Question:
Hi, It’s my first spring with a pond that came with a house I bought last year. I’ve just removed a partial cover I had over my small 150 gallon pond during the winter to find quite a lot of frog spawn in various stages of development – I’m no expert but estimate 7-10 days. I have 11 goldfish (various) and orfe. I know that there are at least 7 common frogs in the pond. Do I just leave the frog spawn? I don’t want an over-occupation of frogs at the expense of my fish! 
Also, quick second question. My pond has operated without a UV or biological filter although it does have a fountain and small water-fall to aerate the water. Last year, as the pond catches the sun, I did have a problem with green water and blanket-weed which I tried to control with cleaning and chemical additives. I’m not happy using those, I’m thinking of adding a combined UV/bio filter – is it worth it on this size pond with goldfish. I’ve heard green water isn’t a problem to them. Thanks for any help. Stu — Stuart Brown
Response:
Hello Stu, You may want to remove some of the frog spawn to another wide shallow container of water and place in partial shade. Throw in some fine gravel, lettuce, anacharis, do a few water changes and they’ll do fine. A large rock will provide them a way to climb out of the water once they become froglets or toadlets. You don’t want your original pond inhabitants to get over whelmed with ammonia production. Here are my standard answers for green water. Green water can be cured with: ~lower fish stocking, not over feeding fish ~ lots plants of any type, marginal plants such as reeds, cattails, iris, pickerel weed, arrowhead, floaters such as water hyacinth, water lettuce and lots of underwater plants such as anacharis ~ shade (lilies, the floaters and artifical shade) ~ cleaning up debris from the bottom of the pond and stocking snails and tadpoles to chew up the debris ~ cut back or stop fertilizing plants ~ planting in plain kitty litter, sand or fine gravel (no soil). ~ mechanical filtration of the fish waste. ~ veggie filter – an area, 10% of the size of your pond surface area, about 12" deep, (Pond volume x 0.625 equals the square footage of a 1 foot deep veggie filter. This is calculated for the one turnover/4 hours figure.) planted with watercress and marginal plants (in pots or fine gravel) that the pond water is pumped through at a turnover rate per hour 1/2 to 1/4 of the pond volume. ~ a sludge eating product – concentrated bacteria culture. ~ some folks use a UV sterilizer. ~ do not worry about green fuzzy algae on the side of the pond, that is good algae and helps balance your pond. ~ patience, patience and eternal optimism. ~k30~ and the watergardening labradors "The truth I do not stretch or shove – when I state the dog is full of love. I’ve also proved, by actual test, a wet dog is the lovingest." Ogden Nash
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >It’s my first spring with a pond that came with a house I bought last >year. I’ve just removed a partial cover I had over my small 150 gallon >pond. >I have 11 goldfish (various) and orfe. I know that there are at least 7 >common frogs in the pond. >My pond has operated without a UV or >biological filter although it does have a fountain and small water-fall >to aerate the water. Last year, as the pond catches the sun, I did have >a problem with green water and blanket-weed which I tried to control >with cleaning and chemical additives. I’m not happy using those, I’m >thinking of adding a combined UV/bio filter – is it worth it on this >size pond with goldfish. I’ve heard green water isn’t a problem to >them.
Stu, You don’t need a UV, IMO, but an in-pond filter over your pump might help. Is the pump just in the pond now with no filter or pre-filter to keep it from clogging? If so, The Plant Place has a filter on it’s webpage and below is one I suggest: Very easy filter to make: Take a 2-3 gallon bucket, insert pump. Get your choice of bio-media and a bag or 2 of carbon. Bio-media can be filter matting & carbon matting that you will see for sale for more expensive filters or you can use plastic bits & pieces like old curlers, clean (never seen soap) kitchen scrubbies. Put this kind of stuff around the bottom of the bucket around the pump. Then use a layer or two of filter matting or 100% polyester batting (for quilt making) top it off with some crumbled up vinyl screening and top with a vinyl screen lid held in place by a big rubber band. Your local hardware & craft store should carry most of this stuff. 1st few cleanings should be just to the layers of vinyl screening. Cleaning anything else requires just a muck out and (non-chlorinated water rinse) as you don’t want to kill the bio-bugs on the plastic or other bio-media. I have a small 35 gallon Patio pond in my living room. (Can be seen on my website.) I’ve used a smaller bucket with 3 layers of open cell foam (the best stuff if it has large pores, mine has only 20 pores per inch, but hard to find unless you order a large amount, but you might get lucky if you have a pond shop in your area). Once you get things balanced you won’t have to replace the carbon till next Spring. I, personally, use carbon until the bio-bugs are up and running in both little & big ponds. You might want to keep a fresh bag in there just for an extra measure of safety. Change it about once a month, then. after 3 months, so it sounds like a good idea to remove it completely during one of the cleanings if you’re not replacing it monthly with new. See my ponds thru the seasons: http://home.earthlink.net/~alanjordan1/jjspond/index.html ~Keep ‘em Wet!~ ~jan~ Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a Remove Z to E-mail
Response:
