I bought a new digital camera and tried it out over the weekend on my pond. I thought you all would like to see a couple photos.
I'm really thrilled with how crystal clear the water is with my Skippy filter.
Late Summer Pond Photos
Very nice.
Beautiful Pondlove. I love your pond.
Lovely pond and your fish are getting more oxygen from spraying water plus they all seem to like the extra bubbles.
Not really photos but question at late fall. I have netted some babies out of my pond trying to keep them indoors til next spring. I was amazed at the differences. I have three koi (mutts), three shebunkin, and four gold fish. The babies are all over the board. Some are obviously gold fish, though they have touches of black. Some are pure silver, the smaller ones are rather translucent. There are some in the pond about 2" long that are black. Fast little buggers and I haven't been able to catch one. I know that the fish change color over months and maybe years. I wonder what the odds are that one of the babies is a koi. And the ones about 1" long that are silver are perplexing also. Ideas? The koi I have are Walmart koi and have grown amazingly over the summer. The usual red,black,silver mixes. One has the darker orange with more black amongst the silver.
Eventually you will be able to see barbels by their mouth to separate the 2.
That I figured, but how soon would they show the barbels?
Oberon,
Looked on many web sites on koi and didn't find a thing so I called Docs. Foster & Smith and they didn't know either so they called their acquarium co. and they said when they are between 2 and 3 " they get the barbells.
They kept me on the phone for 20 mins. so I think they deserve the credit for finally finding out. I learned something new today thanks to you.
Bonnie
Thanks so much Bonnie. I do hope it was a 1-800 number you were hanging on otherwise I owe you! I wonder if they will get that long before spring. Doubt it in a 30 gal tank. If they do and I have 8 in there I may be in trouble. Will have to break out the two 10 gallon tanks just to hold them. But would be worth it. Thanks again.
Mary
For what it's worth when my goldfish fry are small they are all black, as they get older they turn gold.I don't have any koi. I've maintained a natural pond and never fed the fish. Every year we get new babies.
Thanks Mittsy. I guess the black ones, even though larger than some of the smaller ones which are already turning various shades of gold, white, black or all three, must be gold fish. Time will tell. :)
Oberon,
Bet they will be larger than that by spring.
I have 2 that started out black and now they are orange and black. They are koi and getting pretty.
Good luck with your fish. For once I would like to see you have some living in spring time.
Call was 800 no. They are great folks to do bus. with and very helpful.
Do you have any recommendations for a pond vac.? I cannot use those muck vacks cause I don't have enough water pressure. Got to be one with a motor. Been researching for a long time cause they are expensive and I don't want to buy a lousy one. My main pond problem is sand blowing in and of course leafs which I scoop out all the time. I'm ready this year with netting.
Happy ponding all.
Mittsy, I didn't forget the desert rose. Been running to treatments with Charlie every day and we have 3 more weeks of it. I WILL get it sent to you.
Bonnie
Bonnie please hold it awhile longer as we are going to be leaving soon for a visit with our family in KY.Then from there, on to Cocoa Beach.
My issue is camphor berries dropping in. They seem to make it through the netting, so I guess I'll just keep scooping at certain times of the year. I bought a flat pool net, to just scoop along the bottom. It's tedious, but seems to work well.
It's been a mess around here, I'm trying to stay calm. New roof is finally on. Amen! Drywall in the bathroom is finally up, picked up the tile last night, so now I can search for an installer. Sunroom wood flooring will get picked up this afternoon, and the drywall guy will come back to work on replacing all the water damage around the windows hopefully this week. I'm still packing up a billion years worth of collectable glassware that I have in all of my cabinets, so we can move the cabints to get the flooring installed. I'll be so very happy when I can get back to diggin my pond! I'm finally to the point where I just need to hand dig. It has to be by shovel, but anyone who has someone who wants to get paid to hand dig, let me know!
