Rock and Roll on the bottom
of the pond

This article (hypothetical or not) is designed to inform, test, and entertain. Have
fun, learn, and good luck. Graphics have not been included to allow for
faster down load times.

System Specs:10x12 pond, average depth 2 ft.. Lined with Pondgard 45 mil rubber. Sandstone
coping, gravel bottom (2 cubic yards), 1200 gallon per hour pump with a small
sponge filter/operating a fountain head and a small waterfall. This system is
roughly 1200gallons. 

(Yes this is the same pond as the previous test, and
the "young man" is learning.)

The young man has put the
unfortunate fish loss behind him, and all (well almost all) is proceeding as he has hoped. The new fish are doing well; eating daily, and growing quickly
in the warm water. The water lilies are in bloom, and the lotus are setting
flower buds

The water clarity in the pond is not all that the family had hoped for. The water has a brown cast to it and does not offer much as far as the visibility into the pond. Taking his own advice the young man takes a clear jar and scoops up some of the pond water. Swirling it in the jar he sees tiny particles of debris settling to the bottom of the tornado he created in the jar of water. "The particulate matter (silt) is clouding my water", declares the lad.  But where is it coming from? Why is it there? He checks all the obvious
places for the source of the debris. He rolls up his shorts and goes wading.

1. The potted plants all have stone on them to deter the fish from stirring up the mud. They did that when the plants were first placed in the pond.

2. The pond is slightly elevated to prevent runoff into the pond. This was done during the installation process.

3. The fish are not overfed. They eat what they are given once a day (okay, maybe twice a day).

4. They haven't thrown any un-needed water treatments into the pond.

5. The foam filter on the pump is plugged up and needs cleaning.

The young man promptly cleans the filter with the handy garden hose and places it back on the pump. Four items have checked out o.k. and he has solved the problem with his "mothers" pond. Back into the house for a snack and a little catnap.
The following day he walks out on the deck to catch a quick glimpse of "his" pond and notices the waterfall and fountain head are not running as they should. While wading around in the pond to clean the filter he discovers that the source of the silt is coming from the stone. More like beneath it. Puzzled, he reviewed his mental notes and remembered that the stone was the substrate that the bacteria (microorganisms) should reside on. The beneficial bacteria that are supposed to eat that stinky stuff. And stinky it was. The silt had a mild odor of rotten eggs. Hydrogen sulfide. Not a good smell like fresh garden soil, a little musty, but not foul. The young man remembered that the hydrogen sulfide was not good for the fish.

There are several clues that are deliberately placed here to distract from the facts of the story.

He does not want to go through another unfortunate fish incident like before.

Several of these answers are correct as temporary fixes, we are looking for the ones that will solve this problem. (Yes the game is getting harder)

Lets review the choices the young man has been offered and see if we can help him with his "mothers" pond.

We hope you enjoyed the little quiz, and are happy with your score.

Home   Tour Our Facility  Shopping  Hours of Operation Driving Directions   Free Classes   Specials  Potting Shed  What have they done now??   Articles and Tests  Help Center  Practical Gardening Institute

Grass Roots Nursery 24765 Bell Road, New Boston Michigan 48164        (734) 753 9200 Phone    (734) 654 2405 Fax

Copyright  2005-2007 Grass Roots Nursery