Oh dear. We’ve got a leak… and an opportunity. Back when we moved into our home in 2001, the back garden was the back mud… gradually, we created some kind of garden and eventually I built a pond. In 2005 it looked like this.
The number of fish varied of course, as new fish were hatched and unwary fish were heron’d. And the initial wavy flower bed borders became wide rectangular features. The oval pond was a bit of an anomaly, but extremely pleasant – especially after the waterfall was fitted, gurgling into the night…
But in March this year the water level dropped alarmingly. Thinking it was un-noticed evaporation I topped it up, but the next day it was down again. Oh dear, we have a leak! Probably one caused by a stab from the local heron, who oversails the garden regularly in the colder months. What to do…?
First, rescue the fish!
Today I’ve got hold of a meter cube IBC (yes, I had to look it up too). It barely fit into the camper van, but it was a local collection and made it home in one piece (no, the door didn’t close… I was very careful on corners…).
Yes, you’re right, it does have a large label on it suggesting it has held contents fatal to fish…! I am however reliably informed it’s had nothing but rainwater in it for the last four years, which was used to lay the dust at a motocross track. I’ll be cutting a hatch into the top and pressure washing it within an inch of it’s life tomorrow.
Once I have the fish re-homed – oh yes, I’m sure that’s going to be another blog entry! – I’ll have a chance to empty the pond and make a decision… keep the existing pond or… go big. Well, we all know how that’s going to turn out.
Rosher.Net 
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