The pond is very pretty these days, and very full of algae. The water is clear, but we’re constantly pulling out netfuls of the stuff. I’m sure we’ve got too many animals in there: The nine remaining big fish are twice the size they were when we bought them, (much faster growth than our first set), there’s least a dozen babies, the largest of which is the size we bought the big guys at, and the frogs are uncountable.
We’re not putting in enough food for all of them, but they seem to be thriving. I saw one of the babies eating algae once, and of course they like bugs.
I’m not very impressed with the barley ball, either. It was supposed to help keep the algae growth down, and doesn’t seem up to the task. Although I tell myself that maybe it would be worse without it, but myself doesn’t really believe that.
There are other problems, too. The pump we have in there is really too big for the pond, and if the water level drops just a bit, it complains.
I did buy a pond heater to help us get through the winter. Losing the fish last year was really bad and I do not want to repeat that performance.
The plants that we got earlier this year seem to be thriving, however. The miniature water lilies in particular are a big hit. They are very bright colored and have been blooming all summer long.