quick and easy pond

[seneca]

I've got an empty plastic pond - sort of kidney shaped 2mx 1m with shelves around the curves of each end and want to get some plants in. It had no water, but recently with all the rain has become half full! It's a bit murky and smelly at the moment (there were some rotted leaves at the bottom when it was empty.) What would the pond minded among you recommend for creating a nice little pond.
a few points:

1) should I remove everything from the bond and give it a clean (if so what with)
2) should I let the rain fill the rest of the pond to the top (what about the murky looking stuff already in it)
3) any recommendations for plants (for the shelves and floating on the surface.
4) is it possible to not use a filter (no electricity nearby, for at least 30m)
5) how can I stop the water going green and smelly
6) The few ponds I have seen have hundreds of little flies/midges type things swarming around. Can that be prevented?

oh, the pond has sunlight for aound half the day, is that good or bad?

thanks in advance.

 

[Maxxy]

1) Yeah clean it all out (dont use any chemicals - unless your local fish shop can advise you on the right ones to use) then carefully powerwash the pond so you dont damage the liner, this will hopefully remove any previous residue - possible fish disease etc

2) Once its all out, fill it with tap water - sprayed into it so it mixes well with air - helps to de-chlorinate it. Then youve either gotta put a de-chlorinifier (i think i just made that word up..but you get what i mean) in it, or you can leave it for a while, a week or something - best to google it or wait for other advise. I think you are also meant to add the plants before the fish too

3) Not sure what the names of my plants mine are...but ive got floating plants in one section - held inplace by floating bamboo sticks - to stop them flying round the pond all the time from the waterfall. Ive also tied goldfish plants (the stuff you put in goldfish bowls, most petshops stock it) to bamboo cane under the surface - a plant pot holds the bamboo in place. Gives the fish somewhere to hide and swim through etc - can tie it on in bunches of 5 down the length of the cane. The surface floating plants help to reduce some of the sunlight hitting the pond. Plant pots in the water can be filled with shingle or gravel - if you fill them with mud/compost itll turn your pond brown, and the fish will dig in it

4) You need a filter, otherwise the fish will die. the plants put oxygen into the water during the day, but at night they take it back out again - so the filter keeps the fish alive( obviously providing its got some type of waterfall effect to add air). You can probably get air rocks etc to put in there instead, but will be very costly to keep changing them.

5) This ones the real puzzle - im still working on it myself! Ive tried the chemical route, which has stopped the growth of blanketweed (so thats one good thing) but the pond water still turns green, and lots of algae round the edges . This is no doubt down to the fact there is sunlight on the pond all day - something im going to have to block i think to cure this problem. A UV filter might stop the green water and algea - i know most koi ponds have these. I have been told of something (non chemical) that you put into the filter, which people have given very good feedback for, so my next visit ill get a pack and see if it helps

6) Got hardly any round mine - maybe i just got lucky! From what ive seen though its mostly just the big ponds that attract them

 

[Nerine]

Small water lillies would do; Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'. Don't get a normal sized one, it will take over. Keep it away from any moving water though, as they dont like it. Curled pond weed is the stuff you get from the fish shop' it helps oxegenate the water. There is a small bullrush which is quite nice too - Typha minima.

What do you use for blanket weed Maxxy? Its a real pain at this time of the year

 

[breezer]

sorry to disagree on most points made by maxxy.

1) you can clean it out with what ever you like (except detergent) how ever if you do use any chemical you MUST rinse it out, let it dry, then rinse it out again.
A pressure washer is very good though, but dont hold the lance too close as they have been known to cut liners.

2) "de-chlorinifier (i think i just made that word up..but you get what i mean)"

Maxxy means dechlorinator.

such a thing does exist, but if you fill your pool with tap water and leave it for at least 24 hours it will be fine. Filling it wityh a hose does help.

3) plants should be planted in aquatic compost as it contains less "other" chemicals than your ordainairy soil

4) you do NOT need a filter, the fish will not die,Provided you create a balance.
Filters and UV units are used to keep the water clear so you can see the fish and overstock your pond, that is the ONLY reason

General info.

water will turn green because of photosynthasis (microscopic algae in the water grow which are fed by sunlight, they happen to be green)

If you have a balanced pond water will not turn green.

A balanced pond is one that has around 50% water surface coverage (water lillies are good) and bunch of oxygenating plants. the problem is getting it right.

blanket weed is best removed with a stick and twirling it around to collect it. a bit like you see being done when candyfloss is being made.
blaket weed is actualy string algae.

If you have a natural pond (as your will be) you will get all sorts of flies midges etc, dont worry about it, these in turn will attract other insects and wildllife, which inturn attract frogs toads newts etc.

you may find this of use

I can not advise on plant names

 

[Maxxy]

Small water lillies would do; Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Helvola'. Don't get a normal sized one, it will take over. Keep it away from any moving water though, as they dont like it. Curled pond weed is the stuff you get from the fish shop' it helps oxegenate the water. There is a small bullrush which is quite nice too - Typha minima.

What do you use for blanket weed Maxxy? Its a real pain at this time of the year

Ive still not found the cure for this. I have been trying different things recently though, and ive found that adding surface floating plants to the pond has helped hugely. it blocks out some of the sunlight, but also fights the algae / blanket weed for the nutrients, so it slows down the growth of both of these.

Im trying a pond filter pad at the moment that has apparently had alot of good feedback for slowing down blanketweed and algae, but ill see if it works first before telling people to try it. 4 days in ive noticed a slight improvement, but that could just be a lucky coincedence, so ill give it another week

 

[Maxxy]

http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/

This site has got a fairly good forum

 

[seneca]

cheers people lots of really good info. I will have a good think about what to do (saves me having to get around to doing it )

I didn't really plan on keeping any fish, as I thought it might be too small a pond, and there's no moving water (hence not wanting to use a pump. It's 30m from the house and there's no power out there.)

if I used a hose to clean it out, how would I keep removing the water that I'd be introducing? It's a bit tricky with a bucket, there's always 5cm left.
last time I removed it there were 10 frogs in there! a couple of dead ones were also lying around. Hope it was from polluted water, or me not "balancing" the pond when I put it in.

 

[Maxxy]

Do you have a flat garden, or sloping? I used a garden hose as a syphon to de-sludge mine a couple of month ago


On a side note for Nerine, the product ive used for preventing blanketweed/algea seems to be doing the trick - i can actually see my fish now!

Ive also been taking 5 watering cans of water out of the pond each night for my plants (probably about 3% of the pond water)

The product is like a lump of foam, on the packaging is:
Anti algaepad. Unique 4 way action. Environmental, mechanical, chemical, biological. Tap. complete blanketweed control.

You can either put it into the filter box or straight into your pond. I spiked mine on a bit of bamboo cane in there about a week and a half ago, and its had quite a big effect. The waters still not perfect, but it does seem to be improving daily, and my fish are gaining an appetite again, and generally looking a lot happier now they can see again!