Emily's Pond Build Log
- Thread starter rainbowcharmer
- Start date
Hmmm... Well we planted it along the edges too. We'll just have to make sure to mow it down if it gets too excited... LOL. I am OK with it invading the edges of the pond where we planted it though. I'd like it to fill in really thick there since we don't want to have to try to mow in/around the rocks on the edge. But if it gets too far away from it we'll have to deal with it then I guess. I don't have any pots near the waterfall though so I'm not sure how to get it to start growing in that area...
I think I may intro the minnows this weekend. I lost the last goldfish earlier this week. I'm leaning towards the setups being some of the culprit. It seems odd to me, but I'm going to see what happens with them in the pond itself. I think the volume of water will dissuade the need to actually cycle the pond ahead of time. The 30 (ish) minnows in 1800 gallons (ish) I think will be just fine. If all goes well after a few weeks, I will intro the two goldies I've had in the 40 gallon since last year, and at that point will then QT another group in the 40 gallon breeder instead. We'll see though. Weather may not cooperate this weekend, but hopefully all will go well. Beyond that, I'm so tired of not being able to open my front door completely because of the QT tank there. And I want my bathtub back... LOL
Ohhhhh I have some ideas for your plant shelf! Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis, Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata, and um... some others. I'd go with natives if I were you.
Yes, natives is most definitely planned. I want plants that will overwinter in the pond. I just don't have the time/space/energy to house them indoors for the winter, and I'd prefer not to have to replace plants every year, so I definitely want to (at least for the most part) go native. I'll certainly check out the suggestions you posted. 
Thanks for the input! And feel free to keep them coming! This is one area I'm mostly unfamiliar with. The only plant I know for sure I want is a hardy water lily or two. Everything else is up in the air.
Thanks for the input! And feel free to keep them coming! This is one area I'm mostly unfamiliar with. The only plant I know for sure I want is a hardy water lily or two. Everything else is up in the air.
Well dam-it all!! Yesterday we drove down to Atlatna water gardens and picked up a couple of plants (horsetail, cattail, 4 leave clovers, parrot feather (small variety), and one other that for the moment is escaping my memory. Also picked up 4 good sized goldies (about 5" each) - 2 shubunkins, 1 sarassas, and one "pond" comet. Got home and decided to put the goldies right in the pond since we still have the minnows in the house. Got the plants in, Did some acclimating for the goldies (about an hour or so), then released them and watched them swim around quite happily.
About an hour after dark last night we started having INSANE thunder storms. Hail, thunder, lightning, wind, HEAVY rain, etc. Went on ALL night. This morning, the freaking pond is RED again. Mud got in. Somehow. Again. I thought I covered all the areas that were being drained into, but obviously missed something. Can't see into the pond so hope the goldies are OK... The pond level is down a little (probably from all the wind), and it looks TERRIBLE in there.
Just so frustrating. At this point I don't think anything else is going to help until we get the grass to grow in. So for now that will be my next battle. Then I'll worry about draining/cleaning the pond. Again. My question for now is... can those goldies live in muddy water like that?? If not, I have ZERO idea how to locate them in the pond and catch them to move them inside...
About an hour after dark last night we started having INSANE thunder storms. Hail, thunder, lightning, wind, HEAVY rain, etc. Went on ALL night. This morning, the freaking pond is RED again. Mud got in. Somehow. Again. I thought I covered all the areas that were being drained into, but obviously missed something. Can't see into the pond so hope the goldies are OK... The pond level is down a little (probably from all the wind), and it looks TERRIBLE in there.
Just so frustrating. At this point I don't think anything else is going to help until we get the grass to grow in. So for now that will be my next battle. Then I'll worry about draining/cleaning the pond. Again. My question for now is... can those goldies live in muddy water like that?? If not, I have ZERO idea how to locate them in the pond and catch them to move them inside...
Good to know. I haven't seen any floaters or anything. So this is good news. I also have the minnows in the pond as of this past weekend. All seems to be OK. Still cloudy, but it seems to be a little clearer, even after the storm on Monday. We got our grass seed down and straw too (also accidentally dumped an entire bale into the pond - that was super fun to fish back out...). Hopefully the grass seed will grow quickly and keep the dirt where it belongs.
I'll post more pics later.
I haven't seen any floaters or anything. So this is good news. I also have the minnows in the pond as of this past weekend. All seems to be OK. Still cloudy, but it seems to be a little clearer, even after the storm on Monday. We got our grass seed down and straw too (also accidentally dumped an entire bale into the pond - that was super fun to fish back out...). Hopefully the grass seed will grow quickly and keep the dirt where it belongs. I'll post more pics later.
LiveMermaid07
Bloody Mary. As in, hand me one.
