Pond is going great in its first full spring. Water lilys and iris are about to flower, piccies when they do, the other plants powering on. All the goldfish apart from some fry been picked off by a white faced heron and there is a frog croacking under the rocks somewhere.

I am off tomorrow to get some algae gear to keep on top if it as the water warms and sunlight increases. Noting that the ponds only output is via evaporation and the stomachs of birds, do they with repeated applications over summer have any negative cumulative effects or do they break down?

I am happy to have some algae just not wanting a soup.

And other hints or tips?

http://www.thewatercleanser.com.au/

it works. councils are starting to use it. developed by a friend once removed for a pearl farm.

Boris said:

http://www.thewatercleanser.com.au/

it works. councils are starting to use it. developed by a friend once removed for a pearl farm.

Plus it is chemical free. But this says “Whilst not clearing the water, the Water Cleanser will reoxygenate the soil surface and stop the foul smell of rotting waste which improves the health of the water for all wild life”

Oxygenation is not a problem, so this sounds more like a flocculant, which is fine but not so much if it doesnt kill algae? Or should I be calling it plankton, the greenish tinge to water.

Skunkworks said:

Boris said:

http://www.thewatercleanser.com.au/

it works. councils are starting to use it. developed by a friend once removed for a pearl farm.

Plus it is chemical free. But this says “Whilst not clearing the water, the Water Cleanser will reoxygenate the soil surface and stop the foul smell of rotting waste which improves the health of the water for all wild life”

Oxygenation is not a problem, so this sounds more like a flocculant, which is fine but not so much if it doesnt kill algae? Or should I be calling it plankton, the greenish tinge to water.

You are just lucky to have water.

roughbarked said:

Skunkworks said:

Boris said:

http://www.thewatercleanser.com.au/

it works. councils are starting to use it. developed by a friend once removed for a pearl farm.

Plus it is chemical free. But this says “Whilst not clearing the water, the Water Cleanser will reoxygenate the soil surface and stop the foul smell of rotting waste which improves the health of the water for all wild life”

Oxygenation is not a problem, so this sounds more like a flocculant, which is fine but not so much if it doesnt kill algae? Or should I be calling it plankton, the greenish tinge to water.

You are just lucky to have water.

Lots of spring rain, more predicted, tanks full, place is green.

Skunkworks said:

roughbarked said:

Skunkworks said:

Plus it is chemical free. But this says “Whilst not clearing the water, the Water Cleanser will reoxygenate the soil surface and stop the foul smell of rotting waste which improves the health of the water for all wild life”

Oxygenation is not a problem, so this sounds more like a flocculant, which is fine but not so much if it doesnt kill algae? Or should I be calling it plankton, the greenish tinge to water.

You are just lucky to have water.

Lots of spring rain, more predicted, tanks full, place is green.

so I can bring my plants and knowledge to your place then?

Sorry Boris, not convinced. And it is talking about eating dead plant matter etc and hydrocarbons, not really addressing the issue of microscopic life living in the water from sunlight. Plus the emphasis on not harming is ok, but so does pouring in plain water. It comes across as short on facts, not really applicable to me and a bit woo in presentation.

The Water Cleanser brings the enjoyment back into having ponds, watergarden features, aquarium fish tanks and swimming pools by keeping your aquarium, pool and pond clear. This clean water treatment clears dirty cloudy water in salt water or fresh water.

Unlike other products, the Water Cleanser stops waste from producing toxins during the break down process, which leaves you with crystal clear water. The Marine Easy Clean Water Cleanser is safe for plants and fish.

In Commercial applications a relativity small amount of Water Cleanser to a large water body can make a dramatic difference to the health of the water body. Whilst not clearing the water, the Water Cleanser will reoxygenate the soil surface and stop the foul smell of rotting waste which improves the health of the water for all wild life.

it contains bacteria in a wax block. the bacteria are similar to the ones that feed on oil.

well it works so you can think what you like. no woo. science. still put a bale of hay in the water and that’ll keep it clean.

Boris said:

The Water Cleanser brings the enjoyment back into having ponds, watergarden features, aquarium fish tanks and swimming pools by keeping your aquarium, pool and pond clear. This clean water treatment clears dirty cloudy water in salt water or fresh water.

