Messages

31

Pond Chat / Re: Woke up to a pond of dead fish

« on: March 11, 2010, 02:22:41 PM »

Have you tested your pond water yet? You need to see where your levels are at to see if there is something there causing you so much trouble.
It does sound like a problem with O2 but checking your levels is also a good idea...

Hope you figure it out and can get the problem correct.

32

Chit Chat / Re: Am I the only one

« on: December 27, 2009, 03:54:18 PM »

Here are a couple pics of things we made. 
TLC, we are the rednecks.  Hubby and both of our boys hunt deer, rabbit, birds, etc.  He made wooden boxes and filled them with gun cleaning supplies.  They have always let Dad clean their guns...........I think he's trying to tell them its time for them to learn. 

Karen

Those are very nice baskets. How creative! I could use one of those boxes for my gun cleaning supplies. Right now I have them in a shoebox  I will have to get my F-I-L to make me something like this. It will keep him out of trouble.

33

Chit Chat / Re: Am I the only one

« on: December 27, 2009, 03:50:03 PM »

TLC----- It's obvious you haven't looked at my stuff on the DIY sub forum. Talk about redneck!!!! Can you call a Michigander a redneck?? Cause that is what I am. Also a tanned foot one because I hardly ever wear shoes in the summer. What am I saying?? I don't wear them much, ever.. Just when I go away. I've even been known to chase an escaping cat barefoot in the snow or step out on the porch in the snow to get the dog. My DH thinks my feet must not have nerves in them.

Just now getting around to posting some pics. And yes Esther I have seen your PVC stuff I think you can qualify for redneck status .

Karen, I don't hunt (not that there is anything wrong with it) but I do have my own collection of shooting tools Never know when you might need to go hunting one of those long legged birds by the pond 

This is what I made for a couple gifts this year. The candles I've been doing for sometime now but the soap was new for me. It's so easy that women and children can do it 

34

Chit Chat / Re: Am I the only one

« on: December 12, 2009, 09:18:33 PM »

TLC, pictures!!!! We want pictures!! I have two electric fondue pots that were used years ago to melt candle wax but have never used it for that.

I'll see what I can muster up for pics. We are busy doing u-cuts the rest of this week but I'm trying to squeeze in a project or two in between. Don't expect anything real fancy though as I'm kinda redneck in the way I do things Esther, I'm no candle queen but if you want some tips I would be glad to share

35

Chit Chat / Re: Am I the only one

« on: December 11, 2009, 09:42:07 AM »

I'm working on making soaps, candles, cookies and candy.   

36

Chit Chat / Sean's Pond Temp

« on: November 09, 2009, 01:23:05 PM »

I was looking at Sean's signature line today and noticed the "Patio" and "Pond" temps.
They were as follows:
@ 1:19 (Pacific Time)
Patio: 81.1*C/46.6*F
Pond: 91.0*C/195.8*F YIKES!!! You better check those fish to see if they are done yet !

This probably should not be in the chat section so please move if needed.

37

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: My Pond- Summer 2009

« on: October 26, 2009, 10:11:34 AM »

That is a nice size pond. They are alot of work aren't they?
How many lilies do you have in there? Looks like 2.

Good job! 

tlc

38

Pond Chat / Re: Lotus from Tink

« on: July 16, 2009, 08:25:21 AM »

Thanks Vicki
Is that a Momo? Beautiful and I'm jealous The container is a rectangle shape right?
It's probably too late to start over with a new one. I'm just not sure if the ones that I have are going to grow at all or I should just dump them out and put some LAND plants in there for this year    .

39

Pond Chat / Re: Lotus from Tink

« on: July 15, 2009, 11:05:55 AM »

With all the lotus talk I thought I would give an update on mine.

I won't bother to post a pic as it looks the same as the one that I posted above .

I have not seen any improvement at all. Our weather here has been some on the cool side but not that bad. I really think that I did something wrong but not exactly sure what other then a couple of swear words here and there. I followed Joyce's instructions to a "T" but I have a feeling I may has screwed up on the water level part or maybe my containers aren't deep enough meaning not enough water above the soil line? The other thing is that I had/have lots of dark green water in the container and wondered if the sun wasn't getting to the tuber?? I tried floading the container a couple of times to see if that would help. I'm grasping at straws here.

I have about 4 inches of container above the soil line and kept it filled close to the top as you can see in the pic above. I also have a Momo Batan that I am killing too while I'm at it  :'( The lotus tubers that Tink gave me is in full sun with no shade at all. The Momo Batan probably gets 6 hours of sun.

So at this point I'm waiting, waiting, waiting....

