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Help/Advice with a leaf Litter porolem in my pond

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 kipper12 20 Apr 2018

Hi  I've had a wildlife pond for the last couple of years, and the water has been great and clear.  This year, its not good at all, the water appears cloudy compared to previous years, and my problem is leaf litter, I think  We have a large eucalyptus which drops leaves all year round into said pond.  Now the frogs and newts have spawned I am struggling. 

I am trying to scoop the crap from the bottom in stages but all I appear to be doing is creating more leaf soup.  Any help/clues/advice from pond experts appreciated.

 

1
 krikoman 20 Apr 2018
In reply to kipper12:

Scoop out the big bits, but leave them by the side of the pond so things can crawl back in. Leave the rest to settle creatures in the bottom will eventually eat their way through it.

 wbo 20 Apr 2018
In reply to kipper12:

How big a pond?  Make a net to capture the leaves?

Or cut the unnatural tree down?  A harsh treatment though

 subtle 20 Apr 2018
In reply to kipper12:

Man, that is indeed a problem you have there - a first world problem.

Perhaps chop down eucalyptus tree to prevent further leaves in pond? 

 krikoman 20 Apr 2018
In reply to subtle:

> Man, that is indeed a problem you have there - a first world problem.

It's not a first world problem for the things that live in the pond.

 timjones 20 Apr 2018
In reply to krikoman:

> It's not a first world problem for the things that live in the pond.

Is it a problem to them?

 

 felt 20 Apr 2018
In reply to wbo:

> Or cut the unnatural tree down? 

They rarely look right in this country. There's one in our local wind-blasted graveyard up on the moor. Looks daft, the poor thing.

 

OP kipper12 20 Apr 2018
In reply to felt:

Im not sure my partner will be pleased, or the pair of collared doves currently nesting in it.  Im just trying to remove as much as possible from the pond, I'd like it to clear up again.

 The Lemming 20 Apr 2018
In reply to kipper12:

I have a similar problem this year but frog related.  My last dog was quite good at keeping the frog population down to the point that 5 or 6 would rock up in January to get jiggy and make frog spawn.

My current dog is only catching onto the idea of frog hunting. This had allowed 4 years for the frogs to build their army and this year I counted at least 50 in my tiny 700ltr pond. And they created a shit load of frog spawn.  I gave about 50ltr of spawn to my neighbour to hatch and I kept some.

My problem is that a crafty pair of frogs laid their spawn right beside the pump.  I only discovered this fact after waking up from to night shifts to find my pond had turned into frog spawn soup. The pump did its job well in mushing up the lot.

It took days to clean the filter. I had to raise the pump off the ground to give some of the frog spawn a chance.

And then I half emptied the pond and refilled it with fresh tap water.

This has helped clear the water.

My next problem is the resulting blanket weed that is starting to grow now that the sun is working it's magic due to the fresh tap water.

 

Who said fish were low maintenance pets?

Post edited at 15:31
1
 Siward 20 Apr 2018
In reply to kipper12:

I know that once you stir up the silty mud from the bottom it can take days to clear, but it does. 

Have you got plenty of oxygenating plants in the water and enough shade over the water?

I'd be inclined to get a net and regularly fish out the eucalyptus leaves. I don't think they'd mix very well with a pond. My in laws have a pond with a conifer and a juniper on the margins and it's a rather dead and sterile spot for a pond as a result of all the acidic material they shed.

 


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