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Joined: Apr 2006
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Wild Willow
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Wild Willow
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Ok, first off, let me say I am sorry for all the new topics... I just have lots of questions.. and I don't want to bury a new question in an old thread, cause then no one will see it, so yeah..

First off.. my liner in my pond is very dirty.. red dirt/clay type dirt.. I have been stirring it up some, hoping the filter will clean it out, but either that is a very slow process or it just isn't really working. I thought about buying a vacuum for it, but really don't want to spend the money.. Will it hurt it to just stay dirty and slowly filter out?

Secondly, my water isn't real clear.. I think I do have a touch of algae growing in there.. I mean it isn't terrible.. I can still see the fish and the filter on the bottom and such, but it isn't as clear as I would like it to be.. What do I do?

Third, I have a little bit of foamy stuff floating on top.. just here and there in small sections about the size of dimes.. I was wondering if it had anything to do with the fish/frogs/ or the hundreds of tadpoles I have living in there?? What is that from and how do I fix it?

And lastly, (I think), do I need to worry about the temperature of the water getting too warm?? My brother seems to think I need to keep the water temp pretty cool and I am not sure how to do that other than adding ice.. ?? I don't want to roast my fishies, but I don't want to freeze them either.. At the moment I do not have a pond thermometer as the temps outside haven't been that incredibly high, so I wasn't worried about it too much yet, but the days will begin to get increasingly warmer.. what should I do? Do I need to ice my pond, or will my fish be ok in warm water??

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Plants for shade for the fish....must have floating plants if it's hot.

Mine hide under my water hyacinth all day when it's sunny in the yard...then in the evening when my yard is shady from 5pm on they come out and swim.

The water temp....I think they'd be okay....I mead I need to top my pond off almost everyday and that adds a good bit of cooler water in there....Goldfish are a coldwater fish, but they can tolerate a big extreme of temps I believe.

Do you have a pond filter with your pump? Or just a pump?

When my pond was first made you could see everything....about a week later you couldn't see the bottom of the 3 ft end anymore....(I need more floating plants for shade myself).....That stops the algae from growing so bad on the liner.

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Well, I'm no expert and maybe not helpful. You may need to be rinsing/cleaning your filter frequently to help clean out that clay. It may just be building up in your filter. What kind of filter do you have? I'd buy a little vacuum (like for fish tanks, their pretty cheap) then stir the pond, with the pump off, make a whirlpool and let it set. The dirt should settle right into the middle and you can just suck most of it up.

#2: Buy some snails. They eat algae. There are products out there, to kill off algae, but they will kill off beneficial bacteria as well.

#3: Foamy stuff may be eggs. Lots of amphibians/bugs leave there eggs on top of water. You could probably just fish it out with a net every so often. Sorry I'm not more knowledgeable.

#4: If your pond is deep, it should stay cool down in the deeper areas. The earth remains a constant 50-something degrees, especially the deeper your dig. Plus, you'll have to replace water loss from evaporation and you could always use the warm water in the hose to water plants and when the water finally runs cold, put that in the pond. Although, I don't think you'll have to worry about water temp.

Okay, that's my two-cents. Hope that it helps and that I'm not too off-base on anything.


Sarah - Zone 5b/6
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Wild Willow
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Wild Willow
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Ok, water hyacinth is on my list.. I am also getting some water lettuce. Both for the fish and for the water.. sounds like the plants help it as well.

I add water to my pond probably every 3 days or so.. but as I said, the days are getting hotter and hotter, so I might be adding more frequently than that pretty soon.

As for the water temp, maybe I will invest in a thermometer once it starts getting really hot and if need be I will either add some ice or water..

And I am glad I am not the only one with a murky pond.. I just thought they were supposed to be pristine and clear.

I forgot, I have a filter also.. with a foam insert in it of some type, not too sure, hubby deals with that.. and little bio balls?? Black plastic balls inside the filter..

Last edited by Pinkhorseofcourse; Jun 10th, 2007 at 08:13 PM.
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Wild Willow
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Wild Willow
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Great advice Sarah!! I will try that with the whirlpool effect!! I think we actually have a syphon type thingy for our aquarium I might be able to use.. if the tube is long enough.. Yay! I might get it cleaned up yet. ;)

How many snails do I buy? Where do I get those? Other than my water garden nursery.. I don't know if they have live stuff.... as far as snails and fish etc.. but they are pricey...

As for the foamy stuff.. I am just not sure.. maybe I will do a little research.

Thank you very much for your input!!!

I just found this little tidbit about Foamy water..

Whenever proteins build up in pond water it causes the water to create foam, especially around the area at the bottom of the waterfall. One of the most frequent causes of protein build up is when the fish spawn so we see more foam in ponds during spring when spawning most often takes place. It's not dangerous but can be unsightly. Use fish-safe de-foaming agents to clear water.

Also, another question.. How important is it to test the pH levels in your water???

Last edited by Pinkhorseofcourse; Jun 10th, 2007 at 08:24 PM.
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Don't overfeed your fish BTW, the more you feed them---the more they poop---the worse your water quality will get.

I get my snails at walmart. thumbup

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I forgot, I have a filter also.. with a foam insert in it of some type, not too sure, hubby deals with that.. and little bio balls?? Black plastic balls inside the filter..


Sounds like we have the same setup....I have the foam filter with bio balls too. thumbup

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Wild Willow
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Wild Willow
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Yeah, I haven't been over feeding the fish.. I figure there is lots of other stuff in there they can eat.. I feed them about every other day and they seem to be doing fine.

What kind of snails are they?? Do they, WalMart, have different kinds?

And I got our pump and filter at Lowe's.. I can't remember the name of it now, but from the sounds of it, we probably do have the same set up.. which is good to know.. since I had NO idea what to get when I bought it.. lol

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I got my pump/filter at Lowes too!!!! It was a total kit thing.

Walmart sells, at least mine does, mystery snails...I started with 4 with my first tiny pond.....last year they layed eggs and there were TONS of baby snails out there........

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One word of advise on snails: do not get the small aquarium snails. (very small with very pointy, tapered shells) They will multiply like crazy and the sheer numbers will devour your plants.

Mystery Snails and Apple snails work well out in the water-garden, I think that is what most have. The mystery snail is really the same as an apple snail. Don't get the golden apple/mystery snail! They dine exclusively on plants. I'm sure WM carries snails. Mine has a tank for them, but it's always empty. I got mine at PetCo.

About Ph, I don't really know. Snails need hard water so their shells don't soften and wash away. That's about all I know. If you have fish already, do you have some sort of drops for the aquarium? I think we use something by Jungle like Clear water or something. You could probably use something like that to neutralize the pH, it may take half the bottle or more though. Personally, I'm not concerned about pH. I know I've got very hard water, so my snails aren't going to dissolve. And that's good enough for me.

By the way, checked on the waterlilies, the one that is 3 ft under has almost reached the top! It's probably within 6 inches of it. I can't wait to see a lily pad floating on top!


Sarah - Zone 5b/6
Joined: Apr 2006
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Wild Willow
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Wild Willow
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Thank god for WalMart.. LOL I will have to check friday.. I am going to town.. we also have a petshop in that same plaza, maybe I will check there too..

So I want Mystery Snails, but not Golden or Apple Mystery Snails?? Geez, I will probably end up getting the wrong kind. =/
How many snails should I buy?? And do I have to feed them anything or are they pretty much good to go on their own??

We do have hard water.. it is well water..

Congrats on your water lily!! I am so excited for you!!


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