Rowly, I have been reading this string and getting quite a chuckle out of it all. Not to make fun, but it does tend to fall under the category of trying to fool mother nature. The reality is that most of what you need to know you will have to find out for yourself. The help of our fellow "Pond Bosses" is invaluable but the actual application to each individual circumstance does require some trial and error as long as we don't stretch the basic rules too far. I would love to have half of what I have spent over the years on plants, critters and schemes to improve life. Don't get me wrong, I love it and will continue and again I wish you luck and remember to always have a good laugh when things don't go quite right.
Jim
