Pond dug, liner in...now pump/waterfall concerns

[DMB21]

How much should I put in my 500 gallon pond? And should I just put it in the bottom?

 

[sissy]

doesn't really matter it will only stabilize so much .I dunk mine in water first to get rid of some of the cloudiness .I get dollar store bags to put it in .You can put in a pound or 2 and it will not really matter .
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[DMB21]

Great -- thanks! Is there any harm in just dumping some into the bottom of the pond? I'm not sure I'm thrilled with the idea of a colorful (or even white, for that matter) bag in my pond, as I don't have anywhere I can hide it from sight. The only way I could hide it would be if I had a black bag, which I have been unsuccessful in finding for my waterfall basin filter.

 

[addy1]

It works best where there is water flowing over it. But it will work just dumped in, just slower.

 

[DMB21]

Thanks!

 

[sissy]

I put mine in the filters and even added some to the kitty litter I planted my plants in .I did have aggie wrestle a bag loose when i had it tied to the bridge and in the pic of her swimming up you can see it all over the bottom and it was just after she got hold of it .They had it all over the bottom as the rooted threw the bag .That's the thing with koi they are nosy and like to take everything apart to see whats in it .You can buy black tulle and make a bag up by just cutting a big square and tieing it with a bread wrapper .With halloween coming up I see it every where for sale .The bride of Frankinstien stuff and all that .Walmart carries it by the yard

 

[Nepen]

Sissy, you are so creative

 

[DMB21]

Bought my crushed oyster shells and put about a pound in the pond. We'll see how it works. Is this a process I'll need to repeat every so often, or is this the gift that keeps on giving?

Also, another question. After I filled the pond a few weeks back, my daughter thought it would be fun to throw dirt balls into the water. I was able to pull out the clumps, but obviously some was left in the bottom and remains there. First, will this hurt anything other than the looks? I'm assuming not, considering plants have dirt in them. The second question here is how to rid this dirt that now finds a home on the sides and bottom of the pond? It's enough that it's visible -- but that doesn't bother me. What does bother me, however, is that when it rains hard, the water gets disturbed and the dirt clouds up the water significantly for a few days. Not cool. Any suggestions other than the one thing I don't want to do: drain and start over?

 

[Nepen]

The oyster shells will continue to balance your pH until it is all gone. I think it takes a long time until it is so you dont have to worry about it for a long time.

your daughter did the same my son did, lol. it's only the looks. you can try plant something on top of it, that should help hiding it some. Also, if you have a short hose, you can just suck those dirts up, using .... er... I dont know what it calls in English.. when you have hose filled with water then put one end of the hose in the pond and other end outside (lower than the end in the water) then you can let the water run out by itself? that would be the easiest to clean something out for me.

By the way, the fish solid waste will turn into muck that will look like dirt too

 

[DMB21]

Thanks, Nepen! How often should I do a water change-over?

 

[Nepen]

I'm not sure about the water change. I think the first month or so you should not do much water change because you want the ammonia to be able to build up your good bacteria. I have not done water change in 2-3 months, my water is very good right now so I dont feel the need to. Some people might say otherwise about how often though.

 

[addy1]

My pond only gets a water change when it rains. Which this year has been a lot.

 

[DMB21]

Thanks again to everyone for the answers to my questions!

 

[sissy]

I use addy's plant media plan old kitty litter much better and buffers the water .I clean all the dirt from my plants .You can use quilt batting to get fine stuff out it works great .I also use it in my stock tank
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[DMB21]

Great news!

.....Not! :banghead3:

So I had the day off yesterday and had plans to build a boardwalk that leads past the pond and evntually connects to the pond via a "pier" or "dock." It's just one more step in creating a nautical/beach landscape. I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome, as I have it roughly 75% finished and it looks great! I didn't expect to get nearly as much done as I did.

Now the bad news...

My pond water level has dropped by about eight inches. I'm assuming the hole that I patched prior to placing the pond in the ground and filling it has opened up, leaving me with the unpleasant task of trying to patch it once again. The leak appears to be pretty slow, as the water dropped no more than an inch or two (at most) during my 10 hours of work.

Help!