40

Pond Chat / Re: Lotus from Tink

« on: May 15, 2009, 08:00:36 AM »

I can't wait to see it grow either. Everyday I go out and look to see if it's made progress. 

As for shorts, well, you won't see them on me cause I don't want to scare the neighbors .

41

Pond Chat / Re: Lots of pictures from around the yard and my slopes are filling in some....

« on: May 15, 2009, 07:57:42 AM »

Tink, you MADE those big ROCKS??? Get out!! Girl you are good!  I had no clue that you made them

If you did have real rocks there in place of the ones you made you will still have a huge problem if you had a leak (fingers crossed). They would be a major undertaking to get them moved I would think..

42

Pond Chat / Lotus from Tink

« on: May 14, 2009, 12:53:54 PM »

I haven't posted any pics of the lotus that I got from Tink b/c the weather here has been so crappy that it's just sitting there in the planter. I did take a pic a while back so I will put it up. Not alot of progress really.  We supposed to be getting some nice sunny days so it should perk up some.

43

Pond Chat / Re: Lots of pictures from around the yard and my slopes are filling in some....

« on: May 14, 2009, 12:50:43 PM »

Tink, how did you move those big boulder that are located at the foot of your stream?

44

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: bamboo is lose in my yard... questions.. jerry.. anybody ....

« on: April 16, 2009, 02:54:15 PM »

Hey Tink, those bamboos can be a pain in the seat to contain and get rid of.

We had some on our property a few years ago (came with the property) my DH decided to "get rid of it for good". He used roundup and crossbow to try to stamp it out. Guess what? It grew like crazy the next year and spread to beat the band. It has stayed pretty much in one place till then. To "fix" the problem we had to use our backhoe and dig down about 2 1/2 feet and 4 feet past the boarder of the plant to finally get it out. It's always better to dig then spray
They do make very nice screens I have read for containing them in my area (zone and probably the same for you, you have to have either a thick metal or concrete barrier that extends at least 2 feet down to contain the runners. The metal will rust over time though. There are some bamboo strains that stay contained that you might want to research.
I can tell you this, it isn't fussy about where it wants to travel. It would have taken over my little pond in no time at all if we hadn't removed it before installing. 

Good luck!

45

Chit Chat / Re: "60 Minutes" and the VIRUS warning! April 1st is the day it is supposed to stri

« on: March 31, 2009, 03:34:16 PM »

I found this about the visus for anyone interested:
http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1238443907751.shtm

EDIT: I should have added this one too. You guys may have already seen this:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29975229/wid/11915829?GT1=40006

46

Pond Chat / Re: My Potting Recipe...

« on: March 31, 2009, 07:35:35 AM »

Thanks Purpleshn2004 for posting those great pics They sure will help me get mine planted this week!
tlc

47

Pond Chat / Re: My Potting Recipe...

« on: March 27, 2009, 07:59:34 AM »

tlc....As long as it's completely composted...it's fine.

Thanks Joyce for clearing that up
I learned two things here today! One about composted steer manure and two you can pot pond plants with it.

48

Pond Chat / Re: My Potting Recipe...

« on: March 26, 2009, 07:33:52 AM »

After reading your post here Joyce, about planting in composted cow manure, it brings a question to mind.  When you say composted cow manure do you mean composted steer manure? I would think yes but you said to follow your directions to a "T" and I want to make sure I do
tlc

49

Pond Chat / Re: Last Call for the White lotus ... free tubers....

« on: March 19, 2009, 10:19:11 AM »

Do you know what you want to plant the lotus in ??  They need large containers.   When you get it from me you can float it in a bucket of water somewhere cool and dark.  My lotus are starting to come out of dormacy.

I have a couple of 5 gallon stall water buckets leftover from my horse days that I was hoping I could use. I have a Momo Botan (sp) on order that I will get late next month that should work good in one of those buckets but not sure if the bucket will be large enough for the white lotus. I've never had this type of plant before so I still have some homework to do. I'm just going to give it a whirl and see what happens. I'm excited about having them and it should be fun! Only two things can happen the way I figure it, they will either grow or they won't

Thanks for the links Tink and what do I need to do next to get you paid?

50

Pond Chat / Re: Last Call for the White lotus ... free tubers....

« on: March 18, 2009, 09:19:40 AM »

Tink, I would be interested if it isn't too late. I have a paypal account so that isn't a problem.
I've never had one before, can you tell me what I need to do with the tuber when I get it? My pond temps right now are about 45*F and will be for the next month maybe.

51

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: How to layer a bio-filter

« on: March 11, 2009, 03:38:39 PM »

Me too. I like the idea of having one less thing to worry over.

