Guilty

So much for au natural.

I just dumped in some algae killer. *sigh* It's like being on a diet: You can only go so long before you eat the entire container of m&m peanuts. I waited and waited, then caved in with the miracle blue fluid. I also did eat the m&ms. But I digress.

Good news though. The weather is so nice that the pond plants are really coming along so the natural algae killing should begin soon!

The connected pond

My cell phone just dropped out of my jacket pocket and fell into the lily pot in the pond.

It is now drying over a vent. I knew that maintaining a pond was expensive, but I did not factor in the cost of new technology.

The pretty side

Look closely -- there's a blue jay having a bath.

High of 27 today! Crazy weather for April! I was out with the pond even before breakfast this morning. Just checking up on a few things. Like this Blue Jay having a morning bath.

Pulled some string algae that had accumulated in the intake mesh of the pump. Then mostly just watched the fish. Fiddled with the rocks in the upper waterfall to make it sound 'prettier'. I know. I know.

The ugly side

Welcome to Gross Street.

I promised to share with you the beauty and the blech: today, the blech.

It is vitally important to ensure the bottom of the pond is as free from sludge as possible. The gases from the decomposing material will eventually choke your fish. Yikes! So you have to get in there and scoop. I use a fish net; some use a pond vacuum. Just make sure you get it done. Once completed, you can use a commercially available sludge-remover to help jump-start the process of breaking down the rest. I took the sludge (yup, that pile of muck in the picture above) and dug it into my garden as a cheap, yet smelly, fertilizer. I'm sure I heard my perennials thanking me.

Now. How to deal with the algae that accumulated under the ice over the winter. I hand pulled as much as I could and have my green-stained fingers crossed that the UV light will take care of the rest. I do have some algaecide in case it's very stubborn, but I don't like to stress the fish so shall leave it for a bit. We all know that the best solution for algae is PLANTS! But, it's only April, and new oxygenators etc. are not yet available. When the water level was dropped down, I stuffed my lily pots with fertilizer tabs to get them growing as quickly as possible.

I took the water down 25%, and filled it back up with treated tap water. The pond water, of course, I diverted onto the garden.

It's a busy time of year!

I can see clearly now...

..the rain is gone! Out my office window, I can actually see the edge of the current cold front leaving the area. As you can see by this forecast, it's leaving ahead of schedule. Tomorrow I'll get that first water change done.

Have I mentioned that I am a "sunny weather Pond Girl"?

I don't want to jinx anything by saying this, but the water is clear! Some algae clinging to the sides up top but other than that, not a bad start!

Now the guessing begins. Is it luck? The pump? (I should mention my new pump {2008} is able to handle solids. I am in love with this pump.) It could be the new bulb in the clarifier...

Do you have this problem? I change too many things at once then never really know what actually solved it. I shall just check off the lucky box and be grateful.

Rainy days and Mondays

Or rather, it's a rainy day, and it's Monday. But always lots to think about pondwise. The bulbs are beginning to bloom and I can see them nicely without going outside. It's lovely that a pond can give such pleasure rain or shine; indoors, or out.

I'll be inside today. But I did venture out to give the fish some breakfast. Yup, now that the bio filter is chugging away, and the water temperature has risen above the requisite 39F, they are quite happy to chomp down a 1/2 handful of spring food twice daily. In summer during major growth periods they'll eat 4 times that much.

Got the rain barrel filling today: fantastic! because next up for the pond is the first of 4 25% water changes. I prefer to use the rainbarrel water to refill it. No water treatment required, and no cost!

A few surprises

The larger, lower pond is up and running today. It's funny: even after having owned this pond for a few years now, each spring I forget exactly where in the garden the bio-filter sits. It sits in the garage during the winter; that's easy enough. Then I haul it out to the garden....and put it.....um....at the back...on one of the many patio slabs back there.

This year I picked the wrong slab. I will move it tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I was able to connect everything without a lot of fuss. I changed the UV bulb and had handy husband install it inline as per directions (remember: it goes between the pump and the filter). The UV light didn't do much for the algae last year. I think this was due to an old bulb. This new bulb I bought on sale...so we'll have to wait and see. $45 for a bulb. Seems high. But factor in the costs of removing algae using other means and it's a steal.

Now for the surprise.

We thought we had one Koi: Captain Jack Sparrow. Well. It seems that before Goldie (RIP) left us, they honeymooned amongst the lilies (ahh. such romance) and we have some small KOI. Not goldfish; Koi!

For you learners out there with an abundance of 'are they or aren't they'--here's how to tell the difference.

Koi have visible whiskers; goldfish do not.

(Photo from wikipedia.org)

Lido deck and spa

So called because of the number of birds that drop by for bathing and lounging. Yesterday I cleaned out 3 years worth of their sludge from this upper deck. It's now a sparkling oasis in which our feathered friends may frolic. No, I don't usually speak like that. You can see the new granite/quartz rock to soften the splash.

In this last picture you get a wee glimpse of the middle pond. It's about 450 gallons. I usually add some feeder goldfish and a few handfuls of minnows to keep any mosquitoes at bay. They are great entertainment for the resident 10yr old to catch.  The minnows, not the mossies.

Must head out into this beautiful mid-teen weather and get the large pond fired up.

Opening up

The crocuses (crocii?) are up; time to open the upper pond.

This is the 3rd spring for our pond, and the uppermost part, under the top waterfall, has never been properly cleaned out. It has now. I heard the neighbours faint from the smell. Even the dog turned up her nose.

I took out every rock; every pebble; left no stone unturned. For a shallow pool, it took a surprisingly long time. And it was worth it. It looks so much better! We have a stash of rocks our front of the house picked up by my daughter on various vacations and summer trips. I found just the right piece of granite--heavy on the quartz-- to sit under the waterfall to better divert the flow. Now it sounds all rushing and trickily..and not so much like a garden hose.

Tomorrow, the lower pond. I'll distribute clothes pins to the neighbours, and keep the dog inside.