My Sunday project Pond fun

M. Mary maybe you should start another thread as it appears we have kidnapped this one.

I'm sure you will have more news as your pond goes on.

Looking at the beautiful foliage in Queens area sure brings back memories doesn't it.

Pond heater is working amazing!

that's great. I have no more snow and what we had melted. I only have a small layer of ice on the pond and the pipe dropping water in the pond is keep a large area of surface ice free. then the little pond deicer at the other end has a little area open.

Do you think your really heats the pond rather than simply keeping the surface open. wonder what the temp is down lower?

Today I turn 77 and am so thankful to only have a few pains in legs.

Oberon my water temp is 50 now so I won't feed for a while. Next week we are supposed to be back up in the 70's which is fine with me.

Glad your pond heaters are working so good. You could get temp of water by dropping in (on a string of course with a weight) to see what water temp is at bottom. My fish have been hanging around at bottom more. I haven't fed them for a couple of days. My son came over yesterday and cut and put in all new filtration material I had bought. Says it should perform much better than the stuff I was using. I shall see. Sure will be much easier to handle.

Cookie baking is over for now. Made up enough to fix up 35 plates to give out. My kitchen floor is a sticky mess so time to scrub that. Glad we are going to sons for Christmas. He is doing the cooking and I will just take a couple of pies etc. I'm keeping the etc. down this year.
Had my turn for Thanksgiving.

Hope you all are keeping warm that are up north. Our heat has been on for 3 days steady and my husb. likes to live in a hot house. Not me but it has been quite cold here. Feb. is usually our coldest month and often requires covering plants.

Take care all and don't work too hard at hosting and cooking.
Bonnie

35 plates !! Holy cow. I only do two or three baskets. And of course stuff for freezing and eating later on. My son and his family came over last night for dinner and stayed til 9pm. Had a really good time. Today I want to make Kruschiki (Polish Bow Ties), popcorn balls, and Rosettes (the ones where you dip the 'branding iron' into batter then into hot oil.) If I have time, Hazelnut balls and Ginger Crinkles. OH, I want to make gingerbread men also.

I do so enjoy baking. And the local yarn shop where I knit sometimes is always a good place to take a plate.

We are holding in the 20's which is just fine with me. Just enough snow to cover the garden but would like more. As with you, Jan-Feb brings colder weather and usually more snow in March.

Take care. And happy belated birthday. I turned 68 in October. Looking forward to 70. lol

Happy Birthday Bonnie! I had no idea! Blessings and health to you!

Making linzertorte cookies tomorrow. I love hazelnuts and raspberries! Apricot thumbprints and cutouts, both regular and chocolate.

My baby fish are now about 2 inches. So far they've survived the cold nights, keeping my fingers crossed! Haven't finished my waterfall, with the holidays and work, it's just gone to the back burner. I'll get out there eventually....

M. Mary, God only gave us 2 hands cause he knew if he gave more some of us would work ourselves to death. I know in 2015 you will complete your pond and landscaping and it will be beautiful and you can sit and admire it. At least once in a while.

Oberon, would love to know how to make Kruschiki. Sounds yummy as does everything you mentioned.

Got a new scale for Christmas. Gained 4 pds. Better change my eating habits in 2015. I rec'd a box of swiss chocolates with honey & almond noucat and that I can't leave alone. Also my grand dgt. gave me small box of choc. covered blueberries. They all know I'm a blueberry lover. When its al gone I sure won't buy more.

Temp outside is about 80 so guess I can throw some feed to the fish. Come spring I plan to move out all fish and pressure wash each pond well. I am getting a new press. washer shortly. I seem to use one all the time.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

Which pressure washer are you getting? I would be afraid to use one in my pond for fear of eating a whole in the liner.

These are my MIL's mother's recipes. Same cookie. Must be rolled as thin as you can handle. I suspect it takes a lot of practice to get it thin but still tough enough to handle. Puffs up in the fryer. Oh, my GMIL's name was also Mary. Mary Sobeleski Somonovich. Her parents were from Poland but she was born in New York.

I am getting a pressure washer 3,000psi like I had a few years ago but this one is key start. Yanking on a cord doesn't appeal to my back anymore. I make real sure the washer doesn't stay in any one spot for even a min. I have washed the liners many times this way and no holes yet. Your right you do have to be careful. I use a PW for lots of cleaning chores and if they are real strong I stand back away from whatever I am working on.

I printed out the recipes and hope to try them during the year before next Christmas. Got to do them right before I give any away.

Everyone is asking for more filled cookies but I'm sick of baking for now. I told them give me a couple of mos. Also, they aren't cheap to make. Worse part is I love to eat the disfigured ones and that's what disfigures me. Need more won't power. Won't eat them.

