Green water

I am so impressed to read your new year resolution made in October. Lots of time left to break it!!!

Good luck with your pond and may your very hard work be worthwhile - I am sure it will.

lol wildrose yes abit ahead of schedual for newyear haha
but iv had to tell myself this now or i will forget by newyear lol, cheers :o)))

Not feed the fish thats the same as not feeding the dog,mine would climb out and break the door down.lol

San how would you like it if you weren`t fed in case you pooped too much? lol, we haven`t needed to feed as much this year as normal because they weren`t interested in what should have been early summer, however they are up and asking well at the moment, we can always tell if we go near the edge because if they want feeding they come up and ask, even in winter if they came up I would put a tiny bit in, a dedicated pondman told us many moons ago that little is better than none and that a good guide would be to see if they cleared it away within 5mins, any left after that and we were overfeeding, at first that was a rule we followed but after all this time we are used to the way the fish behave you will get used to yours as time goes on, it does become second nature as with any other pet...
It does look good San and you never know we might get a brilliant summer next year and you could be out there all the time, lo....

Hi the pond does look good. we stopped buying uv lights and apart from the dd green soup days it stays pretty clear but we only feed the fish when they 'ask' like Lincslass says she does. It also depends on how many fish you have, we used to have 50+ and they did get fed alot but we now only have 17 after that horrid winter 2 winters ago.

I have also mananged very little in the garden this year, first half due to the weather and family outings. latter half due to being a little under the weather. but hopefully soon be up and at the weeds.

How is your son doing at Lampeter? Is it his 3rd yr? Our girl is loving Newport and has just gone into her 2nd.

Your pond looks amazing, love it! Look forward to seeing what changes you make next year, you will have plenty of time to sleep on it till then. :)))

thanx Brian and sue for your comments, i agree i wouldnt stop feeding them, but will only put food in when they come to me for it like you say :o))
Hi Sea.... your fish are quite big arent they, so they would need to be fed, it aparently meant if you had small goldfish and plenty of plant life etc in pond they would live off whats in pond.
Anyway joe in final year yes.. also he has a form to fill in for the police force, not sure if he is going to apply for wales or back here in lancashire, but he loves wales and has made lots of friends there in Lampeter and other places near by,
so has your daughter another two years Sea..? and is she liking it to :o))
thanx michaella yes plenty of time to decide what to do but iv actually and finally got an arch, Baz put it near pond not where i wanted but i will make a feature out of that for next summer, maybe put my bench under it and some plants growing over but nothing that will all fall into pond like roses, to messy near the pond.

My little ponds cracked Sandra so I don't have them any more. Although I didn't have any fish in them, I did get quite a few frogs which helped keep the slug and snail population down.

Since the pond has gone I have found so many more of the little gastropod beasties around and they have enjoyed chewing up my garden this summer and autumn. I may try and build another pond next year...I too have been tidying up the garden today :-)

Hi Richard, sorry about your little ponds cracking, i agree about the slugs etc, as i didnt have many frogs this year cause of changing pond over, i found i had lots of slugs and plants full of holes, but also i think because we had such a wet summer didnt help.
you will have to think of something new to use for a new pond.
good luck with tidying up to richard :o))

I've been out there today Sandra sorting out my compost bins to take all the new leaves etc. I planted some Tulips and cut back my Hostas. I gave the lawns there last cut yesterday and gave them their autumn weed and feed. :o)
We have hardly sat out in the garden this year....like you I find it so depressing. Anyway.......there is always next year isn't there? They say it has been a great year for slugs..... they like it damp.
Fancy Joe being in his last year....time passes fast.
Anyway good luck tidying everyone.

I can totally agree about the slugs San, as my garden has been decimated this year by them..It has been an awful Summer here too. If you want a chuckle, look in on my Summer Washout blog, it has some really funny comments on.. One of our ponds has been breached, so looks like we will have to renew it next year..We had a stray dog jump into it and think that he punctured the butyl liner..Looking after ponds can be hard work can't it?..

