October 2007 Newsletter - Eastern Iowa Pond Society

EASTERN IO WA
PO ND SO CIETY,
INC
Beneath The Surface
Visit us at www.eips.org
2007 Officers:
A Compendium of Facts, Fancy, Tidbits, Tips
President
Jo & Gary Hunerdosse
O ctob e r, 2 007
319/364-6627
[email protected]
Vice President
Larry & Erma Thompson
319/377-6481
[email protected]
Saturday, October 27
2:00pm
Host Pat & Wayne Bueter
318 Mill St, Walker IA 52352 319-448-4147
Directions:
380 N. take the CR-W36 exit-Exit 35 toward Center Point, Turn right onto Lewis
Access Rd/ CR-W36. Lewis Access Rd/CR –W36 becomes CR-W6E/Franklin St.
Turn right on N Center Point Rd to Walker
Secretary
Jackie Allsup
319/934-3665
[email protected]
Note date change: Recognition Night
Saturday, Nov 10—5:00 pm @ Cooper’s Mill,
Cedar Rapids IA
Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, it was suggested to have the meeting earlier.
Treasurer
Pam Moore
319/362-3375
[email protected]
Volunteers
Editor
Fish From Kodoma Koi Farm
In Hawaii
A big “Thank You” goes out to Taro Kodoma, President of
Kodoma Koi Farm for donating koi to the club. Kodoma Farms is
proud to say they handle 100% KHV/SVC free koi.
Thank you, Jackie Allsup and Greg Bickal, for your expertise in getting the koi ready to travel to their new homes.
Monica Morley
Kodoma Koi from Hawaii
319/294-4866
[email protected]
Co-Editor - Maria Hamilton
Greg getting
the koi
ready to go
to their new
homes.
Webmaster
O
Josh Spece
319/334-6593
josh@inthecountrygardenand
gifts.com
Librarian
Robert Hollenbeck shows
off his new koi.
Ron & Edna Rife
319/247-0206
[email protected]
Additional article on
Page 8.
Jackie Allsup helps bag up
the koi.
ver 40 members celebrated th close of a
successful year at the November 18th meeting.
Volunteers were recognized
with awards and a writing
pen engraved with Eastern
IowaDick
Pond& Society
Inc.
Lavonne Isard with
“Happy
Pondering”
for their
Greg Bickal (right) helping
participation
in
the
Pond
them make their koi choice.
Expo, Pond Tour,
Minutes—September 13th Meeting
Our regular monthly Thursday meeting was held at the Judy and Joe Olsen residence in Independence.
It was a cool evening and Joe invited us to scoot up to the fire and enjoy the heat from his deck fireplace. Judy and Joe preside over abundant flower gardens and some great tree sculptures not to mention a great pond located strategically just off the deck. Several large koi and some goldfish swarmed the
crystal clear water and as nightfall came, the underwater lights gave off a great glow to the pond. Joe
welcomed everyone and asked that during the meeting everyone be thinking about a pond story to
share during a round robin discussion to be held after the business meeting.
Joe introduced a guest speaker. Leann Harrison spoke to the group about 3 different projects
that EIPS has donated money to in the past for beautification projects in Independence. The Buchanan
County Historical Society has received money for the Historical Wapsipinicon Mill, the Daniel Lee Manson Victorian Gardens and most recently the newly constructed Heartland Acres Agri-Business Museum. She talked a little about each project and thanked the group for its continued support.
After her talk, president, Gary Hunerdosse, opened up a brief business meeting. He began by
introducing and welcoming new members Kathi and Hugh Albrecht. They have a small pond already and
guess what???? They’re thinking about making it bigger to accommodate their ever growing fish friends!
Isn’t that great!
Gary spoke about the upcoming progressive pond tour and dinner party set for the 29 th . He
also reminded members about all that was going on at the next meeting at the Morleys. Pot Luck, Photo
contest, and Koi fish to distribute will make for a very busy and fun meeting. He also reminded members that we don’t have a site for the October meeting and the elections are again coming up in November. (Where does the time go?)
President Jo Hunerdosse spoke briefly about the offices we need to fill and asked members to
consider signing up for a committee.
