Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Rocks in the Pond - No
|
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Rocks in the Pond - No
Good oldie picks JB.
Around here (local club) we're of the mindset of no rocks, though we don't let ourselves get bent out of shape about it. Quite simply we state the obvious, "you'll have more pond if you remove the rocks" and as we know, once one puts in a pond they all wish for bigger, right? ;-) I'll never forget the one ponder who had a pond put in "professionally" when aquascape first came out. When he got more education on koi, he removed the rocks and found just how much rock he had paid for... I think it was something like 2 feet deep in just rocks! Eventually he really got more serious and made the pond deeper and even added gas heat, so he could keep his koi comfy thru-out the winter. Alas, they moved to a house w/o a pond and putting in another wasn't his top priority, so the fish stayed with the new owners. They got foreclosed on and only due to a neighbor did the previous owner find out that the pond had been left to grow stagnant with all these big koi in it. With the neighbor's help (power and water) a koi club rescue took place. All the really big koi were lost, but they did manage to save about 15-20 medium size ones. One was a gorgeous butterfly that I wish I'd gone on the rescue trip, but it was Feb. and I had no way to quarantine at the time and wasn't going to risk not doing it. Why I didn't show up as surely I would have been tempted.s ~ jan ------------ Zone 7a, SE Washington State Ponds: www.jjspond.us |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Rocks in the Pond - No
On Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:42:48 EDT, JB wrote:
AGAINST ROCKS IN THE POND The Case for Smooth Bottom Pond Design: I think smooth bottom ponds look like oversize baths. The addition of rocks, plants and even fishes is needed to make ponds look real! Steve -- Neural Network Software. http://www.npsl1.com EasyNN-plus. Neural Networks plus. http://www.easynn.com SwingNN. Forecast with Neural Networks. http://www.swingnn.com JustNN. Just Neural Networks. http://www.justnn.com |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Rocks in the Pond - No
I am a definite NO for rocks anywhere and YES for ecosystem. It seems to m
e, however, that there are as many possible systems as owners! Phyllis and I aimed for cheap, fast and easy. The main pond is bare bottomed, sloping very gently to a collection point. Bare bottom allows the fish and flow to move muck to the filter. The lowe st point is on the opposite end from the return stream, forcing the flow to move the length of the pond. The low point has a place for debris that wi ll not fit the filter (intake is 1/2" screened or above the bottom of the c ollection well. This pulls water from a bit above the lowest point. -Once a year-, a simple pool net can be used to remove the big stuff. The water is pumped to a smooth-bottomed veggie filter filled with fast gro wing floating plants (e.g. hyacinth, water celery, water lettuce). The veg gie filter should be 10-20% the size of the main pond. The water goes thro ugh the filter at about 45 min per water change. The plant roots act as me chanical filters and bacterial surfaces. The plant growth grab nutrients. The filtration and slow flow allow the muck to settle to the bottom of the veggie filter. Water exits at the top of the side opposite the water entr y point and returns by stream or falls to the pond (aeration). -Once a year-, in the spring before new growth, the veggie filter is draine d from its bottom. Around here we just pull the plants, put a dome of 1/2" mesh over the drain, and let the water run out. Most of the muck simply f lows out. We add a chaser of pond water to flush what will flow out. What does not drain is netted out with a pool net. Then the drain is closed, t he plants tossed in, and the filter refilled. Good for another year. With this model you NEVER have to drain or even sweep the main pond. Annua lly, you net the big material from the deepest spot in the main pond. Annu ally, the veggie filters are drained,flushed with pond water and refilled. We do three veggie filters and the main pond in about 2 hours. That is al l for the year for a 4,000 gallon system! At this point, the water is clea r all year and the fish very healthy (2 deaths in 14 years). The keys: NO rocks in the pond, enough veggie filters, well set drains. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Rocks in the Pond - No
On 3/18/2012 6:09 PM, ~ jan wrote:
Good oldie picks JB. Around here (local club) we're of the mindset of no rocks, though we don't let ourselves get bent out of shape about it. Quite simply we state the obvious, "you'll have more pond if you remove the rocks" and as we know, once one puts in a pond they all wish for bigger, right? ;-) I'll never forget the one ponder who had a pond put in "professionally" when aquascape first came out. When he got more education on koi, he removed the rocks and found just how much rock he had paid for... I think it was something like 2 feet deep in just rocks! Eventually he really got more serious and made the pond deeper and even added gas heat, so he could keep his koi comfy thru-out the winter. I have a neighbor that had her pond professionally installed and it has small rocks, several inches deep on the bottom. Her pond guy told me about all the "good bacteria" that would grow there. I could only think back to my aquarium experience with an under gravel filter where the gravel did serve as the filter medium; however, you had to pull water through the gravel and a supporting frame for it to work. Otherwise, it was just a mulm collecting field that you had to constantly siphon off to keep clean and the fish healthy. I've not visited with her in a few years. I'm curious to see what her thinking is after having this set up for this many years. |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | Rate This Thread |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Pond Bottom: rocks or no rocks? | Ponds | |||
Seeking advice about brown stains on rocks in pond please | Ponds | |||
Seeking advice about brown stains on rocks in pond please | Ponds | |||
Brown on Pond Waterfall and Surrounding Rocks | Ponds | |||
Brown on Pond Waterfall and Surrounding Rocks | Ponds |