griff

The water feature is pretty tame and the pond surface is essentially calm. Thanks for the tip - I'd heard that lilies don't like rough water! I do have some pics and will try to post them at some stage. I'm not very techo on these things and will have to read the instructions. Thank you heaps for your answers, Caryl. Really appreciate the help. Cheers, Griff.

Are there any particular practices to adopt to avoid getting balnket weed? Or am I worrying unnecessarily as it is easy enough to control?

Someone said to me that 'orfs' (not sure of the spelling) are good as they tend to swim near the surface. Is that correct? Having gone to the trouble of a filter to maintain water clarity, I hope to be able to see the fish. I've noticed some are very shy and would like to avoid them.

I hope to see you there. Cheers, Griff.

Hello Folks, I have built (or more correctly, had built) an outdoor cold water pond approximate dimensions 5.0m x 2.5m x 400mm - around 5000 litres, I think. It is filtered with a combined UV and Bio filter and the pond design incorporates a pump that feeds a (tranquil) water feature and the filter. My main purpose in building the pond is to create a tranquil outdoor space at the end of my deck. (It looks great so far). Apart from the body of water and a little bit of water movement, I thought I'd a few lilies and a few fish. Reading this forum has given me the 'hebbie-gebbies' - reading about all the difficulties that can arise. I hope I've set things up to avoid some of them and that I haven't created a small aquatic nightmare in the back yard! I am new to ponds and have a few questions: 1. Is there an active aquatic club in Western Bay of Plenty - I've heard it is no longer active - anyone know?? 2. The pond is full and being filtered, but is bare of plants and fish. What should I do first? I've been told to get a few plants and a few fish and build up slowly. 3. Do I need particular plants other than my planned lilies, for pond health? I think I have plenty of surface area of water for fish oxygen supply. I have seen frequent comment about 'oxygen' weed. Do I need this? 4. What is a WCMM? Lots of mention of this fish, but I don't know what it is. 5. If I get a few 'goldfish' from a friend, and he has 'blanket' weed, will I inevitably get this weed too? Is there any way to avoid getting it? 6. Should I get equipment to clean detritis off the bottom of the pond regularly? 7. Once the pond is running and I have fish and plants in it, can I just top up for evaporation loss from the tap, or do I need to treat the added water somehow before I add it? I'm presuming the water here is treated with various chemicals. 8. As you can read, I'm feeling a bit anxious and want to avoid misstakes. Perhaps there is good book I can read? Any help would be appreciated. With thanks, Griff.