I enjoy reading about everyone's ponds, large & small! I am facinated by the huge efforts some of you have to make to winterize, and I LOVE all the great photos (even "Little Dickens" - too cute!) I have a few general questions - just to get bigger pictures of each of you, all in one place:

How long have you been ponding?
How many ponds (and what size) do you have?
How much property do you live on?
What is the climate zone?
What is your biggest problem/challenge?
Have any words of wisdom for a newbie?

Here's my story:
We built the pond in August (our first)
We have the one pond (but I already am mentally planning a much bigger one!)
which is about 2,000 gallons
We have 10 acres (but the pond is about 20 feet from the front porch) and are
located about 15 miles from "town" - population 2,500. Thank goodness for
internet shopping!
We are located in zone 9 where we are still experiencing daytime temps in the low
80s.
Our biggest challenge is algae/murky water.
If I have gained any wisdom at all it is "put a screen on the pump to keep snakes
from getting sucked into it!" - hee hee

-Lori

This is our 3rd winter, but 2nd winter with our 600 gal. pond. ( Little 8 gal and 50 gal. the first winter..with no life ). Ours is a good 50ft from the house, can't dig directly out back because of an old septic system. Don't know the history of the area so not 'rocking the boat'. lol Think I'm zone 5-6, and dealing with frost this morning. AARGHHHH. My BIGGEST challenge is my netting. Our pond is out of a slope, making the walls uneven plus I have a trellis on one side. My words of warning..oops, wisdom :rolleyes: . Especially with your first winter, get ready to stress and frett over your pond. It's a 'given'. But being able to enjoy it during any season ( I've even sat out there during calm sunny cold days ) and just veg totally outways the stress days. :D

I created this forum.

I got my first pond, a kiddie pool, in the summer of 1996.
My 1800 gallon pond was installed in May 1997.
My web site began in the fall of 1997 with just stories about my animals, aquariums, and ponds.

Right now, I have 6 ponds since I've put some up for the winter. They are a 1800 gallon liner pond (my "big" pond with the fish), 153 gallon liner pond with rosy red minnows, 50 gallon preformed in ground pond, 20 gallon above round preformed pond, 16 gallon liner "pond," and 20 gallon preformed pond inside with tropical plants and my new betta named Homer. We have 5 acres where I've lived with my parents since the summer of 1977 when I was 4.5 years old. Right now, I have 4 cats, 3 rabbits, 5 chickens, 1 sailfin lizard, 1 redbellied turtle, 2 green anoles, 1 hermit crab, 4 aquariums (with too many animals to list), and 6 ponds (with too many animals to list). I'm in Zone 6/7 in MD.

My biggest problem is lack of time! I work non-stop and have no time to just enjoy my animals and ponds. I spend all weekend caring for them. My big pond is basically algae free (and has been for 7 years or so).

My words of wisdom (although not necessarily wise) are vast enough to write a few hundred pages about. Oh, I did that! It's my web site.

How long have you been ponding? 4 years

How many ponds (and what size) do you have? One, 3,500 gallons, 60 foot stream.

How much property do you live on? 1/3 acre lot.

What is the climate zone? Border between 4/5.

What is your biggest problem/challenge? String algae.

Have any words of wisdom for a newbie? Read this forum. Double the size pond you think you want. Use a 45 mil EPDM fish safe liner, with underlayment. Build close to your house/patio/social area versus the far corner of your lot. Use biological filteration system, including skimmer. Install auto-fill system. While digging; form shelves at different levels inside your pond for various plant depth requirements (8", 16", 24"), and even caves for fish to hide (I formed a tunnel and laid flat rock across the top after liner went in). Size pump to re-cycle pond water more than once an hour (twice an hour is best). Also consider effects/landscape lighting (both above and below water), and power supply location.

My daughter and I dug my pond the end of March, 2005 (about 2 feet from my deck) so this will be my third winter ponding. I started with 3 goldfish that I had for years and I don't know how many I have now. I put 3 bullfrog tadpoles in my pond and they grew into nice bullfrogs. But, I haven't seen them in months. Between them and a snake, they thinned out some of my goldfish. My pond is about 1100 gallons. I live on almost 3/4ths of an acre in Zone 7 (southwest Tennessee). The biggest problem I have with my pond is the sun in the summer. I also have algae problems in the spring. The deepest part of my pond is about 2 1/2 to 3 ft deep in the center. My advice would be to draw out your plans on paper and think about it for a couple of days before you start digging.

