Let’s face it, water has a relentless efficiency when it come to finding holes. Whether you wish to contain water or exclude water for any purpose, any leaks will very soon become apparent when put to the test. In respect of your pride and joy pond, such a leak will exhibit itself in a visibly decreasing water level.

If you are new to pond keeping, it is obviously important to allow for factors such as evaporation, leaking pipe work and water features that may contribute to water loss. Having established that the water loss goes beyond these expectations, the only available course of action is to identify the leak. Initially this may seem a daunting task but the methodology is pretty simple. Once the pond drains to the lowest extremity of the leak, the water loss will cease. Providing this is not too close to the bottom of the pond, this could avoid any need to move fish stock. If the water level continues to drop too far it is obviously necessary to make provision to move your fish to a holding location.

Once the water has ceased draining, the issue becomes very straightforward. Somewhere, just above the water line is a leak. Finding the leak may not be the most fun you’ve ever had but, once done, for the most common forms of pond that use either flexible or pre-formed pond liners, these are very easy to repair. Repair kits are readily available for all of the common materials in use and this will solve the problem.

There is no cast iron certain way to ensure you never experience a leaking pond but as ever, there are steps that can be taken when installing a new pond to minimise risk. Flexible pond liners require the removal of stones and roots or any other potential threats. The use of correct quantities of cushioning material will avoid many issues and all of these requirements will be stated on the manufacturer’s instructions for the liner. A preformed liner requires installing in a well sized hole and then backfilling to provide support. Water is a very dense and heavy substance that does place substantial loads on unsupported fabrics.

If you have a concrete pond then unfortunately a significant repair is required to reseal the affected area. An alternative solution could possibly be to install a flexible pond liner inside the concrete pond.

Japanese water gardens have been in existence for many hundreds of years having first begun to evolve around the time of the Heian period, late in the 8th century AD.

This early evolution of the water garden was heavily influenced by Buddhism, the gardens were considered to be a representation of paradise on earth. The later influence of Zen Buddhism caused a further evolution of the concept but with a focus on simplicity, the volumes of water used in the gardens reduced significantly. The Zen influence saw the gardens become replicas of nature with trees, mountains, and even ranges of mountains being represented by rocks within the garden.

Later years saw further evolutions in the garden designs but these have been more subtle shifts with the underlying themes of peace and tranquillity being ever present. Despite the representation of nature being a major theme of the garden, this exhibits itself more in the form of an ornamental representation rather than a loosely managed wildlife garden. The overriding feel is of orderliness and cleanliness with clear sharp lines and areas. The traditional Koi pond is a typical representation of this; the vibrantly marked fish effortlessly gliding through crystal clear waters.

A final element to the water garden is the employment of flowing water. The use of bamboo to create moving water features will complement the garden perfectly along with flowing streams and waterfalls.

One thing that any fish owner needs to be aware of and effective at identifying is disease, or at least an ability to identify potential issues and seek help accordingly. Should ones fish become ill, it is unfortunately very likely that further fish will shortly be suffering also.

Following the old adage of ‘prevention is better than cure’ many threats can be spotted early on and this should quite probably lead to seeking expert help. The obvious signs to look out for are any changes in behaviour, but particularly lethargic fish always near the surface or rooted to the bottom, or fish that appear to be struggling to swim. These are all obvious indicators of possible problems.

Other slightly less obvious, but still visible indicators of issues are to be found by inspection of your fish. Damage to the skin of the fish such as cuts and abrasions, obvious blemishes such as sores or lumps are again clear evidence of something being wrong. Again, it is important to respond promptly to these indicators of problems. There can be no substitute for expanding you own knowledge, and the importance of reading about and understanding the possible causes of these problems should never be underestimated. It is, however, imperative that you seek expert veterinary help when needed.

Whether you have created a wildlife pond, an ornamental pond or a water garden there are living creatures in there who will be on somebody’s dinner menu. Some of the most prolific predators in your pond will be insects who, to be perfectly honest, are going to be extremely difficult to either deter or stop. Creatures such as dragonflies and diving beetles are both effective predators who will be impossible to keep away unless you have absolutely nothing else to do with your time.

Realistically, the only approach to these threats is to accept their position in nature and appreciate that their hunting is maintaining the important balance of a mini eco-system. Once your pond is well established, these small creatures who arrived of their own accord will be living in a delicate balance. The bigger threats to the balance of your pond are the external predators such as cats, foxes and herons who are capable of diminishing your fish stock in addition to the other wildlife visitors such as smaller birds.

A simple approach to protecting against these threats is some form of mesh over the pond. Whilst this can be a very effective approach it can also be quite visually obtrusive.

At the other end of the scale are motion detector scarers that can be effective at scaring herons or cats through the use of a water jet or some form of audible deterrent. Audible deterrents for herons tend to be loud bangs which may cause issues of a very different nature for you and your neighbours. The benefit of such a deterrent is that it does not detract from the visual appeal of the pond. A couple of more down to earth approaches may be loose, wobbly rocks around a pond that may deter a cat by not providing a stable platform from which to pounce. A good old fashioned scarecrow may also be off-putting to a heron.

It is impossible to keep your pond totally safe from predators but a combination of some simple physical obstructions to the hunting process and some high tech deterrents, and you should be able to effectively reduce some threats without too much compromise to the appeal of your pond.

There are many aspects to Koi husbandry that begin with simple feeding and pond maintenance and extend to having an intricate knowledge of the behaviour of your fish and the ability to identify any unusual behaviour patterns.

In any pastime there is no substitute for experience. However if you never undertook anything until you had experience nobody would ever undertake anything new. Whether or not you do have experience, one very important aspect to keeping Koi is to simply spend time watching them. Not only should this be a source of pleasure in itself but you will be learning, either consciously or subconsciously about the natural behaviour patterns of your fish.

It is exactly this understanding of normal behaviour that will be one of the greatest husbandry skills you can possess. Being able to identify changes in behaviour will give a good early indication of when your fish may be showing signs of distress. The ability to respond to such subtle clues before obvious signs of physical ailment can make treatments more straightforward and will almost certainly lead to more effective long term fish care.

With minimal exceptions, your Koi should be moving continuously. Prolonged periods of inactivity are always a good warning sign that something is possibly not right. A lack of appetite is another potential warning sign of issues. With both of these measures your assessment is based on what you instinctively understand as normal behaviour. Koi are generally a sociable fish and will typically exhibit more relaxed behaviour in a group environment. When isolated the fish will generally be more shy so this should always be understood when a fish is quarantined or isolated for treatment.

Seasonal changes will also impact the behaviour of your Koi and they will become more dormant towards the bottom of the pond as the temperature drops. This is perfectly normal and the reverse will happen as spring arrives and the temperature increases. This is always an important time to pay keen attention to your fish to ensure that they all return to normal levels of activity. If most are moving freely and feeding well, then the lack of this behaviour in another should be a prompt for action.

It is important that you possess the correct equipment to be able to catch, isolate and inspect individual fish when necessary and with minimal fuss. Despite this need to be able to identify and respond to developing situations and needs, the key to good husbandry is being able to maintain a healthy environment by working around the fish and maintaining good water quality.