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Who has an outdoor pond?

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Who has an outdoor pond?
deejay Offline
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Question Who has an outdoor pond?

If so, tell us about it, how big is it, what fish and aquatic plants do you grow in it?
12-05-2006 08:07 AM
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forwardone Offline
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RE: Who has an outdoor pond?

I don`t, but I`d like one.
12-05-2006 12:33 PM
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Sugar Magnolia Offline
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RE: Who has an outdoor pond?

I have a 4 year old pond we dug out when doing remodeling. We installed a 30 foot stream and the pond is downhill from that. In the stream we included a little 18" deep pool for our dogs to cool off in and drink from in the summer. The birds also love it for birdbaths and a resting place to eat berries from nearby shrubs. This coming summer I will need to dredge it out, since there is a lot of sediment and it will make it about 4 " deeper.
The pond is about 600 gallons; we built a shallow end - from 12-18" and a drop off to the deep end - 36". This is where the stream drops in. If you live in a cold climate at least 2' is recommended and a sandy bottom for fish to winter over.
We started with pond comets and fancy goldfish about 3" size. They did not all survive the first winter covered with 12" ice, however those that did survive grew over the winter. If you plan to winter over your fish, you need to keep water pumping or run a heater to keep a hole in your ice. (The water needs to continue to be oxyginated, otherwise the fish will die.) The survivors over the last 3 winters are now about 12" and still growing. This past summer I added some plan old feeder goldfish and another fancy, which were dwarfed by the big guns. But they adapted. I will be interested to see if they survive the winter. By chopping a hole in the ice, I was surprised to see that the biggies appear to be in suspended animation in the water. The smaller ones do bury in the sand or hide behind rocks.
We also have one 'pond dog' which is a tiger salamander "tadpole". Last I saw it, it was growing legs. We also discovered some tiger salamander playing after the first winter, but they disappeared. They are probably still in the pond, but they are very shy. Also birds like to eat them.
Over the past few years, the stream has naturalized with grasses growing and other natural flora around it. The pond itself is a continual work in progress to keep the rocks up around the sides and fight off this awful string type algae and cleaning the filters, etc. I learned that using barley straw or tablets in a floatation net really does work to control algae, but it takes 1 month for the fermentation gases to have an effect. So, I opted to use treatment chemicals while the barley 'cooks'.
I really enjoy planting and naturalizing around the pond and I built a stairway and walkway around it using pieces of broken pavers and rocks. We live in a decomposing granite/granite/sandstone/quartz area. I've learned which are the best stones to use, and where.
If I had it to do over again, I would definitely go BIGGER!
12-12-2006 09:56 PM
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deejay Offline
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RE: Who has an outdoor pond?

Sounds very nice Sugar Magnolia. I have never seen a tiger salamander, do you have any pics of it?
12-13-2006 02:36 PM
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