There were no corrections to the printed minutes and no treasurer’s report
Following the business talk, Joe treated everyone to peach cobbler, ice cream, and raspberries. Yummy stuff. We then returned to the deck to swap pond stories. The round robin rules were
everybody gets only 2 minutes to talk, everybody is encouraged to tell a short story, and all questions
are noted and answered after everyone has had a chance talk. Joe started by talking about how he
solved a nerve racking pond leak by merely taking out the overgrown hyacinths in his water fall box.
This comment had several members talking about the same occurrence in their ponds. Kathryn Durnan
talked about her mysteriously appearing baby koi (She decided they must have come in as eggs on plant
roots, as she had no fish at all before their introduction.) Jo Hunerdosse was looking for ways to anchor
her taller plants to keep them from tipping over. Sharon Weiss talked about hauling her huge papyrus
with her every year to Colorado for the winter. It’s getting super huge, but she is still taking it. Joe offered members cuttings from his papyrus as they are quite easy to propagate new ones from. We suggested that to Sharon, but she loves her huge plant. Becki Lynch told an amusing story about how she
placed a gargoyle under her bridge to mimic the ole “Troll under the Bridge” tale. But, to her amazement found out she was scaring a visiting poor 3-year old little girl to death, and so decided to remove
it.
And thus, it went on and on, with members talking about problems and problem solving.
For door prizes we had a great Thermo Planter (new planter used to extend the life of tropical lilies because it has a small built in heater. What a great idea!) It was donated to the club and new
member, Kathi Albrecht , was the lucky winner. Joe also had two beautiful flower bouquets to give and
Sharon Weiss and Dorothy Helms were the lucky ones to get to take them home for their tables. It
got dark early and the last traces of a great sunset faded quickly as members headed home. Thanks, Joe,
for the very nice meeting.
Respectfully submitted….Jackie Allsup
P age 2
Joe Olsen
Two of many unique things
to see at Joe’s
Members Questionnaire…….
Results Coming in
November Newsletter
If you have not sent in your Questionnaire yet, we will accept them up to October 25th. Again, no
names will be given on the results or released at any time.
A BIG “Thank You” to the many members who have already sent theirs in.
“Tell Us How You Really Feel”
P age 3
Minutes—Septemb er 22, 2007
September marks the end of the summer months where we have 2 meetings per month. Monica and Gil Morley along with Monica’s mother,
Elena, kindly opened their house up for a great pot luck to commemorate
this end of the summer event. A perfect late summer evening was the
setting for this meeting that was very well attended. With food galore,
we began by eating. A photo contest was on the agenda for the meeting.
Many members brought in some great photos. After we ate, we all voted
on our favorites and Gil and Dave Bell counted all the ballots. Dave continually begged for drum rolls as he announced the results. Monica had
some great t-shirts made for the winners along with numerous other
prizes given out to all whom participated in the contest.. First place winners were: Robert Hollenbeck (Flowers), Herman Michel (People), Jackie
Allsup (Statues), Deb Kontz (Unusual), Herman Michel (Best Overall Garden View), and Dave Bell(Fish and Frogs). Thank you, everyone for bringing in all the great pictures!
President, Gary Hunerdosse, asked Monica to talk a little about
her pond. The Morley’s pond is 4300 gallons and they have had it for 5
years. They have a beautiful garden with tons of flowers and lots of very
imaginative statues and decorations. Gar y announced we had some handouts on winter care and closing the ponds put together by Monica
Morley. He also announced the October meeting was to be at Pat Beuter’s in Walker. He also spoke again regarding the upcoming November
meeting where members are encouraged to volunteer for committees
and the election of officers will take place. Herman and Rosie Michel have
already volunteered to take over the library duties, so that’s a good beginning. Some committees take less time commitment than others, so
please consider volunteering for something at least. The great committees have made the officer’s jobs so much easier in the last few years.
We had some beautiful Japanese Koi donated to the club by Kodama Koi Farm. We drew names to see who got first pick of the fish. 10
lucky members got to take home 11 new friends for their ponds.