Unlike other products, the Water Cleanser stops waste from producing toxins during the break down process, which leaves you with crystal clear water. The Marine Easy Clean Water Cleanser is safe for plants and fish.

In Commercial applications a relativity small amount of Water Cleanser to a large water body can make a dramatic difference to the health of the water body. Whilst not clearing the water, the Water Cleanser will reoxygenate the soil surface and stop the foul smell of rotting waste which improves the health of the water for all wild life.

it contains bacteria in a wax block. the bacteria are similar to the ones that feed on oil.

I made a point about being lucky to have water.

Boris said:

well it works so you can think what you like. no woo. science. still put a bale of hay in the water and that’ll keep it clean.

Well, yes. There are lots of easy ways to keep water clean if.. and if is a big word.. you can keep water to be thinking about cleaning.

Boris said:

well it works so you can think what you like. no woo. science. still put a bale of hay in the water and that’ll keep it clean.

Pond is brand new, it probably has a few leaves in it, the plants are growing and confined to pots with stones on top to stop the fish rooting around in the soil. So very little, a scarce amount of rotting plant matter. The issue is microscopic living things, not dead rotting stuff.

Skunkworks said:

Boris said:

well it works so you can think what you like. no woo. science. still put a bale of hay in the water and that’ll keep it clean.

Pond is brand new, it probably has a few leaves in it, the plants are growing and confined to pots with stones on top to stop the fish rooting around in the soil. So very little, a scarce amount of rotting plant matter. The issue is microscopic living things, not dead rotting stuff.

see us next year..

you were asking about algae? it gets rid of that and doesn’t let the rotting dead algae produce toxins. algae is a plant.

Boris said:

you were asking about algae? it gets rid of that and doesn’t let the rotting dead algae produce toxins. algae is a plant.

there are more than one algae.. some are useful some become problematic.

it is like Pasteur and the terrain thing..

anyway the product is there, it works, take it or leave it. i don’t make anything out of promoting it.

there are more than one algae.. some are useful some become problematic.

so get the water tested, find out the good from the bad, get a specific poison that’ll only kill the bad. sounds like an expensive exercise for a home pond.

Anyone here know much about fuel pickup on whipper snippers ?

Sorry fred wong:)

Boris said:

there are more than one algae.. some are useful some become problematic.

so get the water tested, find out the good from the bad, get a specific poison that’ll only kill the bad. sounds like an expensive exercise for a home pond.

I gave up my willie wagtails and my snails and my mosquitoes.. I can’t keep water laying about doing bugger all but stop me from going outside at night while willie sings for his sweet pretty creature all night.

jjjust moi said:

Anyone here know much about fuel pickup on whipper snippers ?

Mr Babe wants to know what the problem is?

is it cutting out or not sucking it in?

Boris said:

you were asking about algae? it gets rid of that and doesn’t let the rotting dead algae produce toxins. algae is a plant.

I watched the youtube and not much info. Hell it even says itself in the blurb, “This clean water treatment clears dirty cloudy water in salt water or fresh water” then in the next paragraph it says “Whilst not clearing the water,”

Nothing about killing algae. The presentation, light on facts, video presentation in place of information, emphasis on not harming, chemical free, etc, all rings woo alarm bells for me.

don’t use it then simple.

Skunkworks said:

Boris said:

you were asking about algae? it gets rid of that and doesn’t let the rotting dead algae produce toxins. algae is a plant.

I watched the youtube and not much info. Hell it even says itself in the blurb, “This clean water treatment clears dirty cloudy water in salt water or fresh water” then in the next paragraph it says “Whilst not clearing the water,”

Nothing about killing algae. The presentation, light on facts, video presentation in place of information, emphasis on not harming, chemical free, etc, all rings woo alarm bells for me.

as I’ve pointed out.. We need to know your algae.

>developed by a friend once removed for a pearl farm.

Jaysus, how big was this bloke? Or was it a very small pearl farm?

How big is your pond and what fish do you have there?

Boris said:

don’t use it then simple.

Cheers, didnt mean to rubbish your contribution, and if I see it in the shops I will have a close read of the label to see if it is suitable for what I want it to do.

19 shillings said:

How big is your pond and what fish do you have there?

