This day seems to be perfect for that job. 
We knew it will come, but we were trying to postpone it as much as possible.
Cherry trees of all kind are blossoming in the garden, bees are busy...
The barrel got ready...
Some stones got special exposition and spa (water) treatment...
Spring in full swing...
Husband meditating over the pond: from which corner to start?Reccomended further reading The Water Gardener's Bible: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building, Planting, Stocking, and Maintaining a Backyard Water Garden
While some of us are just sniffing plants....
... we are removing water from the pond. Now you can see it fully naked to the bottom: all plants and dirt and mess...Main purpose of this activity was to get rid of grass carps (yes, yes, they become a cat food), but also general cleaning, which means a total disaster to all living there guys...
... like these two frogs, having a silent house here (how they save themselves from cats I have no idea).
In order to rescue them from lack of water we caught them and placed carefully in the barrel filled with water, where we placed also filter for adding oxygen to water. I expect to move about 100 fish there, so it will be very crowded.
Big and small frog were cheering up each other, horrified probably...
but the small frog as every youth, was very unpatient and didn't want to sit inside...
It was sitting here in one moment...
... and few minutes later, I spotted it back in the pond. I took it carefully back to the barrel... and in few minutes... it was BACK in the pond. Insisting creature. OK then. We didn't pay attention to it anymore. 
This is a disgusting guy, right? I also thought so until I have learned that it is a dragonfly larvae. And it is living in my pond! Isn't it a miracle? You take some construction materials, build a pond, fill it with water, add some plants and fish and life appears. Frogs, dragonflies and some other scary creatures that I don't know what they are...
Water gets less and less... we clean the foil... the rest of the water gets more and more muddy...
While washing the foil, we had a chance to make close examination of its every inch. This hole is a bad surprise. It must be there since last year, when the human youth was having a big party.
That hole is not big maybe 1,5 cm - water was dripping through it so slow that we couldn't notice.
Foil is easy to fix - just same foil patch and proper glue (shoes glue :)) and here we go... This is our second patch in 3 years, so we already have some experience.
My readers probably still wonder about the headline of the post... Just take closer look at my husband t-shirt: Alcatraz Triathlon Digg Dash Dive...
If you think that we started to work at 11.00 am and ended same day at 9 pm and being not able to finish the work... We didn't have such dirty job... playing in mud...
Muddy Waters, ehe...
Totally work was finished on the 3rd day.
Totally work was finished on the 3rd day.
Huzz was catching fish bare hands... can you see a white shade at the tip of his palm? That is fish. Guess who was the last one to catch? Little froggie of course...
I was catching them in different way...
Time passed very fast - you can see how fast huzz was working as the day was coming to an end. We hoped to finish the work same day - that was too optimistic...
All fish was caught and placed in the barrel. This way we know that there is 163 fish - and 156 is born here. About 20 went to my friend's pond. Soon we have to give away more of them... cos they grow naturally and golden measure in this case is 1 kg of fish per 1 m3 to maintain the balance.
The reward for this 3 days job is clean water - I wonder for how long...
All creatures living outside of the pond are happy to see again fish pottering around... Me and Huzz are mesmerized and staring at it for hours, cats as well. Didn't see frogs yet...
That bare foil looks little disgusting to me. I can't wait when life will be back in the water. I hope that now plants will grow properly and natural balance will be reached at the end of this season.
Recommended further reading The Water Gardener's Bible: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building, Planting, Stocking, and Maintaining a Backyard Water Garden
Recommended further reading The Water Gardener's Bible: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building, Planting, Stocking, and Maintaining a Backyard Water Garden
What a lot of work Ewa. Your plants, fish, frogs and other creatures will be thankful.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks beautiful all covered in spring. Wow, what an impressive amount of work the pond takes. I knew it required maintenance but never all the steps, I imagine it is worth it when you sit by the pond and relax!
ReplyDeleteGail
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI think so too - hopefully everything will go now the proper way. I mean aquatic plants will grow fast - as they use to do - and pond will get the balance.
Gail,
Usually it shouldn't take that much work, because if plants overtake 60-70% of the pond they clean the water. Filter is not needed and then your work is mainly to remove the excessive amounts of plants. I made big mistake at the beginning - not being aware, among sweet fish I brought from the shop a "plant lethal weapon" which is grass carp. For 2 years I was trying to figure out why my plants are not growing... They grew but they were eaten faster...
And yes, it is amazing feeling to sit at the pond in the warm days...
Ewa, I've admired your pond from the first time I saw it. Now I can see how much work it takes! But the hard work seems worth it to have that lovely pond and all the wonderful wildlife that lives there.
ReplyDeleteI have the same t-shirt Ewa!
ReplyDeleteThat dragonfly larva is an indicator of good quality water and as they take a while to grow, it means your water's been good quality since the last time you cleared it out :)
garden girl,
ReplyDeleteit doesn't take more job than lawn. and it needs special attention if you make a serious mistake, as I did with letting in a grass carp.
vp,
what a coincidence! hee hee
I did my best for keeping good water quality, despite of grass carps tearing all plants apart :(
It is exactly this job which I postpone every year! But once I have to do it too and clean our pond! I guess, you're happy that you have finished it. Your Spring garden is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHave a nice Sunday!
Barbara