At the bottom of the previous page, I said that my two mottos were: #1, Never leave well enough alone, and #2, If it ain't broke, go ahead and fix it anyway.  Ponds and fish and critter tanks are above all about Making.  We hope others will enjoy what we've made, and we do, too, but it's not long before we're messing around again.  I say we and not I because I've read and heard the same words from other pond keepers and aquarists.  Making is what it is all about, above all.

The middle pond came first, 250 gallons which stretched the following year to almost double its size.  That was plenty for a couple years. The farthest pond, almost 2000 gallons was installed two years ago and the the tiny 50 to 75 gallon mini pond at the bottom of the pic I put in this past weekend.  Its purpose is to alleviate the small pond's algae problem and it is doing so already.

The two main ponds have skimmers with hefty pumps geared for 3500 and 2500 gallon ponds. In addition, the smaller pond has an out-of-pond UV sterilizer. The small veggie filter box for the large pond and the tiny veggie filter pond each has a bag of lava plus watercress and a few hyacinths.  There are 6 koi and an escaped shubunkin in the large pond and 8 original shubunkins plus three generations in the small pond. Hiding somewhere are a couple frogs and 2 local crayfish and three genuine central Pennsylvanian salamanders. The surrounding rocks are home to a family of chimpmunks, several squirrels, returning mourning doves, and many other birds.

 

   

Koi left above and in the movie below.............Shubunkins above right and below

>                    

Home
return to aquaria

Earliest Pond Page
Some of my critters
My saltwater tank
Freshwater tank
Turtle and fish tank