We feed ours with the floating sticks, the Koi near to the house come to one side of the pond mouths agape when they want food and any left on the top we fish out with a net straight away,
The big pond at the bottom is funny, if you stamp on the decking they feel the vibrations and come rushing up!.....we only put a few goldfish in there but they breed well so in high summer its chaos for a few minutes, we lose some to the heron each year but the numbers seem to remain pretty constant

As you know San, I don't have fish in my pond as I really want frogs and toads and the fish seem to eat the spawn. Plus, they make a lot of mess as you've mentioned, and attract the herons (which is nice but an expensive way to feed a heron!). Anyway, I've also had green water issues this year, but searched and found a treatment that seems to really help. However, I'm not sure it would be safe for fish......I'll have to see if I can find the bottle and have a look. I don't have a UV light in the pond, just a solar-powered oxygen pump, but it seems to have found a balance now and isn't going green so much anymore. I feel it's a triumph to be honest, as my old pond was constantly full of horrid algae! The pond looks great and I think you are right to go for more foliage plants...enjoy re-planting etc. :)

Hi Linda seems im not alone with lack of garden enthusiasm this year but we all have to tidy up even if we feek that way, iv been out today filling my wheelie bin, but havent touched the surface yet, cant cut grass as far to wet,maybe some more tomorrow :o))

Hi Flori sorry you have been the same and even more sorry you have trouble with your pond liner and sounds like it has been punchered, drat, dogs and water hey, poor you, will check out your blog :o))

Hi Pam yes koi are a different thing and defo need to be fed as alot bigger, we have net to stop the heron eating all our goldfish now after losing a few last year and this, love koi though so colourfull and huge to :o))

Hi Karen so gla dyour pond has settled in well and you seem to have sorted out the green water thing, though even treatments dont stop some algea, like string algea can be a real pain which is caused by strong sunlite, so no threat there then lol
i think since we placed the new uv lamp in it seems to be getting better, time will tell, yes and a few changes next years garden will bring, my bad area at the back of the garage near deck where the mound is,, well a mess to be frank, with matted grass and weeds taking over this year, not sure what to do with it as the mound is full of tree roots from years gone by, so weed killer first before spring then decide what to do with it after, something which requires less upkeep :o))

I'm another one who needs to tidy up the garden for winter but we are plagued by heavy rain again, just hasn't stopped today. Hope your efforts clear your pond. Hopefully, too, we will have a mild winter :)

thankyou Gee, sorry you have even more rain, think we will by thursday im told, it doesnt encourage us at all does it, lets hope your right for a mild winter :o))

Your ponds looking great Sandra, Its a pity you are having problems with green water, Its strange as I dont have a pump or a lamp, but the water stays quite clear, I usually clear the pond weed out every couple of weeks but otherwise no probs. I have frogs and a newt , still have had awful problems with the slug population this year! but think thats down to the excessive rain we have had, be glad to see the end of this gardening year, been quite depressing with the weather and the slugs!!

Today we have sunshine and I have enjoyed doing a little tidying and I have made two wildlife dens hopefully for Hedgehogs or other welcome creatures, when I told Harry , he thinks Ive gone barmy,his words were The only widlife you will attract are Rats! whats he like !! lol

Hi San, yes Ellie has this and next yr to go. she is loving every minute of it and although she comes home for the big hols we tend to go down to see her for long weekends. Hope Joe enjoys the police force, it can be a brilliant career. I have friends who have done 30yrs and loved it.

Cleared out the belfast sink by the back door and replanted it with cyclamen. they are one of my all time favourite plants. I too have to sort out the compost bins bt I need OH to help me.

Hi Sandra!
I don't think you should be alarmed that your pond has gone green...it's still young...and they all do it sometimes.

The one I have now is always green...but, it's also still young...and has too many fish, not enough plants...and too much sun!

I visited my old house, and my old pond (which I made around 6 years ago), a couple of weeks ago. The fish are still there, the plants I put in are so healthy looking, and the water is crystal clear...

But, the new owners are just visitors. It's all doing it on its own, now...no fish-feeding, no care.

Like Pam, I give mine pond-sticks, but only in the summer - to stop them eating new shoots. In the winter, they hibernate.