I think I have talked a lot about my situation, LOL, but here it is in a nutshell: I have been ponding for 1.5 years. I have a natural clay pond (HUGE, 500,000 gallons) that was here when we moved in 1.5 years ago. It was fishless. It is located about 200 feet from our house. On a whim I threw 6 koi in there. When they grew into giants in one summer, I was hooked! ( we have about 21 hours a day of daylight in the summer, which is great for fish growth) I spent all of last winter obsessing over the new pond. All I did was work and eat, sleep and drink pond plans. I drove myself mental trying to come up with the perfect design and learning everything I could before I started the new pond the beginning of June, this year. The completed new pond is 12,000 gallons. It is located 3 feet from our deck. I also have 2 - 55 gallon fish tanks in the house with baby goldfish in one and 4 little koi in the other. We live on 3.6 acres in Zone 2, Northern B.C. Canada. My biggest problem/challenge is the COLD and the full sunlight exposure which I will fix in the spring with a pergola. My words of wisdom for a newbie would be to read everything you can get your hands on, listen to other ponders, then do what feels right to you. Expect to make mistakes and learn from them :-) As a ponder with very large ponds I can say that I might be the only ponder in the universe who thinks my ponds are TOO big!!!!
I think this was a great topic to start Lori, way to go :-) Also: I think everyone should post a picture of themselves so I am not the only one who got caught looking their worst out of all of us ponding buddies :-)

Ok there are the pics of me that I JUST took since I am the only person that ever takes pictures I am never in them LOL

How long have you been ponding? 6 months

How many ponds (and what size) do you have?1 250 gsl pond close to the deck and i 1/3 acr on natural clay that is HUGE

How much property do you live on? 15 acres

What is the climate zone? 5

What is your biggest problem/challenge? keeping water levels normal
Have any words of wisdom for a newbie? read read read and when you think you are done reading read more LOL and then worrie about the winter

I also have a 55 gal quarium that I really enjoy alot since all the pond fish are not very active (miss them too)

Great topic!!!
I like the pic Idea put some faces with the names and crazy comments

I am a newbie ponder and live Oregon, zone 8 I think. We have a 6 acre farm that we grow Christmas trees and some Austrian Pine nursery stock on. We have lived here going on 8 years. I have been ponding for less than a year. I got started ponding after we bought a new tractor in March that had a backhoe. I didn't really have plan drawn out for it I just had a vision in my head and started digging. That worked well for me but is not advised. Like SadieMay my pond is behind my septic tank. I don't have a deck or a window from were I can look at my pond so I have to go out to visit. We are planning a new house and of couse at some point a new pond so I will fix it so I can see it more often ;) I don't have any other pets for now but do enjoy the cottontail rabbits that come to "visit".
The biggest problem that I had was finding a place on the web where I could get some good reliable information. I no longer have that problem since I found this site! Any wisdom that I have to add was said in the previous sentence.

Cute pic C2!

I will post one when I figure out how!

I really hate having my picture taken :angry: so sorry but this is the only pic that is in a computer (got it out of my hubby's).

you go motorcylce mama it is great and yet very strange to put faces with people you talk to almost everyday in your mind you kinda make uo your own face i guess i know that sounds stupid but ya do lol this is a great post!

Nnnnnnnnnnoo way for a pic of me. :o The running joke in my family is that my oldest sister got the personality, my middle sister got the looks and money, and we're still not sure what I got. When people from our old work days found out me and hubby got married, it was YOU TWO??!!!..my response ' I keep him drunk'. ;)
Which they actually took seriously because for 15 years he had a keg kooler in his kitchen. He still misses it. <_<

Oh this is soooooo nice to be able to put faces with you all! Come on now Sadie, you would be beautiful to us! I loved your post, it made my morning. I am like Chris, I am never in pictures because I take them all, but if I am in a picture it is because I am doing something dumb or with animals and it seems I am always looking bad, lol, so I will get a picture taken today and post later! Nice picture Tia! I have had motorcycyles since I was 4 years old. My Dad was a racer, so I got into it early. I still have 1 streetbike, that I rebuilt myself, but when we moved up north I sold my shiny black race bike, plus I am going to be 40 next year, so it is time I quit thinking I am 25 :(

Ok... I will add a photo here, if someone can explain to me how to do it...

tanx,
Lori

LL, I had to go here to be able to post pics: http://photobucket.com/register.php
KK uses this too :)

Perfect, Tia, I knew you would answer this one! I came back to try and give my explanation but knew it would be too long winded anyhow, LOL

K! I am always excited when I get to answer a post! B)
The pic is pretty deceiving in many ways. I ride on the back!
You started riding pretty young! Good for you!! What street bike do you have?

