BenignVanilla wrote:
"~ jan JJsPond.us" wrote in message
You give in so easy. Btw, did I read in one thread you weren't doing
"weekly partial water changes" so how spendy is water in your
area? ;o) ~ jan

Ahhh...now here is a topic I can argue with...I am still living in the
school of thought, that water changes are not neccessary and potentially
dangerous. Of course, I lose about an inch or so a week, and it rains every
37 seconds here, so I am replacing an inch or so of water every week ...

My two cents on water changes: If I recall, the reasoning is that
dumping water from the pond and refilling it is to dilute unwanted
minerals and byproducts, and replace wanted minerals and byproducts. So
you'd be getting rid of extra nitrates and metals, pesticide and
herbicide residues etc. brought in by rainfall, and replacing it with
usable minerals in the fresh water. [i think I just repeated myself --
not enuf sleep last night.]

That said, I tend to do monthly or biweekly water "exchanges" as long as
I don't have a chemical problem in the pond (pH, KH, ammonia, etc.) or
I'm limiting water changes to cure "green pond syndrome."
--
Zk (sig compliments of BV)
3500gal pond, 13 pond piggies
Oregon, Zone 6

I overflow the pond every other week or
so.
The fish enjoy this as the raised water
level allows them to get into the overhanging
grasses and nose out insects. They also get to
trim more watercress from the waterfall.


k30a
and the watergardening labradors
http://www.geocities.com/watergarden...dors/home.html

"K30a" wrote in message
...

I overflow the pond every other week or
so.
The fish enjoy this as the raised water
level allows them to get into the overhanging
grasses and nose out insects. They also get to
trim more watercress from the waterfall.

I have been known from time to time...to use my small 300gph splash pump to
water the plants around the pond...so maybe I just need to do that more.

BV.

"K30a" wrote in message
...

I overflow the pond every other week or
so.
The fish enjoy this as the raised water
level allows them to get into the overhanging
grasses and nose out insects. They also get to
trim more watercress from the waterfall.

OK, I give in...water changes sound like a good idea. You convinced me. Now
on to the real debate...

Should I remove water from the bottom of the pond? the top? just overflow?
What is best? Where does the bad stuff hang out?

BV.

Bottom of pond has most bad stuff.

Not sure if you have a filter, but backwashing them and flushing the water
to a holding tank (to water plants later) is both "environment friendly"
(ugh, did I say that ???) and healthy for your pond.

I do a 1 % waterchange a day (more with the hot weather) by just opening the
filter drains.

Plants will love it, fish will love it. Win-win etc ;-)

Theo

"BenignVanilla" schreef in bericht
...

"K30a" wrote in message
...

I overflow the pond every other week or
so.
The fish enjoy this as the raised water
level allows them to get into the overhanging
grasses and nose out insects. They also get to
trim more watercress from the waterfall.

OK, I give in...water changes sound like a good idea. You convinced me.
Now
on to the real debate...

Should I remove water from the bottom of the pond? the top? just overflow?
What is best? Where does the bad stuff hang out?

BV.

"Theo van Daele" wrote in message
news
Bottom of pond has most bad stuff.
snip

I have a bottom drain, so is it safe to assume I am circulating the bad
stuff? Can I just drain from the top?

BV.

The bad stuff hangs out on the bottom. Why your bottom
drain works! To remove water from the bottom, just put
a smallish (270 gph used at my house) submersible pump
on the bottom, attach at hose to drain, throw the hose over
the side of pond and time the outflow! Can't have you
emptying the pond.....

Nedra
http://community.webshots.com/user/nedra118

"BenignVanilla" wrote in message
...

"K30a" wrote in message
...

I overflow the pond every other week or
so.
The fish enjoy this as the raised water
level allows them to get into the overhanging
grasses and nose out insects. They also get to
trim more watercress from the waterfall.

OK, I give in...water changes sound like a good idea. You convinced me.
Now
on to the real debate...

Should I remove water from the bottom of the pond? the top? just overflow?
What is best? Where does the bad stuff hang out?

BV.

BV,

Your bottom drain is doing a good job of mixing all of the water, so it
really doesn't matter whether you pump it off the bottom or run it over the
top.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html


"BenignVanilla" wrote in message
...
"Theo van Daele" wrote in message
news
Bottom of pond has most bad stuff.
snip

I have a bottom drain, so is it safe to assume I am circulating the bad
stuff? Can I just drain from the top?

BV.

BV,

Your bottom drain is doing a good job of mixing all of the water, so it
really doesn't matter whether you pump it off the bottom or run it over the
top.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html


"BenignVanilla" wrote in message
...
"Theo van Daele" wrote in message
news
Bottom of pond has most bad stuff.
snip

I have a bottom drain, so is it safe to assume I am circulating the bad
stuff? Can I just drain from the top?

BV.

BV,

Your bottom drain is doing a good job of mixing all of the water, so it
really doesn't matter whether you pump it off the bottom or run it over the
top.
--
RichToyBox
http://www.geocities.com/richtoybox/pondintro.html


"BenignVanilla" wrote in message
...
"Theo van Daele" wrote in message
news
Bottom of pond has most bad stuff.
snip

I have a bottom drain, so is it safe to assume I am circulating the bad
stuff? Can I just drain from the top?

BV.

"RichToyBox" wrote in message
news:UYW_a.147379$YN5.96764@sccrnsc01...
BV,

Your bottom drain is doing a good job of mixing all of the water, so it
really doesn't matter whether you pump it off the bottom or run it over
the
top.
snip

That's what I figured. Right now, I have a second pump sitting in about 10
inches of water, that I use to splash water in the VF for aeration. At some
point it will be waterfall pump. I've started using that to water plants.

BV.

"K30a" wrote
I overflow the pond every other week or
so.


Here in New Orleans, it rains nearly every day. Sometime between 11AM and
5PM it clouds up, gets dark, the lightening flashes, and pours for about an
hour. Then the sun comes out and we're back to humidity and sunshine. The
pond overflows and the fishies love it. I haven't done a water change in
months.


Michael Fermanis
(Remove the RICE to reply)
================================================== ===========

I hope you're checking your pH & KH. pH crashes are notorious in areas
with high rainfall. ~ jan

Here in New Orleans, it rains nearly every day. Sometime between 11AM and
5PM it clouds up, gets dark, the lightening flashes, and pours for about an
hour. Then the sun comes out and we're back to humidity and sunshine. The
pond overflows and the fishies love it. I haven't done a water change in
months. Michael Fermanis

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

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