Don't worry, it'll get there. :)

San we are trying something recommended to us it's called ..Banish Algae Pad by Bermuda ...it treats up to 5000 litres of water it costs £ 8/9 ... depending where you buy it but because our ponds are small in comparison to that amount of water we were able to cut our pad into quarters ,so have some for later use it is working the water is clearer .......

Hi San...can empathize ...what a mess that green water can seem, but it's actually healthier for the fish. Goldies are algae eaters...the more they get the better their colour and the healthier they are. (in fact, the expensive food that promises better colour is mostly dried algae...and overfeeding can get you started down a road you don't want to travel! Believe me!!!)
The biggest challenge with goldfish is the ammonia that accumulates in their water. This is from their own waste and from uneaten food that settles and rots on the bottom of the pond. Ammonia is colourless but not odourless...so hang a sniff and if it smells like household cleaner...do a water exchange. If you replace the water with treated tap water you may also have a problem with chlorine and chloramine. Chlorine will dissipate after standing about 24 hours...but Chloramine is there forever, it seems. along with the ammonia it does a real double whammy on your poor fishies.
Ammonia will degrade your fishes' fins, eyes and gills, and sometimes produce ulcers on the gills themselves. it leaves them open to fungal and bacterial infections...hence your cotton wool... which is probably a fungus called "ich" or "ick", and infections and infestations usually come in packs when the pH of the water is severely weighted to either extreme.
I have my guys in a 50 gallon aq, now as it was impossible to keep them outdoors in so shallow a pond over winter. I have lost five of them to water problems..and am continuing to fight the good fight. Have decided to set up a 25 gal. tank for the bigger fishes...there are 10 of the smaller ones now and they are all about 3 inches in length so I plan to leave the ten little indians in the big one. I had three larger (parent) fish 6-8 inches long, and lost the beautiful silver white one to ammonia problems this summer!
It's been one thing after another...and you're so right...keeping goldfish is not a cheap hobby!
I've come to know them...they have their own characters..and at times (like feeding time) that I fancy they know me...and greet me with goldfish enthusiasm!
Good luck, San. You have oxygenators thriving in there so things can't be too bad.

lol carole men always put a damper on things dont they haha
i have made little houses for toads to go into over winter amongst all my plants with dead leaves etc to keep them damp as they like that.
glad you are enjoying your pond and no problems :o))

Hi Sea... so glad ellie is enjoying uni life and also you get to go and see her, im hoping we can get to see joe in newyear as he will only be doing a flying visit at xmas to see us and his dad, but any time with him is great.
glad your getting started with clearing jobs to :o))

karen glad to hear your old pond is still doing ok and because its mature the fish can fend for themselves, i use the floating sticks but have cut right down, im over feeding the greedy bliters haha, anyway mine is clearing now since i or should i say Baz has put the new uv lamp in, great stuff.
like you mine in full sun when we get it and not alot of plant life as yet or shade, so i put the sun brolly up when hot to help with shade,
so hope you get to grips with green water to :o))

Amy that sound a great idea which i will check up at our pond place, it would be good to have additional help in summer other than just the lamp, thankyou, will write down the name :o))

Lori thankyou also for your experience, i have treated the cottonwooly thing and its going well, i checked today and also checked the water as it was going down for some reason, i now know it was because somehow the water pipe leading water out of the urn had moved and water was escaping, so iv reset this and all being well will stay put, refilled what had escaped and checked the water which seems to be fine, no chlorine and acid levels etc all good, so fishies are all now ok bare one which has lost its red colour and now looking more a yellow goldfish, but am told this can happen, its healthy enough.
So all ok now on golden pond haha :o))
thankyou all for your help and addvice :o))

Hi San, sounds a great idea to go for more leaf colour next year . . . but your garden is looking lovely and colourful already! Good luck with keeping that resolution :))

Hi Sheila and many thanx :o))

Ponds are expensive, and fish keeping too, we gave up on the fish as the heron and the snake plus the odd cat helped themselves, but it will settle down..
Good luck with the tidy up........

Sorry I've missed this Sandra ... I hope you don't think I'm ignoring you lol :o)
Anyway what a lot of work with a pond, but it must be worth it to have such a nice feature in your garden.
Good luck with your tidying :o) I hope the weather will let you get on with it ...

