What a nitemare...

[tucker]

I have been fighting greenish brown yukky water for a few weeks now, and it was finally starting to clear up a little....cleaning the mechanical filters every other day, etc.

Everynite when I get home around midnite....I always listen for the waterfalls....to make sure things are ok.

Well, this morning, I got up, went to get a glass of orange juice, looked out the kitchen window, and saw no lily pads floating, but the water falls was running.
Yelled, OMG, and ran out the door. 
It seems something messed with one of the other pumps hoses, and knocked the rocks off holding it, and then the hose fell onto the ground.   Water, lots of water, was lost during the nite. 
How much water....well considering my pond is 15' x 15' and 4 ft deep, there was only 1-1/2ft of water left in the pond.  Thats about 1500 gals out of 5000 gals.   Not good.
 
I started the water (Gary and the well are not going to like me much),  checked the other pump that went dry (its ok), checked to make sure any fish weren't caught anywheres (none - smart fish).
 
Then I got my chest waders on, and went in and cut down all the dead flowers and pads on the lilies, and tried to get them lower into some water.
 
Cleaned out the main filter (it was scheduled for today too), and now have to hope I don't drain my well dry (its been a dry summer here).  Figured I will add about a foot a day.....hopefully the well will be kind to me.
 
Just came in for my orange juice - finally.
 
Well, should we talk about a green water algae bloom again..
 

[miguynmkoi]

How horrifying to wake up to the troubles you have today.  Hope your well is good to you and everything rights itself.  Yukky water later...

[Julles]

Don't you hate having to re-do something you had done right in the first place?  Things like this happen just to keep us from doing other things - like heading out on time to work, or enjoying time with some other endeavor.

I hope your plants and fish survive.

[Lynn T]

I am so sorry!  How terrible.  The pond can be so stressful but so rewarding too.  It's a mixed deal.  I left my hose running in mine for an hour or more last night.  I was not too thrilled about that either.  The things we do and the things that just HAPPEN!  Ponding, ya got to love it! 

[joeyb5980]

Hope you get it refilled quickly and easily, and everything recovers okay!

[SueSTx]

Sorry about your troubles...it is hot and dry here also.

[zydia]

Oh boy, can I relate. Just posted my own near catastrophy.  Good luck getting things squared away.

[mcp]

Sounds like you and Zydia are having like expirences. Hope every thing turns out OK. 

[Esther]

http://www.amazon.com/Aquascape-Tsurumi-Submersible-Pump-float/dp/B000MWEAUC Built in shutoff float valve.

http://www.azponds.com/hose.htm  Keeps water level up.

http://www.azponds.com/subpumps.htm  Low water shut off switch.

[obsessed-nj]

Oh, tucker, I feel your pain...did the same thing last year: Home from work at 10:30 pm in a torrential downpour predicted to go on all night. Out to the pump in the dark to backflush a few inches out of the pond. Next morning look out the back door and  looked like my pond had cleared overnight! Brief moment of ecstasy before I realized the water hadn't cleared--it was gone!!!  :'(  The valve handle had gotten hung up the night before and between the dark and the downpour, the thunder and the lightning, I never noticed it. Approximately 10,000 gallons of water had flushed out into my backyard on top of all the rain. I kept expecting the trees to uproot and fall over! Thankfully, they stayed upright and there was still a couple thousand gallons in the pond, but Lord, what a mess. Made a dash for every store carrying chlorine neutralizer (none had a bottle larger than 8oz) and got to work with my son and grandson cleaning out the left-behind sludge and rescuing my overabundance of lilies, anacharis and other plants. We spent the entire day in and around the pond being supervised by a very friendly green frog and several baby fish I didn't even know I had. Did some rearranging and added a few things and finished refilling by dark. Definitely NOT something I ever want to repeat, but everything recovered, fish content, frog satisfied  Then the water bill came, then the algae bloom...aahhh, ponding...gotta  it!