I thought I replied on Saturday! Must have dreamed it.
Actually, this is my 3rd attempt.....Jim knows what I mean.
MoonShadows said:Hey Cal,
I am enjoying all the recent posts to this thread. It's like a visit with Marlin Perkins! 
And, I know you are old enough to remember him.
Yes, I am, and I do remember him fondly. One of my favorite shows.
Also Howdy Doody, Mr.Wizard, & Duffy's Tavern.
I know I owe you a TreeMail. The last two weeks have been hectic with the increase in home biz orders and trying to keep up with all the Spring growth and planting. I should have some time this weekend.
No worries, you have a ton on your plate. Anytime is fine.
Just thought I would mention that my little pond, which had very clear water all winter and the beginning of this spring started turning green real fast the past two weeks. I figured it was just the usual spring algae bloom with the warmer weather. I also knew a good cleaning of my filter was overdue. I finally got to it yesterday afternoon.
I absolutely dread cleaning my filter. It is a submersible. It does a great job, but cleaning is a real pain. I have to submerge a huge laundry basket filled with quilt batting to raise it up out of the water without all the dirty backwash getting into the pond. It weighs a ton! Then, cleaning it section by section, piece by piece, is a real dirty job. I was soaking wet and covered with green muck by the time I was finished.
The manufacturer, Lifegard Aquatics recommends cleaning the filter every few weeks. I am lucky if I clean it twice a year! But, even with my neglect, it keeps the water very clean/clear and within acceptable parameters according to my test kits.
Of course, the water looked even worse after I was finished disturbing everything. I left my deck last night hoping the algae bloom would subside soon. To my surprise, when I looked down from my deck this morning, the water was crystal clear. I could even see a little white pebble on the bottom that I missed while I was cleaning. Guess it wasn't the spring algae bloom, but my dirty filter that was turning my water green.
I had to take 3 Advil after reading that.
If your water is that clean, maybe a smaller filter would do the job with less pain, time, & mess,
even if you had to clean it more often, e.g. every 2-3 months (?)
This simple filter is very easy to clean, and helps keep our 500 gallon pond crystal clear.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0024EFYU6/
It only takes 5 min ~4X per year or whenever the fountain slows down significantly.
But our pond is 3/4 covered with floating plants, or lily pads, and other potted plants
that keep it clear.
At least it's done now, and maybe it'll hold the rest of the year.
My dwarf water lily is sending up its first leaves of the season, too!
bumplbea said:Cal...Enjoyed the videos and subscribed to your YouTube channel.
The new water feature will help with keepin the ducks away from the water lilies. From watching the video I see the ducks don't like the shower effect from the new water feature helps keep the ducks at bay. 
Hope the injured duck gets better soon. This time of year ducks can be a bit aggressive. It's spring. 
Cal...Your pump is very efficient and powerful.You asked about my pond pump . I'm sorry to say I don't remember any of the details on the pump size. 20 years in the pond I bet it's price has doubled in today's market. 
MoonShadows.... the name Marlin Perkins sounds soo familiar I had to look him up. He was the zoologist on Mutual of Omaha . OK ...now we are all bragging about our age !
The ducks initially stayed in the back of the pond, but now cruise through the fountain like kids playing
in the sprinkler.
The duck with the damaged beak (bill?) seems to be doing relatively well, just not as strong as the other ducks.
Whatever is on his bill doesn't seem as crusty, just discolored. He has a slight limp, I think he favors his left foot.
Later, he spent a couple hours with a female .....she didn't seem to notice his bill problem.
They spent time preening on the little raft that all the ducks like to get on. Then he followed her all around
the pond as she dabbled, and sampled all the delicacies in the buffet.
Then she started displaying for him, i.e. dunking vigorously several times, then rising up & flapping her wings,
ending it with a waggle of her tail, trying to get him interested. He just ignored her, and even wandered off instead of
being attentive. Either he wasn't in the mood or didn't have a clue.
Eventually she gave up & decided to take off without him, and go elsewhere. He was totally caught by surprise,
and made a very lame attempt to follow her, flopping before flying. It was really pretty sad.
"Was it something I said???"
Normally, when they decide to leave, they let the others know by jerking their heads several times, like
saying, "Time to go.....who's coming with me?"
But in this case, she looked & acted a bit put out by his lack of attention.
You could tell by her body language, and the fact that she just up & left without any adieu.
I guess he just wanted a platonic relationship.
If I have time, I'll upload the whole uncut 1 hr video & post a link.
Today he hung out with two other boys.....he had the pond to himself when they came in, and I heard
the rukus start, but went out just so they could see me, and I told them to play nice.
Everything was cool then.....
video
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0024EFYU6/
Later, I caught one of them standing on one of the lotus pots (!)
I've decided not to try to keep them out of the lilies, but the
lotus are strictly verboten!
The lotus, btw, are coming along nicely, and starting to send up aerial leaves.
The weather has been unseasonably cold with rain almost every week, which
is great as it usually is hot clear & dry here even in Feb.
But soon as it warms up, the lotus should really take off.
I just planted 7 small bowl lotus today. Lotus are a challenge, but once you
get the hang of it, not that difficult, and very rewarding. Assuming they survive
the ducks!
It's a soap opera every day.
