Last Updated: 4/30/18

1. On 4/1/18, it was Easter but I did pond work in a rush. It was about 50 degrees F with a breeze. The 1800 gallon pond was at 51 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 48 degrees F. I removed the full net from the big pond. I squirted off the filter floss which was very dirty and the bioballs. There was only one little frog in there. I hooked up the auxiliary pump for the waterfall and the Biosteps filter. I changed the filter material for the pump feeding the Biosteps but not the one feeding the waterfall as that would take more time to cut.

The new pond outlet has a cover on the outlets that I knew would not be able to accommodate all four large plugs. I had told the electrician it would be a problem, and he didn’t listen. So, they don’t fit. I attached a plant pot to the outlet to try to protect it. I e-mailed the electrician who said he would try to find a larger cover. I put up the ropes around the two sides of the pond to deter the deer and herons from getting in.

2. On 4/2/18, I had the day off work to clean the 153 gallon pond. See this page for details. I also cleaned out the back pond. So gross!

3. On 4/8/18, I did pond chores. It was 40 degrees F with winds. The 1800 gallon pond was at 49 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 51 degrees F. I squirted off all the pond filter materials.

4. I had the day off on 4/9/18 to mulch. It was a hellish 40 degrees F with snow showers! This is NOT spring! I spent a few hours hauling out all the yard doohickeys (decorations, statues, etc.). I then pulled the mesh bag from the big pond with the lotus tubers. There was only one viable (firm) tuber about a foot long. I set that up in the lotus pond. Then, I did mulching. My body is getting too old and weak to do it though. I have trouble getting up and down off the ground, can barely roll the bags of mulch in the wheel barrow on its side and then can't turn them once I cut them open, and the exhaustion is much more intense than it used to be. I guess in a few years I'll just have to let everything go to pot. It's most of the way there anyway.

5. The morning of 4/14/18, when I opened the drapes, a great blue heron flew out of my 1800 gallon pond. The goldfish were spawning for the first time this year, and the heron was right there! A few hours later, I went for my morning walk, and I heard what sounded like a duck, no two ducks. I looked up, and there were two great blue herons! Ahh!! The heron would be back the next morning as well.

6. I did pond chores on 4/15/18. The air temperature was nasty at 48 degrees F at 10 am and never went up. It was overcast and drizzly. It had been 85 degrees F the day before! The 1800 gallon pond was at 62 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 58 degrees F. I squirted all the filter materials. I moved the two golden club plants up to the shallow marginal area and one of the pickerel rush (I could not find others).

7. I had four chicks hatch on 4/20/18 and 4/21/18. For more information, see this page.

8. On 4/22/18, I did the usual pond chores. The air temperature was finally nice at 65 degrees F! The 1800 gallon pond was at 58 degrees F and so was the 153 gallon pond. I topped off all the ponds, put in additives, changed the main filter floss, and squirted all the other filter materials. I changed the Ammocarb and oyster shell in the 1800 gallon filter.

9. On 4/29/18, the air temperature was 50 degrees F, and the winds were strong and horrible. Both thermometers in the 1800 and 153 gallon pond read 56 degrees F. I topped off all the ponds, squirted all the filter materials, and put in additives. I squirted off the bioballs. I then removed two waterliles and repotted them. I know for sure one was the Chromatella yellow hardy waterlily. I think the other was a replacement Comanche changeable hardy waterlily but I have honestly lost track of what is where. The lilies pretty much never bloom anymore, probably due to lack of sun. I put two floating waterlily protectors on those repotted lilies to keep the fish off, although they usually end up stuck inside.

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