Hi Dotty and thankyou, i hate having the net on but better than losing my fish which has happened before, once im over this flu i will crack on with clearing the garden :o)))

Hywel im deeply hurt you ignoring me haha, no my friend i totally understand and wouldnt think that.
its nice to see you as always,the pond is worth it and i think once you have learned some harsh lessons you become aware and also it becomes easier.
weather isnt to bad at all Hywel with sunshine and only an odd shower but iv had flu for a week now, so another few days i think before getting back out there, hope your well to :o))) xx

Very sorry to read you have the flu San, heres wishing you a speedy recovery. Being of a certain age I had my jab last week........cannot believe it is that time of year again!!

Sorry to hear you've had the flue Sandra
:o( I hope you're feeling better now.

Yes flu jabs are due, Gerry gets his free I have to pay for mine at Morrison's but last year they gave me a free cup of coffee......Hope you have recovered Sandra. Flu is horrid. When we had our large pond with lots of fish we used to reduce the food down for the cold months to twice a week. In the warmer months we increased to every day in the summer. Only enough food that they would eat from the surface and no more. It's a fine balance. If too much it will pollute the pond. We gave them the floating pellets. I hope this helps Sandra.

thanx Dotty and Hywel, im alot better but seem to get this each year last 3 years and pretty bad, im 52 now but a friend said i should ask about jab as i suffer with certain allments and maybe i would be able to have it early haha, so i may ask when im next at my GP ;o))
Linda thankyou im alot better, also i like you use floating pellets and dont overdo it and anything they dont eat gets scooped out, thanx for you input and help :o))

I used to wait and scoop any pellets left from the top of the water Sandra. The fish don't eat much in the winter so it's important to be careful. I'm waiting to see when Morrison's start there flu jabs and will go at the beginning of November to have my jab. Last year I didn't get the normal flu like cold I usually get so having a jab did make a difference for me. I suppose everyone is different to how it affects them.

yes i do that to Linda, dont want anymore yakky stuff than i can help lol
Morrisons started here cause a friend has been and someone else i know is going tomorrow,
i just think some are affected because something different in one year, they change ingredients all the time to cover as much as they can for whats going about and also so people dont become amune to it i guess,
good luck with yours Linda :o))

I don't like to speak too loudly but since taking a teaspoon of Manuka honey every day my colds and sinus roblems are so much less.

Ive heard this before of clients Pam so i may try it myself, cant harm trying ;o))

Manuka honey is very good as the bees collect from the forrests. It's quite expensive though. If you can buy local honey it's good for you too especially with hayfever as it's made from the local environment (Pollen) flowers. SOme cheap honey is made by blending other honey (not always from British honeybees) so look at the label carefully. Honey is good for burns, and making facepacks for the skin. Good for cooking with too. I used to keep bees.

thanx Linda, iv had manuka honey before and yes more expensive but lovely, i enjoy honey its pure heaven to me lol
My uncle and his wife have bees and i so enjoyed being there one day helping in my white suit etc haha was great to see them all close up and busy working. ;o))

Lovely Sandra. It's so interesting and there is always something different to look at when you go into the hive. I miss the contact. Had to stop keeping them because Gerry became rather sensitive to the stings. I loved it though and even now I can let a bee on to my hand. You get to know when they are annoyed especially when the wasps start attacking the hives, or if it's stormy weather. I used to open the hive in the middle of the day to have a look at them, mostly on a warm day. A smoker, hive tool and I had an old white boiler suit to wear and a cover for the head, face and neck. Have taken a few swarms too in the past.

shame about Gerry but better not to take chances Linda :o)) but i can see why you could get addicted to having them, so interesting.

Would love to hear more about your "honey days", Linda... Hope you don't mind my jumping in here, San! Been toying with the idea of trying a hive or two in the meadow. ;-)

If you are interested in beekeeping Lorilyn I would suggest you join the local beekeepers society where they will give you advice and sometimes will run a course for you to join in with. It will give you an insight into how to keep the bees and some experience in handling them too. We enjoyed keeping them for a long time (and enjoyed the honey too)

no problem Lori, buzz away haha :o))