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  • If you want to save money and reduce dramatically the risk of pond infections and fish disease do NOT use a sand filter for a pond. They are great for swimming pools, and bad for ponds. The basic reason is that many "dead-spots" are created because the water makes channels in the bed of sand. All water then flows through these channels and all the other sand becomes de-oxygenated. This situation allows anaerobic bacteria to grow (those that grow in absence of oxygen ... normal these cause bad smells). Anaerobic bacteria create pathogenic conditions in a pond. koi pond filters

  • Autumn pond preparation for winter ... Remove fallen leaves. Net pond and stream. Remove tender aquatics. Clean pumps and raise them up to the marginal shelf level so they only circulate surface water. Only feed fish low protein food below water temperatures10C down to 7C. Stop feed altogether at 7C. Maintain a hole in any ice that forms on the surface for more than 3 days. Cleanout any filtration system once the temperature approaches freezing and close it down. Keep the pool topped up especially in areas where there is a high water table. Treat any fresh water with pool conditioning chemicals. all about water garden fountains

  • Measuring pond volume in USA .... Burt Ballou pointed out that in USA most homes have a water metre which can be accessed readily. This makes pond volume measurement simple if you start with an empty system. Just make sure that while filling the pond nobody uses the toilet, takes a shower does the washing up etc. All you have to do is then record the start and finish readings from the metre to get a very accurate indication of pond volume. fountain pumps

  • Fish ponds and winter ... Koi keepers know that fish will still come to be fed, if feeding is a routine, way past the temperature at which they are capable of digesting food. Being cold-blooded animals their systems can only summon enough reserves to digest very low protein foods between about 10C (50F) and 7C (45F). So only feed a little winter feed or maybe a wheat germ based food two or three times a week. Below that temperature, feed nothing at all. As the temperature of water in the pool drops to around 5 C (41F) the fish begin to hibernate. Arm yourself with a thermometer that will register these temperatures accurately so you wont have to guess what is going on. water gardens, pond keeping

  • Oxygen in ponds ... Aeration of ponds ... Aeration of pond water achieves two things both of which are very good for pond water and the fish: Oxygen levels increase and carbon dioxide is "blown" out of the water and this tends to push up pH levels. Aeration also protects against those algae blooms and their dying - when they die they rot and release carbon dioxide by using up the oxygen resource in the water. In summary it is difficult to over-aerate a pond and aeration has all round advantages in a pond. The downside is the cost of a special aerating pump. All top koi keepers' ponds bubble with air as do their filters. filters and uv light

  • Plants in a pond also help to reduce nitrate levels ... the nitrate is formed naturally by he action of bacteria on the excreted waste products from the fish and other aquatic animals. Nitrates are rich in Nitrogen and there is a process of conversion from ammonia excreted by fish to nitrite then to nitrate. Always spray water onto the pond surface when filling with fresh tap water ... any chlorine in the tap water will then be reduced. pond pump supplies

  • Sponges in pond pumps ... These days the best pumps do not have sponges inside the suction body. Such sponges are a source of major hassles especially in summer when they block up every couple of days and have to be removed. So long as you keep this type of pump away from heavy debris on bottom of pond (stand the pump on a brick for example) you will get away with removing the sponge permanently ... although such use would nullify the pump's guarantee. The sponge is there to protect the impellor form debris damage. fountain pumps

  • Pump head is measured from the pond surface - not the bottom of the pond. Most people make the mistake of measuring from the bottom of the pond and this mistake can easily lead to an over specified pump that will cost more to buy and more to run. When buying pond plants check with the retailer ... how fast they grow and how big they will become. When small, plants can be very misleading. Low cost plants tend to grow big - a very general statement of course but bear it in mind. Floating plants make excellent nutrient scavengers because they tend to be fast growing. pond pump head or pressure

  • I received a very interesting question this week. The question was what is difference between a biofilter and the powder she throws into her pond every week as recommended by a dealer. The powder she was referring to is called a bio-starter or bacteria starter. These powder products are offered by many companies and are probably worthless in practice. The powder is supposed to be a mixture of naturally occurring bacteria that are also found in biofilters. The types of bacteria required for effective biofiltration convert ammonia to nitrites and then to nitrates. All fish ponds need a biofilter. This is non-negotiable. pond biofilters

  • Pond pumps and running costs. Before buying any pump check what the running cost will be. Look on pump box and if you can find watts consumed multiply this by 8.76 and you will get units (kWhrs) of electricity consumed every year by your pump. Find cost per unit and you can work out running cost of the pump. If you can only see amps on box you can work out watts as follows: amps x voltage of mains supply = watts. Once again multiply by 8.76 to get annual cost. use this figure to compare costs of 2 different pumps since running cost is generally far more important than the purchase cost. waterfall pumps

 

Never switch off your pond pump for more than about 60 minutes

Make sure the delivery pipe from the pond pump is not kinked

Must the UV be placed before the biofilter?

A waterfall adds oxygen to a pond by creating a large surface area

Submersible pond pumps can operate against a closed valve

It is a good idea to pump out about 10% of your pond water

Lighting in and around ponds creates a brand new dimension

Sick and tired of looking at debris on the bottom of your pond?

Do not feed more food than what you fish can eat

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