Reclaiming the Pond!

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[/ATTACH] 1AD4777F-5979-4E5B-B062-4C02C35E4D96.JPG IMG_0194.JPG IMG_0196.JPG IMG_0197.JPG IMG_0193.JPG
Hey Everyone,
As the title says, I'm currently in the process of cleaning and 're-setting' my pond. My wife and I bought our dream home back in January and have been steady working on improvements and beautification projects on the property. After countless projects and gallons of sweat, I was finally able to get started on the pond on the back patio last weekend wooohoooo!!
So the first thing I had to do was assess the pumps and filtration system - low and behold all of the wires had been cut so I re-wired the pump and UV light, temporary, to see if they would actually turn on and function properly. BINGO, both wok so I began the task of digging the new wire paths, splicing the permanent wires, adding conduit and junction boxes and now I have hidden wires and am operational. Oh and I ordered a new UV bulb that came in yesterday.
The water was extremely dirty with zero visibility as it had been basically a stagnate pond for years(?) and I had no idea what the pond actually looked like below the waterline. (DICLAIMER: I did put a bunch of minnows in there when we moved in to take care of the mosquitoes.) After I got home, I started pumping the water out with a 110AC sump pump - 3 hours later, I finally have visuals of the bottom and layout of the pond - Looks fantastic and is about 3.5 feet at its deepest point! But the remaining muck was too thick for the pump to operate so I had to switch to the ole 5 gallon bucket trick and empty the sludge by hand. Sometime around midnight, the pond was empty rinsed out and the rocks were placed around the liner and around the plant shelves to give it a more realistic look. I refilled the pond and started the pump and UV filter and climbed into bed after a refreshing, outdoor, much needed shower ha!
I applied an algae treatment as well, and hopefully I'm on the right track for some clearer water. This is a first for me so if yall have any suggestions or tips, I'm all ears!
Here's a few pics of the setup....
 
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Wow not sure why the pics double posted...EDIT - fixed the duplicate pics
I'll get more and better pics up soon.
 
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Meyer Jordan

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Do not add any more algaecide or other pond treatment. The pond filter will likey need to 'cycle' to establish the Nitrifying bacteria. This may take up to 4 weeks. During this time period the water may turn green. This is normal an will self-correct.
Nice looking pond!
 

sissy

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I love your pond angel .No algae treatments add something natural like liquid barley if you must add something
 
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Welcome!
You have a potential for a beautiful pond there!
It seems you've done everything that needs to be done.
I'd say you dont need algae treatment at all. The pond should already have bio film (hope you didn't scrub the liner?) and should be pretty good with it cycle already, with the new water, you shouldn't have to wait long before the pond fully cycle and start to clear.

Did you get a chance to sort through all the muck? I'm sure there are tons of dragon fly nymphs in there ready to turn to dragon fly to eat mosquitoes for you.
 
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Hey thanks for the replies!
Thanks sis!
Ok note taken regarding the algae treatment, I won't touch the stuff again before consulting with yall first.
Napen, I didn't scrub anything, but I did hose down the rocks and liner during the pump-out/bucket bailing. I didn't sort through the muck either but you're probably right! :-(

Is liquid barley another form of algae control, just not as aggressive?
 

Mmathis

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Hello and welcome! Nice pond!

Where are you in LA? I'm in Shreveport. And noting your angel -- it's not a "weeping angel," is it.....? [any Dr. Who fans out there?]
 
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Haha my mom was a HUGE Dr. Who fan in the 80's, I'll ask her about the weeping angel next time a talk to her.

I'm in St. Gabriel, just south of Baton Rouge
 

Mmathis

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Haha my mom was a HUGE Dr. Who fan in the 80's, I'll ask her about the weeping angel next time a talk to her.

I'm in St. Gabriel, just south of Baton Rouge
OK, well we're distant neighbors, anyway! There are a lot of pond people down in that part of the state. I'll have to look up the name of the regional organization. They have a big show every spring -- koi and goldfish. Have wanted to attend, but bad time of year.
 

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