I was able to work on the pond this weekend. I have had my waterfall running by bypassing the filter and settlement pond. This weekend I was able to drain the settlement pond and clean it out. Guess I cleaned it out too well last fall because the five tadpoles I had last summer didn't make it. Other than lots of algae and leaves it didn't take me as long as other years. When I searched through the little bit of mulm for tadpoles and dragonfly larvae there weren't any. :[ Guess there are pros and cons of keeping your pond too clean. This is the first season I cleaned the settlement pond in the fall. In the past I had tadpoles and dragonfly larvae that made it through the winter. I still have a lot of 5-6 inch koi in the pond from last years mating, and I wanted to be sure the pond was able to handle lots many fish over the winter. I didn't lose a fish, but my tadpoles and dragonflies paid for it. On a more positive note I have one koi that is (IMO) very beautiful. It has the flourescent orange head and the body is pale orange ginrin scaled. It is definitely a keeper. Once the ground dries out my plan is to drain the pond to remove last year's koi fry. Some of the ones remaining are so pretty. Most of them are long finned with gin rin scales. I have a pet store that has a 2 acre farm pond that are going to take them off my hands. I just have to coordinate draining and capturing the koi with them being able to drive them to the farm pond. Hopefully I can do this in June. My koi are at it again, but I have a school of bluegill to help me out. Hope they earn their keep.

This is the first year I have toads!!!!! I am so happy!!!! Lisa (Goodkarma) gave me toadpoles two years in a row and they finally took. Here is a pic of one of them.

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Ponders, start your pumps!!!! Let the 2011 ponding season begin.

Jenny