2400 liters and as far as I can tell, 5 goldfish fry.

Have a look on The Ponds Institute site.

a testimonial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPvSzaH73c&feature=related

;-)

Algae loves nitrates and phosphates. The less of these your pond has, the less algae you have.

Phosphates and nitrates in a pond get there through food you put in via fish food, and does not come out, making a nutrient-rich environment for algae.

Nutrients can be removed from the system by:

Water changes – empty out a chunk of water and replace with fresh
Remove stuff – trim water plants on a regular basis. Every leaf left to rot in the water feeds an equal weight of algae.

A couple of options you can try:

Birds in/around your pond can add a lot of nutrients you have to remove.

Get a couple of handfulls of swamp mud and put it in your pond. This can introduce small critters that will eat the algae, and in turn feed bigger critters.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Phosphates and nitrates in a pond get there through food you put in via fish food, and does not come out, making a nutrient-rich environment for algae.
…
Get a couple of handfulls of swamp mud and put it in your pond. This can introduce small critters that will eat the algae, and in turn feed bigger critters.

Fish dont get fed. I have introduced dam mud and have/had critters. I sat had as the waterboatmen have gone missing. But dragonflies and damselflies using it, wter diving beatles everywhere and growing plants should be sucking up some nitrogen.

Put in some mesh over the pond to stop birds predating.

As for the algae, it is part of the territory.

If you want a clear small pond then constant waterflow is the only solution I can see.

Boris said:

a testimonial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuPvSzaH73c&feature=related

;-)

Sales pitch you mean. Thanks Boris, if i see it I will check it out. No more youtubes thanks.

Skunkworks said:

Fish dont get fed. I have introduced dam mud and have/had critters. I sat had as the waterboatmen have gone missing. But dragonflies and damselflies using it, wter diving beatles everywhere and growing plants should be sucking up some nitrogen.

Awesome. :)

You’re doing all the right things. How old is the pond? A year?

19 shillings said:

Put in some mesh over the pond to stop birds predating.

As for the algae, it is part of the territory.

If you want a clear small pond then constant waterflow is the only solution I can see.

Birds are part and parcel, I dont mind. It was only feederfish and I am a bit glad they are gone. Might give tadpoles a chance. And yes, dont mind algae just trying to reduce a bit.

Skunkworks said:

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Phosphates and nitrates in a pond get there through food you put in via fish food, and does not come out, making a nutrient-rich environment for algae.
…
Get a couple of handfulls of swamp mud and put it in your pond. This can introduce small critters that will eat the algae, and in turn feed bigger critters.

Fish dont get fed. I have introduced dam mud and have/had critters. I sat had as the waterboatmen have gone missing. But dragonflies and damselflies using it, wter diving beatles everywhere and growing plants should be sucking up some nitrogen.

pretty much then all you need to do is have the water flowing and have eddies and reeds.. we are talking micro rather than macro.

Carmen_Sandiego said:

Skunkworks said:

Fish dont get fed. I have introduced dam mud and have/had critters. I sat had as the waterboatmen have gone missing. But dragonflies and damselflies using it, wter diving beatles everywhere and growing plants should be sucking up some nitrogen.

Awesome. :)

You’re doing all the right things. How old is the pond? A year?

Middle of last year, toward the end of summer. Thats what I mean by the first full spring for them. They didnt grow much into winter and some were burned by frosts. But they are powering along now, in a month I have gone from none, to sixteen lilly pads, two more I can see underneath and two flowers forming.

one very good method i have seen is a stainless steel mesh about an inch below the water

its enough to make the pond look nice and thick enough to stop birds eating the birds

in the case i saw there were hundreds of small fish that would dive for cover under the grill if you went near the surface

what i can see is skunkworks sat on a giant lotus flower cushion near a waterfall that cascades into his pond

around the pond is a gravel garden that he carefully tends eventually raking the stones to sand

wookiemeister said:

one very good method i have seen is a stainless steel mesh about an inch below the water

I have thought about that, but the many plants will make that problematic. Plus the rock surrounds , I am not heaving all those buggers up. A piccie later will make it clearer. I am happy just to have cloud fish and leave it for frogs if it comes to that.

the thing i have seen was an elevated rectangular pond that ran adjacent to a wall of a business

there were plants in the water as well, probably sucking out the phosphates and keeping the water clear.

the water was clear

you could always make a dedicated area where the fish would go to eat.

water from the pond would flow into that area meaning that crap would be contained in a small area and not spread elsewhere.