Again, we had some great door prizes for lo ts of members. The
meeting was adjourned and some members ran home to watch the Iowa
vs. Wisconsin game, while others hung around to visit and watch the sun
(like the Hawkeyes) go down.
Wonderfully casual meeting, great food, nice conversations,
door prizes, and beautiful fish to take home, what more could you ask for
in a club???
Respectfully submitted…Jackie Allsup
Dick Isard caught me sneaking a picture of
the members voting for their favorite
pictures.
Members visiting
Kathi & Hugh Albrecht enjoying
the evening
Announcing the winners of
the Photo contest
Carl Unkel & daughter (left background) Erma
Thompson, Jackie Allsup, Janice Bell, Sharon Weiss
President Jo Hunerdosse seated left, Herman
Michel center, and Richard Maresh
P age 4
2007 Photo Contest Winners……….
Flowers in the Garden— Robert Hollenbeck
Garden Statues— Jackie Allsup
Fish and Frogs— Dave & Janice Bell
People in the Garden — Herman & Rosie Michel
Most Unusual
Deb Kontz
Best Overall — Herman & Rosie Michel
Thank you to the winners and the following members for entering the contest: Rose Milden, Josh Spece, Kathryn Durnan, Carl Unkel,
Maria Hamilton, Pat Beuter, Deb Gaddis, & Dorothy Helms.
Pictures will be on our web site www.eips.org
P age 5
From the Editor….
Eastern Iowa Pond Society members really know how to participate in a
“Potluck” Gil, myself and my mother, Elena, want to thank everyone for
coming to our home for the Saturday meeting on the 22nd and making it
one of the most enjoyable evenings. Good talk, Good Food, and Good
Friends!!
………………………………………….
Something new to try in the newsletter:
A Recipe Corner,
Corner
That’s right, send me your favorite recipes, let’s start with the members
who brought those flavorful dishes to the potluck.
Send them right away to
get your name entered in
the drawing in November for any member
sending in something for
the newsletter.
This is open to all members wanting to share their
favorite recipes...
Cedar Rapids Public Library
Sent a letter to thank the club for the generous 2-year gift subscription to Aquascapes
Lifestyles magazine. We are truly grateful for your continued support. Each issue will be
processed and made available to anyone who uses the library. Gifts such as yours make
it possible for the library to provide a wide range of periodicals, catering to a broad
range of interest. Your donation is an investment not only in the Cedar Rapids Public
Library but, in our community as a whole. We thank you for
thinking of us.
With Sincere appreciation,
Amy Ackman/Adult Services C.R. Public Library
October Birthdays
Roger Thurm
October 16th
Maria Hamilton
October 17th
Karen Frieden
October 18th
Welcome New
E.I.P.S.Members
Kevin Weiss
Cedar Rapids
Brad L. Lester
Solon
Bob & Pam
Woodland
Cedar Rapids
Terry Brannian
Iowa City
Daryl Hennessey has
about 60 goldfish he
would like to find
homes for before cold
weather. They are of
various colors and sizes.
Call Daryl at
319-377-7027
For Sale
Winter greenhouse
pond cover.
Fits over a 9’ x 11’
pond.
$100.00
Contact :
Sharon Weiss
319-472-5417 or
303-827-4722
Sharon would like to
sell before the end of
October.
Hosta of the Month by Josh Spece
P age 6
Get Ready for Fall
Hosta ‘Marilyn Monroe’
By late summer and early fall, most Hostas are looking tired and a little
frazzled. The heat and dryness of summer along with the hungry bugs
have taken their toll. Heck, even most gardeners are feeling tired and
worn out by this time of year! Some Hostas just keep going and going,
though, and look as fresh in the fall as they did in May. One of those is
‘Marilyn Monroe’.
Hosta ‘Marilyn Monroe’ is an elegant and beautiful recent introduction
that will surely become a classic. The smooth, rounded, green leaves are
slightly cupped so that the heavily ruffled margins give occasional glimpses
of the chalky white leaf backs. Reddish petioles and scapes add an additional flash of color. Lavender flowers open in early fall. The heavy substance of the leaves make ‘Marilyn Monroe’ a graceful, understated showstopper all season long.
