Anyone done any pre-season pond related shopping yet? I just can't seem to
get in the mood and I know I need to buy Prazi and more Koizyme this year.
I'm usually shopping around by this time. How about you? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

"~ jan" wrote in message
...
Anyone done any pre-season pond related shopping yet? I just can't seem
to
get in the mood and I know I need to buy Prazi and more Koizyme this ye
ar.
I'm usually shopping around by this time. How about you? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

==========================Nothing. I still have enough of everything left over from last year.
I'm waiting for a warm spell so the woman can come and start
taking the pools and fish she bought from me last fall. We're
cutting back drastically. I probably wont have any fish by summer's end.

I know I'll miss the fish but I sure wont miss the work involved.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

I've priced some Matala pads but not ordered any yet. I'm thinking about
replacing a couple bags of lava rock with these. I'll get more motivated to
do something as it warms some more. Also, thought some about buying a back
up pump for if/when mine fails. I know it's a lot of money to put out right
now but pump prices seem to be going through the roof. The pump I'm
currently running, an Oase Auquamax (approx. 3,000 gph) has doubled in price
since I bought it in 2004.

Got a good supply of Sho Koi that'll get me into spring. Have we ever
discussed the benefits of feeding "premium" food over "catfish" food to our
fish?! ;-)

JB


"~ jan" wrote in message
...
Anyone done any pre-season pond related shopping yet? I just can't seem to
get in the mood and I know I need to buy Prazi and more Koizyme this year.
I'm usually shopping around by this time. How about you? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

On Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:56:06 EST, "JB" wrote:

I've priced some Matala pads but not ordered any yet.

What's the best price you've found and where? I can see these in my near
future.

Got a good supply of Sho Koi that'll get me into spring. Have we ever
discussed the benefits of feeding "premium" food over "catfish" food to our
fish?! ;-) JB

LOL! I think it is under the thread titled "Beating a Dead Horse". ;-)
~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

I've priced some Matala pads but not ordered any yet.

What's the best price you've found and where? I can see these in my near
future.

I think it was Aquamart. (It's been a while since I looked.) I recall having
some sticker shock and thinking that I might not need them after all. As the
weather warms, I start thinking about having to haul out all of those bags
of Lava rock and remember how my back hurt and start to reconsider them.
Then, I look at what my 403b account is doing and wonder if I'll have to end
up eating my fish to survive! ;-O sigh

"~ jan" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 23 Feb 2009 22:56:06 EST, "JB" wrote:

I've priced some Matala pads but not ordered any yet.

What's the best price you've found and where? I can see these in my near
future.

Got a good supply of Sho Koi that'll get me into spring. Have we ever
discussed the benefits of feeding "premium" food over "catfish" food to
our
fish?! ;-) JB

LOL! I think it is under the thread titled "Beating a Dead Horse". ;-)
~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Any chance you could go to a veggie filter of some sort? We moved
away from lava rock because it got clogged so fast that it seemed
functionally to be just rocks! Screen has lots of surface and still
let water through. Mostly, however, we have gone to a veggie filter
because the roots are such good surfaces and pull nutrients as well.
The slow flow through and the roots pull out most of the solids as
well, providing mechanical filtration.

Jim

The top of my bio-falls filter is densely planted with mint, water iris,
poppy and about anything else I can throw in it. So, it does have a "veggie"
component to it. I'm pushing 3,000 gallons per hour through it. I've never
had a problem with it clogging up. My annual cleaning is just a rite of
spring I guess.


"Jim and Phyllis" wrote in message
...
Any chance you could go to a veggie filter of some sort? We moved
away from lava rock because it got clogged so fast that it seemed
functionally to be just rocks! Screen has lots of surface and still
let water through. Mostly, however, we have gone to a veggie filter
because the roots are such good surfaces and pull nutrients as well.
The slow flow through and the roots pull out most of the solids as
well, providing mechanical filtration.

Jim

Have fun with the rites of spring!

I was wondering how big your veggie filter is? The rule of thumb is
10% of the surface. We use water celery and hyacinth...lots of roots.
They provide good bacterial surface and mechanical filtration. We
have some iris in the top of an upflow barrel. It does not have loads
of root surface. Our mint was better, but still less than the
hyacinth and water celery (want some?).

Flow rate is pretty important for us. We have the flow down to be
slow enough to allow settling (about 45 minutes).

How fast doe yours go through your filter?

Jim

Jim,

I'm using a bio-falls filter, sized for ponds 4,000 gallons+. It serves dual
purposes by providing bio/mechanical filtration and as a water fall. It
doesn't provide enough surface area to meet the requirements for use as a
veggie filter.

JB


"Jim and Phyllis" wrote in message
...
Have fun with the rites of spring!

I was wondering how big your veggie filter is? The rule of thumb is
10% of the surface. We use water celery and hyacinth...lots of roots.
They provide good bacterial surface and mechanical filtration. We
have some iris in the top of an upflow barrel. It does not have loads
of root surface. Our mint was better, but still less than the
hyacinth and water celery (want some?).

Flow rate is pretty important for us. We have the flow down to be
slow enough to allow settling (about 45 minutes).

How fast doe yours go through your filter?

Jim

Finally purchased my first pond related item:
Prazi. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

I haven't seen a biofalls. How does it work?

Jim

I couldn't find a good link to information on the biofalls but you can get
an idea of how it's configured here ---- http://truepump.com/bfsp.htm

This is not the best picture of the biofalls but you can see how I have it
planted with mint and such in this shot.
http://www.tinypic.info/files/77xipnu171wa1i57cvma.jpg

JB
"Jim and Phyllis" wrote in message
...
I haven't seen a biofalls. How does it work?

Jim

I haven't seen a biofalls. How does it work?
Jim

Jim, I think Aquascapes came out with the first biofalls (or perhaps the
best marketing of such a set up).
http://www.patios4you.com/images/diagram1.gif
Or google images of biofalls, lots of pictures. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Ah, A tank with a flat exit surface. OK

I understand how it is not a veggie filter!

Jim

On Feb 22, 4:24 pm, ~ jan wrote:
Anyone done any pre-season pond related shopping yet? I just can't seem t
o
get in the mood and I know I need to buy Prazi and more Koizyme this year
..
I'm usually shopping around by this time. How about you? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds:www.jjspond.us

No, nothing yet. Still pretty chilly here in Colorado Springs and we
are suppose to have snow and freezing evening temperatures MOST of
next week! It have been very tempting to turn things on but since my
pond cover failed last year and I did not cover it this year, I think
I will wait at least one more week.
When I do start looking around, it will be for some different color
water lilies. I have yellow (Thank you Jim!) and red.
The koi have started to cruise the top of the pond and it looks like
they did a bit of growing this winter. I do not think I will be buy
anymore unless I see one that I simply MUST have! LOL. (Humm... how
much in that savings account?)
Happy spring to all!!
W. Dale