When I had a pond, I dug a soak-well for it. It had a length of pipe connecting it to the surface, over which a rock was usually carefully placed. Top of the soak-well was lower than the bottom of the pond so it would siphon. I used to drain the the pond using a cheap $5 plastic siphon from an auto shop with the tubes replaced by longer plastic hoses. Feed long end down to the soak-well, short end into the pond, couple of pumps and pond slowly drains. Used to drain off and replace about a third to keep the algae down.

Not sure if digging deep holes to put in soak-wells is your thing though.

party_pants said:

When I had a pond, I dug a soak-well for it. It had a length of pipe connecting it to the surface, over which a rock was usually carefully placed. Top of the soak-well was lower than the bottom of the pond so it would siphon. I used to drain the the pond using a cheap $5 plastic siphon from an auto shop with the tubes replaced by longer plastic hoses. Feed long end down to the soak-well, short end into the pond, couple of pumps and pond slowly drains. Used to drain off and replace about a third to keep the algae down.

Not sure if digging deep holes to put in soak-wells is your thing though.

Draining is not a problem, it has a big pump and filter (the filter is bucket sized) and if I want to drain, I can just run a hose from where it flows out into the waterfall and point it at some trees.

i don’t like ponds really, i think they become mosquito breeding areas

if i had a pond it would be shallow and with a stainless steel mesh it would be shaded all day (sunshine helps algae grow)

you could have fake rocks surrounding the pond which would be elevated at waist height. the rocks could make a kind of cave pool where the sun is kept out

selected plants could be planted in pots around and in the rocks creating a nirvana

you could combine it with a small bird breeding area and the birds would frollick in the man made waterfall that spilled into the pond. small areas of the waterfall could feed to small bathing areas where washing and grooming could occur. this water would be sent to a snad fillter bed to keep crap out of the pond water.

you could take a leaf out of the romans book and have a gravity fed sand filter for all of the water in the pond

if you had a decent solar system this would power the waterfall of a day

it has a big pump and filter (the filter is bucket sized

—-

Luxery

Showoff!!

wookiemeister said:

i don’t like ponds really, i think they become mosquito breeding areas

if i had a pond it would be shallow and with a stainless steel mesh it would be shaded all day (sunshine helps algae grow)

you could have fake rocks surrounding the pond which would be elevated at waist height. the rocks could make a kind of cave pool where the sun is kept out

selected plants could be planted in pots around and in the rocks creating a nirvana

you could combine it with a small bird breeding area and the birds would frollick in the man made waterfall that spilled into the pond. small areas of the waterfall could feed to small bathing areas where washing and grooming could occur. this water would be sent to a snad fillter bed to keep crap out of the pond water.

you could take a leaf out of the romans book and have a gravity fed sand filter for all of the water in the pond

if you had a decent solar system this would power the waterfall of a day

I want to elaborate but it won’t collaborate with the conventional idea of a pond.. but at least I can say that I have frogs and some ponding plants. My pond is approximately half an acre.. on a rise.. which is underlaid with calcrete. No water is ever seen for long but it stays there..

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

i don’t like ponds really, i think they become mosquito breeding areas

if i had a pond it would be shallow and with a stainless steel mesh it would be shaded all day (sunshine helps algae grow)

you could have fake rocks surrounding the pond which would be elevated at waist height. the rocks could make a kind of cave pool where the sun is kept out

selected plants could be planted in pots around and in the rocks creating a nirvana

you could combine it with a small bird breeding area and the birds would frollick in the man made waterfall that spilled into the pond. small areas of the waterfall could feed to small bathing areas where washing and grooming could occur. this water would be sent to a snad fillter bed to keep crap out of the pond water.

you could take a leaf out of the romans book and have a gravity fed sand filter for all of the water in the pond

if you had a decent solar system this would power the waterfall of a day

I want to elaborate but it won’t collaborate with the conventional idea of a pond.. but at least I can say that I have frogs and some ponding plants. My pond is approximately half an acre.. on a rise.. which is underlaid with calcrete. No water is ever seen for long but it stays there..

maybe you could make it into a bird haven and fence it off so cats etc can’t get into it?

