Garden Ponds

[rockyracoon]

I need a bit of help.

My next door neighbours have gone on holiday (3 weeks they said, which would mean they were due back Weds just gone, but they're not back)

They asked me to top their pond up with the hose if the weather was very hot and the pond level going low. I kept my eye in it and all seemed well til Mon, hadn't really checked over the weekend but was shocked to see the water level had dropped by over half going below one of the pumps. I got their hose and dragged mine over and topped it up, the next day it had dropped by a couple of inches so topped it up again and now today the same thing. I'm a bit concerned about all this tap water going in, is it OK? Though I'm not sure what else I can do. Worried about the poor fish :(

Looks like it'll lash down later so I'll hold off on topping up today.

[Chipchopper]

Mains water going in is better than no water, it may go a little green initially, from the nutrients which algae likes but it should hopefully settle after a while and shouldn't harm the fish.
It seems to be the end of the dry spell at the moment, with showers in most regions, so as you say, you can hold off on topping up!

[rockyracoon]

Thanks chip, I rather think there's a leak seeing as it's loosing a couple of inches a day, hopefully they'll be home soon.

Thanks again, you've put my mind at rest. :)

[woofgang]

I have left the hose set up at my pond so I can top up on a very regular basis. Once the pond is established its not a problem adding quite a lot of tap water. When i clean my pond out, I refill it completely from the hose but I add stuff to make it safe for the fish.

[Tilly2]

Rocky, that's really nice of you to look after their pond. I hope you are not using your own water, though, especially if you have a water meter.

[rockyracoon]

Thanks all, Tilly I did use my hose the first time as the water level was dangerously low, the fish were swimming in about a foot of water so I used two hoses for speed, I'm not on a meter thankfully but would have still done it in that instance.

[Ratty2E]

Does it have an external filter or pipes leading from the pumps to a waterfall etc ? Could be one of these connections is leaking. Ideally you should add a water conditioner to get rid of the chlorine when filling from the mains but needs must. You could fill a few buckets and leave for 24 hours so the chlorine evaporates or use collected rainwater if they have a water butt. It's a nightmare having the responsibility of someone else's pets but you are doing your best and I'm sure your neighbours will appreciate that.

[Chipchopper]

Thinking back to when I've had to top up ponds, I used to let the water splash on the surface of the water, this helps to get some oxygen in the water, which can often get depleted in hot weather.
Having said that, you obviously don't want a strong jet of water going in that might disturb mud and uproot plants, just enough to dissipate the surface is ideal.

[rockyracoon]

Thanks Ratty, I might leave some buckets out today and let them fill with rainwater. Chip, funnily enough I put the hose on the spray option and rested it on the floor by the pond, it sort of fountained in.

[mjwman]

The fish will be fine! The problem is whee is all the water going?
Evaporation will accoiunt for about 2% per day so not as much as you are experiencing.
On my pond this used to happen if the filter was clogged allowing the water to be pumped into it but not running out so it overflowed into the ground.
Check all the filters for free running.
I used to worry about this happening every time we ent away.

[rockyracoon]

Thanks mj, there's definitely a leak of some sort. I'm a bit of a div when it comes to pumps and the suchlike but I do know one of their waterfall thinks has stopped working. If they're not back by Sunday I'll investigate a bit further.

[mjwman]

Then it is probably pumping water out of the pool by the filter. Look for damp earth around.