Started Up the Pond!

[pecan]

It has been in the 50's here for a few weeks and in the low 60's this week. I normally don't start my pond till mid March, but with the temps and the fish moving around I thought I should get it going a little early.

Sunday I cleaned out the skippy filters, netted the bottom (Thanks Addy for the pool net idea! I was able to net the bottom for the first time without getting in the cooollldd water!), trimmed plants, did a big water change and started the pumps.

Everything seems to be working great and the fish are happy. All seem healthy, which was a concern since I lost 2 of my smallest koi and one baby comet this winter.

Funny how the fish see the waterfall going and all the sudden think I should feed them! Silly fishies don't they know it's too cold still! LOL

Here she is. Funny how bare it looks this time of year before everything starts growing.

 

[jmajid]

nice looking pond thanks for sharing

 

[Becky]

Looking good pecan!

 

[capewind]

Your weather is ahead of ours. We left everything running, as the water falls keep the ice open. The last few days we had a warm spell (mid 40s LOL) and the ice on the upper pond was gone, and had a few fish patrolling around looking hungry, but no food for awhile yet. The lower pond still has some sheets of ice floating LOL. No too much longer.

 

[Mmathis]

Very nice, and that was a lot of work! You have given all of us the courage to carry on

 

[pecan]

LOL thanks TM!

I did an approximate 30% water change on Sunday. Just did another 10% this morning and will likely do a 10% every other day for the rest of the week just to get them started off with some fresh clean water.

I can't wait till everything starts growing! It looks so bare, but it will be a jungle by mid summer. It gets so filled in around the waterfall I can't get near it without a machete LOL.

This years plan is no big changes to the pond other than getting rid of the rest of the comets and maybe pick up 2 more Koi. I want to stick with 10 koi till the pond re-do in a few years. It will be a big project that I am in the design phase of right now but wont get started on the pond till 2016 at the soonest.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

Pond looks great even without the greenery.
BTW, that looks like a bamboo grove in the background? Makes me miss our bamboo grove we had at our last place. I'm thinking to change things around beside my pond and rip out the cat tails on the left side and plant bamboo instead. What do you think? See picture below.
I almost started my pond up about a week ago, we've had a very mellow winter and the beginning of February was very mild and nearly all the ice melted of the pond. It was much warmer than when I actually shut the pond down. However, I'm glad I didn't because winter returned with a vengeance. Now the lows are down around -9 c (15 F) and highs only around -2 c (28 F), and the roads are worse than they have been all winter and the pond is completely frozen over again.

 

[Jason]

Looks good! Is the Island floating?

 

[pecan]

Thanks Mucky! It is a bamboo grove. Running invasive bamboo contained by a bamboo barrier. I dig out the rhyzomes each fall that have grown up to the barrier to help keep it under control.

I don't think you have enough space for a running bamboo (the bamboo grove is 25' x 35' and it seems to small). Also without a barrier it could puncture your liner. Clumping bamboo requires mostly shade and I still would not plant it close to a pond liner for fear of it puncturing the liner. A running timber bamboo might be cool on the outside of the wall though.

BTW mucky I just LOVE your pond! Wonderful courtyard!

 

[pecan]

Looks good! Is the Island floating?

Yes it is a floating island. I used those pink sheets of foam insulation from the local home depot. Cut it to shape with a jig saw and lighted sanded the edges to smooth them out. Cut holes of various sizes (some big enough for pots and some small for bare root plantings). I have it anchored with a string tied to a mesh bag holding a rock. I have some bare root grass and some bare root creeping jenny in it that come back every year. Then I add some annuals each year to help fill it in. The fish love it when there is no cover from the lily pads. They huddle under it when the water temps are below 45. In the summer the munch on the roots under it.

 

[addy1]

I made a floating island, the heron used it as a fishing pier, island now gone never to return.

 

[j.w]

Looks great Pecan even w/o any bloomers

 

[Tula]

Well, I'm totally jealous your pond is up and running. I usually start my pond around the first of March, but don't think it'll be possible this year. We're predicted to be close to zero tonight - yikes!

 

[Lisak1]

Pecan, you're making my green thumb itch! We could finally see our waterfall again, and now more cold and snow... will it never end???

 

[pecan]

Thanks! I am so happy to be doing stuff outside again!