"Peter Goddard" wrote:

Hello Peter

PG Scooping out the blanket weed was always a worrying time -
PG it used to snare newts and dragonfly larvae, so I had to
PG gently check every last strand to make sure they were all
PG released back to the pond. The fairy moss is much better
PG because it has short dangly roots which don't trap wildlife.

One little tip I read about which I've been using this year and seems
to work well. Put a plank alongside the pond, angled so it falls into
the water. Plonk the excess weed onto it, have a quick root through to
fish out the snails and any obvious eggs, and leave for a day. The
little squigglies wriggle around and eventually fall back into the
pond. Even skimming off duckweed I've managed to catch several
goldfish by accident, and this method means I've not inadvertantly
left them on the compost heap.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

"Simon Avery" wrote in message
...
Hello Peter
One little tip I read about which I've been using this year and seems
to work well. Put a plank alongside the pond, angled so it falls into
the water. Plonk the excess weed onto it, have a quick root through to
fish out the snails and any obvious eggs, and leave for a day. The
little squigglies wriggle around and eventually fall back into the
pond. Even skimming off duckweed I've managed to catch several
goldfish by accident, and this method means I've not inadvertantly
left them on the compost heap.

Excellent tip - many thanks Simon

"Simon Avery" wrote in message
...
"willsniffer" wrote:

Hello willsniffer

w have a 450 litre pond, pump for fountain going to small
w pressurised filter bucket doodah. Tried various eco methods
w such as ramshorns etc, but what does anybody recommend when
w it comes to a decent filter system +/- UV filtering? The
w fish are fine but it would be nice to see them once in
w a while. Thanks

Oxygenators, covering plants (lilies, even duckweed) and time.

Algae blooms because of sunlight, lack of oxygen and excess nutrients.

I've got a large system of connected ponds here of about 8,000 gallons
with 8 adult goldfish and about a hundred 1st year goldfish. Water is
crystal (now, it wasn't earlier this year) and I don't have any
additional filtering systems. Just plenty of oxygenators, several
waterfalls (same function, just noisier) and coverage.


Duckweed doesnt exactly help you see the fish if you have enough of it to
get rid of algae!!


--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

"Tumbleweed" wrote:

Hello Tumbleweed

Oxygenators, covering plants (lilies, even duckweed) and
time. Algae blooms because of sunlight, lack of oxygen and
excess nutrients. I've got a large system of connected
ponds here of about 8,000 gallons with 8 adult goldfish
and about a hundred 1st year goldfish. Water is crystal
(now, it wasn't earlier this year) and I don't have
any additional filtering systems. Just plenty of
oxygenators, several waterfalls (same function, just
noisier) and coverage.

T Duckweed doesnt exactly help you see the fish if you have
T enough of it to get rid of algae!!

True enough, but down to personal taste and neccessity. As far as I
know it's near impossible to clear a pond of duckweed entirely,
whereas removing algae is much simpler.

TBH though, I quite like a *bit* of duckweed. I have enough moving
water that some areas stay clear, and occasional clearing does for the
rest.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/