Oh yea we elevate the hose above the water so it splishy splashes.

I see…..I was under the misunderstanding that you didn’t need to vacuum in winter because the fish were not eating.
Thank you. Good info

In all honesty there is hardly any muck on the bottom tho.

Ok
Is the liner aquatic rated ?
pVC will brake down over time.
We always used pvc…..
In the early 80 I was fortunate enough to work for the roofing company that did the pond lining for the Henry Dorly Zoos rain forest….

Barley straw can help in some situations, but if I remember right that is for algae control.
Plant not growing would be a concern,,,,,, most thrive in high nutrients…

Maybe your chlorine filter…. You dint add water all winter, I am guessing?

Yes it was bought specifically for pond lining.
I have a barley straw extract that we add to buckets of pond water and pour in.
We have a UV light for algae control and our water is quite clear if not crystal clear.
No we haven’t added water over winter although we get quite a bit of rain in winter…so water is added but not really changed in winter

In shallow, clear water, fish can suffer sun damage like we do. They get the fishy equivalent of sunburn. If there's no shade, you should supply some.

Keith

We put in two little caves! They can hide in there. Maybe I’ll put some plywood over the pond for now until we get the pond lettuce

Be careful with plywood. A lot of it contains formaldehyde.

Keith

I’ll make a big tanned coon umbrella then!!!

When I lived in Indiana I had a pond with koi and I had lily pads growing in pots at the bottom of the pond. I did it for the flowers but I didnt think about the added benefit of shade.

Plants work great for shade and during the day oxygenate the water through photosynthesis. Plants also remove the nitrates from the water.

Keith

I have a little pot of lily pads, a creeping buttercup and a Louisiana water Iris. Will get water lettuce when they are in season. I hope they do better this year than last time

Stop changing out the water. You are fighting nature. A new pond needs to age naturally. Changing out 20% of the water is forcing the natural aging to start all over again from square one.
Don't use city water. Who knows what they put in it from one day to the next. None of it is good for fish even if you treat it for chlorine.
They stopped using chlorine around here years ago. They now put chloramine in it. 20% changeout will kill every fish in the pond, even if you treat it with chemicals.
Don't use well water either.
I have a large heavy duty mop bucket under a downspout to collect rainwater. I have a garden hose connected to the bottom of the bucket that ends up in the pond.
I have an old hollow stump in my pond which has a hosta planted on it. There is no soil involved. It is thriving hydroponically and my water is crystal clear all year long. That one hosta plant keeps my nitrogen level under control. I had a huge brown algae problem before the hosta was added.
Not any more.

Is your KH too low?

Eliminate the barley straw mix,,,,
If you use barley straw,,,,it should be in a bale ,,,, located at the inflow.
Barely straw is used to control bloom.,,,, aka killing stuff that may be needed?

The light,,,, that kills everything,,
the first thing I would unplug….

Maybe your pond maintenance schedule is performed at the improper time for you area.

Take two steps back and say hummmmmm……

ditch the fish. try muskrats.