Turtle Island in the bog

It is a bit warmer out today so I was able to inspect the bog and rearrange the liner folds so that the tubing/capilary action no longer causes a leak. While I was working I added a couple more rocks to the back edge to help conceal the liner and plumbing. To begin my Japanese garden style I decided to add a turtle island. I had some small black rocks and river rocks left over from the previous pond and decided to use them. I think once the shell becomes covered with moss or algae it will be more interesting.

Turtle Island in the bog

Rocks and turtle island for the bog.

Posted in Pond Building | Comments Off on Turtle Island in the bog

Previous pond builders

Today I discovered Kieran Egan who documented the development of his garden, pond, and tea house. Reading through his articles I saw several similarities to my own struggles and plans for the back yard. Egan published his articles online and in a book detailing all the mishaps and things he did right. This is a great resource for us DIY’ers walking the same path.

You can read his epic tale here or buy his book at amazon – Building My Zen Garden

Posted in Resources, Wandering | Comments Off on Previous pond builders

Thaw out round the pond

The temperatures are finally above freezing for a few days and the snow and ice is melting. The pond is dirtier than ever for some reason so I restarted the pump.

I also picked up a couple of books from the library since its still a little too chilly to hang out outside.

The Art of Japanese Gardens: Designing & Making Your Own Peaceful Space
by Herb Gustavson
– A quick read and is a good beginners book dealing with elements of the Japanese garden in minimal detail.

Japanese Garden Design
– History and much detail about historical gardens and their design. Many photographs and hand drawings.

Posted in Pond News, Resources, Wandering | Comments Off on Thaw out round the pond

Pond Pre Filtration – Waterco Multicyclone 50

Waterco Multicyclone 50 Debris Filter

Being stuck indoors due to extremely cold weather has given me plenty of time to surf the web for solutions to my filtration dilemma. I came across the Waterco Multicyclone 50 Debris Filter, which is a prefilter for sand or bead filters. It has a clear glass debris container so you can tell when it needs backwashing. It works on the same principles as the cyclonic vacuum cleaners in that it spins water and debris to the sides of the container while sucking up clean water through the middle. It is kind of a pressurized vortex settlement chamber that is much smaller. There is a handy purge valve at the bottom for backwashing. I saw a tip in a forum that suggested putting a valve after it so you can use full force to backwash. Requires a minimum of 13GPM flow, which I have.

I ordered it online at this pool supply shop for the lowest price in the USA. It can range from $339 – $700+. $319 in Canada. My local pond supply store had never heard of it.

I will write a review after I install it which may be once things warm up in the spring.
I may move my pump a little further back too so it is more hidden by the retaining wall.

Update: Click here for my reviews of the muticyclone.Great product!!!

Posted in Pond budget, Pond Building, Pond News | Tagged | Comments Off on Pond Pre Filtration – Waterco Multicyclone 50

Japanese Garden Design Principles – Violated first one listed.

Found this article in several places on the web.

There are certain intrinsic principles that one needs to grasp to successfully capture the spirit of the Japanese garden. Most importantly, nature is the ideal that you must strive for. You can idealize it, even symbolize it, but you must never create something that nature itself cannot.

For example, you would never find a square pond in the wild, so do not put one in your garden.

OOPS!

Posted in Resources, Wandering | Comments Off on Japanese Garden Design Principles – Violated first one listed.

A pond, garden, and tea house

In my quest for tea house designs I am running across various designs, kits, and even DIY projects. This one blog however sticks out since he is designing his whole garden in a pseudo Japanese style. I like the tea house design and his and her descriptions of it and the garden. A good read for a cold indoor day to help us dream about gardens yet to be.

http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com/each_little_world/tea-house/

Posted in Wandering | Comments Off on A pond, garden, and tea house

More Snow – jan 10 2011

A mild blizzard dumped about 4-6 inches of snow by the pond overnight. I woke up to let the dog out about 1:00 a.m. and heard the pond barely pumping water so I shut it off. The top is now frozen over. Fortunately no fish in the pond yet. The beauty of the white snow makes me want to put tree flocking all over the yard to keep it that way. But that might get messy when it comes time to mow.

Snow around the pond

Jan 10. 4-6 inches of Snow around the pond

Posted in Pond News | Comments Off on More Snow – jan 10 2011

Pond Filtration

Since I blew my budget I decided against the bead filter to clean the water, opting instead for a bog filter. However since the pond is new and it is winter my bog filter is not yet taking out the fine particles that discolor water. I even have some tannins from leaf debris.

I have tried a couple of different products to address the tannins and small particles but have not yet found any that work. I did find one product that works as an oxygenator. The powder attaches itself to debris on the bottom and floats it to the top, where it can be skimmed off. It didn’t really clear the water but it did help remove some decaying leaves and fruit from the bradford pear tree overhanging the pond.

So I am in search of a good bead filter with a 2″ port. It seems for my pond size all the manufacturers except the high end ones use 1.5″ ports. The prices for bead filters with 2″ ports range from $800-1200 for the 2000-4000 pond size. Much more than I want to pay. I am scanning craigslist almost daily looking for someone to list one there. I have researched the cheaper sand filters but it appears they are not proper for fish ponds since the sand will clog too quickly. I am needing more mechanical filtration than bio filtration at this point, the bog should handle bio filtration once planted in the spring.

UPDATE: The bog was a disaster and harmful bacteria led to death of two fish. I have removed all the gravel and am using it as a veggie filter.
After talking to several “experts” I have decided against the bead filter and opted for a less expensive large mat filter. It seems the Bead filters are only really good for mechanical filtration of large particles and tend to harbor bad bacteria if not cleaned often. You can see my new filter info here

Posted in Pond budget, Pond News | Comments Off on Pond Filtration

New year at the pond

The new year brought with it several inches of rain topping off the pond up to the overflow tubing. The heron also made a late day appearance. I caught site of him coming in for a landing through my upstairs window. When I went downstairs to grab my camera it startled him and he flew away. But his visit is a reminder that I should not have fish until I can protect them.

The rainy day was also a good day to read a book on Japanese gardens showcasing many of the most important gardens. I would love to incorporate a tea house and zen garden at the end of my yard where the pond is. Just not sure quite how to pull it off or if the cost is too prohibitive. I may get a plan drawn up at a local nursery that carries several varieties of conifers and Japanese maples. I keep hoping that darn bradford pear will just fall over so I have a reason to cut it down.

Posted in Pond News, Resources | Comments Off on New year at the pond

White Christmas and Snow around the Pond

We had a white Christmas here in Georgia with about 2-3 inches of snow sticking to the ground. There was snow around the outter perimeter of the pond but the bradford pear seemed to keep it off the upper level.

White Christmas at the pond.

White Christmas at the pond.

Posted in Pond 2010 | Comments Off on White Christmas and Snow around the Pond