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Preparing for fall
Topic Started: Oct 7 2011, 01:16 PM (319 Views)
frogman3
Bluegill
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I think you are fine Melanie. I need a tent shaped structure since my pond is so large and it's impossible to reach the leaves if they are more than 5 ft from the edge.

I cut my lilies once they stop growing and blooming. I have only half the pads I had this summer but some varities are still blooming. Once they are cut back remove my fido fence and net the pond since I feel the fish are too exposed plus by that time the leaves are coming down in earnest.

I had to purchase new netting this year since the tree destroyed mine last year. I drape the 28' x 28' net over the pond and use rocks to secure the sides.

From what I understand the Koi clay works best on SA if it is applied where the algae is growing. For some reason unknown to me I have very little of it, none in my main pond. I really think my fish eat it before it has a chance to grow. Pigs they are.
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43freckleface
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tlc,Oct 12 2011
03:09 PM
43freckleface,Oct 12 2011
03:55 AM
Also, if you could send me a message as to where to get the Koi clay I would really appreciate it.

Are you asking me or Frogman3?


I was thinking frogman would let me know where to get the Koi clay?
I have found some online but not sure which is best.
Thank you!
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43freckleface
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Getting colder and raining so I was glad to get everything finished yesterday. The pond is covered. I felt kind of sad once the cover was on. Sort of gives a final goodbye before the cold winter ahead. I used to sit by the pond with a cup of coffee most every night and just watch the fish and listen to the waterfall. I will really miss that.
I went ahead and cut the lillies back. They did look pretty bad. It was hard to believe but I still had about 6 buds that had yet to bloom. I didn't want to have to remove the cover later and really would not be able to see the blooms with the cover on.
Trying to remember everything I have read about the pump. Do you take that out now too or wait a while?
Do I need to do something with the skimmer box to keep it from freezing? With the weir door I don't know how to keep the water from going in there. I know I can get all the water out of the bio falls with a pump but the skimmer worries me. I don't want it to freeze and crack.
I really appreciate any suggestions.
Melanie


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43freckleface
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frogman3,Oct 12 2011
11:38 PM
From what I understand the Koi clay works best on SA if it is applied where the algae is growing. For some reason unknown to me I have very little of it, none in my main pond. I really think my fish eat it before it has a chance to grow. Pigs they are.

Can I borrow some of your pigs? :crackup:
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tlc
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43freckleface,Oct 13 2011
03:49 AM
Getting colder and raining so I was glad to get everything finished yesterday. The pond is covered. I felt kind of sad once the cover was on. Sort of gives a final goodbye before the cold winter ahead.

So what most of us ponders do in the w (I can't force myself to type the "W" word yet) is to plan or dream about what we want to do for next season. What kinds of plants you want or how much bigger you want your pond or what kinds of ROCKS ( :cheering: ) you are going to get.
I do like fall around my pond. All of the plants around the pond have matured and filled out. My pond water is clearer so it's easier to cut back plants without chopping a fish or two in half :yikes: .

Cutting back the plants before netting was smart and if they look crappish anyway all the better.

I don't have a skimmer so I can('t) help you there. I leave my pump in all year but I don't know what the others do that are closer to your zone. How deep is your pond again and where is the pump located in/out of the pond?

T
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43freckleface
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tlc,Oct 13 2011
01:42 PM
I don't have a skimmer so I can help you there. I leave my pump in all year but I don't know what the others do that are closer to your zone. How deep is your pond again and where is the pump located in/out of the pond?

T

The skimmer is located at one end of the pond. The pump is inside at the back. It pumps water through flexible pvc a few inches underground around the side of the pond to the bio filter waterfall.

Just did some research and they say to remove the pump. I still have to figure out how to drain the skimmer.

My pond is 24" deep at the center in a large oval area and 18" around the outer edge.


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Its Just Don
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Take the pump out, put it in a bucket of water and store it in a warm area (basement). For the skimmer and biofalls, get some plastic bottles, such as soda bottles or milk cartons, put some stone or gravel in them to slightly weight them down, tightly cap them and put them in the falls and skimmer. The bottles should float half submerged at the surface. When ice forms on the water surface, it's expansion will "crush" the bottles full of air instead of pushing outward on the skimmer and falls, preventing any damage to them. When you rake your leaves, put them into black plastic garbage bags and tightly close them. Place the filled bags over the area under which your pipes are buried and around and over the skimmer and falls areas. The insulating value of the filled bags will dramatically reduce frost penetration and the black plastic will absorb solar energy on sunny days, further keeping the area above the pipes warmer. When I kept my pond running in the winter, I covered the stream with styrofoam sheets and a tarp to prevent heat loss. You could also do that on the ground over the pipe pathway.

Don
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43freckleface
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Its Just Don,Oct 14 2011
12:21 AM
When you rake your leaves, put them into black plastic garbage bags and tightly close them.  Place the filled bags over the area under which your pipes are buried and around and over the skimmer and falls areas. 

Thank you Don. Your advice is sincerely appreciated.
Guess I know what I will be doing this weekend? :fall_leaf:
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anitapond
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Speaking of preparing for fall and win*er (can't type that yet!), I was thinking of running an aerator for the first time this year. I plan on covering it with a rubbermaid container outside. Is that sufficient? Also, I've read that condensation can form in the airline and then freeze, which results in burning up the aerator. Has anyone experienced this in colder climates? Remember, I am in zone 5, and we get a mass amount of snow and cold!
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Its Just Don
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My aerator ran 24/7 and I had no problems whatsoever and I'm in northern Illinois. Gets mighty cold here, too, in the winter. Zone 5a. Mine is covered with just a plastic shoebox.

DP
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Fishy
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I have had the air line tubing freeze a few times in the winter, presumably from moisture in the air that got in there and froze. I had to cut a new line. Once the old line thawed inside, it would work. The pump didn't die.
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tlc
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I have had the same aerator running since I did the little pond and never had mine freeze (yet). Mine is inside a shoebox just like DP. I put an old mouse pad on the bottom of the shoebox to elevate the areator just cause I did. pppft
I'm in zone 8 but we do get pretty cold some years. Two years in a row I had over 3 inches of ice on the little pond (don't laugh you guys)...
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