Ok, it looks kind of nice. But the plants are completely root-bound. The Blue Pickerel Rush is crowded out so much it hangs off the edge of the pot.


There's a pot at the bottom full of dead lily rhizome. There's a bunch of algae. Anacharis and Java Fern just floating around.


So I pull everything out and put it on the ground.



Cut all the algae with shears. Start scooping out the rubbish with a net and find some interesting things.



All the crud at the bottom is gone, and the large particulate matter. Now there's just small particulate in the soup.


So here's the temporary home for the snails, minnow, and sundry plants, and flotsam and jetsam.


I dump the lily pot and it looks like all the rhizome are balls of anaerobic bacteria.


But there's a small surprise when I rinse everything down. There is a couple healthy roots with a bit of green on the end.


The poor Blue Pickerel Rush are just barely hanging on. But a few have healthy white roots.


The Orange Peel Plants are so root-bound up there's no room for them to grow.


I have to choose three Pickerel Rush from the healthy babies.


So there are three healthy Pickerel Rush, eight Orange Peel Plant, one poor Lily.

The Pickerel Rush and Orange Peel Plant go in the bog pot.


The animals go back in the soup. One Fathead Minnow.


A few snails. Does anyone know what kind they are?


And a critter that I suspect is a March Mayfly Larvae. But I am probably wrong. Does anyone know?


Here's the bog pot with the hospital plant cup. See if I can get those babies to grow.


Here's the whole mess. Don't worry - it will be going like crazy in a couple weeks.


And up in the left top corner - the motion sensor floodlight. Got to scare the raccoon off if he comes back.


I added enzyme and beneficial bacteria to the water. It should clear up in a day or two.

Nice work D, you'll have to post us some pics over time to show how it picks up!

That looks like a lot of work, but a lot of fun. It does indeed seem that you have some sort of Mayfly nymph (I am taking Entomology this semester). Your snail appears to be a mystery snail but it's kinda hard to tell from that picture! Can't wait to see more pictures!

Thats great Daniel will you be getting a couple of comets once it all going again

Looks good.

Just curious, did you change the water?

Looks great - what brand of filter did you find that would stay on like that?

The pics will be coming. You may see a couple more before the end of my day actually.


It's fun work - absolutely. And when it all comes together it's quite satisfying.

The Mayfly nymph are odd little critters. They look like a drowned cricket. However do they turn into and long, thin, and leggy Mayfly?

I found three snails, and they are all mauve colored flesh and the brown pointy shell. Cute, but I don't know if they will eat the plants. I know the garden snails just love the Orange Peel Plant.


I'm considering Ryukin, and more likely Ranchu. If I could find a source for Top View Ranchu of 2" or less length I would almost definitely go that way. We'll see how it goes. First the pond has to shake off the winter blues and metabolize the remaining particulate.


No need to change the water. It's all good. Just get any biological matter and large particulates out. There's a lot of beneficial bacteria in the water to be retained. I just add some enzymes and it was crystal clear this morning.

I took readings yesterday from the soup:
Ph = 8.0
Ammonia = 0ppm
NitrItes = 0ppm
NitrAtes = 40ppm

The nitrates spike from stirring all the junk up and replanting. They should balance out within the week from previous experience.

If I had changed out the water I would need to go through a whole cycle startup - and that's a pain in the anacharis.


The filter is a Hydor HOB that does 300+gph. The water capacity of the barrel is about 28 or 29 Gallons.

Hurray Daniel! I'm so glad the pond was resurrected!!!

Can't wait to see it's progression!

Good work Daniel! I'm sure it will be looking fabulous again in no time

Looking great Daniel! Glad you decided to have a go at it again.

ahh, you make me laugh D!

i would get more fathead minnows also it looks good

It looks good cant wait to see some pics in a few weeks

Here it is early this evening:

Looks great! That minnow is so cute.

Looks fabulous ! I'm so happy that you are setting up again- we'all miss your barrell pond pics I'm particularly attached to that genki little minnow that seems to be King of the pot..one concern is that you got rid of all the attached algae- that would be good for ranchu esp, but I guess it grows back and you still have some spirulins/free floating.

Haha! King of the pot. That's cute.

I cleaned up the algae because it was thick with bits of organic matter. Too much to be metabolized by the cycle. It will grow back.