# House comes with pond



## KnitANewDawn (Jun 24, 2009)

So, the bf and I are in the process of buying a house. At the side of the house is a pond (not too big, and I am unsure of the dimensions at the moment) that appears to no longer have any kind of filter or pump. There are no fish or plants in it. I would kind of like to revive this pond and make it all nice again, but I'm not sure of the steps to do so. I am familiar with fish tank care in general (I used to have a 33 gallon with a few saltwater fish about 5 or 6 years ago) but I have not had any experience with ponds... 

Eventually I will get some pictures to post (there are leaves and stuff in it), I just wanted to start looking into this a little.


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## N0z (Jun 3, 2009)

id like to see some pics of it before i try to help


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

There is a lot of good info on the net, or go get a book. Do you reading first. Here one source http://www.ponddoc.com/


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## KnitANewDawn (Jun 24, 2009)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4438419250/

I've included a picture of the pond. I have it's dimensions somewhere, I may have to measure it again, once the snow melts (obviously the picture was taken before snow). I think it's around 5 feet long and maybe 2.5 to 3 feet wide? It's not super deep, maybe a foot and a half, tops. 

Right now the bf just wants to put a bunch of plants in it, no fish... Which would be easy, but I'm worried about mosquitoes, since the water won't be moving (I believe mosquitoes love still water). I want to either get it fully up and running (with filtration and all that good stuff) with fish, or get rid of it. I don't want a mosquito birthing place, and I don't think putting a few plants in it is going to stop the mosquitoes.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You are right about that, mosquitoes would be a big problem without something to stop them. Any number of small fish could eliminate them easily, but a pond that small in Canada would freeze in winter, so you'd have to bring the fish indoors until spring.


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## KnitANewDawn (Jun 24, 2009)

I wouldn't have a problem with bringing the fish in. By putting fish in there, I would need some kind of filtration though, wouldn't I? I've had fish tanks before (it's been a couple years), but never a pond.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You need a filter for a significant amount of fish. But I think you could get by with just water lilies and other "filtering" plants if you only have a few, small, mosquito-eating fish. 

However, its likely that adding/fixing a filter could mean digging or at least crawling in the pond to clear the intake. If that is the way you want to go, it makes sense to do it before you fill the pond and add plants.

The other way to go is just a "water feature", you could put in a fountain and chlorinate the water. But I hate to see potential fish space wasted like that. I see the huge, chlorinated, mammal tanks at the aquarium and think its a waste of fish space.

I guess you could also fill it with sand.


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## pinetree (Nov 29, 2009)

Any idea what the previous homeowners did with the pond? Maybe they gave up on it but still have equipment around that they could give to you with the sale. Does it have electricity going to it for the filter and pump?


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## duke33 (Jun 9, 2007)

Just an airiation (SP) would be a good start..like said read up on it. It'd make a nice Koi pond.


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## KnitANewDawn (Jun 24, 2009)

Alright, so the snow is gone, I've removed the ice (since it was ice when I went out to empty it early one morning) out of the pond. Rough estimate is 300 gallons. It's still a little chilly here yet, so I won't be putting fish in for probably another month or so.

There is really no indication the previous owners actually did anything with the pond. There is a spot for a filter, but nothing in it other than a random hose. 

I'm looking a solar powered water pump to help with water flow. This one be exact. I think it's supposed to spray the water up in the air, but could I redirect the water to go through a small homemade biological filter (saw one somewhere online here, made from a rubbermaid container with sponges and stuff)?


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