Thanks @moonshadows & @bumblbea, glad you liked the videos.

Here is a pic of the crowd yesterday afternoon


Here is the flock taking off to go down to Lake Hodges 11/21/18.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

They fly so hard & fast........they'll be back!

Wow Cal! That's a lotta ducks!

Beautiful picture and video. Gorgeous place where you live. Looks nicer than the cold, 23 degree day we're having right now.

joannakat said:Wow Cal! That's a lotta ducks!

You're telling me! =O I'm just the waiter trying to keep them happy.
I'm in deep duck poop if I forget to put out more scratch after they leave.

There's a crowd out there right now in the rain, but I thankfully I remembered to "set the table"
an hour ago. Just had 2 boys going at it, i.e. tussling in the pond....they also "beak wrestle",
kind of like sumo-style.....their hormones are raging! (I'll upload the video later).

MoonShadows said:Beautiful picture and video. Gorgeous place where you live. Looks nicer than the cold, 23 degree day we're having right now.

Thanks, Jim!
Looks like you have a pretty nice place yourself & great website!
https://www.moonshadowsfarm.co...

The grass really is greener in Pa than Ca.

LOL The grass may be greener here, but the winters are brutal!

I remember when we had chickens how "demanding" they could be if I was a bit late in doing my usual routine with them. I can just imagine that big group of ducks you have at your place.

Wow that's a real mob....Beautiful roses in your pic and it's a good thing ducks are not vegetarians. And mosquito fish are great for ponds we can't have them here. So use koi and your having way too much fun... adding any turtles ?
The ducks are fun to watch And moved in for all the grub and hospitality! Soon there will be little ducks .

bumplbea said:Wow that's a real mob....Beautiful roses in your pic and it's a good thing ducks are not vegetarians. And mosquito fish are great for ponds we can't have them here. So use koi and your having way too much fun... adding any turtles ?
The ducks are fun to watch And moved in for all the grub and hospitality! Soon there will be little ducks .

Lots of fish......we stocked it in April with 7 mosquito fish & 25 1" feeder goldfish....now we have at least 100 (?) mosquito fish,
and at least 50 goldfish, most are ~6"! =O
Lots of frogs earlier in the year. No turtles yet, but may. Probably won't get koi, as the goldfish are decent size, and
several have koi-like markings.

This morning we saw this guy..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
we call him "Ralph"....on the monitor in the bedroom (we have a hi-res security camera that we use to tape everything)
....I ran out and shot a pellet gun (unloaded) blast to scare him (would never shoot him).
We caught him earlier this year picking off goldfinches at their feeder!
Hadn't seen him since until today.

Here are buff 2 couples who arrived early this morning before the crowd.....


They are very smart, extremely alert, have no sense of humor. These were probably born this year.....fully feathered now, and
have a cool air about them.

Just a few months ago, most of the ducks were young, awkward, mottled, uncouth, uncool, clueless dufuses.

The Elites usually stand on the side of the pond, regally overseeing the melee, only allowing certain others to share
their immediate space.

Never a dull moment.

ps- here's a video earlier this year before the conversion....
Gaddy Rules..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Gaddy was a gadwall that came regularly with the mallards.....it was after the bad fires in Dec 2017, and she (turned out to be a "he")
must have been separated from their flock.
Gaddy had lots of chutzpah, and though smaller than the mallards, waded into the middle and poked them out of the way! LOL!
Not only armed with an attitude, see the row of crock teeth! =O

After being with the mallards for a couple of months, Gaddy didn't show up.....hope she/he found their own flock again.
Really miss her/him.

Here are the "little feeder fish" after ~8 months...the shadows are my legs. :smily:


They seem to know us, are very inquisitive, i.e. nosy.

But noticed after Ralph the Egret took off, they were ~1 ft deeper, so that's a good sign they know the difference.

How many gallons is your pond, Cal, and what kind of filtration do you have?

Thanks for the new videos. What an amazing wild life refuge you have created. Build it and they will come.... Many of the birds are lucky , good eats and a bird spa with a beautiful garden and frequent diving in the pond for a dip. The plant material is so facinating to me . Can't grow any of them in my zone but find them exciting to see in such a lush garden and so well kept.

