Rebuilding a Backyard Pond!

The pond we had installed nearly two years ago is beautiful enough and our installer kept his price low enough. What he didn’t tell us was that we needed a biological filter, which I thought was odd… “Just treat it with beneficial bacteria once a month. That’s all you need to do.”, he said. We thought, OK, we’ll try it. It didn’t work. My plants weren’t thriving and the water clarity was poor during warm months, even after adding clay. The Koi have grown and are thriving very well, thank goodness. The pump we had, until yesterday, choked up every three days and I had to slam and manhandle it to keep the water flowing. Three of the same models burned up in the past year. I guess when you opt for the low bid, sometimes it will backfire on you.

A new crew of three arrived on Thursday morning with three pick-up trucks and a trailer. They were carrying 3.5 tons of rock, new plants, and all sorts of new equipment to provide a glorious ecosystem. They’re getting ready to drain the murky pond.

Nearly 1,200 gallons drained from the sidewalk to our fast descending driveway.

I watched my my Koi and Goldfish get netted. Poor things…

Here is where they chilled out, except for one excitable Koi who jumped out and sunbathed in the grass. I yelled, “Casualty!”, but he/she survived and is doing well.

The Boston Terrible Sisters wanted in on the action. I walked them outside on leads and kept them away from the muck. They eat anything that stinks.

While the pond drained (only took 15 minutes!), work began on the new pump. This baby won’t clog and it’ll throw a rock instead of choking on a tiny piece of mulch.

While work began on the pump, our bare-bottomed pond was power washed. I was glad to hear it was an easy job in comparison to others they’ve seen!

The Canna lilies were dug up (wince) and a place was made for the new bio filter behind the waterfall.

ALL OF THIS HAPPENED IN ABOUT AN HOUR!

I need to comment here. If Michael and I were doing this job, we’d still be backing the trucks into the yard, taking the fence down with them, and we might be in the hospital with fractured backs. We might have had a fist fight! LOL! Boulder lifting at our age is out of the question!

Still blooming, my orphaned lilies…

These guys were meticulously lining my pond with rock to capture good bacteria. Not one inch of pond liner is exposed now. We have fewer gallons of water, so I’m at my limit in the fish department. The pond depth is still a good 30 inches.

Pondscapes of Charlotte is an outstanding, award-winning group. They worked diligently and followed their plans. No time was wasted with guesswork or chat and I was in awe with the ease in which they completed a large amount of work in one day. Check out their gallery!

This is where it all happens. A new bio filter (in front of the Canna and behind the waterfall) will capture good bacteria and create an ecological balance, along with the rocks that line the pond in the previous photo.

Lilies are planted at the bottom and celery plants, grasses, parrot feather, hibiscus, and a water orchid are rooting now and will eat up the nitrogen. I’ll love watching them grow. The transplanted Canna Lilies will need good watering every evening for a while, as they look a bit wilted. Our UV light burned out a few weeks ago and although we probably won’t need it, I’ll replace it anyway in case an algae bloom occurs.

A new waterfall. Now we have a shallow place beneath the fall for the birds to drink and bathe easily. They perch on the driftwood and I’ll have great photos of them. Today I saw a red-winged blackbird lapping up the luxury but my camera was… where? Not with me! The birds are obviously feeling the heat, too.

The toads and frogs were screaming nearby last night. I'm sure they will find the way to their new home.

Everybody’s happy!

When I paint my toenails, I'll post a photo of my hot feet submerged and the Koi nibbling on them.