Is this pond alright?

chun · Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

Hi,

Pretty new to all this so i've been looking at quite a lot of books and
sites before and after making my pond, and they all seem to give
different answers to the questions i've been asking. For example, some
say you need 20 bunches of oxygenators, others say just 2 or 3 with a
couple of plants. Some say you need this much water for this much
fish...other's give half of that...or you need a filter...etc etc.

Anyway, to cut things short, i've just decided to ask if you think that
this pond would survive =P.

It's not too big, 1.5m by 1m and an average depth of ~40cm (50cm at
deepest with 25cm marginal shelf).
In it, there a 4 marginals, 3 oxygenators and one waterlily. There's
also 4 comet goldfish (around 8cm) and a small fountain pump that's
just pumping water upwards.

I live in melbourne, australia. I guess you would call it temperate.
The summers average in the low to mid 30's with the occasional low 40
(in °C). The winter is pretty mild, you get frost and i've known pools
to ice over, but by late morning it would've all melted. Lowest i can
remember is 2°C, never below zero. Pond gets about 5 to 7 hrs sun
depending on the part of the pond. Unfortunately the lily is the 5 hr
side due to an unforseen problem in digging (the builder's dumping pit
is not fun to dig through T_T).

I'll be really glad for any help you guys can give me. Thanks!

--
chun

Archived from group: rec>ponds>moderated

Hal · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 138

On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:42:29 CST, chun
wrote:

>It's not too big, 1.5m by 1m and an average depth of ~40cm (50cm at
>deepest with 25cm marginal shelf).
>In it, there a 4 marginals, 3 oxygenators and one waterlily. There's
>also 4 comet goldfish (around 8cm) and a small fountain pump that's
>just pumping water upwards.

Sounds like 3'x5' and a bit over a foot deep and sounds workable to
me. There are always lots of ideas as to how something should be
done, especially concerning ponds. Smaller ponds can be considered
more difficult to maintain, so you may have to monitor it regularly to
keep things working smoothly. Most of us have gone to UV clarifiers
and filters so we can have clear water and see the fish better, If you
can see your fish and are happy, you are fortunate and don't need to
make changes.
--
Hal Middle Georgia, Zone 8
http://tinyurl.com/2fxzcb

Phyllis and Jim · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 161

Hal is on target. Your pond is small enough that a hot summer can
heat it up a great deal. That would not be great for the fish. Loads
of us have ended up increasing pond size.

Keep us posted!

Jim

Joe · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 9

Phyllis and Jim wrote:

> Hal is on target. Your pond is small enough that a hot summer can
> heat it up a great deal. That would not be great for the fish. Loads
> of us have ended up increasing pond size.
>
> Keep us posted!
>
> Jim
>

Ditto from me. The ideal solution if you can't increase the foot print, is
to simply make it deeper.

San Diego Joe
4,000 - 5,000 Gallons.
Koi, Goldfish, and RES named Colombo.

adavisus · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

Small bodies of water can be very volatile, temperature wise. In a hot
climate with temps over the mid 90's plants and fish are going to
struggle through the midday heat.

Shade through midday will make a lot of difference... Perhaps some
tallish pondside plants, tallish marginal plant in the pond and a heat
tolerant waterlily will keep the water in the eighties, rather than the
high 90's

Regards, andy
http://tinyurl.com/yq7gv9

--
adavisus

chun · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 1

Ah k. Hmm, seems like i'll have to have a think about this...seeing
that making the pond was hard work haha but if it's necessary. Though,
50 cm is 1.6 ft (1'7''?? dunno how things work over there haha). Would
that make a difference? Or is deeper/more area still better?

--
chun

Joe · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 9

chun wrote:

>
> Ah k. Hmm, seems like i'll have to have a think about this...seeing
> that making the pond was hard work haha but if it's necessary. Though,
> 50 cm is 1.6 ft (1'7''?? dunno how things work over there haha). Would
> that make a difference? Or is deeper/more area still better?
>
>
>
Where ponds are concerned, I would say bigger is always better (until you
need a boat to deadhead lilies!) Large ponds are much less prone to large
swings in temperature, and balances like ammonia and ph. That's not to say
you shouldn't build a small pond, just that a large pond requires less
monitoring. I only check my water parameters monthly, and even less so in
winter. If you plan on koi, you absolutely need a larger pond with IMHO at
least 3 ft of depth and a minimum of 1000 gal.

San Diego Joe
4,000 - 5,000 Gallons.
Koi, Goldfish, and RES named Colombo.

~ jan · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 276

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 12:58:38 CST, chun
wrote:

>
>Ah k. Hmm, seems like i'll have to have a think about this...seeing
>that making the pond was hard work haha but if it's necessary. Though,
>50 cm is 1.6 ft (1'7''?? dunno how things work over there haha). Would
>that make a difference? Or is deeper/more area still better?

Deeper is better in places that get hot (or cold, though a heater can
negate that). A patio umbrella may be necessary on those really hot days.

As far as filter, that is all dependent on # of fish. Personally I'd take
the comets back and get fantails. They produce fewer offspring.... and
they're really easy to catch if there becomes too many. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Chip · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 26

~ jan wrote:

> Deeper is better in places that get hot (or cold, though a heater can
> negate that). A patio umbrella may be necessary on those really hot days.

>
In Arizona, when it gets too hot(over 115F), people have been known to
put 300lb blocks of ice in their pool for comfortable swimming. Do Koi
like ice?

I plan a 12' dia deck island over my pond for both shade and heron
protection.

Chip

~ jan · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 276

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 20:24:41 CST, Chip wrote:

>In Arizona, when it gets too hot(over 115F), people have been known to
>put 300lb blocks of ice in their pool for comfortable swimming. Do Koi
>like ice?
>Chip

Probably better in a koi pond would be frozen water filled milk jugs, so
you don't have to worry about chlorine. ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds: www.jjspond.us

Derek Broughton · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 137

Joe wrote:

> Where ponds are concerned, I would say bigger is always better (until you
> need a boat to deadhead lilies!)

To quote Ratty from /The Wind in the Willows/, "There is nothing --
absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in
boats".

I don't see the problem Smile

--
derek