As it turns out, i can see the fry in 2 of those pics! They're teeny little silverish rockets. Hahaha
Emily's Pond Build Log
- Thread starter rainbowcharmer
- Start date
Looks great! Nothing better than a pond in spring 
Fishies, frogs, plants filling in....Loooove it!
Fishies, frogs, plants filling in....Loooove it!
This is my first spring, so I'm totally enjoying it. Planning to split the plants that are in there and put them in multiple pots to help fill it in more. Really looking forward to how it will look all filled in!! What do you use to vacuum your pond?? I've been debating the different pond vacs but they're so pricey and I'm having a really hard time finding any reviews and don't want to put hundreds of dollars into something that isn't worth it... Any suggestions?
Planning to split the plants that are in there and put them in multiple pots to help fill it in more. Really looking forward to how it will look all filled in!! What do you use to vacuum your pond?? I've been debating the different pond vacs but they're so pricey and I'm having a really hard time finding any reviews and don't want to put hundreds of dollars into something that isn't worth it... Any suggestions?NO, NEVER!!!!LOL. Is it possible to ever "finish" the pond? Really, I think it will always be a work in progress for one reason or another.
I started with a python, which is a big version of a basic aquarium gravel vac...not my favorite tool
I broke down last year and bought a Pondomatic. It is boxed up at the moment, but I will see if I can find a link for it. It is not the newest version, but works great. It fills, shuts off just long enough to drain, and then starts up again, so there is a little lag (like maybe 30 seconds to a minute), but that comes in handy for moving around and seeing where you want to vac next. If you look the vacs up by brand, rather than at a particular website, you can sometimes find screaming deals out there. I got mine on huge sale, and with free shipping...end of season sale, maybe...
http://www.pond-doctor.co.uk/bradshaws_ponds_pumps_0223.htm
This is the only link I can find quickly...I don't think they make the pondovac 2 anymore...saw lots of 3's and 4's though. Biggest difference I could see is the newer ones have a dual chamber so it pumps and dumps at the same time, no lag...and a few extra zeros in the price!! Might have been why mine was not so expensive, if it was a discontinued model
http://www.oase-livingwater.com/en_...]=2272&cHash=f4879f14dcd081c82214bea5fdecbb4e
Here is another one, looks and sounds identical to mine, but they are calling it the 'classic'
Jen
I broke down last year and bought a Pondomatic. It is boxed up at the moment, but I will see if I can find a link for it. It is not the newest version, but works great. It fills, shuts off just long enough to drain, and then starts up again, so there is a little lag (like maybe 30 seconds to a minute), but that comes in handy for moving around and seeing where you want to vac next. If you look the vacs up by brand, rather than at a particular website, you can sometimes find screaming deals out there. I got mine on huge sale, and with free shipping...end of season sale, maybe...
http://www.pond-doctor.co.uk/bradshaws_ponds_pumps_0223.htm
This is the only link I can find quickly...I don't think they make the pondovac 2 anymore...saw lots of 3's and 4's though. Biggest difference I could see is the newer ones have a dual chamber so it pumps and dumps at the same time, no lag...and a few extra zeros in the price!! Might have been why mine was not so expensive, if it was a discontinued model
http://www.oase-livingwater.com/en_...]=2272&cHash=f4879f14dcd081c82214bea5fdecbb4e
Here is another one, looks and sounds identical to mine, but they are calling it the 'classic'
Jen
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Yeah I looked at that one. Someone else recommended the model 3 of the pondovac... SO expensive!! I'll keep hunting though. Maybe I'll find it used/cheap. I definitely need to vacuum the pond. There's some sludge that needs to come out and I'm not sure how else to do it. I thought about using my aquarium python, but just not sure how well that would work since I'd definitely need to get IN the pond to do it... And that would stir up the sludge before I could vacuum it up.
I definitely need to vacuum the pond. There's some sludge that needs to come out and I'm not sure how else to do it. I thought about using my aquarium python, but just not sure how well that would work since I'd definitely need to get IN the pond to do it... And that would stir up the sludge before I could vacuum it up.
Some people swear by a plain ol' ordinary wet-dry vac. You'd need an extra long hose, probably, and a filter so the silt doesn't get where it can damage the vac, but it'd be worth a shot...just have to deal with the dumping, which might be a pain :/
it looks like your lot slopes a lot down toward the back; couldn't you set up a siphon with a long hose and just move the intake along the bottom?
how about one of those water-driven floor pumps that you can find at hardware stores or Sears? looks like this
http://plumbing.hardwarestore.com/108-602-utility-pump/water-powered-water-pump-612087.aspx
tie it to the end of a pole and skate it along the bottom?
how about one of those water-driven floor pumps that you can find at hardware stores or Sears? looks like this
http://plumbing.hardwarestore.com/108-602-utility-pump/water-powered-water-pump-612087.aspx
tie it to the end of a pole and skate it along the bottom?
It does slope a lot. My main issue is that when I tried to siphon with garden hoses, they kept getting clogged... So I need something wider than that, and I'd like the power of a pond vac if at all possible. And the convenience... But I may check out that floor pump you linked. That sounds like it could be promising. Just wondering how to direct it - there's no pole or anything to direct it... right?
