July 2 - Adding the new filtration system is going slowly, but john is deliberately taking his time to think exactly how
he wants to place the filter. john will have to move around it at times. In addition, he will have to connect hoses to the pump, bubble bead filter, UV filter, and back to the pond. He may have to drive to Lawrence today to get
some port adapters. The ones mounted on the pump house are those left over from the time he was going to use a large 700 gallon white tank, but changed his mind. Those ports are 4 inch openings. He needs to get down to 2 inches to connect the flexible hoses.

Also, he needs more power in the pump house. He has two 15 amp lines going in, but need a couple more. The UV filter says to place it on it's own 15 amp line. He cannot believe it would take that much power to run a UV lamp,
but will do as the instructions say to do. The 1/2 horse pump draws 9.6 amps, so there is the need for the second line. While at it, he figures he'd better put in one or two more lines for expansion. He knows he will be adding outdoor lighting quite soon.

July 7 - john started water flowing over the new waterfall today. He has a lot of work to do before it looks right, but it is a start. The pump he is using isn't the new one, nor is the filtration running yet. He has used about 60 cans of expandable foam so far and needs to use about another 10 cans before the water stays on top of the rocks rather than running under them.

July 14 - john got the filtration system running today around noon. This is a major event for zenpond as john has wanted filtration for the pond for several years. According to the instructions, it may take up to 6 weeks to clear the pond to a "polished" condition of crystal clear water.

July 16 am- some clearing of the water is noticeable, but the pond has a long ways to go before it is crystal clear. The waterfall looks good, but could use at least another 5000 gallons/hour pump, maybe two. john is thinking of putting in two skimmers in the side of the pond with submergible pumps. He stubbed two hoses on the right side of the holding tank in case he decided to do this. john will be going to Water's Edge in Lawrence this morning to check out pumps. His friend Gene is the main reason for going. Gene's 3000 gallon /hour submergible pump failed yesterday.

July 16 pm - Gene's pump was still under warranty, so he got a new one free! john purchased a ruby red water lily for $27.50 which is absolutely beautiful. john and joyce saw at the Water Garden Tour a lucite ball about 18 inches in diameter full of water and appears to be floating on the water (actually, it is on a stand). Fish swim up and into it and get magnified. Water's Edge had one for $199.00. john was tempted, but decided to wait ... to make sure this wasn't an impulse purchase. It is pretty cool however. May next time.