On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 19:35:49 -0700, Courageous
wrote:


Both the front pond and the back pond have what I think is duckweed.

Once you have your water into a healthy state (aerated, circulated,
clear), you can add Koi and other fish that think duckweed is really
nummy. Don't buy big koi, just a bunch of cheap fingerlings.

If you get a grow out problem with main plants, you might consider
looking into neutered grass carp from your local water authority
or provider.

pond has a bunch of lily pads (the flowers are white with yellow centers,
they are supposed to be real common around here, I think they are very
pretty anyway) the back pond doesn't have any lily pads but it does have a
bunch of yellow canna plants along the side. The middle pond doesn't seem
to have any plants floating in it.

Once you have the various ponds all cleared out and in good shape
(that middle one in particular), you should plant it. Water lillies
in particular are very good choices. If they proliferate a bit, all
the better. They provide shade to the water below, preventing algae
from getting needed sunlight.

As for that middle pond, remove the junk, but don't disturb the soil.
In particular, remove metal junk. While your pond is large, and therefore
diffuses contaminants quite well, many kinds of metals are actually
toxic to fish... copper (including bronze and brass) in particular.

Thanks for the ideas. Like I say, I don't want to hear down the road:
"You should *never* have done that." I'm not real bright. I often have to
depend on others to tell me not to do stupid things.

Hah. It's the smart ones that always do the stupid things.

C//

Thanks for the comments again.

Galen Hekhuis NpD, JFR, GWA
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