Pond fish are dying! Help!

[Koilady]

I agree with Addy. Many people don't realize how important a nice blanket of algae along the sides of the pond and any plant containers is because it helps to remove toxins from the water.
A good bio-filter is the answer and I don't encase my pump with foam or quilting baton. I make a little cage that I put around the intake of the filter so that the debris that is at the bottom will eventually break down enough so that hopefully, it will find it's way into the pump, up the hose and then to the filter where it will be trapped at the top for easy cleaning. It also keeps my little fish from being sucked up.

Your's Koily, Lorraine

 

[j.w]

Koilady what do you use to make the little cage around your pump intake?

 

[Koilady]

Hey J.W. So very good to meet you. Well, let's see if I can try to explain this correctly. It will sound like I have lots of time on my hands but during the winter months, there isn't too much to do around here, except clean the house.
Anyway, at the fabric or craft stores they have this relatively hard plastic material that has little squares on it so that you can do needlepoint. I think that the sheets are about 12 x 10 inches. At least that's what I think it's for. I cut it to the shape that I need whether it be square or rectangle and sew it together with fishing line. Then, I decide where I want the hole to go to attach to the pipe and slowly cut a circle in that area. The other thing that I do to keep the cage attached is to make sure that I've cut a small piece of hose so that I can attach it to the intake of the pump so that when I put the cage on the intake, the hose holds it in place.

Does this make sense to you?

Hugs, Lorraine

 

[j.w]

Thanks koilady and nice to meet you too. I know the stuff you are talking about and believe I can envision your plans in my head now that I've read and reread your directions a couple times. Right now I just have some netting wrapped around it and it clogs pretty easy but to make it the way you have designed it would keep it a distance away from the actual intake hole or filter, strainer pre-filter thingy that I can screw on it :regular_waving_emot

 

[Koilady]

LOL Do you think it would work with your pump?

Hugs, Lorraine

 

[j.w]

Well let's see, my pump is a submersible pondmaster mag-drive sitting on the floor of my pond right now sucking in water through the tube that sticks out w/ the pre-strainer thingy on the end of it. If I make a rectangle out of the needlework material and cut a hole so it fits over the whole end including the pre-strainer and take a piece of tubing so that it snugly holds it on there I think it should work, don't you? Not exactly sure how to make the tubing hold the thing on there tho? Can't picture that part. Now that I am picturing it I don't think the pre-filter will be able to stay on there as it will just be in the way. Still can't picture how it will stay on the end of the intake w/ tubing. Help?

 

[addy1]

koilady send me a picture via my email, and I will post it for you for jw. That will help her "see" what you are talking about.

 

[j.w]

That would be wonderful addy and thank you for doing this :nananananana:

 

[fishin4cars]

Well let's see, my pump is a submersible pondmaster mag-drive sitting on the floor of my pond right now sucking in water through the tube that sticks out w/ the pre-strainer thingy on the end of it. If I make a rectangle out of the needlework material and cut a hole so it fits over the whole end including the pre-strainer and take a piece of tubing so that it snugly holds it on there I think it should work, don't you? Not exactly sure how to make the tubing hold the thing on there tho? Can't picture that part. Now that I am picturing it I don't think the pre-filter will be able to stay on there as it will just be in the way. Still can't picture how it will stay on the end of the intake w/ tubing. Help?

JW, I hope you have a deeper area than where the pond is sitting on the bottom, If not and if it is possible I would recommend sitting the pump up on a shelf or milk crate. If for some reason you happen to get a leak it will pump all the water in the pond out if the pump is directly on the bottom, If it is raised off the bottom and this should happen you will be left with at least some water in the pond therefore not killing all the fish. I had that happen and it's a simple fix to prevent total whipe out.