Well here is my picture. And NO I didn't put a bowl on my head to do my bangs, UGH, what a yucky picture, LOL
T, my current bike is a Yamaha Fazer 750. It was my dream bike in 1986, lol, so I bought one about 5 years ago and restored it myself. The bike I just sold was a 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600. I also have a 1970 Honda that I am restoring. I would post some pic's but Robyn is going to kick us off for being off topic all the time :o

K! Nice pic! I know you didn't take that one yourself ;)
That kitten is much bigger than I thought. The first pic you posted he look pretty small. Such a cute face!

He is 10 weeks :D

See that look on the kitten's face? He is saying, "Ha ha! I've got you under my spell!!"

[I removed the rest of the message and photos the next day.]

Robyn, you are far from being ugly!! You are very pretty with a kind and caring heart!! Don't be so hard on yourself!! I am here to stay and I am sure everybody else feels the same way.
Ellen

Robyn, Wellll, let's see...let's do a critique. ;) That top pic, I SEE fish, healthy plants..and alot of them. And one very relaxed, healthy weight, nice looking coated cat. Awwww...sorry, think I'll still listen to your advice. With all the info, just thought your head would be bigger. :P Almost tried one of those glamour photos, but was afraid I'd come out looking like Elton John with hair. I will TRY to look for a pic today.

This was 4 years ago (wedding pic ). My hair is now down to almost my waist. By the time the 'big day' rolled around I couldn't fit into my wedding dress. I wore a satin skirt that cut my circulation off, a white tank top, and a white butterfly print crochet bathing suit cover top. :rolleyes: Notice our 'wedding goblets'? Since we're beer drinkers and I have no kids I made the Xmas Tree glasses generic. Bride ( with a solid etched rose ), GROOM ( with 3 chain roses). On the back side of the glasses, I had 4 flying doves, he had 1 duck. My size 2!!! sister was my maid of honor, she wore Cinderella see-thru shoes and of course got more attention than I did. lol That's life, and that's usual for me. :D

Oh my, look what I started, lol. I think this is great,lol. It seems like none of us like our photos taken, see!, another thing we all have in common, lol. Seriously though, if you would have seen what I went through yesterday just trying to get a picture to post. WELL!! I have since found out that my whole family thinks I need a new hair cut and to get rid of my bangs, so I pinned them up this morning and now I have a big forhead! But...the only thing that matter is that our pets love us!

Robyn, thanks for posting your pictures, I think they are really good, it is so nice to put a face to the information, you are invaluable to us and we are all very grateful that you take the time to do this for us. Maybe this will be therapy for us self conscience ponding girls, LOL Thanks for saying we can talk about stuff, but the whole motorcycle thing is just part of getting to know the group! Love yourself Robyn because we DO!!!

Oh Sadie I love your sense of humour! You are too funny! You guys truly make my day! I am so bored now that I have "retired"! Well we have a snow fall warning today so maybe I will post a snowy pond picture tomorrow!!
P.S. My husband is home today and he said we all need to get a life, I think he is just jealous! OK now you are really going to laugh......I had Robyn's "glamour shot" on my computer screen and my husband walked by and said "why do you have a picture of a porn star on your computer" okay now Robyn, don't you go get any ideas!! See...not everyone can be porn star beautiful!! (gee I hope that didn't offend you and you see the humour in it???)

I cheated a little. :P I already saw a pic of Robyn on her website and I STILL seek her advice! B) And most of us have seen KK from her website and some of the fun pics that she has posted. You go girl!! I have been called ugly to. Many, many times when I was a kid. My response THEN was to beat them up! That would scare them off for a while. I think at one time or another we all have had someone tell us that they didn't like our looks. Now that I am older I just plain don't care (as long as I don't have to look a picture of myself). I am happy to have hair, eyes that can see, lips that move, a nose that is in the right location and am not disfigured. I feel very fortunate really. Ok. Now I am done!!

