Re: NANFA-L-- Pond construction

Prizma at aol.com
Mon, 19 Sep 2005 10:33:52 EDT

you NEED to filter in my opinion. why not fill a plastic barrel w/ lava
stone and run the pumped water through it. cheap enough. will help keep your
water crystal clear. it also provides a refuge for micro bugs that will feed the
fish. you will also need a prefilter ( mesh, perfed bucket or coarse sponge )
on the inlet area. something you can easily clean / stomp rinse 2 or 3 times
a year.
1/2 day sunlight should be ok. you being so far south w/ the heat may create
extreme temp fluctuations if you were in direct 12 hour sun. maybe your
sides will be insulated somewhat. and good comment earlier about being in ground
which helps stabilize temp swings.
watch for leave dropping trees overhead. a few leaves are good... too many
causes problems.
i like the glass observation windows. i have an 1/2" acrylic one in my
waterfall that allows views into a refuge. im always having to clean it of algae
tho.
spend the money for a power effiecent pump since it will run 24/7.
my pump adds about $25 per month to my power bill according to my
calculations a few years ago.
things will not go perfect. things take time to balance out. keep in mind it
is an ongoing experiment. that will help keep you from being frustrated.
algae blooms, different algaes... scum hair green brown, plants dying. you may
need to shade sections during certain times of the year.

by setting up baffles in strategic areas you can create calm areas for lily
pads and such.

also... as a prefilter you could cordon off a head section as a fishless bog
garden which would add refuge for micro yummies and beautiful lush plants.

also try dirtless planting of a bald cypress. mine are planted among some
big rocks and one started out less than a thumbs diameter at the base and 3 or 4
years later is a big as a cave man's club. amazing as it is getting all its
nutrients from the water column. fish waste and minerals... no soil.

it is an ongoing experiment. enjoy it. try things. just do it. get started.

here is a link to my cement pond... tho it is way overdue for an update.
thanks to a microsoft and sun systems feud i could not update it til recently.
_http://hometown.aol.com/prizma/myhomepage/index.html_
(http://hometown.aol.com/prizma/myhomepage/index.html)

the pond is now lush w/ greens, mountains of anacharis, reeds and willows,
crystal clear water and hordes of e starhead topminnows. :)

casper...
20 feet from the cement pond
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