On Wed, 29 Sep 2004 14:09:37 +0100, "Oxymel of Squill"
wrote:

===no, soo you'll be testing and shoving in chemicals to lower the ph and then
===to raise it again
===
===a pond (at least) needs a year's cycle to sort out its own chemical balance
===
===
==="2pods" wrote in message
...
===
=== "Oxymel of Squill" wrote in message
=== ...
=== a newly dug pond is a device for killing fish. Leave it a year to settle
=== and
=== sort out its own chemistry before introducing fish
===
===
===
=== A year ?
=== You're kidding, right ?
===
=== Maybe this won't work for everyone, but in my case I let it sit for a
===couple
=== of days, added the plants and filter.
=== Let it sit for a week then put a few fish in.
=== Then I started testing the water quality.
=== Added some more fish after a couple of weeks (add plants whenever you
===want).
===
=== By this time the water had cleared.
=== Tested water
=== After 6 weeks switched on UV to keep it clear, and that was it functioning
=== pond.
===
=== Peter
===
===
===

When I dug my natural pond 1 acre out, it was filling in almost as
fast with water as each bucket full of dirt that was removed. The
water table was extremely high. The day we finished digging it, it
was totally full the next day all from ground water infiltration, and
later the next day in the afternoon I was stocking it with
fish.........which I now regret as I am now trying to rid the pond of
all those fish, so I can have just Koi and GF in it.

I was told to let even the wifes half barrel alone for months so it
would stailize........I had it planted and fish in it within a week or
so and they all are doing fine. Maybe if I as buying the expensive KOI
I may be a bit more concerned, but a year or even months is kind of
absured, to me anyhow.
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wife,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.