Much of the garden is past its peak by this time of year, including many
Hostas. It is unfortunate that some gardeners avoid Hostas altogether,
because many aren’t in
pristine condition by late
summer. Hostas have
more lasting power than
most flowers and with
careful selection of the
appropriate varieties,
Hostas can look great
even in the fall
Go Leaf Collecting!
When fall comes and the
leaves start turning a
multitude of colors, it's
an absolutely dazzling
time of the year. But
when the colors begin to
fade, your pond will become a magnet for falling leaves. One way to
minimize the leaves that
accumulate at the bottom of your pond, along
with the work required
at spring clean-out time,
is to drop a net over the
top of the pond. As the
leaves fall into the net,
you and a helper pick up
the net full of leaves and
dispose of them several
times each week. If you
do this, life will be much
easier in the spring.
Clean Up That Green!
By minimizing the debris
and plant material in
your pond, your spring
clean-out will be less
work, and may even be
unnecessary.
Time for a Fish Diet!
When the water temperature drops below
55° F degrees it's time
to either eliminate fish
feeding from your daily
regimen or switch to a
food that is formulated
for low water temperatures. This is important
because your fishes'
metabolism has slowed
down to accommodate
winter hibernation, and if
they eat fish food they
can experience problems. Also, excess and
un-eaten fish food will
foul the water.
Aquascape P ondside Mo nthly
In The Country Garden & Gifts. E.I.P.S.
members receive a
10% discount. Must
show your current
membership card at
time of purchase.
November Election
P age 7
President:
Enforce the By-Laws and Constitution of the E.I.P.S. - Preside at all meetings at which he or she is present.
- Represent the E.I.P.S. in community functions. - Call special meetings of the Society, committees, or any
other meeting, which may be requested as outlined in the bylaws.– The President is governed by Roberts
Rules of Order. - Introduces new ideas and helps stimulate open discussions. - Works with all committees
to make sure each is carrying out it’s responsibilities.
Vice President:
Assume all the duties of the President on their absence or upon request by the President. - Assist the
President and carry out all duties assigned by the President.
Do you have someone in
mind to run for office for
2008, or you, yourself ,
would like to run. Either
way, nominate them or
yourself by e-mailing me
at
[email protected]
or call 294-4866
Secretary:
To keep all records of the meetings. - Keep a roll call of members when required. - Preserve all records,
reports and documents of the E.I.P.S. - Maintain a list of unfinished business for the President. - Record
and, when requested by any members distribute all meetings minutes. - Call all meetings to order in the
absence of the President and Vice-President. - Take charge of all correspondence except that related to
the work assigned to the Officers and Committees. - At members request provide reports or documents
for their viewing.
Treasurer:
Collect and record all dues, special fees, etc paid to the Society as result of its activities plus all other
monies and deposit in the E.I.P.S. bank account. - Submit a monthly financial report to the membership
showing all current debits and credits of the E.I.P.S - Submit a written financial report at the November
meeting. - Keep all financial records of the E.I.P.S. and turn over to the new Treasurer after election in
November. - To pay pre-determined accounts as may be authorized by the membership and to pay those
bills presented and approved at each regular or annual meeting. - To prepare and submit all reports required by any governmental agency. Allow secretary for expenditures of up to $50.00 per month for routine business of the E.I.P.S. to include stamps, reams of paper or any other appropriate expense without a
vote from the membership. Receipts will be required.
Description of duties are from the E.I.P.S. Inc. By-Laws
Committee’s
Commercial Relations: Responsible for making contact an maintaining our relationships with area
retailers, Establish club discounts, Conduct drawing for Prizes at club meetings, Distribute club information to dealers to give to customers, Send thank you notes to all retailers donating products.
Writing Committee: Write articles for newsletter. Assi st the secretary at his or her request;
Librarian: Has Materials available to members. Gives list of books etc. for the newsletter
Herman and Rosie Michel have volunteered for 2008
Publicity Committee: Organizes and gets publicity for meetings and activities, Works closely
with Pond Tour group to get advertising everywhere. Develops and maintains our club informational
brochures and sees that they get to the dispersed. Organizes booths at area events.
