What to do in this situation

[ozzyrockman]

Hello All, this week we had a small incident with an angry mnt st Helens again. Luckily it was small and did not create too much of a problem but what would happen and what should I do for our ponds if this sleeping lady decides she really wants to blow her top and cause problems like back in 1980 :-? ? Would the fly ash really cause a problem with the pond? At this point I have to assume it will cause major problems not only to our koi's health but to our filter system as well. Would it be a good idea to cover the whole darn thing with a floating swimming pool cover *:| and hope for the best? What can I say it was a bit of a reality check. Allen

Ps I'm going to post this over at koivet as well to see what responce I get.

[Busy B]

My bro lives in Vancouver and gave me the update...he has hiked to the top...I wonder if there is enough ash left in it to do what it did in 80...but you also have Rainier to contend with don't you?

I'd say you would have to cover it...the worse part is the ash is so fine it will blow around for a long time so I'd think you'd need a clear cover.

I would wonder what the compostition of the ash is..would it mess with PH etc..

We got hit a few years back and you can still find it in undisturbed areas...but after a few seasons of rain and snow it works it way back into the ground.

[ozzyrockman]

Busy B, I didn't even think about that sleeping giant !wow! at 14K+ ft and dormant for years it would make a big mess too. Now he wasn't climbing while it popped this time was he? This kinda made me raise an eyebrow this morning when I started thinking about the effects this may cause in our ponds I mean I know what it can do to automotive finish. Brighter side of things is that it probably would take awhile before the ash came back down to the surface so a person could prepair a bit and maybe do a little !strut while waiting. Allen

[Busy B]

Just depends on which way the wind blows :smile: I think they stopped the hiking permits when it started activity again the last time..

Rainier would be something to contend with...I was on my honeymoon and drove thru the Mt. St. Helens ash in 80...it was pretty thick! Don't think you'll see another like that one. Still it would be a problem...I didn't have a pond the last time one of ours blew..I'm guessing it would be an irritant to the gills since it's not good to breath...silicate is it? Now I have to do a search...hehehe...

I think it would settle into the pond before the skimmer could grab it. Wetting it down around the pond may keep it static.

[Ahhuhz]

I still have a small jar of the ash from the 1980 blast that fell here in the east. That sure was something. Don't mess with Mother Nature!

[Cinnamon]

Ozzy if I was you I wouldn't wait! A lot of factors determine the rate of fall of the ash. If I lived that close and it burping like that I would prepare. It has been trying to awaken the past few months. This one a little more than the last one so be prepared is my motto. Heck I am already preparing for Hurricanes! It won't be long you know. We haven't been hit in so many years I have a sneeking suspension this may be our year. It has been close. We still have to buy a generator. I believe that will happen in the next month or so. I have BIG containers of baking soda also! The rain a hurricane drops would be bad. At least we have our overflow in.

Ozz if it were me and I lived up there I would have already come up with something. A swimming pool cover would be good as long as it didn't sink. How big is your pond? Dimensions? Hey you know Heiko and my minds we could come up with something for you! :lol: Or that might also scare you! :-? It would our friends!

[Jackie Ramo]

Allen I think there was a post at KV the last (recent) time it blew up. Sorry I can't get the search function there to work for me these days. But if memory serves it wasn't considered a huge problem... but memory isn't what it used to be *:|

[Rembrandt]

uhhhh, what size is it? I was thinking you could make a miniature greenhouse frame out of pvc (I love PVC) and maybe cover it?

You could build that super glass enclosed climate controlled room (and I could steal hints and suggestions). Just kidding there.

I am not sure what to do but a pool cover sounds like it would work but I am not sure what temperatures you are having. Here I am afraid it would steam the fish. If not too hot, take a cover and place a large ball underneath it to support the cover. You could periodically rinse the cover with a garden hose if you had too much fallout. Sounds messy.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Rembrandt

[Jackie Ramo]

Yeah, build and atrium over it, we'll all learn how its done :D

[ozzyrockman]

Jackie, I wish I had the budget they have at Disneyland cause your darn skippy I would do it however our ol money tree died a few years back so I have to think practical :lol:.

I cannot build anything out of the ground that is not permanent because it is not uncommon for us to get hit with 30mph sustained winds on occasion with gusts to 70+mph. Oh ya its Sunny in Seattle @ 7:30pm it was 52 and today it felt like it was about 75. Ponds are at 58 so I can turn off the heat in the qt.

The pond I am most concerned about is 12'X17' with another 6' of stream and waterfall. Behind it is the filter system and is another 3'. So I would probably need something about 15'X30' min to cover it all. :idea: So far I am thinking I would float my winter styrofoam, get a pool cover and cover it stick my head between my legs Oh woops got side tracked for a second. The styrofoam would keep the temps stable and I would want to bypass the waterfall and stream to save myself problems.

Thats the parts that bothers me the most. I remember watching that when I was a kid in Minnesota and people where getting ash 3000 miles away so I wonder what would happen to our pond being less than 100 miles away !wow! . Allen

PS Cinn Let me know when you hit 152 days of rain you'll beat our record :p

[Busy B]

I followed the link on KV and it was the same one my bro told me to check out. Ash is rock and glass! Yikes..did mention wetting it down...

