Weekend Chores

[Jackie Ramo]

This weekend and the last couple of weeks (or it seems a lifetime) I've been cleaning the string algae out of the pond. Not complaining as playing with the fish is fun most days. The skimmer mats have been cleaned daily if not more often. So imagine my surprise when I noticed yesterday that the falls was not running just right.... the flow seems more from the sides than down the middle. I just cleaned the biofalls media a few weeks ago.... so I moved the rock off the top to have a look.

I could not believe how dirty it was... good grief the entire bottom mat was clogged, there was so much junk in there it looked like I hadn't cleaned them since last spring!!!! I took handfuls of dead algae out of there. Clogged the sump pump trying to pump the gunk out... Shows how much algae was getting past the skimmer mat....

Although the water has been clear all through the algae problems this morning it is sparkling and the fish look much happier. I'm sure now that the source of the algae food has been removed I'll also get less algae growth.

[Merlin]

I have had a relaxing weekend :grin: ok apart from giving the brushes in the first bay of my filter a good clean with pond water, (YUK that stuff is horrible .) I also had to change over one of my submersible pumps due to it getting clogged with string algae, :-x once Snowplough has finished playing in it I will dose it with some stuff purchased this morning. A product called Agua Activ made by Oase, I have not used this product before and was suprised to see it is in granual form not liquid.

[Busy B]

Looks like we're all having fun :wink:

Cottonwood are dropping so many seeds looks like it's snowing out. If I didn't have my poor pitiful skimmer, I'd be in a bind again. Went out this morning a a pump I use for breaking the surface was barely moving water...pulled it out and it was full of cotton that had sunk...probably when the skimmer got full...

Ponds are almost a full time job..

[Jackie Ramo]

Merlin, use care with any chemical that kills algae. A big kill can through the enitre pond out of balance. One that is not cleaned out after the algae has died is even worse.

I did another two loads for the vac today but will have a better look tomorrow. Right now the sun is at that can't see a thing angle.

Busy, your cottonwoods are ahead of ours. So far just a few puff balls going by, the siberian elms are snowing on us with seeds though.