Hospitality Committee: Welcoming new members, Nametags & membership cards,
Programs Committee: Responsible for finding and organizing programs and speakers for meetings . Introduces speakers at meetings, Plans and organizes club activities, such as trips, club workshops.
Recognition Committee: Puts together year end recognition of volunteers and officers. Thank
you notes to speakers at club meetings.
Water Garden Tour Committee: Finding members’ponds and getting the tour organized, Recruit volunteers to sit at ponds, Responsible for dispersing and collection of pond tour signs. Print
tickets, Map out directions for tour, Handle the Pre Pond tour, Set up plant sale, All other duties to
make the event run smooth.
November will be the
month of elections. The
names will be released at
that time. You will have
the opportunity to decline to run for office, if
nominated.
Monica/Editor
If you would like to volunteer for one or more of
these committees, e-mail me
at [email protected]
and I’ll get your name listed.
Sign up sheets will be available at a later date.
Please consider signing up.
Volunteering is a Good
Thing!!
I have been on quite of few
of the committees and
never regretted the challenge of getting involved and
having a good time working
with some dedicated and fun
members.
IF YOU SIGN
FIRST, MORE
WILL COME!!!
Make a difference,
get involved…..
Monica/Editor
Pond Prep for Winter
Pe rmission from “The Lily Pad”
The Topeka Area Water Garde n Society….Diane Gruver/e ditor
•
•
•
•
•
Fish care in the fall
Switch fish food to high carb/low protein.
Check for signs of disease: open sores,
parasites, etc. and bring them inside to
treat because treatment does not work
in cold water.
Clean pond or perform water changes.
Always add declorinator because ammonia will cause club gill which suffocates
the fish.
For koi keepers add salt which will help
with slime coat and improve fish health
but is not good for plants.
Koi clay will add minerals and heops add
a shine to fish coats.
After Heavy frost—October-December
Lower zone 6 & 7 plants to bottom of
pond
• Stop feeding fish at 50 degrees
• Clean bio filter and shut down waterfall
(optional)
• Install bubblers and deicers
•
•
•
•
Long frost-December-March
Remove netting if no oaks are in the
area
Keep hole open if ice forms for over a
week to let toxic gasses (which will kill
the fish) escape—no hammering on the
ice
Clean filter on the bubblers
Long frost—December-March
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
P age 8
Recipe Corner
Remove netting if no oaks are in the area
Keep hole open if ice forms for over a week
to let toxic gasses (which will kill the fish)
escape—no hammering on the ice
Clean filter on the bubblers
Perform water changes every two to three
weeks if strictly a koi pond
Spring—March-April
Raise water level
Turn on waterfalls
Start bio filter
Raise plants
Add barley, bacteria
Repot plants and fertilize
Start feeding fish high carb/low protein food
Start tropical lilies in the house
No more frost –May – June
Place vertical and floating tropical plants in
pond
Start deeding higher protein fish food
Check water quality
Watch for fish spawning
Enjoy the frogs
by Deb Spencer from Waters Edge
The opinions expressed are s olely those of the author’s
Kodama Koi Farm, Hawaii
Were you lucky enough to take home one the great koi donated to the club by Taro Kodama of Kodama Koi Farm? Taro was offering the fish to koi clubs and public gardens to introduce
people to the joys of raising koi and bring to them a good quality koi to boot. Miyoshiike Company
Ltd of Japan has been providing quality koi to dealers in Japan for 40 years. Miyoshiike Co. started
Japan Koi Online in 2001 to bring those same koi to the hobbyist and in 2006 Japan Koi Online became Kodama Koi Farm. With headquarters in Hawaii, they also have an office in California. Unlike
most dealers that go to Japan once a year, Kodama Koi Farm has someone there 2-3 times a month.
It can cost buyers 500.00 to ship a fish to the US and that is after you pay a broker an additional fee
of 100-200 dollars. So just getting a fish to the US can be a very expensive affair. Kadoma Koi Farm
purchases Japanese born koi from all the best known breeders and raises them for resale and thus
have figured out how to cut those cost and bring quality koi at now affordable prices to the hobbyist.