I have used a PondVac 4 for a couple of years. Motorized. Takes a little back strength to manage the hose and wand but does a good job. Has attachments to either vacuum the bottom (I removed almost all rock so it is easy to vacuum the rubber liner) or grip algae. We still do scrubbing with a stiff bristled broom on the side rock and liner where it covers the underlying upright rock to form vertical walls in the front part of the pond. Also have a skimmer net and a larger net to just skim the water for the algae we agitate loose. In spring it is almost a daily chore the simming etc. We vacuum several times as the algae builds and the Algaway 5.4 kills it. The PondVac has functioned perfectly. It isn't too heavy to carry and has wheels so it can be dragged across the lawn. Yes it is expensive. I think I paid over $300 for it, but it was a good investment. And it would pull up berries very easily. Picks up pea gravel even that has fallen from water lily baskets.
Mary, you have my sympathy for all your work. I had forgotten the damage you sustained from the hurricane. What a mess but it will be so nice when it is all finished. And you can concentrate on your pond.
Been off for a few days. Got work in house so have to concentrate on that now that I can see to sew. Today is swags and side drapes. Then 13 outdodor cushions.
I'm thankful.
Geeez M. Mary, I didn't know you sustained all that damage. Even a little leak can cause lots of damage. It will be beautiful when you are finished and then onto the pond.
Charlie is going for EECP treatment every day so I am without my car so I should get a lot more done around home.
Oberon that is the vac. I have been considering. I have no rocks on either of the ponds bottoms. I figure vacuuming them should be easier. Thank you for the recomendation.
Back to work, Bonnie
MerryMary: What kind of glassware do you collect? I collect H.C. Fry Company glassware that was manufactured in Rochester, Pa. Both of my maternal grandparents worked there.
OK Mittsy, it can just grow for you.
Bonnie
I collect anything gold and sparkly! It started with Hall Golden Glo pottery...then Tiffin and Culver glasses...then Briard glasses...then Imperial gold glasses....Lots of FireKing dishes with gold edges. I've been collecting it for 25 years, don't know why, maybe it's my inner Princess?
Seriously, I have cabinets filled with it. And yes, I actually use it...for just about everything. Anniversaries, Christmas, Easter, New Years, Wedding Showers, etc....Iced Tea just tastes better out of a sparkly glass! :)
Sorry for the sideways pics!
Hall Pottery was made in Ohio, which is where I'm originally from.
MerryMary,
And I thought I had a lot of glassware!!! I see you have crystal stems with gold trim. Fry made that, too. They also did fine cut lead crystal, Foval art glass, colored tableware and heat resistant kitchenware. I'm also familiar with Hall Pottery. That part of the country had a lot of pottery and glassmaking companies at one time.
Went to get fish food at fish farm Fri. and I'm so proud of me. Didn't buy not one fish but I did buy a beautiful pink tropical water lilly. Wish I could remember its name.
I buy 6 -5 pd. bags and it lasts almost a year. I keep in utility rm. now that we have AC in there it stays very well.
Son Jeff bought a pretty one so naturally it had to come here as its not small. Mostly white with red around tail. Has bright blue eyes so he is thinking of calling it Sinatra you know after Frank.
Enjoyed the ride cause he is always a comedian and for once I watch the road so we didn't get lost.
Happy ponding all,
Bonnie
Got water lilly in large tub but want to put it into old pond cause more sun there but how can I keep koi from eating it? Last time I tried it they ate it to pieces and this one has 4 buds on it already.
Any suggestions?
Hmm. Wire cage; guess that depends on how deep the pond is. New one is 4' if I remember correctly. I have 5' heavgyfencing but the holes are 2x2". Although your fish are pretty big so they might be able to get through that. Got it at Home Depot to cage my flowers that flop; also to mark where I have stuff planted so I know not to dig there in the spring.
Both my ponds are 2 feet deep. I'm thinking of hardware screen as its mental and green. Just got to figure how to hold it up straight in the pond. My bottoms are all EPDM liner. Guess I'll have to figure it out. I really don't want them to eat them all up. Looked at them this morning and they have 4 buds on them.
They are Queen of Siam.
Bonnie
What if you plant it in a tubbie, with several sticks of rebar sticking up in the tubbie like a tomato cage, and wrap it with something? I've tried the orange plastic snow fencing, but it showed too much, even though it was very effective. The surface of the plastic was about 3 inches under water, so it worked well, the leaves came up and over the top to spread.
