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July 5, 2009
There are many natural ponds that do not boast crystal clear water and yet provide a healthy, diverse and vibrant habitat for both fish and countless forms of other wildlife. If kept in a pond with mud banks, Koi will take great delight in digging at the banks to create a delightfully murky pond without showing any ill effects. Quite simply, clear water is not an essential requirement for a successful pond.
None of this is to say that you shouldn’t aspire to having clear water in your pond. As with many aspects of maintaining a pond, the bigger the volume of water, the easier it will be to maintain not only clear, but clean water also. The advantage of larger volumes of water is that, providing they are of sufficient depth (rather than a large but shallow expanse), the water is more stable as temperatures fluctuate and more able to disperse pollutants. The larger body of water will more readily establish balance and also cope better with potential threats to water quality.
As the water gardener with a more modest body of water strives to maintain clear water, the basic disciplines of creating a balanced eco-system become ever more important. Sensible stocking coupled with good planting and water circulation will, in many cases be sufficient to have clear water. If this is not sufficient, a good filtration system will help to restore the balance in you pond.
June 3, 2009
Your garden pond is intended to be a source of joy and pleasure for both yourself and hopefully likeminded visitors. In order to ensure that it remains a source of happiness and not of worry or distress, there are some safety aspects of which you should be aware.
Probably the most obvious safety issue surrounding ponds is that of young children and the potential for fatal accidents. Drowning is one of the biggest causes of accidental death in youngsters. These are also accidents that frequently occur away from the child’s own home. In terms of managing this risk the best solution is to securely restrict access or install a rigid pond cover that will support the weight of at least a child.
Beyond the extreme example of fatalities there are other less drastic but equally as real dangers surrounding ponds. A common problem is loose slabs surrounding a pond. These can often lead to people falling into ponds with varying degrees of discomfort accompanied by wet clothes and dented pride.
A further challenge is that of electrics. It is well understood that electricity and water don’t mix well; and yet the modern pond is often equipped with an array of electrical appliances from lighting, to pumps and filters, to UV clarifiers. These units themselves will almost certainly be constructed to very high safety standards and pose little threat in themselves if properly installed. Probably the biggest challenge is in ensuring proper fitting. A qualified electrician should always be used for any bespoke wiring whilst any plug in appliance should be connected to the mains through a Residual Current Device (RCD). RCD’s are readily available in DIY stores and ensure that, in the event of electrical mishaps, the power supply is immediately isolated. This should be coupled with the use of purpose built electrical fittings that are designed for external use and/or water features.
In simple terms, having a large hole in the garden subsequently filed with water and electrical componentry does sound like a recipe for disaster. As with all aspects of pond keeping though, some simple planning steps can ensure that the pond is a source of joy with very little worry.
June 2, 2009
Most water gardeners will avoid trees near their ponds despite the fact that trees can offer one very important benefit to a pond in providing shade. Shade is important to your pond as it will help to reduce the temperature increasing significantly on sunny summer days and will also restrict sunlight reaching the pond. Direct sunlight is a significant contributor to algal growth. Preferably a pond should only receive direct sunlight for half of the day and remain in shade for the rest.
The objection of many water gardeners to trees is that they do have a number of downsides for water, which in many people’s opinion, far outweigh the benefits that shade can offer.
So what are the down sides of trees?
Some trees, such as laburnum are poisonous. Tree roots can cause problems with pond liners; in addition, particularly deep roots potentially affect the soil structure. However, the primary problem that trees cause is quite simply leaf-fall. All of the fallen leaves can be visually displeasing and a pain in the proverbial to clear. The real issue are the leaves that do not remain on the surface and cannot easily be cleared. These fallen leaves will effectively act as compost in the pond. Whilst the effects of this ‘compost’ will not be realised over the cold winter months immediately following the Autumn leaf fall, come spring, this will fuel algal and weed growth on a potentially troublesome scale.
Whether or not you are able to control the source of problem leaf fall, it is important that you tackle the symptoms and either cover the pond with netting or actively remove leaves from the pond with a rake, or similar, on a regular basis. If you are planning to create a pond within your garden and wish to incorporate trees into your garden design then smaller species such as silver birch or willow tend to be more suited to the pond environment.
June 1, 2009
Pond filters are an important tool for enhancing the processes that naturally take place in fish inhabited water. The reason that these natural processes need enhancing is that a typical fish pond contains a considerably higher concentration of fish than would naturally occur.