Hi, It’s my first spring with a pond that came with a house I bought last year. I’ve just removed a partial cover I had over my small 150 gallon pond during the winter to find quite a lot of frog spawn in various stages of development – I’m no expert but estimate 7-10 days. I have 11 goldfish (various) and orfe. I know that there are at least 7 common frogs in the pond. Do I just leave the frog spawn? I don’t want an over-occupation of frogs at the expense of my fish! Also, quick second question. My pond has operated without a UV or biological filter although it does have a fountain and small water-fall to aerate the water. Last year, as the pond catches the sun, I did have a problem with green water and blanket-weed which I tried to control with cleaning and chemical additives. I’m not happy using those, I’m thinking of adding a combined UV/bio filter – is it worth it on this size pond with goldfish. I’ve heard green water isn’t a problem to them. Thanks for any help. Stu — Stuart Brown
Response:
Hello Stu, You may want to remove some of the frog spawn to another wide shallow container of water and place in partial shade. Throw in some fine gravel, lettuce, anacharis, do a few water changes and they’ll do fine. A large rock will provide them a way to climb out of the water once they become froglets or toadlets. You don’t want your original pond inhabitants to get over whelmed with ammonia production. Here are my standard answers for green water. Green water can be cured with: ~lower fish stocking, not over feeding fish ~ lots plants of any type, marginal plants such as reeds, cattails, iris, pickerel weed, arrowhead, floaters such as water hyacinth, water lettuce and lots of underwater plants such as anacharis ~ shade (lilies, the floaters and artifical shade) ~ cleaning up debris from the bottom of the pond and stocking snails and tadpoles to chew up the debris ~ cut back or stop fertilizing plants ~ planting in plain kitty litter, sand or fine gravel (no soil). ~ mechanical filtration of the fish waste. ~ veggie filter – an area, 10% of the size of your pond surface area, about 12" deep, (Pond volume x 0.625 equals the square footage of a 1 foot deep veggie filter. This is calculated for the one turnover/4 hours figure.) planted with watercress and marginal plants (in pots or fine gravel) that the pond water is pumped through at a turnover rate per hour 1/2 to 1/4 of the pond volume. ~ a sludge eating product – concentrated bacteria culture. ~ some folks use a UV sterilizer. ~ do not worry about green fuzzy algae on the side of the pond, that is good algae and helps balance your pond. ~ patience, patience and eternal optimism. ~k30~ and the watergardening labradors "The truth I do not stretch or shove – when I state the dog is full of love. I’ve also proved, by actual test, a wet dog is the lovingest." Ogden Nash
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >It’s my first spring with a pond that came with a house I bought last >year. I’ve just removed a partial cover I had over my small 150 gallon >pond. >I have 11 goldfish (various) and orfe. I know that there are at least 7 >common frogs in the pond. >My pond has operated without a UV or >biological filter although it does have a fountain and small water-fall >to aerate the water. Last year, as the pond catches the sun, I did have >a problem with green water and blanket-weed which I tried to control >with cleaning and chemical additives. I’m not happy using those, I’m >thinking of adding a combined UV/bio filter – is it worth it on this >size pond with goldfish. I’ve heard green water isn’t a problem to >them.
Stu, You don’t need a UV, IMO, but an in-pond filter over your pump might help. Is the pump just in the pond now with no filter or pre-filter to keep it from clogging? If so, The Plant Place has a filter on it’s webpage and below is one I suggest: Very easy filter to make: Take a 2-3 gallon bucket, insert pump. Get your choice of bio-media and a bag or 2 of carbon. Bio-media can be filter matting & carbon matting that you will see for sale for more expensive filters or you can use plastic bits & pieces like old curlers, clean (never seen soap) kitchen scrubbies. Put this kind of stuff around the bottom of the bucket around the pump. Then use a layer or two of filter matting or 100% polyester batting (for quilt making) top it off with some crumbled up vinyl screening and top with a vinyl screen lid held in place by a big rubber band. Your local hardware & craft store should carry most of this stuff. 1st few cleanings should be just to the layers of vinyl screening. Cleaning anything else requires just a muck out and (non-chlorinated water rinse) as you don’t want to kill the bio-bugs on the plastic or other bio-media. I have a small 35 gallon Patio pond in my living room. (Can be seen on my website.) I’ve used a smaller bucket with 3 layers of open cell foam (the best stuff if it has large pores, mine has only 20 pores per inch, but hard to find unless you order a large amount, but you might get lucky if you have a pond shop in your area). Once you get things balanced you won’t have to replace the carbon till next Spring. I, personally, use carbon until the bio-bugs are up and running in both little & big ponds. You might want to keep a fresh bag in there just for an extra measure of safety. Change it about once a month, then. after 3 months, so it sounds like a good idea to remove it completely during one of the cleanings if you’re not replacing it monthly with new. See my ponds thru the seasons: http://home.earthlink.net/~alanjordan1/jjspond/index.html ~Keep ‘em Wet!~ ~jan~ Tri-Cities WA Zone 7a Remove Z to E-mail
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