Closed season project.

[Richard Isaacs]

I always wanted a pond at home but the rsm was adamant. Immovable too. Excuse was kids, then grand kids then, not giving up part of the garden . Ho ho.

My mrs insisted that we had a bit of colour in the pond but I was very firm on the fact that i didn’t want gold fish or colourful carp or anything like that and it had to be uk native so she came home from the garden centre with 2 tiny golden tench and popped them in.

Made me chuckle because i thought ummmmm they ain’t gonna last long once them two bigger perch figure out they’ll fit comfortably inside their mouths.

To be fair they are both still knocking about but at just 2 n half inches long and my biggest perch now not far away from half a pound, if they don’t start packing on the ounces they’ll soon become dinner.

 

[Alec Hague]

My mrs insisted that we had a bit of colour in the pond but I was very firm on the fact that i didn’t want gold fish or colourful carp or anything like that and it had to be uk native so she came home from the garden centre with 2 tiny golden tench and popped them in.

Made me chuckle because i thought ummmmm they ain’t gonna last long once them two bigger perch figure out they’ll fit comfortably inside their mouths.

To be fair they are both still knocking about but at just 2 n half inches long and my biggest perch now not far away from half a pound, if they don’t start packing on the ounces they’ll soon become dinner.

I had a fish tank as a kid. At the time I fished the lea navigation at Tottenham. I had a couple of fish from there in it for many years. Nothing so relaxing imho as a pond.

 

[Lewis Baldwin]

Afternoon Gents,

It's been almost a year since @Richard Isaacs stated this thread so I thought I'd resurrect it with an update.

Firstly, how's your pond now it's been 12 months Richard?

A year ago today water went in mine and this is where we are now. It's been a labour of love and a steep learning curve as I've done everything myself however I'm very happy with the finished article.

There have been a few challenges in the last 6 months, filtration and predation being the main 2.

The previous owner of the filtration systems had it set up all wrong and unfortunately I took his word for it thats how it should be. Nothing catastrophic happened however it's only recently, after just feeling it wasn't right and removing it all that I now have it configured properly.

I lost one carp due to it jumping out overnight one night and then a heron decided my pond was it's restaurant. I lost a carp and a goldfish to him. An electric fence has solved that problem and he's not returned in any capacity since it went up.

It's also home to a large number of amphibians, invertebrates and insects. A large number of frogs spawnes in it this spring which the kids loved.

I'd like to get a few tench eventually but overall I'm very happy with it.

Thanks

Lewis

 

[Graham Tremble]

Afternoon Gents,

It's been almost a year since @Richard Isaacs stated this thread so I thought I'd resurrect it with an update.

Firstly, how's your pond now it's been 12 months Richard?

A year ago today water went in mine and this is where we are now. It's been a labour of love and a steep learning curve as I've done everything myself however I'm very happy with the finished article.

There have been a few challenges in the last 6 months, filtration and predation being the main 2.

The previous owner of the filtration systems had it set up all wrong and unfortunately I took his word for it thats how it should be. Nothing catastrophic happened however it's only recently, after just feeling it wasn't right and removing it all that I now have it configured properly.

I lost one carp due to it jumping out overnight one night and then a heron decided my pond was it's restaurant. I lost a carp and a goldfish to him. An electric fence has solved that problem and he's not returned in any capacity since it went up.

It's also home to a large number of amphibians, invertebrates and insects. A large number of frogs spawnes in it this spring which the kids loved.

I'd like to get a few tench eventually but overall I'm very happy with it.

Thanks

Lewis

Which did you barbecue first , that suicidal carp or the heron?
Asking for a friend…….sorry ,I’ll get my coat……..( Cracking pond though Lewis ).
G.T.

 

[Richard Isaacs]

Afternoon Gents,

It's been almost a year since @Richard Isaacs stated this thread so I thought I'd resurrect it with an update.

Firstly, how's your pond now it's been 12 months Richard?

A year ago today water went in mine and this is where we are now. It's been a labour of love and a steep learning curve as I've done everything myself however I'm very happy with the finished article.