I have a resident blue herring that soars in once in awhile and tries to get a few fish ....easy Pickens...the fish have a few crevices built in to the bottom and lower sides to discourage raiders from dining on the fish also several floating plant barges to protect the fish from flight hunters lurking around. The dogs keep him at bay. Usually in summers I keep a lot of floating vegetation to cover the top of most of the pond and protect the fish. It is funny how the fish know the difference between a predator and the hand that feeds them.

The plants ducks fish in the video all look happy and healthy. A testament to how well your pond is balanced . Any under water plants ? It's not easy to keep pond water clear and healthy . Eco balance is tricky. Do you use a pond eco filter? Eco filters have been a staple in my pond and it been very handy & easy to clean .

If there was an award for the best pond designed from a pool I would nominate yours.....ducks are so comical for some reason, always keeping it real!

Happy Holidays!

bumplbea said:I have a resident blue herring...

I assume you mean a blue heron?

bumplbea said:The plants ducks fish in the video all look happy and healthy...

If there was an award for the best pond designed from a pool I would nominate yours.....

I would too.

bumplbea said:ducks are so comical for some reason, always keeping it real!

At a country fair, I once saw a herding demonstration where the dogs were herding ducks! It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

Joanna.....Dogs herding ducks is quite a orchestration of signals from the trainer and natural instincts of the herding dog... have been there done that for many years geese, sheep, ducks.still have the scars on my shins from the nips of my dogs.

Heron is correct....

Wishing you HAPPY HEALTHY HOLIDAYS!

bumplbea said:Joanna.....Dogs herding ducks is quite a orchestration of signals from the trainer and natural instincts of the herding dog... have been there done that for many years geese, sheep, ducks.still have the scars on my shins from the nips of my dogs.

Heron is correct....

Wishing you HAPPY HEALTHY HOLIDAYS!

Oh, too bad. I would have liked to see a herring do that!

The dogs were border collies, several generations of them. They were absolutely beautiful, and so obedient. What wonderful dogs. BUT, you're so right about their natural instincts! A friend once got one that a then local family had to get rid of because it kept herding their children!

Happy, healthy holidays to you too!

MoonShadows said:How many gallons is your pond, Cal, and what kind of filtration do you have?

15,000 gal.....9ft at the deep end with steps in the front on the left, and a ledge in the back on the right.

We recently had the spa re-plastered, and are keeping it clean by setting the all the spa water to go through the
Pentair pool pump/filter. I keep one chlorine tab in the spa float, and built a trampoline cover for the spa using
PVC, shade cloth, and wire.

To filter the pond algae, I use this filter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016M6DODK/
which is totally worthless as is.....after 3 mos continuous use, it barely collected any algae. The problem is the foam filters DO NOT fit the inside...they don't prevent the water from going down the sides without going through the filter!

I almost tossed it, but had seen someone on YouTube show how they built a filter unit and used quilter's batting as the filter material.
So I threw away the sponges, spacers, and bioballs (worthless), and used low loft quilter's batting.......WOW! It filtered waaaay more in 2 days than
the sponges did in 3 months!

I've had to clean it every 2-3 days, but have got it down to a 10 min process. I'm hoping the pond will clear up on it's own as the days get shorter & colder.

It's been 4 days since the last change, so will do it tomorrow.

In spite of all the ducks coming each AM & PM, the pH is 7.2, and no detectable nitratates, nitrites, or ammonia, and
total dissolved solids are down to ~1000, vs 2500 when we first started (due to all the chemicals).

bumplbea said:Thanks for the new videos. What an amazing wild life refuge you have created. Build it and they will come.... Many of the birds are lucky , good eats and a bird spa with a beautiful garden and frequent diving in the pond for a dip. The plant material is so facinating to me . Can't grow any of them in my zone but find them exciting to see in such a lush garden and so well kept.

I have a resident blue herring that soars in once in awhile and tries to get a few fish ....easy Pickens...the fish have a few crevices built in to the bottom and lower sides to discourage raiders from dining on the fish also several floating plant barges to protect the fish from flight hunters lurking around. The dogs keep him at bay. Usually in summers I keep a lot of floating vegetation to cover the top of most of the pond and protect the fish. It is funny how the fish know the difference between a predator and the hand that feeds them.

