How much bad can happen in one week?

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My fish frolicking in another year

The week started off with a tinge of anxiety and a lot of hope. Anxiety for two medical appointments and hope for the weather. The pond was muddy and needed a complete water change. I need good weather for the pond cleaning.

During the winter two pots dumped over spilling out planting mud. I couldn’t see a single fish. Did I lose them all? Were they hovering at the bottom which they do when the water is cold? With all the bad weather the water was cold.

Changing the water had already been rescheduled because of weather. I have to go in to do a good clean and I’m not going in when the water is in the low 50s. I wear chest waders but that nasty cold comes right through.

Monday looked promising. Tuesday was rain and Wednesday and Thursday morning were appointments so they wouldn’t work. Monday dawned cool but lovely.

The pond cleaning itself went without a hitch. Mostly. I lost some fish. Gertrude and Goldie, two of my original fish were gone as were three of my four beautiful blue shubunkins. (I never know where they go. Did predators eat them? If they died, why is there no sign of them in the pond?)

I no longer name the fish (except for Hot Lips, who is all white with red lips) because, well, fear of getting ridiculed will do that. Maybe. I don’t need fish because I have very fertile ones that require birth control lectures every year.

The waterfall was on. We had to put in the filter. What could go wrong?

The filter leaked. There was a chip on one of the spouts and we couldn’t get a waterproof seal. Filters are expensive so I was on the internet trying to find a replacement part. Nope. Nada. Then I got a little freaky.

Replacing a filter requires research. There are new models and different brands. I’m invested in my current brand. I have fittings and replacement parts that only work with this brand. Breath in, breath out.

While I’m doing this the beloved husband came in to say the pump “crapped out.” (That’s a technical term often used in this house. It works best when said with a little attitude and a lot of body language.) The pump is only a year old. We now need a pump.

Scrap the filter research. The pond will be ok without a filter but you need a pump to keep oxygen in the water. This is important especially for a small pond that has too many horny fish and too many flowers. (I have no self-control when it comes to my pond!)

The pump is under warranty but I can’t wait around. I found something reasonable and I could get it in two days. In looking for the pump I found a parts website that had the filter lid replacement. Breath in, breath out.

Today is lovely. New pump should be delivered. Now I can focus on worrying about my follow up dentist appointment. Breath in, breath out.

71 thoughts on “How much bad can happen in one week?”

  1. Such a lot of work. But it looks like it’s worth it. I sure enjoy looking at pictures of your pond and your brightly colored fish. How wonderful that your fish have little fish and they live!

    Best of luck on your dental appointment.

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  2. I’m stuck on the “missing” fish. I think you’re right — if they’re dead they should be laying somewhere at the bottom, no? You’re like me with warranties; I rarely end up enacting them because it’s just easier to buy a new replacement. Oops. – Marty

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    • Actually dead fish float just like people. I still have time to follow through with the warranty but I found some information for a fix first. It’s always good to have a spare anyway because you need a pump for a pond.

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  4. That pond is so beautiful. It’s worth all the anxiety, work and expense. At least for me since I get to enjoy the pics for free without any of the anxiety or work. 😊 Can you sprinkle some birth control in the water? -Fish just want to have fun! 😘

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    • I wish birth control was so easy. Originally I bought 8 goldfish for the pond. I wanted to buy a dozen but the woman at the store would not let me. All the charts said my pond size could sustain a dozen. Within 18 months I had 40 fish. It’s maintained the same amount ever since. I give some away, they have more babies. Some die, they have more babies. If nothing happens, they don’t reproduce as much. There is some natural force keeping the pond healthy and happy.

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  5. I admire your dedication to your pond and the unnamed inhabitants in it. I’m too lazy [and perhaps cheap] to have a pond out back, but by learning about and seeing yours I live the pond-life vicariously. Thank you.

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    • I’m happy to do that for you. It truly isn’t a lot of work. Spring opening is the most work because there are a lot of leaves (and fish poop) that need to be cleaned out but most of the time it sustains itself. I didn’t think I would enjoy fish as much as I do and the frogs are a lot of fun. They are currently mating. What a racket all night.