As a result of this overstocking, the natural breakdown of fish waste products that is normally done by plants and other water borne micro-organisms is not sufficient enough to maintain water suitable for fish to live in. Without filters, more heavily stocked ponds can quickly become toxic to your fish. This will typically exhibit itself through gasping fish swimming near the surface and other visible health issues such as listless fish or sores on the fish scales.
Fish produce ammonia as a natural waste product which is very toxic to them in any concentration above a slight trace. Ammonia breaks down in two processes; the ammonia is transformed into nitrites which are then subsequently broken down into nitrates. Nitrates are an important food source for plants which naturally provide much of the dissolved oxygen that fish need to survive.
The description of a filter may imply that the ammonia is effectively sieved out of the water by a mechanical action. This is however not the case. The full description of a pond filter is a biological filter. The way these work is by having water passed through a bacterial culture which will perform the breakdown of ammonia into nitrites and nitrates.
The other necessary component of a filtration system is a pond pump. It is necessary to ensure that the water is regularly passed through the filter mechanism and this is done by a pump.
May 24, 2009
New pond syndrome is a common phrase to encounter when discussing or reading about fish health or husbandry issues.
Whilst it is a common and accepted concept, what is the actual underlying issue? When judging your new pond by human standards it is probably accurate to say that in many instances, new is considered best, not worst, so what is the issue?
Possibly the simplest way to understand the concept is to think of the water as a complex eco-system in its own right. This is not just a pool where the fish choose to swim but a 24/7 habitat in which the fish will respirate, eat and produce waste. To cope with all of this extra activity, the pond water needs to have a mechanism for processing waste products and other pollutants. These extra functions are carried out in nature by micro-organisms such as bacteria.
With your new pond installed, it will, more than likely be filled with tap water. In stark contrast to established pond water with its vibrant organic life, tap water has been meticulously cleaned and processed to pass very high hygiene standards.
As soon as you introduce fish to this freshly filled inert water environment, they will begin to pollute the water. Due to the almost total lack of bacterial life present in the water, the water will have no capacity for handling these pollutants. It is easy to understand how this will rapidly lead to issues of poor water quality and distress for your fish.
One of the key tools utilised in managing pond water quality is a biological pond filter. Unfortunately these are not a shortcut to avoid new pond syndrome. A biological filter uses exactly the same biological processes to manage water quality and requires a build up of bacterial growth over a number of weeks to function properly.
The key tool in avoiding issues is patience. A few weeks for your pond to settle with new plant life and a running filter will avoid many issues when fish are introduced. By introducing fish gradually, you will also give the water time to adjust. Bacteria in the filter will grow more rapidly in response to the introduction of fish and their resulting pollutants. This is a gradual process and patience will avoid overwhelming a delicately balanced system.
May 17, 2009
In order to maintain good pond water quality you need to create a balanced environment that consists of a good supply of nutrients for plant life and a healthy level of oxygen for your fish. This balancing act is easier the bigger the pond. In a larger pond, any life introduced to the water will have proportionately less impact on the water quality. The smaller the pond, or the more heavily stocked the pond, the more difficult it becomes to maintain this balance.
Fortunately, for the noughties water gardener, there are modern tools that greatly facilitate this pond water management. If you feel like a purist and wrestle with the notion of using technology to manage this environment, then you probably needn’t be too concerned. The use of modern equipment enables life to flourish in a pleasant and healthy environment.
The key technology tools employed in the water garden are the pond pump, the biological filter and the UV clarifier. The latter two components effectively manage constituents of the water. A biological filter removes harmful pollutants from the water through a natural process of bacterial breakdown of waste products. This is not totally dissimilar to the function of bio-yogurts in your digestive system. A UV clarifier is used to tackle algal growth problems in conjunction with a filter system. The UV clarifier causes microscopic algal growth to form into clumps that can then be filtered.
The engine room of these two processes is the pond pump. Without the water being passed through the biological filters and UV clarifiers they quite simply don’t work. A pumps use is not simply restricted to a supporting role though. Even a pump used in isolation of any other equipment will help maintain a healthy environment. Pumps help to oxygenate the water simply by causing movement. Usually this is done in a visually pleasing manner such as a fountain or a waterfall.
May 11, 2009
The very description of ‘pond filter’ quite likely conjures up a vision of physical debris being sieved out of your pond to ensure that the water is free of physical waste products. In reality, whilst some physical debris will be removed, it will only be that which is caught up in the water fed through the filter by the pump. Most of the physical waste in the pond will actually just sink to the bottom of the pond without ever passing through the filter. It is this waste that breaks down to produce both silt and also pollute the water with various chemicals.
