FTC Disclosure: Fishpondinfo contains affiliate links, and, if you click on such a link and make a purchase, and I meet their minimal requirements, then I will be compensated.

Home Animal Index Fish Index Pond Index Master Index Contact
Free
Pond Newsletter Message
Board Pond Book Calculator
Donate Interactive Fishpondinfo Stores Pond
Showcase Guestbook

Robyn's Pond Blog for August 2022

Last Updated: 9/5/22

1. On 8/7/22, surprise! I did pond chores. At 9:40 am, the air temperature was 76 degrees F. It was 84 degrees F when I finished at 10:37 am, and it went in to the 90's later so I did the work early The 1800 gallon pond was at 78 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 76 degrees F. I changed the main filter floss and squirted off all the other filter materials. I added additives and water to the ponds.

The two small orange fish in the big pond that I thought were rosy red minnows that somehow came from the 153 gallon pond are now bigger than the biggest rosy red minnow. And, they're fast. Yep, after 25 years of keeping orfe, two of their babies survived! I don't usually see much spawning activity with the orfe but did years ago. I didn't notice any activity this year or last with the current three adults that I have. I don't really trust yet that this is true so I haven't yet updated my other pages.

2. The morning of 8/10/22, the 153 gallon pond didn't sound right. I went over to find that some animal, probably a raccoon, had pushed down the bell fountain so that water was spraying all over. The pond was down about six inches. I fixed it and added water.

3. As of 8/12/22, stray cat Cleo is living inside. She had emergency surgery for an abscess, and I am working on integrating her to the household. Her web page is here.

4. On 8/13/22, I was walking in the laundry room, doing chores shortly after having come in from outside. I noticed something sticking out of the toe hole of my right house shoe. It was a dead pickerel frog! I only wear my house shoes in the house. I've bought new ones but they hurt to wear so I'm still wearing the old ones with holes where my big toes are. This maybe two inch pickerel frog was half in and half out of the hole! I can only assume that the frog hopped in my shoe will I had it sitting by the garage and was out out walking in my muck boots. I never felt the frog there. It was really strange.

5. I did pond chores on 8/14/22. At 10:19 am, the air temperature was 76 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond was at 72 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 71 degrees F. I squirted all the filter materials, changed the PondMaster filters, put in additives, topped off with water, and fertilized the two surviving waterlilies. My brand new one was killed by the fish weeks ago.

6. At 10:32 am on 8/21/22, the air temperature was 82 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond was at 76 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 74 degrees F. I squirted off all the filter materials including the Biosteps Matala and the bioballs and lava rock in the biofilter. When I normally say I squirted everything, those things are only done monthly in the summer. I added water and additives to the ponds. The 1800 gallon pond is losing at least an inch a day, probably due to all the plants and some are probably wicking water outside the liner area.

7. On 8/28/22, at 10:45 am, the air temperature was 80 degrees F, and it felt like 100% humidity. The 1800 gallon pond was at 76 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 75 degrees F. I squirted off all the filter materials, put in additives, and topped off the ponds. We have not had measurable rain in weeks now, and the ground is hard as a rock. I worked on digging up the pond lines up against the house because a company was coming the next day to dig four feet down to where the well line goes in the house. It has been leaking inside for about a decade but is much worse now. I have been changing wash cloths out twice a day for years. I dread the work because there is a good chance that, when it is done, I will have no water, no power to the big pond, no power to the small pond, and/or my 30-year-old globe arborvitae will be cut down. The power to the ponds was buried deep, and I spent about an hour every Sunday for over a month to just find the lines deep in the rock hard dirt.


Continue to the September 2022 pond blog.



Pond Blog Directory


Like Fishpondinfo
on Facebook Follow Fishpondinfo on
Twitter

E-mail Robyn

Copyright © 1997-2024 Robyn Rhudy

Follow Fishpondinfo on
You Tube Follow Fishpondinfo on Instagram