The thing would be to have forewarning...if it happened in the middle of the night, you're in a bind. Best bet may be to have somewhere where you can take them in and hold them till the ash settles down. Pearls of Paradise tank?

Now you got me worried!

[ozzyrockman]

Sorry Busy B, I didn't mean to worry you however it was a bit to close to reality so naturally I had to ask. I have a qt tank that is 750g and covered however it wouldn't do a bit of good to try and stuff 13 more koi in with the 9 little guys that are already in it. Allen

[Terri]

Busy made a good suggestion... even one of those pop-up smimming pools that come with their own filter would do in a pinch (they are about 1500gals can buy @ W-mart or HD for under $120). I believe those rolls of plastic vapour barrier sheeting come in 10' width... a few 16' 2"x4" to span the pond along with the sheeting would work, you could anchor it down with tent pegs.

If the ash were quite heavy in your area it would do a lot of damage to the pond imho(bye bye fishies).. mind you I've never seen a volcano upclose... let alone one erupt.

Busy if you got that link handy could you post it please?

[ozzyrockman]

I remember watching the news in 1980 and seeing people wearing resperators walking down the streets nowing that I kind of figure it probably wasn't too healthy. Now as for the pop up swiming pools what size would I want to get for 16 and later on up to 22? I know if the qt is available I could house a few however it is only 750g so I know things would be too tight for them in thier. If memory serves me the swimming pools from Wally World also have a cover too? So if I where smart I would get one and pull the filter from the swimming pool pump in one of my pond filters as a just i case measure? Allen

[Ahhuhz]

You could also use a large plastic dropcloth. I do when they spray my house for bugs.

[Terri]

Easy Pools
http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/07/82/57/56/0007825756904_215X215.jpg
This one is 18'dia and 48" walls, approx 5,593 gallons -> just under $300.

Walmart sells a smaller one, 16'dia and 42" walls, approx 3,896 gallons -> under $250.

Covers are sold seperately... and I think it would be pretty easy to covert it over to a pond filter, the filter that comes with these pools are pretty limited.

There's a similar product called Fast Set Pool, their smallest is 12' x 36" Package (water capacity 1,893 US gal.) Under $200.

Just do a web search for soft sided pools... lots of places to buy on the net and most with free shipping.

[Busy B]

Somebody used one of those for a temp pond while the new one was getting built...can't remember who..

Here's the link of the volcano info..

http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/





Tephra consists of fragments of lava or rock blasted into the air by explosions or carried upward by a convecting column of hot gases ... These fragments fall back to earth on and downwind from their source volcano to form a tephra, pyroclastic-fall, or volcanic "ash" deposit. Large fragments fall close to the erupting vent, and progressively smaller ones are carried farther away by wind. Dust-size particles can be carried many hundreds of kilometers from the source. ... Tephra deposits consist of combinations of pumice, glass shards, dense-rock, and crystals that range in size from ash (less than 2 mm), through lapilli (2-64 mm), to blocks (greater than 64 mm). Eruptions that produce tephra range from those that eject debris only a few meters into the air, to cataclysmic explosions that throw debris to heights of several tens of kilometers

[Busy B]

Here's a pic of the last one of ours that blew..

And the second pic was of the St Helens crater when my bro hiked it...

[barracudda]

If I saw that happnin, !wow! the fish would be SOL and I would be out. ;)

[Jackie Ramo]

Busy, that pic looks like a nuclear bomb blast!!!

[Ahhuhz]

This was Mount St Helens in 1980, looks pretty similiar. If you remember, it blew the top of the mountain off.

[marla]

We were there in July and the devestation is still amazing. Alot of flora has reappeared and was all in bloom but so much is lost. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/grandmavis/2003_0214julyvacation0095.jpg

[Jackie Ramo]

Its amazing thought that nature comes back at all. We visited Etna in Italy. Was like visiting Mars or some other planet. But in the nooks and crannies were little flowers and grasses claiming back the land. Trip was almost cancelled at the volcano is stilla ctive but it cleared a bit that morning so we could go up.

[Busy B]

I like seeing them in pictures much more than experiencing them...

So what's your plan...tank or cover?

[ozzyrockman]

Those are some awesome reminders of just how fragile life really is. I am going with the emergency plan of getting a swimming pool cover and an o2 pump. If I try the swimming pool it will be too late by the time I could get the pond water transferred to the pool and then transfer the koi to it. Since I already have the 1 1/2" styrofoam to float over it I will put the styrofoam in and toss the cover over the entire thing and prey for the best. In addition I am going to build in a prevision from one of the filters to return to the pond and bypass the stream and waterfall. Allen

[Busy B]

Well now you have a plan Ozzy..that's better than by the seat of your pants :smile:

Hope the thing stays dormant huh?

[Cinnamon]

Ozzy I think the foam and cover should work. That would be the fastest way to take care of the problem for sure. Let's hope you don't have to use it. But better prepared in any case.