2,395
Reaction score
987
Location
near Kalamazoo, Michigan
If I were to guess, most basic homeowner stream/ponds have a pump in the pond pumping water up to the top of the stream which flows back into the pond. Its one continuous circle. Typically there is a filter at the "top" or feed of the stream, that waterfalls down into the stream. Is that how yours seems to work? Pictures would be great.
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Santa Ana, CA.
Sorry it's been so long getting back to you. I had trouble working out the pictures with the computer etc. My stream/pond is; 15 feet of stream sloped to pond, 15 feet of pond, pond averages 3' wide and 15" deep. There is a pump at the end of the pond and cycles the water continuously to the top. The water is clear but there is green fuzz growing on most of the submerged rocks. There is one Koi, 3 goldfish, lots of mosquito fish, and a 3" female red eared turtle. I have learned the importance of keeping the filter clean and can tell when it's clogged by the sound of the small waterfall. I live in Southern California so the water temp hasn't been below 50 degrees as yet. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. Here are some pictures. Pond fuzz.jpgPond & Stream.jpgPond & Stream 2.jpg
 
Joined
Nov 2, 2012
Messages
2,395
Reaction score
987
Location
near Kalamazoo, Michigan
Wow that is really cool. Do not worry about the green stuff. It is purifying the water and is a good snack for the fish, if they can get to it. it is important to know the levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in your pond. If you dont have one already, I would suggest buying a test kit that uses drops, not strips. Ammonia and nitrite and very toxic to fish but nitrate is not toxic until it builds to higher levels. One topic to search would be "tank cycle" or "pond cycle". It will help you understand how fish produce waste by breathing and excreting waste and how it becomes ammonia that is processed by bacteria in the water that turn that into nitrite and then nitrate. If you take care of the water, the water will take care of the fish.
 

j.w

I Love my Goldies
Joined
Feb 1, 2010
Messages
32,947
Reaction score
20,252
Location
Arlington, Washington
Showcase(s):
1
Hardiness Zone
USDA 8a
Country
United States
Keith
Very nice pond you have there and really like your stream and all the plants.
 
Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
13,070
Reaction score
13,394
Location
Northern IL
Showcase(s):
1
The green furry stuff is a type of algae - it's perfectly normal and good for your pond. It's just another pond plant, helping to keep the water clean. And the fish do love to snack on it.

Lovely pond! I bet someone was sad to have to leave that behind!
 
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
6,208
Reaction score
4,963
Location
Cincinnati, Ohio
Hardiness Zone
6 A
Country
United States
Well, I'd just like to sit myself down beside your lovely stream with a big mug of coffee…..lovely! Kim
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Santa Ana, CA.
The turtle is a female red-eared slider. We had a male who recently died and we're not sure why. Since the male is gone the female came out of hiding. We hadn't seen her for about 6 weeks. I was told they hibernate, maybe she was doing that. Thank you all for your encouragement and help!
 

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
30,781
Messages
508,570
Members
13,042
Latest member
lucaryan

Latest Threads

Top