December 27, 2009
If you are new to pond ownership you may have a preconceived idea of how your pond should look. This idea may have been crated when you browsed through pond books or looked at pictures of beautiful garden ponds on the internet. Meeting your pond expectations is however hard to achieve and you may find you have one or two problems along the way and need to compromise to get the look you want.
The first problem that most pond owners come across is that their pond water is not perhaps as clear as they had hoped for. It may appear muddy or if there is excess algal growth it may have a green tinge. It is worth mentioning at this point that crystal clear pond water is not only nigh on impossible to achieve it’s also not a great environment for your fish to live.
Muddy water is caused by fish activity, koi especially like to root around in the silt and mud at the bottom of your pond. Flocculating agents can be added to the pond to make the sediment sink back to the bottom if you really want to try to stop the muddiness. Green water is caused by excess algal growth and can be stopped to some degree by UV lights. However creating a balanced eco-system in your pond is always the best option if possible and even if your pond water does not look as clear as you might, like it’s still a great environment for your fish to live.
December 23, 2009
Knowing the pH value of your pond is really important. If your pond is too acidic or too alkaline it can have a really detrimental effect on your fish.
You can buy your pH testing kit from an online aquatic retailer, but what is pH?
The pH scale is a measure of acidity or alkalinity. The scale goes from 0 to 14 with 7 being the neutral value. Numbers below 7 represent a scale of increasing acidity and numbers above 7 represent increasing alkalinity.
The water in your pond should be around the 7 or 8 level but may vary as the eco-system in your pond is an ever changing living entity. Because fish produce alkaline waste there is a tendency that your pond pH level will be more towards the higher numbers of the scale. If this happens your fish will show clear signs of distress and may actually gasp for air. This is why having a functioning pond filter system is so important.
If you test your pond and the pH is already at an unacceptable alkaline level, it may even be necessary to change some of the pond water with collected rain water to try to bring the pH level to a more acceptable level.
December 5, 2009
There is one accessory that every pond owner needs and that is the trusty hose. Hose reels are normally owned by most garden owners as well as garden pond owners and are a must so you can carry out pond maintenance and top up the pond if necessary (it’s worth noting here that you should always top up your pond with collected rainwater if possible).
Garden hoses have quite a long life span but have to be replaced from time to time. Hose systems play a vital part of your pond filter system and so maintenance of all flexible as well as rigid components needs to be carried out on a regular basis. Plastic hose connection points can become brittle especially on older systems and anywhere where the pipe work has to deviate from a straight line path can cause pressure point build ups in the system so will be the first part of the hose or pipe system to show signs or wear and tear.
Online aquatic retailers can supply all your hose and rigid pipe connectors and fittings, they can even suggest what type of pond systems work best and how often you need to look at these systems from a maintenance point of view.
November 21, 2009
We discussed in the last article the devastating affects that a heron attack can have on your pond. There are quite a few ways you can stop this long legged bird, so hopefully these hints and tips will help you with your heron problem.
Add a protective barrier to the pond surface
The only sure fire way to stop a heron completely in its tracks is to add a barrier to the pond’s surface so that the heron can not reach your fish. This may not be the most aesthetic solution but it does work. You can either add fine mesh netting over the pond surface or if you want to try to retain some aesthetic feel why not try to stretch some fishing line around the pond or over the pond surface. Anything that may startle the heron is a good start.
Scare the Heron
You can buy heron scarers from online aquatic retailers that do a brilliant job at scaring the bird. The best ones have a PIR that detects movement, when the bird lands at the pond the scarer shoots a jet of water at the bird which has the desired effect of scaring the bird away. Other scarers emit an ultrasonic sound that deters unwanted predators. Most of these types of scarers will work as cat deterrents too so can be a great double pronged attack.
Decoys
Herons are solitary feeders so if you add a heron decoy to the edge of the pond another heron will be less likely to land. These work well and are a cheaper option than movement scarers.
November 13, 2009
There are many different pond problems that all pond owners face throughout their pond owning lives. You can’t beat experience, but if you are a new pond owner it is always good to have some helpful hints and tips at hand to call upon when you have a problem.
• Try to fill your pond using collected rain water. Tap water contains chemicals that are not suitable for your pond. If you have to use tap water leave it to neutralise before adding it to your pond.
• Always pick up garden debris like leaf litter before it gets blown into your pond, any new organic material that enters the pond can affect the balance of the eco-system you have created.
• Try to create a balance of pond plants and oxygen in your pond. Add a waterfall, fountain or air pump if necessary.
• If your pond is leaking, briefly turn off the pond pump first to see if the water level still drops. If the water level stops dropping the leak is not in your pond so it could be a problem with the filtration system or hoses.
• If you do have a leak in your pond liner, the water will usually find the level of the leak before you do. This can be a good way to find where the leak actually is.
We will continue these helpful hints in the next article.
