Oh what a job it is to dredge the muck from a pond! I already know about the 10 tons of sand and 5 tons of river rock in there because I put them there, but good golly there’s at least that much fish poop and assorted leaf debris.
I see this as a learning experience. Sixteen years ago when I installed the pond we didn’t have the money to do it “right”. I envisioned going out in the morning or evening and feeding the fish. Beyond that I hadn’t a clue. I read up on ponds but we didn’t have the money to do it right, so I used multiple layers of thick plastic sheeting for the lining, filled it with water, and added gold fish from the local PetSmart. For a while it was very cool to throw a handful of food to all those hungry mouths. Then the water turned cloudy green and I couldn’t see a thing.
I tried building bigger and bigger filters to no avail. I added a stream (though I never was able to seal the join properly, hence the giant mesquite tree growing next to the pond), and that helped some but not as much as I needed. I added all kinds of water plants but most of them fried in the heat of summer or froze as soon as the temperature dipped below hell. Through talking and reading I finally accepted that the cause of the problem was the fish food. So I stopped feeding the fish. Within a week the water had cleared completely.
Now finances are better. I could hire someone to dig a new pond and do it exactly right, and that may be what I ultimately do. After all, the purpose of the pond is to help me relax so I can write, and if I am constantly working on the pond then I am not relaxed nor, more importantly, writing. For now, though, I’m content to sift the muck separating the much needed strings of Anacharis plants that provide oxygen and remove algae-producing nutrients, from the stinky black sludge.
My plan is simple – once I get the muck out I’ll transfer all the plants and fish to a temporary pond. Then I’ll remove and discard the old “lining”. The new pond will be smaller in terms of how much of the yard it will take up, but it will have bottom drains and skimmers feeding a biological filter to help deal with waste and debris. It will also have wood decking at least in areas – I always loved Mr. Miyagi’s wooden pathway in the karate kid and think that would be a nice touch. The waterfall will be moved to the corner and I’ll build a new outbuilding facing the new pond. Whether that will become my office or a place for the kids I haven’t decided yet, but at least I have a plan.