Mamoru Kadoma, founder and chairman of Miyoshiike Co. interviews Japanese Koi dealers and
writes an article for every edition of KOI magazine and is the author of 2 world renown books on
Koi; Kokugyo and Kokugyo II .
If you like your new fishy friend and wish you had more contact Taro or bid for additional fish at
www. kodamakoifarm.com. If you have any sort of fish you’d like him to buy for you, he can special
buy just for you also.
Jackie Allsup
Teriyaki Meatballs
1 Package Frozen
Italian Meatballs
(72 meatballs)
1 can of Pineapple
rings & juice
3 TBSP of toasted
sesame seeds
1-2 cups of Lawry’s
Teriyaki Sauce &
Marinade
1 ea. peppers
(green,red,yellow)
In crock pot, place
thawed meatballs &
the juice from the
can of pineapple.
Sprinkle 1/2 of the
sesame seeds on the
top and cook on
high for 45—60 minutes. Cut up pepper,
cook in microwave
with a dab of water
for 2-21/2 min.
to soften. Chunk up
rings of pineapple,
add that & pepper,
along with the rest
of your seeds and
sauce to crock-pot.
Cook on low for
1-?? Hrs.
VENTURI !
P age 9
No, it’s not another drink from Starbucks!
The venturi effect is named for Italian physicist Giovanni Battist (1746 - 1842). He is credited with it’s discovery and use in the venturi
tube and venturi pump. This principle in a nutshell, consists of passing fluid through a constricted tube and allows the mixing of air with the
fluid. It is commonly used in carburetors in gas engines, barbecue grills, gas stoves, Bunsen burners and airbrushes. Also in protein skimmers
used in fish tanks and a host of other applications.
My own interest in venturis came about as I considered their use in the pond as a means of adding oxygen on hot summer days. Looking
around the internet I found some interesting leads.
There are several commercially built venturi units designed just for ponds! What they amount to is a tube arrangement
that you pump water through, using a pond pump under the surface. An attached “ snorkel tube” pulls air in from above
the surface, and mixes it with the water. This creates a bubbling effect that varies in intensity with the style of the unit.
The process allows you to use a water pump to add oxygen to the water rather than an air pump. Depending on the size
of the pump and the model of the venturi , a great deal of oxygen can be put into the water.
You can make your own unit simply enough if you have the patience.
Check out this link:
http:// leisure.prior-it.co.uk/venturi-pond-aeration.shtml
One of the most popular commercial brands of venturi is Mazzei. See them here:
index.cfm/ fuseaction/product.detail/iid/7963/cid/2341
http://aquaticeco.com/
My brand of choice is the Oxymax Meg 2 available from Oxy max P roducts of York P ennsylvania. They have many models to choose from,
and I got wonderful service and advice from owner Jeff Boyd. You can check out his charts and statistics and make up your own mind if this
is something you might like to try. His web page is a wealth of information regarding using venturis to oxygenate a pond. See it all here:
http://mysite.verizon.net/oxymax/atbuyfrm.htm
Having a small rock bottom pond, I am always concerned about debris collecting and stagnating on the floor of the pond. They say that rock
bottom ponds need to be drained and cleaned out regularly to prevent crashing from the build up of sludge and decaying material lurking in
the rocks. I have never done this in 6 years so I am always looking for ways to eliminate the problem. I vacuumed the pond bottom in the
spring and had good success with that although it is slow going. After studying the articles at the Oxymax P roducts web page, I am convinced
that a venturi is the answer to dealing with this problem. A properly sized venturi and pump combo can provide the oxygenation and agitation
required to release harmful gases and move solids up into the filter system. The a mount of agitation depends on the model of venturi and the
size of the pump used. Obviously if you are agitating a lot, quite a bit of waste material will lift off the pond bottom and be suspended in the
water. If your pond has a bottom drain, this will be a cinch to move the suspended waste to the filter.
