Re: Fish pond
Originally Posted by
Dextrous63
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If you're still worried, sticking a solar powered aerator in it will always help for this, and indeed many other things.
Not too dear. Had a cheapo one for around £15 from Amazon which ran well until we got a spate of duckweed; at which point I upgraded to a mains fed one which had a higher output and operates a couple of blocks 24/7.
Apparently it helps shifting some of the stuff in the sludge which duckweed likes, up and out into the atmosphere. Seems to be doing it's stuff this year.
Could also lend you a pond vacuum cleaner, but this would involve direct contact which I can fully understand might not float your boat.
That's very kind of you to offer. However, we already have one, electrically powered, which Marge's auntie gave us some time ago. I've only used it once, when we emptied out the pond a few years ago to start afresh, as it's a bit of a job to set it all up. We had it spewing the stuff out on to Marge's garden!
Having said that, I didn't know that duckweed likes the sludge. How does that work then? The sludge is about a foot and a half down and the duckweed is on the surface of course. If this is actually the case, then I'll try to suck out some of the sludge from the bottom. I don't mind some duckweed, as it happens, as it gives the fish somewhere to hide especially when herons come calling! On the other hand, it does spread and I need to use a net to pull most of it out from time to time.
As for an aerator, I don't think we need such a thing as we have a fountain working from a filter which operates 24-7. I'm sure that keeps the water aerated.
Thanks very much for your advice, Dex.