A day at the pond

Here are a few pics from this morning at my pond about 07:00 hrs. Already a hot day and expected to go to 30 o C again with full sun. The pond is heading into it's most beautiful time of year for the next few weeks. The Japanese Iris's are starting to bloom. other things like a few roses I have at the pond will bloom soon as well. It is an wonderful time at the pond. What is even more incredible is how fast the fish will grow now.

The Pond Clean-up

The dreaded day arrived yesterday. It was clean the pond day. Never a nice experience. Lets just say the smell is unpleasant at best!!!! Still must be done. The water was in there since October last and lots of decaying leaves. Still a good time to check the liner, break up the potted water plants and have a good look at the fish. Everything turned out to be just fine this year.

My Shih-Tzu "Asia", was very interested in the going on's with the ponds. She was the perfect supervisor. She just had her spring hair cut last week. She is over the shock of that one now!!!!

The Last picture is my Fish Family. Only one missing in the picture. These are a mix of gold fish types and Koi.

the pond coming back to life

It is finally happening. Spring is coming about and the pond is a good indicator. Ice is disappearing. and I can see the fish for the first time since before Christmas. They always seem longer at this point. I guess it is the loss of some fat over the winter that gives them a longer look. Soon they will be well on their way to growth and weight gain. The best part is I lost none over wintering, I usually have a couple die each year.
Now for me to take care of some of my weight gain !!!!!

My Urban Pond

 http://ezinearticles.com/?Process-of-Creating-a-Pond-in-a-Backyard&id=2896430
This pond and it's surroundings are very natural and self contained. I really do not do much here at all. I mixed native and hybrids together that all like similar conditions and let them fend for them selves. One thing I did was to off set the bench a bit so you kind of have to look through some greenery to see the pond. It gives the whole a much more natural look, and more relaxing. For the fish it is better as well, they continue their lives much less disturbed. The biggest problem for me with this pond is servicing it. I had to create a walkway behind the pond so I can do what needs to be done, with out going into it every time. All said it truly is a  relaxing place to enjoy a bit of time out. The most expensive thing I did was to set up lights for this. Underwater pond lights are expensive but well worth the effort, especially for the fountain it adds a bit of class to the whole. The Bronze Cranes are Fountains as well but I never use them that way.

Always remember no matter how natural the look, a back-yard pond is and it's surroundings are 100 % man made and needs regular care.  Spend at least 2 hours a week on it. Or at least commit to that.
Last thing here always leave a lip of the Liner above the ground level. It may look ugly but it will prevent dirt and fertilizer and so forth from entering your pond. A fun thing here is to get creative and hide that liner edge. You see the liner by the walk way in this picture, however it is okay as it is structural and you would look past it into the pond.

School

Carassius auratus:, Gold Fish    The Latin here is quite generic as there are at least 4 types in this pic alone.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfish
These guys are about two years old. all around 10 to 15 cm long. There are Koi as well but none in this pic. Gold Fish are easy to have in a pond but be careful. The biggest single mistake we all make and I included is to over stock your pond with them. This leads to much grief for the fish and for your self. The more fish in the pond the greater the up keep. My rule of thumb is about one to every 400 liters of water or 100 USA gallon. Fish in nature do not usually live a crowded life. These guys do tolerate a lot where other fish will not. Still to keep them healthy that is a great way to go with little cost.
Big thing for these guys is to give them lots of protection. The reason that these are all two years old is that my neighbour feeds the seagulls and when they spotted the fish they had an extra treat on the side. In a few short minutes they where all gone.   Lots of side cover plants floating plants and places for them to hide under water are ideal. Also avoid ledges and slops in your pond as this helps the raccoons. My pond is less than 1 meter deep and it works for me. however it really should be deeper.
Remember kids love ponds and there are kid hazards involved with any water feature

a wild Urban Pond

http://www.gardenfishpond.co.uk/
Here is a shot of the pond in July. It seems actually over grown. for us humans it is. However it is a paradise for life.The floating plants give great protection for the fish. Also keeps the algae way down. The over lapping plants give additional protection to the fish and hides all the man made stuff going on. To keep the raccoons and cats out I have Rose stalks all through there in the under brush. The pond was clear and chemical free all summer. But as in all things that go with a man made pond there still is always work that must be done weekly. Unlike Nature there is not a source of constant fresh water supply entering the pond.

a Water Lily duet

Nymphaea alba, White Water-lily http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymphaeaceae

These are wonderful in the pond, a domestic variety here. the fish go under them during the brightness of the day. I took this one during a rain, if you notice a bug is using it for protection. These are easy to propagate. Just take parts of a rhizomes with a tip and a bit of fiber root on the end and replant it into a pot.
Hint here. when planting or fertilizing do not buy the fertilizers that are sold for these. Waste of money actually. In the bottom of the planter place about 6 cm of decomposing leaves and then add heavy soil almost clay like on top of it. It is free and so much better. Bigger leaves, and more larger blooms then you ever will get with the pill at the store.