One day in early 2008 we got out a couple shovels thinking we’d dig a small pond for our backyard … .over the years we’ve learned a lot about what to do and not to do. For the last 5 or so years we’ve figured out how to do it right. A book called Pond Builder’s Bible set me on the right course to explain the safer, healthier, less expensive way to maintain a pond. This Beneficial Bacteria is the ONLY medium that goes in our pond, besides food for the fish. Well, and homemade frog islands, but I don’t think those count. Instead of UV lights, algae killers and other dangerous means, now we use a skimmer, which is just a plastic, 2-compartment bucket with a door than opens and shuts from the movement of the pond water with an approx $150 pump (both located under brown rectangle across from the waterfall in the photos). POND’S SETUP - The pump sucks water from the pond into the skimmer > through a net / thick plastic-y filter > through the pump > then out of the skimmer through a tube in the ground that goes around the side of the pond and under the side of the waterfall wall > and up into the waterfall. The waterfall (base of each level AND a ways up the sides) and the entire pond are lined with a thick pond liner, then rocks were added on top. MAINTENANCE - Debris is removed and hosed from the skimmer net / filter as needed on average 1-2x a week (which takes seconds to do). A few times a year the pump is hosed to keep it clear of debris. Pump has been replaced once in many years; filter / net have never been replaced. - The top of the waterfall has a waterfall bucket, which the underground tube empties into. I have those little black plastic media in a mesh bag in the bottom of the waterfall bucket, which I’ve left in there undisturbed since first adding the waterfall years ago. - The ONLY thing we use is this Beneficial Bacteria. We estimate the pond holds about 1300 gallons. I put one scoop of beneficial bacteria (it’s a very small scoop) into the pond every couple weeks or so. When I’ve forgotten to add a scoop, depending on the time of year the water can fairly quickly get murky and algae can get out of control. If it happens, you have to be patient and give the product time to do its magic. It is not an immediate fix but it does work. The best advice is to remember to use it. - Through the seasons the pond goes through changes; sometimes there may be a short bloom of too much algae - for us especially in the spring - but the bacteria keeps it in check. Occasionally I’ll remove a handful or two of algae if it starts to grow too quickly. The homemade frog islands I made this year have helped keep some of the surface shaded from the sun, which have made occasional algae blooms even less of an issue. The fish, which began as about 9-10 baby goldfish feeder types, are thriving ridiculously well. They overwinter right in place thanks to an aerator I made using a cheap air pump, tube, Mountain Dew bottle filled with white filter media stones. The bottle’s cap has tiny holes drilled in it for aeration plus a bigger one for the air tube. Usually I’ll keep the waterfall going until around December, and turn it back on late winter/early Spring. When it’s off, the pump comes out and we use our air compressor to blow water out of the underground water tube. We realized sometimes the pond water level would drop quickly due to occasional high winds basically blowing minuscule bits of water out of the waterfall. If you’re into Smart home stuff, you’ll like this: we set up the free app IFTTT to turn off the waterfall (plugged into a smart plug) if the wind reaches 15+ mph. We have a separate command that checks if the waterfall is off every 3 hours, and if it is, to turn it back on. Water loss problem solved. Now the goldfish number around 40. Frogs and toads come to visit, sometimes up to 10 at a time. We’ve adopted 3 sunfish that keep making eggs; no babies so far. The pond is healthy, clear and almost maintenance free, largely in thanks to this product. I’m on my 2nd container of it, and that was only because the 1st one was accidentally knocked over by one of our dogs earlier this year. Has my review been helpful to you? If so, would you consider hitting the "helpful" button below? I'd greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
