by Alot of the pond books are totally full of shit.
I've studied biology, and ponds in nature.
Laying all day at the edge of natural ponds, studying its life and cycles.
A pond is a low maintainance eco-system.
The more you fuss with a pond, the more trouble it will give you.
The whole idea is to get it set, or "seasoned", then leave it be.
Only needing to weed occasionally around it, maybe pull some algea out
by hand during the dog-days of summer.
NEVER PLANT DUCK-WEED.
This is strictly for larger ponds.
Anything that can't be containerized, can't be controlled!
The whole pond, once seasoned, is nothing BUT life.
A filter, activated charcoal (be careful, use fish type charcoal from at
pet supply, others are geared for removing gases only, not just conmtaminants),
should be fashioned "in-line" with your water pump. *by-the-way* A water
pump for a small pond should cost about $70.
I made my own filter.
I used pvc sewer pipe (and pvc glue). A 4" pipe is good.
And the ever-renown silicone sealant (pure 100%).
This stuff is great!!!!!!!!!!
Make sure anytime you use silcone sealant, that it has "cured", unattached
to the pond in any way, for 24 hours (although scientifically speaking,
i think the acetic acid in it might do a pond good sometimes, hehe).
But, let the sealant dry 24 hours before employing it near the pond anyway.
A hack saw, and drill, and some fittings and sealant, and, you can
make your own filter, if you are handy at such things.
(I should start manufacturing them).
The idea of a filter, is simply an empty chamber (water-tight), with
a fitting sticking out of each end of the chamber (cylindrical like a
sewer pipe 1 ft. long).
The fittings must be the width of a Garden hose (at least a half inch
fitting), anyway, so that some old garden hosing can be slipped over
each end fitting and clamped tight with a stainless-steel screw-type
hose clamp $.50 cents at any hardware.
In fact, by going from hardware to hardware store, you'll find all this stuff.
The pvc sewer pipe (6" diameter and 1 ft. long) can be simply cut off of
"stock" in the hardware store. Very inexpensive!
One "cap" to be glued on one end of the pipe can also be purchased
(might have to order from crummier hardware stores). Buy the special
pvc-glue too, for this purpose of gluing on the "one" end cap.
The other end of the pipe "must" be threaded like a screw!
Then purchase a matching "threaded" cap for the other end of the pipe.
Now you have the makings of a closed "capsule".
AND THATS WHAT YOU WANT!
At the hardware, also buy fittings (small pipes with flanges).
You need one fitting set for each end of your capsule.
The hardware guy (or gal) will know what you are trying to do if you tell them.
Just make sure that the hose you use to connect to the water pump, will
fit over both the pump outlet, AND the fittings you buy for your "capsule".
Of coarse, the proper size holes are drilled in each end of the capsule.
(One in the glued end cap, the other in the removable***cap.)
Its a good idea to do your drilling before you permanantly glue the one
end cap on.
Afix your fittings on too, and "seal" them too.
Remember, the sealant, and glue are two seperate items.
The sealant is for sealing the little pipes that you will be screwing onto
your end pieces (through the apprpopriately sized drilled hole(s))
(alot simpler than it sounds if you get the hardware guy to chose the
parts, and you get the same size that your pump outlet is).
The pve "glue" is for permanantlt afixing a cap to one end of your
pipe (again, do your drilling and fitting installment on this cap first,
before gluing it on) :)
You should get the idea by now.
A CHAMBER.
With two pipes sticking out of each end (and sealed).
HOSES ARE CLAMPED ON each little end pipe.
(simple)
INside the chamber goes a fistful or 2, of aquarium floss (from pet store).
This looks just like cotton wadding, (but it is quite different).
Make a nice net bag (fine netting), wash your pet store charcoal (rinse
til runs clear), fill the bag with this charcoal, put this bag of
magic into your chamber too.
Ball up alittle galvanized chicken wire (hardware also, dont take much,
about 1 foot will do it), cut to appropriate size first.
Place a ball on each end of the chamber first, before filling inbetween
with the bag of charcoal and filter-floss.
COOL.
Screw on your removable end cap.
Seal around the crack of the scew cap, so no water can leak out.
Let dry for 24 hours.
You now have a reuseable, rechargeable, wonderful, small-pond filter!
Submerge the pump into the water (unplugged! yet),
get a hose clamped onto the outlet opening little pipe that sticks out of your
pump (i use old half inch garden hose with alittle adhesive-tape
wrapped around the outlet pipe to make it fit snuggly inside the garden hose).
Clamp the other end of this hose to your jiffy filter,
clamp another segment of hose onto the other end of your jiffy filter tm
, the other end of this segment is: guess what?
YOUR WATER FALL !!!
Fashion it all together your way.
Set aside a whole afternon for this.
Enjoy yourself, don't hurry, don't fret, don't get anxiety.
After all, this is supposed to be fun, and relaxing.
Re=do it if you have to.
Don't be impatienT!
It'll all fall together eventually.
I also like to put a "shunt" into the system.
This is simply a valved extra hose that bypasses the filter joined into
the set up.
But, you can work on that next year.
If you accomplished the initial setup, the shunt should be an easy project.
(Just cut hose, and by "t" connectors, and a pvc-valve, and clamp away!
This inline filter will keep your pond "right" all summer.
I try to put new stuff inside the filter, every 2 months, but,
i usually don't, and its still good.
--
WHEN YOU ARE UP TO YOUR ASS IN ALLIGATORS,
SOMETIMES IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO REMEMBER,
THAT YOUR INITIAL OBJECTIVE,
WAS TO DRAIN THE SWAMP..