Dubs, i'm curious how much maintenance you put into your pond?
I think I'm more the exception than the rule when it comes to pond maintenance. I have friends that have tried ponds, but most of them rip it out after a couple of years. They were smaller ones though.
My main goals were low maintenance and natural. The water fall is actually a bio falls, so it has ribbon in it that bacteria collects on and filters the water. Under the dock is a skimmer with a capture net and the pump. The pond is well balanced at this point. I also don't have Koi. They can be destructive and will keep growing. The gold fish will grow to their environment and are easier on the pond.
For maintenance, I'll normally take a half day in the Spring to do some general clean up and bring the water fall components out of storage. Just before Winter, I take a half day to trim all the plants, put the water fall components in storage, and setup the two heaters (for a ice hole).
In the summer, I'll do an occasional clean up and remove over grown plants (water plant grows VERY fast) and maybe some string algae when it get hot. That's basically it. All the plants and fish survive the Winter, so I don't even add anything at this point. The fish will eat whatever is in the pond, but we do feed them a couple days a week in the summer, mainly because it fun to see watch them gather and eat.
I've lucked out with this pond.
John
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