An update on the pond project, my last being 29 March.
We had a shit-tonne of rain which slowed us up by a few weeks, turning our entire back yard into a muddy slough, but then the sun came out and in what felt like the blink of an eye we were pretty much done.
We introduced six comets — three orange, three yellow, all named Gerry — which are still alive despite my best efforts to kill them, and have added about twenty plants to really crank up the natural process of filtration.
I dropped three different types of strawberry into the mini bog filter, and the idea is they will self-propagate and totally fill the top. They will be almost completely hydroponic, and their root system will be a main player in keeping the water clear.
I am scouting for a couple more items for the body of the pond, a long trailing log, maybe a few larger rocks, to create terrain on the bottom for the fish to play/hide among. I also want to investigate whether there are any freshwater kelp-like grasses I can add for the same reason, but also for the Gerrys to nibble.
It’s definitely come a long way.
That’s it for now. I’ll post again when the filter is really cranking, will try for some underwater shots when it’s clear, and if I can capture a Gerry in action I will. No major catastrophes so far, but I will cross my fingers and toes just in case.