Now. I think this is a really good thread. I like know what my post mates look like and that they feel the same way I do about putting their pic on the site ;)

There is still some of you holding out here so come on and get with it. :D
Be brave as we have:)

Yeh, I feel fortunate too...but when I'm out and somebody walks by where you just gotta admit 'that woman is gorgeous'...it sucks. Then I look in that store mirror, fix my hair, and think 'God's got one mean sense of humor'. <_< Dogs want out, pond plant duty is calling. :blink:

I guess all that matters is that we're all young and beautiful in our hearts and a lot smarter and kinder than most people!

You all are toooo much! I knew from a young age that I would never be "pretty" so I decided to be unique!!! I got my nose pierced in 1974... hee hee - Who would've thought that the trend would take hold!!!

Here is my pond also. We haven't really started landscaping around it much, or started on the waterfall, BUT I laid each and every rock in my pond - most of which I had to unearth in my yard : )





-Lori

Ok. Now I have a problem that I need advice for. LOL
Before I was just talking to faceless names. Now that I know you all are beautiful women, I feel like I am cheating on my wife. ;)

Nice pond LL. I think most of us can say that we feel your pain! I have picked up and packed my fair share for sure! It will look beautiful once it is finished. You already have a good start with the trees that you have there in the back ground.

OM Gosh you are all are great WAYNE WHERE IS YOUR PIC??????
This is like a reunion of the fishy kind but we all get to stay in our jammies on the puter. You are all VERy pRETTY and unique (sp) with your ability to care and build and design for these animals WOW one amazing group.

now where are all the boy pics????

and who else are we missing????

You all make me smile everyday thanks!


PS ok compared to everyone else my pond sucks!!!!! I am so building a bigger one next spring I mean HUGE yeah you heard me get you design caps on fishy people I will need ideas LOL :ph43r: ninja pond builder is getting suited up lol

Speaking of Wayne, yes Wayne, where is YOUR picture and Christina you should ask him for some new pond ideas because his pond is SO NICE!! I have a picture that I keep of a pond I really like alot so I am posting it for you for some ideas. Oh with all this new construction in the works I am going to have to build that small pond in the spring just so I can have some fun too!! HHhhhmmmm would 3 ponds be too many????? NEVER ;)

This pic does remind me of Waynes pond. This one looks like it was build on a hill. I would have to move truckloads of dirt to make one like the pic. :blink: It looks like a nice and quite setting.

OK that is a start KK. But I really dont think hubby would go for it and outside of just setting in my filter and pump (the kind you take out of a box and put it in the water) I have NO CLUE how to do that. Even your barrels"O" pumps and filters you have I absolutly have no undertanding of them for the luv of pete (whoever pete is) I could never do that. I try to read up on them but it just does not sink in.

Best case I could get the pond like that (minus the benches cuz i have no clue where to find them ) LOL but have no clue how to filter it. How do you learn all that stuff? OMG I suck :(

I will be stuck with a kiddie pool pond for the rest of my life

OK after reading this post i sounded like i was having a tantrum LOL I really wasnt OMG now I kinow what my husband hears (poor guy) :blink:

Hey Chris, well um, I don't know what to say! I was born with the gift of a mechanical mind, so most things I can just build or fix without much thought. I guess you could just read a lot and look at lots of pictures. My husband won't help me do anything I think mostly because he knows I can do it myself, so I know what it is like to get not much help! My problem is I only got a mechanical mind so when it comes to finishing and making things look good I kind of suck at that. If you need help in building a filter I can walk you through it if you would like. And... you are in the right spot because there is a lot of great advise in here! Maybe you could get some books from your library or off ebay or something?? I bought so many books last year, but most of them are a waste of money when you can get what you need of the internet. What about your big huge clay pond?? Is there anyway you could use that as your new pond??? Spiff it up a bit? Or...is it too far from your house??

KK I am more of the finisher and you are the mechanical one u come to my house start the filtration then we go back to your house dress it up and all is solved LOL ever think of moving to Ohio LOL :P

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Heres a pic of my grandson and myself going for a ride on the quad in our driveway this summer. He was 12 months old in the photo . We get to baby sit three days a week. You should see his eyes lightup every time he sees the quad in the garage.

Aaawww, he is a cute little guy! I have a grandbaby "in the works", nothing official yet, but I am really looking forward to it. Guess I will have to do some fencing around my pond then! Thanks for posting the picture!

Yes, Christina, I have thought about moving somewhere warmer, mostly during the snow and -50 weather, then I DREAM about it, cause the reality of living in the North sucks for about 9 months of the year! But.......the summers are very nice :D