November 9, 2009
The first frost has left our gardens glistening with a white blanket and the trees have nearly shed all their leaves, so we should be looking at how to protect our gardens ponds during these cold times of the year.
With autumn slowly turning into winter, maintenance of your pond should not be overlooked event, even though it might feel like it is too cold to venture into your garden. The first thing that every gardener who owns a pond should always do at this time of year is to collect as many leaves as possible before they fall or get blown into the pond. When the leaves enter the pond and slowly decompose they will change the chemical balance of your pond which could be detrimental for your fish.
If the weather is forecast to be really cold for long periods, you need to make sure that any waterfalls or fountains are turned off. It is difficult for these items to operate when the water becomes icy and the pond pump may burn out if it is expected to cope with icy water. Also the movement of cold water when it is exposed to the cold air will actually make the overall pond water much colder and whilst fish can survive in cold conditions they do not like sudden changes in temperature.
If your pond freezes, make sure that you defrost a section using a hot pan, don’t pour hot water onto the pond surface or be tempted to smash the ice with a hammer, this will shock the fish and cause more problems than solutions.
October 16, 2009
We discussed in the last article the difficulties you may have if you need to move your fish from their current pond to a new pond. There are various steps you can make throughout the move so that you can minimise the effects of stress and make the move much more efficient and organised.
Before your planned moving date try to reduce the amount of feed you give to your fish. This will mean they will not foul the water to much when feeling stressed in their transportation tank.
On the day of the move, fill your transportation bags with water from your pond so that the fish will be used to the water. Don’t be tempted to just use tap water as a quick solution this will have a serious detrimental effect on your fish. Large aquatic polythene bags are available online and from aquatic stores, these are the perfect method for transportation as they can be tied so water will not spill – unlike tanks. Remember to leave loads of air in the bags, a good ratio to stick to is 30% water and 70% air. If you are worried the bag may leak use two bags to provide another barrier.
When you net your fish, you should be as quick and efficient as possible. If you take too long and end up chasing the fish around your pond you will only succeed in stressing them and the other fish.
In the next article we will discuss how to introduce your fish to your new pond.
October 11, 2009
In the last couple of articles we have discussed winter time and you pond needs. Here, we will give you an idea of the various tasks that have to be completed to prepare for the harsh weather.
1. If you live in a part of the country that experiences extremely harsh winters, drink your fountain and pond pump so it does not freeze.
2. You should try to raise the level of the pump from the bottom of the pond so only the higher level colder water it being circulated this will leave the warmer water at the bottom of the pond undisturbed so the fish can overwinter.
3. Check the surface of the pond regularly on winter mornings to check for formation of ice, always make sure an area of your pond in not frozen so harmful gases can escape.
4. If you experience harsh winters consider installing a pond heater, this will mean you can relax a little if you are going on holiday or will not be able to check the pond for a period of time.
5. You could try to cover the pond surface with a roll of bubble wrap making sure there is ventilation between this and the pond surface. This can be removed when the weather warms up a little and reinstated if cold weather is expected.
October 10, 2009
We discussed what happens to your pond if the water freezes in the last article, so here we will discuss what you can do to stop the big freeze and what happens to your fountain or pump during the winter months.
If you have fish like koi in your pond, it is always a good idea to try to stop ice from forming or melt a section it if it is already frozen over. You can buy pond heaters from most online aquatic websites that will float on the water. The device is of course powered by electricity but will keep an area of the pond free from ice.
If the pond does freeze, you should always try to melt a section holding a hot pan of water on the surface. If you try and smash the ice the shock could kill the fish. It goes without saying that even if you think the ice on your pond is quite thick you should never try to stand on the ice. Apart from the injury you may sustain as a result, the compressed ice will damage the pond liner and lead to leaks.
You can still use your fountain during cold weather but if the chances of severe weather are high, there is the possibility you will have to turn the pond pump off. If cold weather is expected for long periods or you live in a region that experiences harsh winters, a good idea is to remove the pump completely and reinstate it into the pond next spring.
October 9, 2009
It may be a little early to start discussing winter but the weather has now really started to turn and there is a distinct chill in the air that was not noticeable just a few weeks ago. In fact it will not be long until parts of the country start to experience their first frost.
If you live in a town or city then the chances are your pond will rarely freeze iover due to the latent heat from surrounding buildings but if we have a really cold spell ice can cause problems to not just the pond inhabitants but also the pond itself.
Ice can cause damage to pond liners due to the expansion around the surface edges of the pond. If the weather is really harsh it can even crack pre-formed pond liners and hence cause your pond to be permanently damaged. If the entire pond surface is covered with ice dangerous levels of gases and noxious substances can build up. This means whenever possible you should try to stop part of the pond freezing. If you do this your fish should survive the winter months, unless of course the entire depth of the pond freezes.
In the next article we will discuss winter problems with pond pumps and pond fountains.
Secure SSL encryption