I do not have a bottom drain. I have a traditional bio-falls and skimmer arrangement like many of you. The pond is 2200 gallons and is 30
inches deep. Vigorous agitation of the sludge on the bottom does not move it to the skimmer enough to be effective. Therefore, I decided to
add a supplementary filter and pump to compliment the venturi set up. (read the adjacent article on Cyprio Titan and Matala BioSteps 10)
The model MEG 2 from Oxy max is a duel output venturi with a long vertical air tube . See it on their web page. In order to get adequate
agitation on the pond bottom at 30 inches deep, Oxymax reco mmends a pump with at least 28 ft. of head pressure. I chose the P ondmaster
P ond-Mag 50 which claims to have a head rating of 28 feet and moves water at 5000 gallons per hour. This is a great combination! The
pump really puts out a lot of air bubbles and turbulence when fitted with the MEG 2 . That high head rating is really important and you can
see the difference when you place it at different levels in the pond. I am running it on the bottom at about 30 inches deep.
At 475 watts I am reluctant to use it 24 hours a day. I have been running it at night when the oxygen levels start to deplete, and shutting it
down during the day. It definitely works! The rocks on the bottom are certainly cleaner as you can see them more now than before. I move
the unit around the pond from time to time to insure that it gets good coverage. The air tube has an adjustable knob on it at the top that allows
you to control the intensity of the aeration. I run it about ¾ of the way open and you cannot believe how much action you get! You might
think that this would cause your pond to become a murky mess of junk but amazingly, it does not! I think since the unit is sitting in one place
at any give time, it works that area, not the whole pond bottom. This allows the filter system to keep up with the cleaning action of the venturi.
Running it full open may change that balance but I have decided to keep it at the ¾ setting for this first test. After running it for several
nights in one location there is noticeable improvement in the looks of the pond bottom. Moving the venture device around the pond is like
cleaning a section at a time.
P age 1 0
Continued from page 7
To summarize: Using a venturi in your pond will do the following: Increase
the amount of oxygen in your pond. Help remove CO2, chlorine gas, odors, and
hydrogen sulfides. Enhance the metabolism of your fish in warmer water giving
them more energy, increasing their appetites and activity. Boost the circulation
of water at lower levels in the pond. Increase the clarity of your water and the
cleanliness of the rock bottom pond.And yes it is true, your fish will become
more active, even on those incredibly hot days! They LOVE playing in the bubbles coming from the venturi!
MEG 2 VENTURI in operation
MATALA BIOSTEPS 10 & CYPRIO TITAN COMBO
I have found a nice combo of filter and pump for smaller ponds. I am currently using it as a supplemental filter system in conjunction with my MEG2 Venturi setup. (See adjacent article on VENTURI !)
There has been a lot of press lately about the Matala brand filter material. It is a woven thermopoly propylene compound
(plastic? ) available in rolls or cut sheets. Offered in various degrees of density, you can choose exactly what you need for you
filtering situation. It works well as replacement material in many existing filter setups.
You can read all about the history of Matala Filter Material here:
http://www.matalausa.com/characteristics.html
I needed a good filter box that could be used to remove the particles of suspended matter that would be stirred up by my venturi
setup. I did not want to build my own…..been there…tried that. Neither did I want to invest a large amount of money in a big
heavy duty external system. I currently use a commercial bio-falls and skimmer arrangement. My system does not have a bottom drain so I needed something to take the place of that, thus augmenting my falls and skimmer. I wanted something I could
use intermittently on occasion and then put away without a ton of work.
Enter the MATALA BIOSTEP S 10 gravity fed cross flow filter box! Wow is
this thing tailor made for me or what? A sturdy black box containing 6 pieces of
that wonderful Matala filter material in progressive densities. Non pressurized,
one input and two outputs, functions as a mechanical and biological filter, and
large enough to handle a pond up to 2600 gallons. Easy to handle and reasonably priced. Available with UV light if desired. Ask me where to get it cheapest!
See it here:
http://www.matalausa.com/biosteps.html
Be sure to click on the “ Slide Show” link to see a very effective demonstration of how well this filter box really works. I can
tell you that it is doing a great job of filtering without clogging up. In addition, the mats are very rigid and are quite easy to
clean and flush out. These boxes can also be piggy backed if you need more filtration.
