Update
Posted by Anja on October 12, 2010 at 17:03 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:19The minnows have come out of hiding, the pond tropicals have been moved inside (we’ve had a couple of nights with frost warning, but no ground frost just yet, even though the roofs were white this morning), and the Thanksgiving dishes are clean again (whoot for dishwashers).
Tags: Tanichthys albonubes | Categories: 10G River, Pond | Comments Off on Update | PermalinkWe had another glorious day
Posted by Anja on October 10, 2010 at 23:47 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:18… and did the fall clean-up. The tiger raked leaves, and I heaved the tropicals out of the pond (he helped me with the big one) and potted them up, and cut down the perennials. Most of the water hyacinths landed on the compost. I just left three in there to give the fish some cover, but they do turn very icky after the first frost.
Finally I netted the goldfish babies (I found 5) to overwinter them in the tank downstairs. Two of them are about 1 1/2″ inches and thus prolly big enough to survive on their own, but the other three are under 1″, so they all came out. Easier than trying to catch only the little ones, and why take chances.
The minnows immediately schooled tightly and went into partial hiding, but the suckermouths were completely unfazed by their new tankmates:
To Do on the Weekend
Posted by Anja on October 8, 2010 at 12:19 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:15We’ll be doing fall clean-up and getting the tropicals out of the pond before they melt. Nights are getting chilly, and the weather is supposed to be nice for outside work. Who knows if there’ll be another opportunity before first frost.
Tags: fall cleanup | Categories: Pond | Comments Off on To Do on the Weekend | PermalinkOur Water Hyacinths are blooming
Posted by Anja on September 3, 2010 at 12:26 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:01
And the pond is generally quite hard to find under the mass of plants that covers it. We do occasionally get a glimpse of fish, though. And of course the frogs are everywhere. ;o)
Tags: Eichhornia crassipes, garden, pond | Categories: Pond | Comments Off on Our Water Hyacinths are blooming | PermalinkThe pump story continues
Posted by Anja on June 4, 2010 at 21:02 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:44I invested a couple of hours into the pump issue this morning, took it completely apart (as far as the factory seal allows, that is), put it back together, nudged the impeller (the motor works ok), had it start, only to have it die again as soon as I sat it back in the filter.
On recommendation I ran it in a bucket of clear water for a few minutes to blow out any detritus that might have been stuck in the impeller, and that worked. After that I finally got it to work again in place. I kept checking back, suspicious of my victory, but it still ran after an hour. It still ran after two hours. And then it died again.
Something like six hours wasted between the two of us (not to mention his mosquito bites and my sunburn) didn’t make any difference in the end. It looks like the impeller is impeded in some way and overheats the motor which then shuts off and, since the impeller is impeded, never manages to come on again on it’s own. But we can’t open it up to check without breaking the seal and thus rendering the pump useless. Catch 22.
We did have a bit of good luck though, in that a pump roughly the same size is on sale for 50% off this week (which is about half of my netbook). So I ordered that. Meanwhile we put the bubble stone back in the pond and hope the pump arrives before the end of the week.
Tags: pump | Categories: Pond | Comments Off on The pump story continues | PermalinkPond
Posted by Anja on June 3, 2010 at 23:43 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:43After a blip of a blackout this morning – not even enough to wipe all the clocks – our pond pump stopped and didn’t come back on. The tiger tried everything in the book after work tonight, but nothing. This is not promising. We’re looking into pumps. When I was on the brink of ordering a netbook. *biiiig pout*
Tags: pump | Categories: Pond | Comments Off on Pond | PermalinkWe got our pond plants
Posted by Anja on May 15, 2010 at 22:48 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:42I planted a cute little hardy Calla right by the waterfall and something purple-blooming with grasslike leaves whose name I already forgot on the side (took out a truckload of Daylilies; they just grow like crazy there).
Also found some swamp plants for a bog pot on the patio:
Fern
Posted by Anja on May 3, 2010 at 18:12 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:29I always have to give myself a little something for being brave at the dentist (I blame my mom who started the practice when I was little), so I bought a small maidenhair fern they sold at the grocery store for three bucks. Pretty little thing. Too big for my mini greenhouse unfortunately, so I might plant it outside by the pond. For now it’s sitting entwined in the leaves of the monstera where it gets misted along with the Spanish moss every morning.
Tags: Adiantum fragans, plants | Categories: Pond | Comments Off on Fern | PermalinkNewcomers
Posted by Anja on May 2, 2010 at 16:11 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:26
The new guys are doing well so far, and Rosy (the minnow we got last year to see how well she’d make it thru the winter) seems thrilled but confused. She frequently joins the school of minnows, only to then go back to hang out with her goldfish buddies. Did we give her an identity crisis?
Tags: Carassius auratus, Pimephales promelas | Categories: Pond | Comments Off on Newcomers | PermalinkPond Add-ons
Posted by Anja on May 1, 2010 at 22:49 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 16:25A half score of little rosy red minnows was acquired at the pet store. They’ve been added to the pond, and swim around a bit confusedly yet, occasionally followed by one or the other of our curious goldfish. I took care that they’re too big to be considered food, though.
Good day.
Tags: Carassius auratus, Pimephales promelas | Categories: Pond | Comments Off on Pond Add-ons | Permalink