Last Updated: 2/14/14

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Introduction and Miscellaneous:
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If you have something pond-related that you want to share (information, jokes, web sites, pond secrets and tidbits, something pond-related for sale), let me know, and I will add it to the next newsletter. What topics would you like me to cover? Do you have a question that I can answer or pose to others in the next newsletter?

I am sad to report the passing of my green anole, Fourmi, who died on 7/1/08. I moved the anole page to http://www.fishpondinfo.com/animals/anole.htm out of respect for him which I actually started working on like a year ago but then things spun out of control, and my site has been stagnant of revisions ever since.

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Significantly Altered or New Pond Web Pages, Photos, or Videos on Fishpondinfo:
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1. http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/snappers.htm -
In the photo section are four photos of a baby snapping turtle my father found by the pool on 6/13/08 (as well as a repeat of the text you'll read below).

2. http://www.fishpondinfo.com/myfish/amphphotos.htm - (URL changed to a new directory in 2014)
Under frogs for 2008 are two photos of a cute little gray tree frog that was on the side of the pool on 6/14/08.

3. http://www.fishpondinfo.com/videos/fishvideos.htm -
There are two new videos of my 1800 gallon pond and surrounding gardens taken in June.

4. http://www.fishpondinfo.com/myfish/otherpondphotos.htm - (URL changed to a new directory in 2014) Under Summer 2008 is a photo of waterlily leaves in my 153 gallon showing snail damage.

5. http://www.fishpondinfo.com/myfish/bigpondphotos1.htm - (URL changed to a new directory in 2014)
Under Summer 2008 are 14 new photos including two photos of my pond with my new tropical waterlily in bloom, a photo of my new pink hardy waterlily in bloom, four photos of my flowering marginals (lizard tail, white and purple pickerel rush), a photo of my new watercress which flowered yellow, a photo of regular white watercress flowers, a photo of my water celery after the deer ravaged it, and four photos of various flowering marginals (blue pickerel, white pickerel, lizard tail, blue water forget-me-nots, and white Albata waterlilies).

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New Pages on Pond Showcase:
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1. http://www.pondshowcase.com/Beeler_Pond/index.shtml -
Beeler's Pond.

2. http://www.pondshowcase.com/Baker/index.shtml -
Baker's Pond.

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Happenings at Robyn's Ponds:
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1. On 6/8/08, I did my pond chores from about 8:50 am to 10:15 am because it was a horribly hot day, in the mid-90's degrees F by 2 pm with 100% humidity. After the pond work, I tried to mulch more around the pond for two hours but couldn't make much headway what with the heat prostration.

The 1800 gallon pond was at 77 degrees F and the 153 gallon at 74 degrees F. I squirted off the flosses and the bioballs. Everything was really dirty as the fish keep spawning. When I went to open the valve to drain the biofilter, I saw a wad of fur which usually means mice. I touched it with a stick and a couple of almost-adult mice looked up at me. I put the rock back down without having drained the filter. My father hates animals and said, "You need to dig them out" when I said I saw them. I saw some green frog eggs in the 153 gallon pond, the first of the year. My frog population has really gone down the last few years so this was good news. Last year, I don't think any new tadpoles were created.

2. On 6/13/08, my father found a baby snapping turtle by our pool! This was the first turtle that was not a box turtle ever seen on our land. His shell length was 3" but with a 3" head and neck and 3" tail, his entire length was closer to 9". Since we did not want him moving in to my pond (where he would do very well and not cause problems for a few years when he would start eating too many of my fish and frog buddies), my mother wanted to release him at a lake a few miles away. Since she was "too busy," I kept him a few days and took photos. I fed him mealworms and crickets which he liked. He was set up in my basement pond (that was empty) with two bricks on which to bask, a hardware cloth lid, and a heat lamp. I did not put in a filter, heater, etc. for such a short stay. I released him a few days later at the local park pond because my mother was "too busy" to take him to the other pond.

3. On 6/14/08, I found a dead 2.5" male rosy red minnow in the 153 gallon pond. He'd been dead a few days; I don't know why he died.

4. My cousin was having a party to celebrate graduating from medical school (the first doctor in the family; I was supposed to be the first "doctor" but dropped out of the Ph.D. program half way through). So, I cleaned the pond earlier in the day, around 11:30 am. The 1800 gallon pond was at 78 degrees F and the 153 gallon at 74 degrees F. I squirted off the flosses and the Cyprio biothings in the kiddie pool. The goldfish had spawned in the floating plant protector again so it now has even more holes and no water hyacinth or water lettuce in it. The water lettuce hasn't really replicated but the water hyacinth is starting to. I took out the floating plant protector. I finally have a few waterlily buds, only on the white Albata hardy lily. My mother gave me some watercress from the grocery store to put in my pond a few months ago. It's flowering. Here's the strange thing. All the watercress I've had up until now has white flowers; this one has yellow flowers. Perhaps there are more than one species of watercress? Their leaves look the same but the flower structures are different as well as the color.

5. On 6/22/08, I squirted off the flosses. I fertilized the lilies and lotuses and some of the marginals. The 1800 gallon was at 77 degrees F and the 153 gallon at 74 degrees F. When I pulled out the filter material around the 700 gph pump that feeds the Cyprio filter, I found two one inch brown/blah goldfish babies. I put them back but they looked traumatized. Stuck under the net, I found four dragonflies; it was too late for two of them but the other two I set free. I need to remember to check the net daily.

6. The deer are always getting in to trouble which means they eat whatever they can. I was so amazed at the huge and multiple leaves on my new arum in my 1800 gallon pond. The morning of 6/27/08, I did the walk around of the pond always alert for things out of place. All the arums leaves were gone leaving just stalks! They also ate half of the canna. They would have eaten more but it was more out of reach. I had wanted to get photos of those huge arum leaves, the biggest I've ever seen, four times the size of my hand. No more.

7. On 6/29/08, I squirted off the flosses and the Cyprio biothings in the filter. The 1800 gallon was at 78 degrees F and the 153 gallon at 76 degrees F. I tied the feeding ring on to some water celery (it used to be tied to a rock but not well enough so it was floating all over). I got my first flower on a new waterlily, a red one! Aside from that, no waterlily flowers right now! The white and blue pickerel rush and lizard tail are all in bloom. I took too many photos of those!

8. On 7/1/08, I cut off the stems (which were starting to rot) on the arum that the deer had eaten the leaves off of. Luckily, a few new leaves have started.

9. On 7/4/08, my first tropical waterlily flower of the year opened; there are photos on my site.

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Pond Tidbits:
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1. None this month due to lack of time.

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Web Sites of Interest:
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1. http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/animals/the-difference-between-koi-and-goldfish/ -
This is part of an interview I did over the phone last winter. It contains text and audio. I cannot get the audio to play so I do not know how much of an imbecile I sound like. The "radio" interview was done over the phone while I was at work. Since some of the text is off (meaning I do not completely agree with every word she said or said I said), it may be the same for the audio.

What's your favorite pond-related web site(s)?
Do you have a web site you want me to mention here?

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