I wanted a pump that could handle some solids without going to a big chopper type
with high wattage and a high flow rate. I think I found a perfect match in the Cyprio
Titan 800 pump. It’ s rated at 800GP H, has a 15 foot cord, will handle particles up to
1/6” in diameter and is only 30 watts. Not to mention it contains no oil, has a 3 year
guarantee, and is reasonably priced! Looks like a UFO but hides well in the pond !
See one here: http://www.pondsonline.com/cytitan.htm
So far this pump and filter combo has been working nicely. It is keeping up with
the venturi and supplementing my regular system very well.
Submitted by Tim Nolan
P age 1 1
Night Time Mini Tour For Members…..
Saturday, Sept. 29th. If you were unable to participate in our fist ever progressive night tour, what a treat you missed out on. I’m for doing this at least a couple
times a year. The idea was to view some ponds that were lit for night time viewing
while the host offered a progressive dinner. Although late in September, the night
was just beautiful for such an affair. It was warm out AND NO bugs! They must
have taken the night off! We began at the home of Erma and Larry Thompson.
There was no meeting business as this was strictly a social event. Erma had numerous appetizers and I had to keep reminding myself to not eat too much, because we had 2 more houses to get to. A big tub of wine and various other drinks
welcomed members to their pond. Of course, Larry’s two ponds were the focal
points, with their now huge fish and crystal clear water. After about an hour, we
were asked to move on to Stephanie and Bob Geers’ house. By now it was very
dark and the bonfire and pond lights glowed in the dark to welcome us. Stephanie
served us some great spaghetti with all the works. Very yummy! I mingled with
other pond members slipping in and out of conversations on everything from the
Iowa game that day to pond chemicals. With no real time tables, after about an
hour we then moved to Jo and Gary Hunerdoss’ home. Jo offered up a delicious
apple cobbler and ice cream for dessert. Tikki torches surrounded their pond
making their back yard a real comfortable place to sit, have a couple of drinks, and
relax at the end of the day listening to the sounds of the waterfall. Yep, I vote to
do this again! It may have been my favorite non-meeting gathering of the year. A
big thank you to our hosts and hostesses for the great hospitality. Everything
about the evening was wonderful.
Let’s do it again….Jackie Allsup
Left to right, Janice Bell, Jo Hunerdosse,
Pat Bueter, and Rosie Michel
Pictures taken by Robert Hollenbeck
Herman & Rosie Michel
Pat & Wayne Bueter (front table) visit with Harry Allsup, Erma
Thompson and Bob Geers.
Eastern Iowa Pond Society—Membership Application 2008
For this month, application can be found on www.eips.org
Non profit organization
Eastern Iowa Pond Society Inc.
217 23rd St. Dr. S.E.
Cedar Rapids Iowa 52403
Visions
Our Mission Statement
Eastern Iowa Pond
Society Inc.
WWW.EIPS.ORG
We are committed to providing
a social atmosphere for members dedicated
to sharing and learning the pleasure
of water gardening. We are a non-profit
organization.
Membership of this association
shall be open to any individual without
regard to race, creed, national origin or
Sex, who shall render membership dues as
specified in the governing documents.
History
The Eastern Iowa Pond Society
was established by Sharon Weiss in 1996
to encourage and promote water gardening
and ponds.
Meetings
Meetings are held at different
members homes the second Thursday at
7:00PM and the fourth Saturday in April,
May. June. July, August and September.
During Feb., March, October and Nov.
meetings are held once a month on a Saturday.
No meetings are held in Dec & Jan. No meetings
are held in December or January.
Yearly Planning
A plan-the-year meeting is held on a
February afternoon at a central location to hammer out strategies on how the club will conduct
business and to plan activities for the upcoming
year.
Activities
A yearly Pond Tour event involves selected members opening their ponds to the public.
Speakers, demonstrations, field trips, plant and fish
swap, pot luck, and club projects are all activities
that happen during the year.
Dues
Dues will be $10.00 per family, payable
November of previous year and delinquent April
1st of each year. These dues entitle a member to
participation in all activities and receive a monthly
newsletter.