I then planted some in a more shallow area, and did a double stack of plastic mesh gutter cover, rolled into a tube (I think it was 8 inches wide) so therefore 16inches tall on the potted up-spikes. ( I didn't use rebar, I used the green plastic covered metal tomato spikes, but they eventually rusted apart.) The idea worked, I'm just not sure of the final "product" I'm going to use. I did find some black wide holed mesh, like practice football jerseys, and used that one year to make little rock drop bags that I planted my lily roots in. They did very well to keep the roots contained, and down at the bottom of my pond, but my fish were smaller and had no interest in eating the leaves. I'm not sure how well it would work now. My tall plants, I plant in a half-block (cement block) like an underwater vase filled with the roots and rocks. No soil.
This is cement half-block underwater vase.
Or what if you used 2 plastic mesh planters, cut the bottom out of one, and zip-tied it to the top of the 2nd one, making a tall black mesh upright tube. Plant the roots only in the bottom half, and let the leaves and bloom stalks grow upward. Even if the fish nibble some, they will never dig into your roots.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Weston-Mesh-Fishing-Bait-Cage-Live-Fish-Cage-24-X24-Black-/290955416093?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43be4b521d
I'm also looking into something like this to plant in, opening the top for the leaves and blooms, but never allowing the koi to get too far down by the roots.
Bait cage is great idea but pricey if you are doing a few of them. The plastic pot deal is probably best for me. My problem is they eat the leaves and blooms that float on water surface.
Right now I have to finish window treatment job and then will get outside and find solution. I do have some plastic pots and also some fabric ones. I'm sure one of your solutions will work. Right now its in a tub with 4 buds so I'm sure I'll get to see it bloom. It's a Queen of Siam and I think you have some like it M. Mary.
Thanks so much for your thoughts.
Talked to Jeff about digging help for you. Boys are practicing football 3 nights per week and play on Sat. Ea. one is on different team so it takes up most of the day. He said if he could figure a time they would all be free he would help you plus me you know. I really want you to get your pond up and running. You have been so patient but good things usually don't happen over night.
Bonnie
Bonnie, you just worry about the kids and yourself! Thank you so much for the offer, but I know you all are just as busy as me! It will all get completed at some point! Thank you for thinking about me, I really appreciate it!
I may hire you to make some throw pillows for me if I find the right fabric. I've seen your beautiful valances, so I don't know who the lucky person is that's getting this round of window treatments, but I know they'll be tickled pink!
My plants are all being trampled by workers, so I tried to pick up broken stems and stick them in soil somewhere to try and keep a few of them going. Of course with this weird weather, many of my rooted plants weren't looking fabulous anyway!
M. Mary,
Check out Home Fabrics & Rugs in Fl. Mall. When you drive in off Sand Lake easy to see. Often they have some yardage for $3. per yard. You don't have to hire me we can consider it exchange for all the fish you have given me over the years. I love to sew and have over 100 designs for pillows. What I did once-took a pic of a fav. plant and enlarged it then embroidered it on fabric in actual colors that it was. That was a pillow front. Came out good. I used to teach mach. embroidery in the days before computerized embroidery machs.
Man was here the other day to buy one of our heifers. He has a GOAT skin he wants me to make pillows out of. Have used long hair skins once before and boy are they a challenge but what the heck if it makes him happy. LOL
You are also welcome to any cuttings of any of my plants. I'm sorry yours are taking a beating.
Have patience and persevere.
Bonnie
Bonnie will daylillies grow and bloom for you?
Mittsy,
If an Easter lilly is a day lilly then yes they do fine here. I have 1 and it keeps coming back every year and blooms.
Bonnie
Different lily.
I see many brightly colored lillies in the yards in Clermont. Maybe there a day lilly I'm not sure.
Checked with a friend in Clermont whose yard is loaded with them and she says thats what they are so I now know they live here and grow prolificly.
Great, I'll bring some for the next swap. Got some beauties.
Great Mittsy
water lilly report. they are putting out leaves on top of the water. woo hoo.