Last Updated: 8/5/25

1. I started pond work at 11:51 am on 7/6/25. I squirted all the filter materials, bags of bioballs, and bags of java rock. The bioball bags were very heavy as they were full of pond slop. I added additives and water to the ponds. Oops, on 7/14/25, I realized that I forgot to write down the temperatures, and I have since shredded the sheet.

2. I did pond work early on 7/13/25 at 10:35 am. It was already 80 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond was at 80 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 77 degrees F. I have a single waterlily flower! It's yellow and big. The raccoons had a raukus party in the big pond. They flattened most of the marginals and snapped off most of the hardy canna. I cut the stalks at the break because they couldn't survive. I squirted off all the filter materials. I got to work cutting down the Japanese stilt grass in the waterfall but couldn't get it all before the rain started.

3. When I came around the side of the house for the first time on 7/19/25, I knew something was wrong but I didn't know what at first. Then, I realized the biofilter was dry, and water wasn't overspilling it. The auxiliary pump dumps onto the bottom of the waterfall so I couldn't visually see that the pump wasn't flowing until I saw the empty biofilter. I had to postpone my regularly-scheduled chores to get into the pond. Luckily, once I got in there, I found that the connector piece between the original stiff tubing and the newer tubing had simply popped off. I had to get back out and go get a screw driver to reattach the hose clamp. Meanwhile, the hose pops off the auxiliary pump pretty much every day now! There is no way for me to tighten it that actually holds it on. I know when it's off though as it makes a fountain!

4. The pond work on 7/20/25 started at 1:04 pm. The air temperature was 85 degrees F with 100% humidity. The 1800 gallon pond was at 80 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 77 degrees F. I changed the PondMaster filters. I squirted off the Biosteps Matala. I changed the main filter floss around the big pump. I wanted to cut some more Japanese stilt grass and maybe fertilize some pond plants but I was just too overheated. Somewhere around this time, I had my one and only waterlily flower for the year which was yellow and smelled like suntan lotion.

5. I got so tired of getting in the pond to reattach the tubing to the auxiliary pump that I tried to use reef epoxy to keep it on. The epoxy just slid down the tube if I put it on the outside of the inner tube so I put it around the outer tube once it was on all the way. It seems to be working. I will have to break it off though to take it out in the fall. I didn't record what day I did this.

6. I did pond work at 10:30 am on 7/27/25. At 10:30 am, it was already 85 degrees F with 100% humidity so it was stiffling. The 1800 gallon pond was at 80 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 77 degrees F. I squirted all the filter materials, fertilize the two pots of waterlilies, and changed the Ammocarb bag in the main biofilter. I didn't have the time or heat tolerance to cut more Japanese stilt grass which is everywhere and about to flower.

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