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

i don’t like ponds really, i think they become mosquito breeding areas

if i had a pond it would be shallow and with a stainless steel mesh it would be shaded all day (sunshine helps algae grow)

you could have fake rocks surrounding the pond which would be elevated at waist height. the rocks could make a kind of cave pool where the sun is kept out

selected plants could be planted in pots around and in the rocks creating a nirvana

you could combine it with a small bird breeding area and the birds would frollick in the man made waterfall that spilled into the pond. small areas of the waterfall could feed to small bathing areas where washing and grooming could occur. this water would be sent to a snad fillter bed to keep crap out of the pond water.

you could take a leaf out of the romans book and have a gravity fed sand filter for all of the water in the pond

if you had a decent solar system this would power the waterfall of a day

I want to elaborate but it won’t collaborate with the conventional idea of a pond.. but at least I can say that I have frogs and some ponding plants. My pond is approximately half an acre.. on a rise.. which is underlaid with calcrete. No water is ever seen for long but it stays there..

maybe you could make it into a bird haven and fence it off so cats etc can’t get into it?

wookiemeister said:

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

i don’t like ponds really, i think they become mosquito breeding areas

if i had a pond it would be shallow and with a stainless steel mesh it would be shaded all day (sunshine helps algae grow)

you could have fake rocks surrounding the pond which would be elevated at waist height. the rocks could make a kind of cave pool where the sun is kept out

selected plants could be planted in pots around and in the rocks creating a nirvana

you could combine it with a small bird breeding area and the birds would frollick in the man made waterfall that spilled into the pond. small areas of the waterfall could feed to small bathing areas where washing and grooming could occur. this water would be sent to a snad fillter bed to keep crap out of the pond water.

you could take a leaf out of the romans book and have a gravity fed sand filter for all of the water in the pond

if you had a decent solar system this would power the waterfall of a day

I want to elaborate but it won’t collaborate with the conventional idea of a pond.. but at least I can say that I have frogs and some ponding plants. My pond is approximately half an acre.. on a rise.. which is underlaid with calcrete. No water is ever seen for long but it stays there..

maybe you could make it into a bird haven and fence it off so cats etc can’t get into it?

cats would never last long if I was allowed to hold a .22

the over nutrient can occur due to over feeding the fish

do you think that my have occurred

you could ask about introducing aminals that like to eat help clean the base and sides of the pond natural pond cleaners could work a treat … freshwater snails or other bottom feeding freshwater fish species ?

I am going to try the Water Cleanser, suggested by boris.
In my pool and my brothers fishtank.

Looks promising.

Can see no flaws…

I

19 shillings said:

I am going to try the Water Cleanser, suggested by boris.
In my pool and my brothers fishtank.

Looks promising.

Can see no flaws…

I

Let us know how you go. I got some ordinary poison from Crameri the big local hardware. They nor Bunnings had the stuff Boris recommended.

Though when you say pool? Why not just use chlorine. Also a fishtank has different issues with light?

What was that poison?

19 shillings said:

What was that poison?

AquaMaster Pond Clear just a normal pond clear from a hardware, applied yesterday and no huge difference but I dont know which mechanism by which it works. But I still had water beetles this arvo which I was keen to check. They are my canarys.

Skunkworks said:

Though when you say pool? Why not just use chlorine. Also a fishtank has different issues with light?

-

When we have a drought the pool is not allowed to be filled, so you have to chlorinate every day once the pool level drops below the skimmer box, otherwise algae grow. Oh, it is a saltwater filter.

Meh…. I would be buying $35 worth and doing the experiment,

but I dont know which mechanism by which it works.

—-

Be interesting to see if it is the same animal.

the product that i mentioned works with Archean bacteria. the product is a hydrocarbon, crude oil, in a wax base. the bacteria breed and fed on the hydrocarbon but also like other stuff, like algae. worth the experiment.

It has a pump and filter? Then surely a flocculant will be enough to agglomerate the algae so that the filter can remove it. Won’t be crystal clear, but it should keep it at a reasonable level.