One thing that every pond owner strives to achieve is crystal clear water clarity. There are many causes of poor water clarity but in this article we will try to focus on some of the most common reasons. The point should be made here that whilst water clarity and water quality are inherently linked, they are not one and the same thing and should be looked at as individual items.

Green Water

If your pond looks more like the colour of pea soup than pond water you could have too much algae in the pond. If like many other pond owners you don’t really like this colour of pond then one thing that you can take comfort from is that your fish will probably really like this murky environment and will usually be healthier from the experience. Algal blooms multiply rapidly through the spring and summer months due to the rise in ambient pond temperature and the extra light the surface of the pond receives. This is the reason why algae are more prolific in smaller ponds because the temperature rise will be exaggerated. It is usually the case that the pond’s ecosystem is not balanced if the water turns green. You could try adding extra marginal plants, oxygenators such as Elodea and even water lilies to try to get a good light/nutrient balance in the pond. Otherwise you could also use a UV clarifier. This is a pump fed piece of equipment that actually makes the algae clump together so it can be filtered easily. The last solution you have is to use chemicals to try to kill or slow down the growth of the algae. An algaecide will kill the algae in the pond so it can be removed easily, whereas algal inhibitors can also be used to control the growth of algae but not kill it completely.

We will talk about silt and filtration issues in the next article.

It can be a difficult decision to start keeping koi. And, a decision not to be taken lightly. If you already have a pond in your garden then you will have to look at its shape and size carefully before you determine if it will be big enough to keep this type of fish. It is unusual that you will be able to adapt your current pond to keep koi, a larger and more regular shaped, deeper pond is usually the best option.

The typical koi pond that many koi owners choose to have in their garden, whilst attractive and obviously designed to show the fish off may not however provide the best habitat for koi. Koi are of course a variety of carp and love nothing better than a murky green/brown mixture of muddy water to swim in. In fact these types of conditions are brilliant for koi, not however so brilliant for the pond owner.

A compromise must be made between what the koi would like and what the koi owner would like. Of course you need a UV clarifier and pond pump and pond filter system to keep the water clean but try to think like a koi, the better the environment, the better the fish.

We have mentioned before the fact that Britain’s ponds are diminishing at an alarming rate. But, what are the reasons for this decline in Britain’s ponds, and is there anything that we can do to help this dilemma.

The lust to claim more and more land from nature is unfortunately the main reason behind the loss of ponds in the UK today. Ponds or wetlands are drained and then filled in so the land can be used for agriculture or even building projects. If left however to their own natural devices, the ponds would eventually silt up anyway as this is part of the natural lifecycle of many ponds. Usually this process would take many years and in this time frame many new ponds would naturally develop in different locations so the cycle would continue. However, with lack of space for new ponds to develop and the likelihood bleak that already developed land will be turned back to nature in great swathes, the responsibility of maintaining and increasing the number of ponds in the UK falls to people who have garden ponds like you and me.

Building a garden pond yourself is a considerable achievement. All the planning and time needed in the design, and the effort in the construction process can really make you feel proud when you stand back and look at your creation. You have installed the pond pump and filter combination that you bought from the internet and introduced the necessary plant life to provide a suitable environment for your fish. But don’t just think that because it looks good you can just put fish into the pond straight away!

Being new, the pond water will be devoid of the correct biological conditions that are necessary to sustain healthy fish. New ponds have not yet managed to develop the balance of micro-organisms necessary to support fish life. Putting fish into this environment will be a costly affair and require frequent stocking because of the problems your fish will have.

If you put fish into the pond straight away the pond will not have enough bacterium to resolve the pollution created by the fish waste. The pollutants will increase exponentially and thus deplete the oxygen supply in the pond, cause skin problems for the fish and could ultimately lead to multiple fish death.

You should always wait a number of weeks before you add any fish into a new pond. This will give the pond time to build up its natural eco-system and it will thus be a much friendlier environment when you finally introduce the fish.

If you are thinking of installing a pond in your garden you might need to think about how you are going to power your pond filter or pond pump. Planning in advance is crucial as accessibility and ease of laying of your electrical cables could have a large impact on the overall position of your pond.

While many people remember the cables needed to power the pump and filter, an often forgotten potential addition to you pond that will also need a power source, is lighting. Whether you install lighting in your pond is of course all personal preference, however if you plan from the outset you wont have to dig up your garden again if the cable is laid in advance. Some people prefer a natural feel to their pond and do not install lights, however subtle lighting in or around the pond can really highlight the ponds best features and show it off late at night.

You don’t want to blind all your neighbours, so light should be confined to your own boundaries, but you could choose to floodlight your pond from above, choose floating night lights or choose completely submerged lighting. There are even solar powered options available, so for all of you that like a quick easy solution these are a great option.