I may give it a try this spring. I don't completely empty the pond just being it way down which exposes most of the rock and part of the liner in the shallower end. I'll ask D what he thinks. Our washer will peel up trek decking if you are within 6 inches of it.

I NEVER get that close to much of anything when spraying. I don't think any PR will take the little rooting hairs of creeping fig off my walls. Was told by a painter I'd have to use wire brush.
Hope he's wrong. Got a friend that's got a 4,500 PR so maybe I can talk him into doing it or trying.

I'm sure I won't be ready to paint the house anytime soon and fig is already growing up house again. However, I do like the looks of it. I can always put some cattle panels on spacers to keep it off house and slip it when it gets to the top. Last time it grew up into our attic by going through peak vents. Oh well that's nature for you.

EUWWWWW. Wouldn't it destroy your house. It crept into your attic. How do you sleep at night -- with a blow torch under your pillow - to fight off the creeping fig.

Happy New Year all! Hope 2015 is the best, filled with blessings and health!

Happy New Year! My daughter called from Texas last night right before their new year (4 hours ahead of us), and some from the Netherlands. We are all off and running into spring 2015. Can hardly wait for the pond to thaw and the garden to grow.

Oberon if creping fig is all that gets into my house that's ok. I pulled it off from the outside and it all came out.

Same to you M. Mary.

Guess you left the hose on in the smaller pond and killed all her fish? Yep, this guy. Sheesh.
Tought I'd top it off and let the water bake in the sun before we have this cold snap. One thing leads to another, and my old brain forgets, I go out to feed them this morning and....oh crud.

Very sorry M. Mary. Don't feel bad my 77 year old brain forgets a lot now a days. Hope you didn't have your large fish in there.

Supposed to go down to 36 here tonight. I need to drag out the landscape blankets. Got some tender plants out there.

Bonnie

Haven't gotton to try out the new PW yet. Waiting for Northern to send a thingy that keeps battery up as it can't be charged up with a reg. battery charger.

Oh do I love new tools.

Putting new filtration type material in ponds was a smart move. Ponds are still clear as a bell.
I better not brag cause when spring hits maybe that will change.

M. Mary, hoping you will invite me over to see your pond when you are finished. Remember I always have plants to share. I know it will be beautiful.

What kind of new filtration material did you buy? I am always looking for something better.

I'm reading from PentairAES.com catalogue.
Matala RM98 high density filtration media. I'ts blue and 1 1/2" thick 391/2" L X24 sheets only.
Comes in black, green, blue and dark gray.

Made of flexible fiber compound. This filtration media is used in many applications in the aquaculture & koi pond markets. It is excellent for removing solid wastes and unlike other filter padding totally resists compression. Solid fibers are very resistant to sludge buildup and clogging making cleaning easy. Features a lot of surface area making it good for biological filtration. Great for low pressure, gravity fed skimmers and filters. Matala is positively boyant and may require anchoring in submerged applications. Charlie stood and read this to me as I couldn't read small type with book sitting on my desk. Sometimes he's helpful.

We cut it by heating up with small propane torch a butcher knife and went right through it. So far it has proven to be the best filtration media I have used. Doesn't have to be cleaned but about twice a year so for me that's great. Come summer I am going to do thorough cleaning of all things ponds including rocks around top.

Just checked my journal book: it was cut and put in both waterfalls and both skimmers Dec. 13 2014 and so far water is staying crystal clear. YIPEE Original company name Aquatic Eco-Systems hence new name Pentair AES. I bought a full case for about $124. It can't be shipped rolled. Hope you can find it some place closer to you as freight might eat you up. I drove over and just picked it up. If you want me to call them and check out freight cost to Alaska I will.
Hopefully you can find it someplace closer.

Hope this has been helpful.
Bonnie

I actually did get some of this, the black and green ones. But I didn't think that as open weave as they are they would filter the 'fines' coming into the skimmer very well, or the algae that is floating in the water dead but needs to be removed. I use the fine filter pads and they require cleaning once or twice daily in the early summer and fall apart after all that wrestling around by summer end. I could see the matala as an media for building up the good bugs in the biowell though. In fact I think we cut one to go under the three 2" fine pads and bags of charcoal. I just don't see how the matala is fine enough to keep the water crystal clear. Which my pond generally is, just has a green tint from algae on the bottom and rocks. I use a push broom and a scrub brush with long handle to clean those then it gets sucked into the skimmer and the fine mesh picks it all up. I have no doubt I am doing it the hard and most work intensive way but short of investing in some really pricey gadgets like a bead filter.... I also have an external filter with bio-balls and 25 VH, drat, what is that purple light called. And another 55 light all by itself. About 36" long.