The primary function of the filter is to actually deal with the build up of chemicals in the pond. These chemicals are produced during the break down of waste products such as uneaten food and leaves that have fallen into the pond. This is supplemented by the chemicals released directly by the fish themselves.
The pond filters role is to breakdown these polluting chemicals such as ammonia into nitrites and then nitrates. Nitrates are the very chemicals that are a valuable food source for pond plants. The mechanism by which a filter performs this chemical breakdown is through the presence of a bacterial culture. These bacteria do take around 6 weeks to establish themselves and start cleaning your pond at full capacity. If installing a new filter system it is wise to either introduce fish slowly or, in an already stocked pond, have realistic expectations of water quality improvements.
May 1, 2009
Why filter your pond? Let’s face facts, if you stumble upon a natural pond out in the wilds of Scotland, or indeed anywhere, you can be reasonably confident that there will be no filter installed.
So why do we need to install pond filters and pumps? Is it all just a marketing gimmick? Nature manages without them after all.
Much as there are a wealth of lessons and tips we can gain from understanding natures processes, it is fair to say that not all the answers can be found. Whilst many natural ponds may have existed for a very long time, it is also the case that many natural ponds have slowly but surely, ceased to be, without any assistance from mankind. It is worth noting that many more have ceased to be as a direct result of mankind’s actions, but that does not alter the fact that nature isn’t always the perfect example for sustainable pond management.
The functions that your pond filter will perform are to help to maintain good water quality for your fish through removing chemical pollutants such as ammonia excreted by fish. The filter will also remove much of the physical debris from the water which will help to keep the water clear. Whilst keeping the water clear is probably of far more concern to you than the fish, removing physical muck from the water will also reduce silt build up. Silt build up may pose only limited threats to your pond in the short term, but, when going back to the earlier mention of natures shortcomings, it is this silt build up which often causes the eventual demise of untended or natural ponds.
If your desires for you water garden are modest and you are happy to get your hands dirty as and when required, it is perfectly reasonable to manage a pond without the need for a filter. If you wish to stock an interesting or extensive collection of fish, or quite simply wish to simplify pond management, a filter is, at the very least, highly desirable.
April 19, 2009
One of the most common issues facing the pond owner in spring and summer is green water. Green water is caused by an algal growth that cannot be removed by traditional filtration due to the microscopically small particles.
In the initial stages, this growth is more of an eyesore than an actual threat to pond life. If not tackled, it can potentially have harmful effects on pond life as the water will steadily absorb less oxygen and potentially other pond life may be choked or starved of nutrients.
Fortunately, green water algae is an easy issue to tackle with the use of Ultra Violet (UV) clarifiers. The mechanism by which a UV clarifier works is beautifully simple, the UV light causes the tiny algae to form into clumps which are then simply caught in the filter along with any other debris.
There are a large number of units commercially available and many filter systems are supplied complete with a UV clarifier. The units themselves come in sizes suitable for all different pond sizes although with this particular piece of pond equipment it is never possible to over specify. Consequently, it may be wise to err on the side of caution and purchase a unit that will definitely do the job rather than save pennies.
UV clarifiers are very cheap to run although it is wise to replace the ultra violet bulb as part of your spring pond maintenance regime.
April 4, 2009
Your pond filter performs one primary function. That is to purify your pond water. Pond water is full of pollutants that are created by the metabolism of your fish and these require removing to avoid firstly stressing your fish and later causing health issues. The filter will have the added benefit of removing physical muck suspended in the water.
There are three basic arrangements for filters but one biological process is employed by all of them. The role of the filter is to biologically break down pollutants rather than to sieve muck. The filter contains a bacterial element that feeds on, and breaks down, the waste products of the fish. The filter requires water to be pumped through it to ensure that over a period of time, the entire volume of water in the pond is filtered and to also supply a steady flow of oxygenated water to the bacterial culture which performs the purification process . Without this flow of water the bacterial culture which initially take 4-6 weeks to establish itself will die.
The fundamental criteria for what type of filter you choose will be the volume of water in your pond in addition to some stocking considerations. Whilst stocking will greatly affect how much work a filter will need to do, the filter must be suitable for the volume of water.
The first of the three arrangements of filter is the gravity flow pond filters which are a low cost option suited to smaller ponds. Secondly, pressurized filters which are becoming the most popular. These are mid priced units that are compact and easy to clean, they can also be sited externally for easy access and minimum impact on the pond itself. Lastly specialised gravity or pressure filters are available for larger scale or specialist needs. These are the most expensive filters.
Pond filters themselves do not remove algae. To tackle algae requires use of a UV clarifier. It is possible to buy filters that combine a UVC device and this is a great option for maintaining water quality.
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