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    • So yesterday I tried to take a picture of Hot Lips and sadly I couldn’t find her. Seems like she followed Gertrude and Goldie to fish heaven. I have one with just the upper lip in red and I will try to get a shot of her (before she’s gone too!). Still have more fish than I should in my little pond.

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  8. I know how special the pond is to you and with the harsh winters I’m absolutely amazed that the fish, any of them, survive. It’s quite remarkable to me. I’m sorry for the losses this year and hope that all is rebalanced soon. I also hope you’re doing well with the dreaded medical appointments. It sounds like it’s been stressful, Kate, and I hope that season is over very soon!

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    • Two more appointments this coming week and I’m good for a while for medical. If you build the pond correctly, fish winter over easily. I have goldfish varieties which are very easy. Koi are little touchier.

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  9. I’m looking forward to more pictures of your gorgeous pond. We are waiting for warm weather to work on the waterfall. I didn’t help John build it, but I promised to help him dismantle it to find the leak. While we long for the water to fall, we are not eager to attack this project.

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    • I know that feeling. I want it done yet don’t really want to do it. I have to replace some tubing but other than that, I’m done except for buying a tropical water lily. 🙂 Wishing you some nice weather to do your project.

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        • Two hours. Emptying out the water takes most of the time. Once you get a routine it goes fast. My pond is not big. It’s 5′ x 11′. Smaller than most kitchens.

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            • It’s all my whining that makes it sound overwhelming. Without any pump or filter issues, it’s a breeze. The pump shouldn’t have stopped as it’s only a year old. The filter is 8 years and I probably dinged it when I cleaned it last fall. Sometimes over the winter we get a leak in the tubing but that’s not a hard repair although this year I’m replacing it because it’s old. Once running there is rarely an issue all summer.

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  10. You are a good pond shepherd…must be why the fish reward you with so many new little ones…they know a good deal when they swim into it.
    I can see naming the fish…if you can tell them apart..otherwise it’s “Fish 1, Fish 2, Fish 3…” and who’s going to be able to say you misidentified them? HAHA
    How things are flowing warm and well now!

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  14. Yech! All those worries but you always wind up with a beautiful healthy pond. I am sure these gliches too shall pass. I feel bad for the mysteriously missing fish though. As for the dentist, join the crowd. I am facing a “deep cleaning” next month which entails scraping and scaling and about $1000 in fees. Like I said, “Yech.”

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  16. You know, once you start to fix something, it will always escalate. Thanks to a small leak, my kitchen is being taken apart for water damage.

    And then I find out the disposal is rusted, the air gap for the disposal is clogged and needs to be replaced. In five minutes I will surely need to get a new dishwasher. Count on it.

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    • That happened to our friends. A small leak under the sink turned out to be a long time leak with everything underneath rotten and moldy. They got a completely new powder room out of that disaster.

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    • The pond truly doesn’t take much work. Opening it up is the most work as there is a lot of muck from frogs and fish pooping all winter. Other than that, it’s a lot less work than a garden or pool.

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  20. Goodness, you did have a time with the pond. Hope the pump replacement goes well and the next filter is leak free! I’m sure you’ll be glad when the dental work is all done! Heehee, Hotlips.:-)

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    • The top of my head almost blew off when the pump stopped working. There are only three things with the pond — filter, pump and hoses an there were some issues with all three this year.

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  21. My first two fish were named Sushi and Sashimi. I think a blue heron thought they were appetizers. Except for them, my fish don’t seem to procreate.

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    • I did see a heron around my pond although I didn’t see him eat anything. Obviously he snuck back when I wasn’t looking. I had the 4 blue shubunkins the week before so something happened. I always have small fry in my pond. When I cleaned it I found 2 tiny fish and we are moving into the time of love in the pond.

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  24. Hope your dental appointment is a happy surprise of how well it goes!
    Yay on finding what you need for the pond, hope it all flows smoothly now.
    “Hot Lips” makes me think of the old TV show MASH and the nurse who had that nickname. 🙂

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    • I’m starting to think that although the weather played into it. Some of this weeks activities were rescheduled because of bad storms causing a pileup of stuff this week and next.

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