I saw that some people had been using the scrub pads from floor scrubbers, which are available at Lowes, Walmart, and Home Depot (and ebay for cheaper) They come in 4 different textures, and are one zillionth the price of normal filter pads. They are round disks, so I assume would fit in most canister pressure filters...

I realize every ones water is different. Don't have any algae is large pond but maybe cause that has no rocks beneath water. small pond has some algae on rocks but I will press. wash that off when summer comes. Warmer water seems to grow algae better. My son thinks algae growing on the rocks is pretty as long as the water is very clear which mine is.

All the fine filtration material I used to use fell to pieces and really filthy so I cut it up and am using it for filler in bottom of flower pots. I figure all the fish waste in it should help the plants.

Purple light--UV clarifier I think you mean. They are wonderful.

As I pressure wash I have a trash pump running in bottom of ponds and throw all that stuff into flower beds. Than I will vacuum both ponds if there is any junk left. Still haven't cleaned out the filter mats since last Dec. when I first put them in. The guy that helped my son cut and fit pads for waterfalls and skimmers says he only cleans it twice a year. That's fine with me. I am sorry you have to work so hard to keep your pond clean. I still haven't put the bio-balls back in anywhere. I'm getting older and need most carefree ponds I can possibly get. I think when Merry Mary sees my ponds she will agree I don't really need a bead filter which can't really afford. Will have to take some pictures on a warm day and post.

Most repeated task is scooping off oak leaves which I would still like to build nets onto hinged boards to trap and then just tip them off pond surface. That's a future project I hope.

I'm looking forward to koi show in March in Orlando. Hope to buy a kohaku to add more color to large pond. Smaller pond has room for more fish since heron had lunch of 1/2 of them but I put smaller fish in there until they grow larger. Have 1 pearly white one that is due for transfer to large pond but I'll wait until spring to move.

Happy ponding all.

Maybe different sun, weather etc. I have virtually no shade on my pond. Maybe if my apple tree every really grows some leaves it might give some shade at noon. I am glad you have a system to allows you to maintain your ponds without the extra labor. Guess it is the price I pay for trying to pond in Alaska .. lol

Oberon
I give you much credit for ponding in Alaska's climate. Must be a challenge.

Ponds are work here also but at least we do it in warm weather and don't freeze our tush off.

I scoop some oak leaves off top every day but only takes a few minutes. My water is still at 50 degrees so I'm still feeding fish. They look like they are getting larger all the time. Usually I don't feed during the winter but so far we have had mild winter. Usually Feb. gets pretty cold so I had better not brag.

Will be great when summer comes and you can see and enjoy your fish again. Hang in there.

Supposed to go down to 25 here tonight for a few hours.

Checked on fish this morning and they are all still swimming around so hope they will make it through tonight.

Crazy weather this winter. We are talking 78 by this weekend.

It IS crazy weather! Of course, I'm sicker than a dog, as is most of my family. No fun. Just looking forward to sun and temps above the 20's and 30s. I'm a high school coach, so my work is outdoors and until 10pm. Brrr it's been cold and wet this past week. I need to thaw out and warm up. Antibiotics are my friend right now, as are the Vicks Vapo-rub tissues....Lord, bring me some sun!

Sure hope you get to feeling better soon. Seems everyone is getting sick. Weather needs to stabilize and maybe that would help.

Your job being around kids exposes you to lots of germs. When my kids were little they brought everything home to me it seemed. I loaded them up with vitamins and that seemed to help.

Hang on Mary, this weekend is supposed to be near 80.

M. Mary,
Just checked their website. Central Fl. Koi Show is March 13-14-14. Same place. They added goldfish to show and judge.

Hope Jeff and I get there.

Oh gosh I hope I get to go! The goldfish aspect will be interesting, I'm looking into Chinese veiltails. Maybe I can get a good deal! :)

Last year there was a lot of tanks inside full of different kinds of goldfish including those that Jeff likes with the big heads and wren on top. Think yours was named Edlardo. That just popped into my head. Don't really have great memory.

Well off to drs for CT scan. Boy will I be glad when all these tests are over. PIA

Best of luck on your tests! I know I'm certainly ready to feel better, so wish the same to you and Charlie!
That's funny that you remember my fat fishes name (Ed-Lard-O) :) My daughters and neice named him. Talked to NextDayKoi from ebay, and he said he won't have any Chinese Veiltails until spring and summer. By then I'll probably have killed off a few dozen leaving the hose in or whatever lunkheaded things I do from time to time. :)

Usually I can't remember a persons name but that fishes name just popped into my head probably cause it was different.

Maybe they would have some at Koi show?

Hope you decide to go. The man that has the Chinese high fin sharks is listed as one of the vendors that will be there. Last time they were sold out before we even got there. He gave me his card and told me to call him before he left home. Now if I can just find it. LOL