Nope, I haven't seen that one before. I was surprised at how some of the material that I thought would work well didn't have the surface areas.
Thanks for the link. That will come in handy

52

Pond Chat / Re: Pictures of pool to pond conversion

« on: March 10, 2009, 03:13:01 PM »

Casey, I just had to remark on the alligator and frog that you have sitting by your pond. They are so cool. I've never seen anything like that before. Ties right in with everything else that you have done there.

53

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: How to layer a bio-filter

« on: March 10, 2009, 03:06:40 PM »

Otter,
If you mean, running the water line from the pump in the pond to the bio-filter up over the top and down to the the floor of the filter instead of cutting a hole in the liner and attaching some kind of fitting, then yes, that is what I thought I would do. I don't want any chance of leaks while I'm gone that might pump the pond dry. I don't think my fish or plants would be very happy with me if it did.

Thanks for the link too

54

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: How to layer a bio-filter

« on: March 10, 2009, 08:40:10 AM »

Thanks guys

My filter size will be 4x4x2 +/-. I thought I would set it up with the water coming in from the pond to the bottom like everyone says. I just wasn't real sure what to do next but now I have a better idea. I read on the forum (written by Jerry I think) about cutting up PVC to use in place of the bio-balls. I have lots of that laying around from the irrigation setup that the ppl that owned our propertly before us used. I figured I could set it up in the bandsaw and whack away. Wouldn't take that long really and I would be recycling the material instead of it going into the dump.

Frogman3 (and now Otter) brought to my attention that I should consider a pre-filter (mechanical) to my bio-filter. That sounds funny to have a filter before the filter but makes sense. Now I'm trying to come up with something for that. Always something

What I have learned so far is that the filter is very expensive to set up. Much more expensive then the pea gravel in the aqua basket that I have my little pump set into. But it is what it is and if I'm going to have a pond then I just have to deal with it. My idea is to end up with something that isn't alot of work. We are gone alot during the summer and would like the peace of mind knowing that everything is working as it should.

I see everyone talking about these cheap scrubbers but can't figure out what they are talking about. The ones I have seen haven't been that cheap so I don't know if I'm looking at the right stuff or not. Are you talking about "Scotch Bright" pads??

btw, welcome Otter

55

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: How to layer a bio-filter

« on: March 09, 2009, 01:19:57 PM »

Thanks Greg. I did have a look at the link that you posted That setup wouldn't work for me as I'm doing something a little different than the norm but you wouldn't have known since I didn't include the details

Casey, it does help and thanks for the long reply with lots of details I'm glad you posted about the iris going for a "walk" since I was thinking of doing that very thing. Good tip. I like the idea of being able to set the pots on top of the rock. I never thought of doing that. For me, standing on the rock might not be an option b/c of the material I will be using.

My setup will be a little different like I said above. I plan on having the filter buried with the top exposed (just like a stock tank would). The water would exit the filter into the steam that would spill into the main pond below which is not built yet either. I have quite a drop from the filter to the pond and hope it's enough. I plan on using pond liner instead of the normal stock tank that most ppl use. I have the backhoe attachment on my tractor so I can dig it myself and the pond liner doesn't cost that much compared to what a stock tank costs in my area. Plus I like the fact that I'm not stuck with one shape. That is the idea for now and since I'm a girl I do reserve the right to change my mind .

56

Pond Chat / Re: Zone2 Ponding

« on: March 08, 2009, 05:17:35 PM »

Why do you have a pile of snow in front of your pond cover?
I just love the little lights you have strung on it. Are they colored? 

57

Pond Construction & Filtration / How to layer a bio-filter

« on: March 08, 2009, 05:15:25 PM »

I will be building a filter that will be about 240 gallons +/- and I have been reading the thread about adding lava rock which I found to be very useful.  Now I have a question or two about layering the bio-filter.

On the bottom of the filter you have a space for the water to enter from the pond. It then flows up and out the filter via falls or stream.
My question is, how should the layer the filter material? Bio-balls then filter pads (Matala or whatever) or the other way around?

If you were to use bio-balls, filter pads and some lava rock, all together, what would be the most efficient to have those layered?

58

Chit Chat / Re: Now A testimonial to Webb's Water Gardens. These guys know how to treat custome

« on: February 27, 2009, 09:49:24 AM »

Wow wee! 

59

Chit Chat / Re: Now A testimonial to Webb's Water Gardens. These guys know how to treat custome

« on: February 27, 2009, 09:00:24 AM »

I just checked prices at a couple of other places and couldn't believe the difference! Are the vacs on this website new???

60

Chit Chat / Re: Now A testimonial to Webb's Water Gardens. These guys know how to treat custome

« on: February 27, 2009, 08:48:17 AM »

Where is the links section? 

Never mind. I found it.