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Pond emergency

Discussion in 'Water Gardening' started by Ruth82, May 6, 2020.

  1. Ruth82

    Ruth82 Gardener

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    Hello people
    I inherited a pond when moving house it has one or two koi carp in it. I gave the pump /filter a clean out and lost the sump plug very stupid of me. Thought I had fixed it up DIY style but later in the day found it had breached and most of the pond water has escaped to my garden Leaving me a muddy pool . Emergency measures I had to give the pond some tap water is guessing between 1/3 upto a half tap water now about 20cm deep
    I have seen one fish once
    but they are always very elusive. I also left some tap water to sit and 'dechlorinate' over night to top up Futher.
    Question is will this be ok to top up with now or is it nessecery to use a tap water purifier? And where might I find this stocks are low or take a few days to arrive right now.
    Will upload a few pics in abit
    Any help at all welcome
     
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      Ruth82, May 6, 2020
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    • ARMANDII

      ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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      Tap water will not do them any harm, Ruth. I have a Wildlife pond that has Fish and Frogs in it and I regularly top up the pond with a permanently laid garden hose along the back of the borders connected to an outside tap and have had no problems:dunno:
      Can you post a pic of the Pond to give members an idea of the situation so that they can give you advice. You may be able to replace the sump plug after talking to a Aquatic/Pond firm and if not and you want to keep the pond there is another method you might want to consider.......but pics would be nice to see if that is possible.:cat-kittyandsmiley::coffee:
       
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        ARMANDII, May 6, 2020
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      • Ruth82

        Ruth82 Gardener

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        Here's a few pics iv measured it at 17cm deep with 2_3 cm of fine mud/silt at the bottom. This mud does bother me at usuall times is it something I should be removing or is it a good habitat for Mr fish?
         

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          Ruth82, May 6, 2020
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        • ARMANDII

          ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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          The mud/silt at the bottom is full of bacteria and other "things" that are good for the pond and the fish in that when the pond is full it helps keep a natural balance to the water.
          Well, obviously, the real solution to the problem is to replace the sump plug but if you can't and, as I said before, if you want to retain the pond, (and I hope you do) then one method would be to temporarily remove the Fish, clean out the pond and either use a plastic "cement" permanently plug the sump hole or, if not buy some pond line and lay that in the pond.
          I dug my pond in '93 and laid a pond liner in it, as I'm not a fan of preformed ponds (ducking below the parapet now as other members do have preformed ones) and it's still going strong. The one thing that stands out with preformed ponds is that the rim is left bare and doesn't blend in with the surrounding garden so it needs something like soil banked up to the edge to cover the rim and then let grass etc grow on it. You could even place turf around/over the rim to really blend it in. My pond is about 22' x 12' but is so naturalised that friends and guests think it is a wild pond and not one deliberately dug which, for me, is how it should look i.e. be a really nice feature but also blend with the garden.
          You have some really nice marginal plants and a good looking Water Lily in the pond and it would be a shame to lose them, as they can be expensive to replace or let them go to waste.
          Can I ask how you've managed to retain some water in the pond??

          You didn't say what how you've plugged the sump. There are patches available from Aquatic firms that should work. I've even seen one method that involves using expanding foam to plug the hole, but I have never seen it used. :dunno: I would definitely find a nearby Aquatic firm, not a Plant Nursery, when this Covid 19 Lockdown is over and see what they say, but there are patches/solutions out there.:cat-kittyandsmiley::coffee:
           
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            ARMANDII, May 6, 2020
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          • Ruth82

            Ruth82 Gardener

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            Thank you very much for your advice. The missing 'sump plug' is from the water pump. I jammed it with a lid a plastic glove and a big stone looked quite safe obviously not good enough. It came loose it sucked the water out and deposited in the garden. I noticed just in time for the poor fish but too late as well.
            The pond is water tight in itself just lacking water.
            I have found places online to purchase but they are not currently delivering.
            I'm sure Mr fish would appreciate a bit more water at the moment so I'm topping up with buckets after allowing to sit for a while.
            I love the Lilly's when they come out and will try to camaflage the whole side of the pond future any suggestions on good plants for this are great.
            Thanks again for your thoughts and ideas
             
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              Ruth82, May 6, 2020
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            • ARMANDII

              ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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              My misunderstanding I thought it was your pond sump plug:doh:. Yes, well, since that is what Fish swim in then more water would be appreciated!! The Fish need the oxygen from the water and some of the plants will re-oxygenate the water so keep the pond topped up.:coffee:
               
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                ARMANDII, May 6, 2020
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              • pete

                pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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                I take it was a plug in the filter box??

                I've had a few mishaps myself over the years, mostly with the filter getting blocked and overflowing.

                For that reason I dont have the pump on the bottom, that way it can never empty the pond entirely if something goes wrong.
                 
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                  pete, May 6, 2020
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                • luciusmaximus

                  luciusmaximus Total Gardener

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                  Some good advice from Mr Pond - ARMANDII :love30::love30: :).

                  There are arguments for and against both preformed and liner ponds. It comes down to personal choice I think.

                  I have a small preformed pond and it does the job that it is intended for very well, which is provide a home for wildlife. However as ARMANDII has said they are not as easy to blend into the surrounding area. As well as growing grass and flowers right up to the edges there are other things that can be used to soften the pond edges. I have some pieces of slate ( former roof tiles that were dumped on the beach ) which I've overlapped along one edge. Also made a log pile on one side and brought the wood right up to the pond edge. I've planted a hardy Geranium in the wood pile so it spills out across the wood. I don't know what your garden looks like @Ruth82 but if you post pics of it we can all think of creative edging for your pond :heehee: :)
                   
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                    luciusmaximus, May 7, 2020
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                  • Ruth82

                    Ruth82 Gardener

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                    This is an excellent tip I didn't think about will definitely be doing in the future thank you
                     
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                      Ruth82, May 7, 2020
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