***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?
 
Last edited:
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.
 
Last edited:
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.
 
Last edited:
Had to do another repair on one of my UV lights, started to leak from the bulb holder.
Fast approaching time to replace them, a job I have been putting off the last couple of years tbh :-(
 
I think the recommendation is every 2 years for UV. The bit that makes the UV starts to degrade and is does not produce as much.
 
Sorted the drum and bypass out .. all good and ready for the hosepipe ban tomorrow.

I've noted we have at least 4 smaller fish in the main pond and at least three in the rear! I think I've got two sets of spawnings as some are almost like they're a couple of months larger than the others.. so it will be interesting come autumn when the watercress dies off and the pond is cleaned!

Got what looks like some nice blue fish which take after one of the larger fish..
 
father-ted said:
I am not meaning the bulb buddy, I mean the actual unit.
I change the UV bulbs every 12 months.
Click to expand...

Yep, I have a 80W amalgam which seems over kill but given the roll off, it still seems to be doing a grand job into its 3rd year. I think the 4" pipe and flow rate allows for a decent dwell time which makes up for the additional water it has to travel through.
 
Last edited:
Meet Melvin.. the smaller size.. I don't think he's much bigger than the eyeball of the larger fish:
COidsHb.md.jpg

The window looks filthy due to the water harness and dust from the tile work..
 
Last edited:
Should I transplant a small amount of pond weed from the lower pond to the rather bare upper pond after clearing out the huge root mat and replanting the water lilies to give the fish in the upper pond a little cover?

I’ve had to refill 50% of the lower pond after the pipe between pump and filter broke and it’s diluted the protection the black dye in the microbelift give it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom