~ jan JJsPond.us wrote:

One thing I learned this year was if the plants aren't doing well, it's
another reason to check water quality. A pH of 9 or more can really slow
things down so I found. ~ jan

I measured it this morning and again tonite and it was between 8 and
8.5. I think that's ok. Matt

Yes, that should be fine. ~ jan

See my ponds and filter design:
http://users.owt.com/jjspond/

~Keep 'em Wet!~
Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a
To e-mail see website

When I start this thread I didn't realize the response it would create. I think it is wonderful.

My idea of a pond is to create a natural environment where you do not have to look at ph levels or add chemicals to adjust for nitrites or nitrates. That is why I thought a skippy filter was the answer.

I made a 250 gallon pond in early July. I t is a birthday present for my wife. I put in several plants, both on the surface and on the bottom. I then added a dozen feeder gold fish. A week later I added my version of the skippy. I am using a pump that moves 170 gallons per hour. I made a 1 1/2 foot water fall.

I t has been over a month since I added the filter. My fish are growing, My plants are healthy. And my water is pretty good. I can see the bottom (2 feet). I have no idea what the chemical makeup of the water is. Nor do I care.

All I put into the pond is fish food and water to replace evaporation. The fish are just starting to know when feeding time is and come to meet me. This is what creating a pond is all about.

I live on Vancouver Island in Canada (zone 8a).

To me this is the closest thing I can get to a natural pond. All the ideas I got for how to create this pond came from this chat group. Thank you for all your advise on how to do things and how not to do things.
To e-mail see website [/b][/quote]