The plants ducks fish in the video all look happy and healthy. A testament to how well your pond is balanced . Any under water plants ? It's not easy to keep pond water clear and healthy . Eco balance is tricky. Do you use a pond eco filter? Eco filters have been a staple in my pond and it been very handy & easy to clean .

If there was an award for the best pond designed from a pool I would nominate yours.....ducks are so comical for some reason, always keeping it real!

Happy Holidays!

Thanks, Bea!
The pond was about 2/3 covered by water hyacinths & hardy lilies from June~Sept, but they are dying back now.
No underwater plants....what kinds? We have more hyacinths in a smaller pond and tub that are still buff, and
will protect them from the cold to re-stock the big pond in the spring.

I'll have to cut back the foliage on the big island of iris, and divide it. It's massive now, and the roots are probably tapping into
sludge in the deep end.

Here are some pics to show the progression:

Just before the conversion in Feb 2018


First island...too rectangular.....re-did it to make it irregular....


Iris's ready for planting on island...


Agggghhhhh! What were we thinking???!!


Became very green with bubbles (protein).....getting nervous.




Better, but needs more plants..


By the end of July...


Don't need the skimmer now, but grows water hyacinths great.












Early May....


Late June....


Misty late July...


A single girl had the place to herself for a spa day....




Bubble bath...




Casual dining.....


And at its best (slideshow).... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016M6DODK/

Hope you enjoy.

Beautiful Cal. The slideshow is mesmerizing.

That's a big pond, Cal. The first thing I thought of when you mentioned all the algae was excess nutrients from all the duck poop, but your water parameters look good from what you wrote. In our small pond, we had a problem with algae, especially string algae, even though the water parameters were good except for the pH being a bit high. I read somewhere about how concrete exposure can add to algae problems. I removed the concrete blocks used to support plants and our algae problem began to get better almost immediately.

Great pics...loved seeing the transformation.

what a treat to watch your slide show. It's as if it were right out of a magazine. So much work has gone into your pond and I can see how well you have mastered the art of eco balance for your pond. You did your homework and it shows.
Bio filters with screens has helped a lot but I also shut down the filter for a few days, less oxygen clears out the build up in the piping. A clog in the intake can be a nightmare ....time for bio dye.
You have great oxygenating plants so many varieties of plants around and in the pond and all the plants are so lush.
I luv the reality tour almost makes me feel warmer in my neck of the woods since winter has taken hold .

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

I'm glad you enjoy videos & slideshows, and will post more here & there, plus a new thread that shows how we did it, step-by-step, and what worked & what didn't work.

It's been a very fun & rewarding project, and happy to share
it with you.

Hi everyone,

I just uploaded a 6.5 minute (unedited) video of the pond taken yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I think we're ahead of the curve
compared to last year, and hope to have some nice lotus blooms
by July.

Trying to keep the algae down has been the greatest challenge.
I try to change the filter every other day, but usually it's more like
every 3-4 days. The amount of algae in the filter is impressive....like
thick green paint. Even so, it's just a drop in the bucket, as the pond is
15,000 gallons.
But I recently added a 75 watt UV clarifier to kill the algae (not all at once or it would
kill the fish).
That, plus the fact that the plants are starting to cover the surface again & take up the
nutrients has finally given us the edge, and it's starting to clear up.
I don't expect it to be crystal clear, though that would be nice. I'll be happy if it
just stays as clear as in the video, but I hope it will clear up even more in the coming months.

There are 3 pumps.....one for the algae filter, one for the UV clarifier, and one in the deep end to
re-circulate the water to help remove H2S & methane, etc that builds up under anaerobic conditions
on the bottom. They all help add oxygen.

More to come, and STILL need to condense & consolidate it in a new thread.

Hi Cal,

I see I have an email from you....I'll get back to you...

What kind of lizard is that in the beginning of the video?

Wow, a lot of goldfish. That's what I have. I like them better than Koi. I only have 8 of them in my small pond.

My pond is a bit clearer than yours, but not as clear as it was before the temps started rising. The annual algae bloom! I hope to get the filter cleaned this weekend.

What do you do, chase the ducks with that Tumbler?

Nice tour!

Talk soon.

Jim