Ponds and hot weather...

[PC101]

Me again!

So... what are the chances of me having a successful, long lasting, pond in the blistering heat of N. Texas? I'm concerned about the water in the pond getting TOO hot or evaporating TOO fast. Anyone have a pond in these conditions??

Lyte

 

[Melos]

Well, you'd just have to check the water levels daily and fill it up. Putting in cooler water on a regular basis will help to keep it cool. Surely there are some ponds in Texas, right? I don't see why you can't have one too.

 

[rubybeetle]

I have a similar problem, I live in SW Arizona, we get pretty hot during summer before the monsoon rains arrive. Having a deeper pond helps, and yes, keep adding cooler water during the day. I also put a shade up, they sell some nice ones out there, you can pick the degree of shade you want!

 

[tater03]

They are right the best thing to do is watch the water level. I have also tried if at all possible to have our pond where it would get some shade during the course of a day.

 

[kelkat]

Make it deep and let the shade cover it during the heat of the day. That will help with the evaporation.

 

[Melos]

Shade is a good idea. You can even plant some plants along the edges that will help shade the water - like iris or cattails - or whatever grows in Texas

 

[Dani]

You might have to add some ice during the hottest spells. Even in CT I've had to do that when I had a smaller pond.

 

[dnwater]

rubybeetle, where can i find a place that sell pond shades in Phoenix, AZ? thanks.

 

[DrDave]

Last year when it was 108 degrees here in Escondido, I went to Lowes and bought a 12' X 12" portable shade. Having a waterfall running constantly helps keep the temp down and adds much needed oxygen to the water when it is hot.
In extreme cases do a 25% water change, just be ware of the chlorine when you do.

 

[cashb]

lots of plants in the pond, deeper is cooler, installing an automatic filler is a great labor saver, and yes be sure to oxygenate as the heat steals it.

 

[butterflycld]

I have a pond here in South Texas. I started this really tiny with a 30 gallon pond. I made sure to have it set to get as much shade as possible during the day. I now have a 300 gallon pond and also placed it in shade for the most part of the day. As long as you have your pump running and watch your water levels, it should be fine. If you have to they also have liquid shade. It turns your water blue and shields it from the UV rays and keeps it cooler.

 

[cokeisit]

One of the problems to also watch for in the summer in Texas and other places for that fact is algae blooms. They can get bad in the summer as the water gets warm and stagnant and there is less dissolved oxygen in there. May want to look at getting some sort of aeration or fountain to keep the water circulating and keep your dissolved oxygen levels high to help prevent algae blooms

 

[DrDave]

Build a bio filter from a 55 gallon plastic drum, make it you waterfall highpoint and the green algae will get trapped in the filter and the water will be oxygenated and cooled during the cascade down to the pond.

There are photos on this forum on the basics of doing this.

 

[mafioso]

Me again! rofile:

So... what are the chances of me having a successful, long lasting, pond in the blistering heat of N. Texas? I'm concerned about the water in the pond getting TOO hot or evaporating TOO fast. Anyone have a pond in these conditions??

Lyte

you are not alone, Im faced with pea soup as well. my pond has been established for 3 months now, and overnight suddenly I have a string algae suspended algae invasion during the day mine looks like the green anti-freeze.

BTW Im in N. texas also in Bedford.

 

[DrDave]

We are all faced with that where it gets hot. Last summer we built my 2nd waterfall in 108 degrees. I installed an automatic fill to keep it topped off, but because a floating plant hung on it, the water kept coming and killed all my fish with chlorine.

Auto fill is ok for large ponds that have no floating plants and I suggest putting two switches in series for the solenoid. That way if one fails, the other protects it from overfilling.

Gotta pond leak to find.

C Ya