***The Pond Discussion Thread****

Already tried that, as soon as it grows over the edge, they eat it.
Think I maybe need to grow a large clump in a dustbin, then place it in the pond once established.....will work something out.
 
Water cress sounds nicer than the duckweed I’m stuck with this year. I tried taking it out a few times but there were just too many tadpoles, newt larvae and then damselfly larvae to get anywhere. Need a better plan next year. The pond is still relatively new - since April 2025.

Under all the duckweed, there’s a healthy amount of water crowfoot which occasionally flowers through and some frogbit has resurfaced which I dropped in last year.
 
I have this gold fish in my pond that keeps resting in the exact same spot in the corner of the pond under Lilly pads.
It’s quite an old fish and has an injury on its back, looks like something had taken a bite out of it. So we decided to call it Flesh.

It’s been like that for ages though and he used to swim around with the other gold fish fine.

Not sure what’s up, he moves quickly if I disturb him, but more or less instantly returns to the same spot.
I was thinking it might just be the hot weather? Pond is well maintained lots of pond plants and a small fountain, the other 7 fish are all fine.

Any ideas?
 
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Could just be old age.
Make sure you have enough oxygen in the water, if not, it will affect the weaker fish first.
If you have a fountain running plus oxygenating plants, that should be sufficient for goldfish - they are quite hardy.
 
Fish like finding a calm spot of solitude if they're feeling under the weather. That can also be due to parasites etc so keep an eye on it. If it starts tipping over it then you may need to identify the problem or it could be on it's way out.

I had a youthful fish that ended up sat dead at the bottom, you can have something called sleeping sickness which they will need to build up a tolerance to. It makes them fall asleep and then they sit at the bottom and fall over on the side.. I think therefore I have some form of it in my pond. It can come on with the heat - which can cause more issues if the water temp is too high too.
 
SouthEast Water have announced a water ban that now covers Surrey and the rest of the south east "from the beginning of 25 July 2026 at 00:01 am":
Filling or maintaining a domestic pond (manmade or natural) using a hosepipe
Click to expand...
Exemption:
Where this is for the welfare of the fish or aquatic animals in the pond
Click to expand...
Source: https://cdn.southeastwater.co.uk/SewHousehold/Documents/Sussex_and_West_Public_Notice_2026.pdf

I read that as - no filling ponds or using water to clean the pond (trickle or spray bars) however if the pond level drops endangering the fish/wildlife (level and waste toxicity build up) then some water is allowed. Ie a liveable pond but a dirty pond. So I have time to ensure the pond is cycling well enough to maintain water levels when the drum filter cleaning spays are disabled - this ensures that with the bypass in effect there's no blocks causing water to overflow due to blocked filters.

I can move the UVC loop to the rear if need be and that would circulate through the anarobic and reduce the over flow potential if need be. It would also prevent the temps in the rear section from rising and killing the young fish in there.

I'll have to turn down the pond water filter rate so I can manually clean it before it causes an overflow but I'd have todo that anyway. Just means slower aerobic filtering. I'll be using the big area of watercress to filter the toxic waste build up. I don't have a trickle exchange in the pond so have to manually top up the pond. I find this mean no big water bill surprises - and in the case of water use, it makes me more efficient.
 
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Surprisingly, we don't have a water ban here yet, but it will come (as it does every year).
The annoying thing about a ban is the water companies enforce you to use less, yet still charge you the full cost.
We are still not on a water meter, as have avoided it like the plague (with having the pond, large garden and a hot tub to maintain).
They charge us through the nose for that though, our monthly water bill is around £160.
 
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