There have been a few challenges in the last 6 months, filtration and predation being the main 2.

The previous owner of the filtration systems had it set up all wrong and unfortunately I took his word for it thats how it should be. Nothing catastrophic happened however it's only recently, after just feeling it wasn't right and removing it all that I now have it configured properly.

I lost one carp due to it jumping out overnight one night and then a heron decided my pond was it's restaurant. I lost a carp and a goldfish to him. An electric fence has solved that problem and he's not returned in any capacity since it went up.

It's also home to a large number of amphibians, invertebrates and insects. A large number of frogs spawnes in it this spring which the kids loved.

I'd like to get a few tench eventually but overall I'm very happy with it.

Thanks

Lewis

So far Lewis it’s been an adventure been a new ponder n all that.
We got through the frosts by adding a 2kw inline heater keeping the water at a stable 6°c

Had a lot of string algae to deal with in the beginning until my plants started to really come out and they’ve basically staved it off now. I get some but it’s manageable and looks natural.

Another new addition in there is a 4 jet wave maker on the bottom which creates a medium pace flow like a river in a channel down one edge for those that like a bit of flow.

Now the bad …! I’ve had 3 fatalities all perch! I have 2 perch left now and only 1 of them has really grown on well. The other is tiny still and no doubt I’ll lose him at some point.
I don’t know why but my pond doesn’t seem to be a great environment for their survival yet every other species has flourished.

I can only put it down to my ph level. It’s very alkaline water here and I struggle to maintain a ph of less than 9. Other fish don’t seem bothered by it but I think it affects my ability to keep perch. If I lose the other 2 I’ll not bother with any more.

My chub are like submarines now. Getting on for a pound in weight and just 100% comedy gold. Why more people don’t keep them is beyond me. Never a dull moment when they are around.

Crucians are stunning as are my tench again growing slowly but definitely coming on really nicely.
I’ll take some pictures of the fish tonight under torch light as the glare is no good for seeing them currently.

Here’s the pond though 12months on. Wood work needs a bit of a clean.
Water has been absolutely gin clear since day 1 and very low maintenance indeed. I think I’ve cleaned the pressure filter once since it’s been running

 

[Neil Smart]

Not surprised perch are not easy to keep, I would think most preds would need a specialist approach. Most carp species are far easier to keep.
I had a small common in a small pond, never saw him again for years, thought he was s meal for something, until one June day he appeared three times his original size and healthy.

 

[Ian Woods]

So far Lewis it’s been an adventure been a new ponder n all that.
We got through the frosts by adding a 2kw inline heater keeping the water at a stable 6°c

Had a lot of string algae to deal with in the beginning until my plants started to really come out and they’ve basically staved it off now. I get some but it’s manageable and looks natural.

Another new addition in there is a 4 jet wave maker on the bottom which creates a medium pace flow like a river in a channel down one edge for those that like a bit of flow.

Now the bad …! I’ve had 3 fatalities all perch! I have 2 perch left now and only 1 of them has really grown on well. The other is tiny still and no doubt I’ll lose him at some point.
I don’t know why but my pond doesn’t seem to be a great environment for their survival yet every other species has flourished.

I can only put it down to my ph level. It’s very alkaline water here and I struggle to maintain a ph of less than 9. Other fish don’t seem bothered by it but I think it affects my ability to keep perch. If I lose the other 2 I’ll not bother with any more.

My chub are like submarines now. Getting on for a pound in weight and just 100% comedy gold. Why more people don’t keep them is beyond me. Never a dull moment when they are around.

Crucians are stunning as are my tench again growing slowly but definitely coming on really nicely.
I’ll take some pictures of the fish tonight under torch light as the glare is no good for seeing them currently.

Here’s the pond though 12months on. Wood work needs a bit of a clean.
Water has been absolutely gin clear since day 1 and very low maintenance indeed. I think I’ve cleaned the pressure filter once since it’s been running
View attachment 38788View attachment 38789

The pond is maturing nicely, Richard, looking very nice.