Pond revamp

[wallace]

I built this pond maybe 17years ago, it is block work fibreglassed. About four years ago a fish died without me noticing and made the water go bad which killed all of my koi. My own fault and totally preventable. We'd had some of the fish for over 20years. It has sat since then just stagnating and a perfect home for fly larvae. Its time to make it presentable again.



There is a filter under that lot



I started draining, the smell was grim once things got disturbed



The original pump was seized so I had to siphon the remainder of the water



Id forgot I just chucked all of the jap matting media into the pond

If you've ever mucked pigs out then you can appreciate the smell. I let the sludge drain for a couple of days and bagged up about 10 bags of stinky stuff. Not sure how I'm going to dispose of it. I cant imagine the recycling place will appreciate it. Could maybe dig a hole?

The plan is to add a window into this side, it used to be a nice little nook totally covered with ivy and clematis. It collapsed so had to be trimmed back. I'm also planning some kind of gazebo type thing so there might be some woodwork.





I dug out the old breaker, this thing has been indistructable. I'm sure it was an argos special.



It was slow going, took me 3hrs to do a 1.3m by .6m hole. I've ordered the glass but theres a 10day lead time this time of year.



Whilst tidying around the garden I found some timber that I'd piled up because it may have come in useful. It was the remnants of my old allotment greenhouse. I decided its been sat there for 10years and not been used so started sawing it up for fire wood. After a couple of cuts I thought that looks like decent timber, so I ripped a couple of sides off and its only bloomin cedar. I cant burn that.

 

[Lons]

I don't envy you one bit.

yesterday I raked loads of sludge and decaying leaves out of our old natural pond, no liners or anything but spent more time releasing the hundreds of newts that came out with it. No wonder few tadpoles survive in there.

Nice save with the wood.

 

[Accipiter]

I don't envy you at all - the revamp of my pond will, hopefully , be an easier job to undertake. I've a leak about 6" from the top for the level I want. Thought I'd found and sealed it but definitely haven't. That means I have to put in a new liner - which means removing the 5 Wakin goldfish, 2 tench and goodness knows how many minnows - the only fish that seems to be able to breed successfully... if only a small number fry survive! Not looking forward to netting them out and putting into some large containers with netting over to try to stop the minnows jumping out...

Wish you great success with getting yours up and running again

 

[duke]

Looking forward to seeing your progress with this Wallace

 

[RogerS]

I shall watch progress with great interest, Wallace.

If you want ‘smell’ then you need to come round here! LOML commented about the sewage smell in one area of her garden and that the ground was moister than elsewhere. So I dug a shallow hole to see what would happen. Filled with black stinking liquid. Hey ho. The drain man cometh today with camera and shovel.

 

[wallace]

I shall watch progress with great interest, Wallace.

If you want ‘smell’ then you need to come round here! LOML commented about the sewage smell in one area of her garden and that the ground was moister than elsewhere. So I dug a shallow hole to see what would happen. Filled with black stinking liquid. Hey ho. The drain man cometh today with camera and shovel.

My sister lives a few doors down and I noticed that boggy smell, she had raw sewage coming up where the kitchen drain goes into. Covered a decent area. Council maintenance man came with his rods and said nope. The local water authority were called. Stuck his camera in. Apparently he thinks the kid next door had been shoving random things down. The last time it happened next door got a few hundred quid fine for allowing building rubble into the system.

Frank we have another little pond which leaked so I put a butyl liner in, that stuff is really strong

 

[Accipiter]

Thanks @wallace . I bought a new liner last year while a sale was on... after trying for ages to find the leak point/points. I could see an area on the brick wall (it's a part raised/part sunken pond) so *thought* I'd be able to resolve it... failed - so replacement liner to go in after some adaptations made with fish plants removed... Just need a spell of decent weather - and no interruptions from family members

 

[wallace]

That was harder than I thought it would be. Note the catwalk ladder for safe ingress into the pond. I found to my horror that normal ladders dont like fibreglassed areas. Just managed to save myself.



swmbo had a cunning idea, wouldnt it be nice to see the fishys from the house. Theres a window at the tea making area, so I spent a few hours chopping for another window.



We seem to have adopted a black bird. He has a broken beak. The bottom does not move, I think he must of flew into something and snapped it. He came to the garden very tatty but has improved quite a bit. When he wants some food he goes to a window and stares in. I go out fill his bowl and whistle. Seems to have a scruffy robin in tow thats half way through a molt.



He's not too bothered about the dogs either

 

[duke]

Good on you for helping your new friend the black bird.