Last Updated: 12/6/23

1. Surprise! I did pond work on 11/5/23. I was delayed as my brother came over and helped me get leaves off the disaster of a pool cover. He went inside to play video games while I toiled on the ponds for a few hours. I completely forgot to change the PondMaster filter but I figure I will put it up next week. I also sort of forgot to squirt the bioballs (okay, I didn't want to do it!) so they will be moved to next week as well.

At 1:44 pm, it was 68 degrees F outside. The 1800 gallon pond was at 52 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 54 degrees F. It was very nice out for November but felt like almost 3 pm due to Daylight Wastings Time. I first had to fight all the leaves on the nets which filled up two wheelbarrows full. I then squirted all the filter materials and put in additives and water. I think all the yard doohickeys are in. I do still have to dig up the gladiolas and one calla lily.

2. The full net has been on the big pond for a month but on a last check of the pond on 11/5/23, there was a tufted titmouse stuck under the net. I had to chase him/her back and forth and open parts of the net to get him/her out. The next morning of 11/6/23, there were two birds under there - a sparrow and a golden-crowned kinglet! This tiny bird with the yellow head stripe was so cute and scared to death but I got both birds out.

3. I did pond work on both 11/12/23 and 11/13/23 (I had that day off). On 11/12/23, at 3:07 pm, the air temperature was 48 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond was at 49 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 50 degrees F. I had stopped feeding the fish for the most part, just on rare warmer days since the nights are now near freezing. We had our first hard freeze by the morning of 11/13/23. On Sunday, 11/12/23, I did the non-1800 gallon pond chores. I removed the PondMaster filter from the 153 gallon pond for the winter. I put the Luft pump with air stone in to replace it and keep the frogs and fish oxygenated. I put Bt in the smaller ponds even though the mosquitoes should be slowing down. I put water in all but the big pond. I put additives in the big pond. I raked some leaves from around the big pond.

4. On 11/13/23, at 12:19 pm, the air temperature was 50 degrees F, and the 1800 gallon pond was at 46 degrees F so I got out the winter gloves to go with the hip waders. I raked up some leaves. I dug up the gladiolas and one calla lily for winter storage. I cut down the taller marginals in the pond (hardy canna, lizard tail, arrowhead, etc.) but left the iris for now. They can take light freezes. I lowered the pond net to ground level from up on the fence posts.

I removed the auxiliary pump and tubing for the winter. I squirted the filter floss around the main pump and squirted the bioballs and lava rock bags. There was a single green frog in the bio-filter, and I put him/her in the marginal area. I lowered the two pots of golden club that spend the warm months in the most shallow water to slightly deeper water.

5. It was 58 degrees F on 11/19/23 at 2:14 pm. The 1800 gallon pond was down to 48 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 47 degrees F. I put in additives and water. I raked up leaves. I did not get in the big pond due to lack of time to squirt off the filter floss.

6. The air temperature was only 44 degrees F at 11:03 am on 11/26/23. It was supposed to drizzle later so I did the pond earlier in the day. Both thermeters in the 153 and 1800 gallon ponds read 42 degrees F. I had to shake the net (per usual this time of the year) and use the long net to remove tons of leaves off of the big pond's net. While most trees have finished dropping leaves, the red beech had just started. It is going to get really cold in the next few days, so I put the de-icers in. One goes next to the bubbler in the 153 gallon pond while the other goes in the biofilter (which is covered to keep off the wind and leaves). I got in the big pond to take out the filter floss around the only remaining pump and squirt it all off.

The main waterfall was literally a drip. The water was still there, just going behind the rocks. I took the rocks all apart to try to figure it out. Nothing would work with the rocks. I realized a wide PVC pipe would be great but I couldn't find one in the house! I ended up taking a piece of black coroplast (plastic cardboard) and laying it under where the water was coming out to send more water down the waterfall so it is now a slow run but it is moving. I hid the coroplast and run with the rocks I had removed although not that well. Running water usually does not freeze solid but, when it was just a drip, it would have frozen.

I put in additives and topped the ponds off with water.

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