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The pond filter as winter approaches ... if you have not looked already the filter is in need of a major service. The Ultra Violet clarifier needs cleaning too if you have one. The filter needs back flushing if you have that facility, otherwise scoop out the medium and rinse it in pond water or rainwater to flush out the worst of the muck. It does not need to be spotlessly clean, but check the chamber in the base because if the system has been overloaded at some time in the summer the evidence will be there to see. Scoop out this mess and rinse with pond or rainwater water. water gardens and pond filters
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Ponds & Springtime ... Apart from maintenance problems, the main thing is the blanket weed, spirogya, cotton weed whatever. It is the candyfloss type of algae that gets a start on the rest of the plantlife in the pool and just loves that bright sunlight. It also loves water with a high pH. So if you reduce that with proprietary chemicals, although I have a client experimenting with vinegar, you will find that any other treatments are a lot more effective. Most aquatic suppliers have some remedy. Barley straw is effective for certain periods as long as the water is very well oxygenated and the straw is changed at regular intervals of not more than 10weeks water gardens, pond keeping
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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
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Pumps and maintenance ... more and more modern pumps are being sold without sponges to reduce the hassle of sponge cleaning. Do get one of these in preference to one with a sponge if you like the idea of less maintenance. This type of pump is generally more robust and can handle small solids going into it without breaking the shaft or rotor. fountain pumps
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A waterfall adds oxygen to a pond by creating a large surface area across which air can be absorbed into the circulating water. A simple fountain also adds large amounts of oxygen to pond water. A fountain is cheaper than a waterfall. It makes good sense even in the smallest pond to have a small fountain running night and day if at all possible. When fish deaths occur in a pond they often occur in the early hours of the morning ... at this time oxygen levels tend to be at their lowest. all about ponds and waterfalls
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Fish food for ponds .. In the early days of artificial pond and fish keeping the only food available to buy was food made to feed trout and similar farmed fish. The trouble was this type of food was first of all not formulated for feeding to carp types (koi and goldfish) and the food sank to the bottom immediately. Now this sinking factor was not all that serious since carp are natural bottom feeders but fish pond owners like to see their fish eating (don't we all) so the market need for a floating form of fish food was born ... forget flaked fish food used in aquariums and mainly which is ridiculously expensive. Tetra, a German company, accepted the challenge and I believe created the first commercially available fish food stick that reliably floated. On the back of excellent technology and marketing they established a multinational market that thrives still today. http://www.practical-water-gardens.com/artfishfoodsticks.htm pond pump selection
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Algae influence the water quality of the pond mainly by affecting the balance among dissolved oxygen, pH, carbon dioxide and nutrients. Algae produce oxygen, remove nutrients and take up respired carbon dioxide from both the fish and the algae itself. In heavily stocked ponds, the water becomes super-saturated with carbon dioxide. During daylight hours, algae can quickly strip the carbon dioxide out of the water, and pH levels can rise above nine in a matter of hours. Fish not acclimated to such sharp shifts may initially show signs of stress. uv light specification
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Pond fish food sticks ... Today fish food sticks are available in all flavours, colours, sizes and formulations but they suffer from a significant disadvantage ... the cost per unit of mass and especially per unit of protein is normally very significantly higher than a similarly formulated floating koi food pellet. One possible reason for this is the incremental freight component (although I doubt this very much) because the bulk density of sticks is lower than that for pellets. I suspect the real reason is that manufacturers, distributors, retailers and any other party in the chain all make higher profit margins on the back of marketing investment going back many years and which still remains today. Next time you think of buying sticks just do a quick comparison. Varying pack weights between sticks and pellets is a well known "trick" of making pricing comparisons very difficult for most busy shoppers pond pump selection
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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
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The pond filter as winter approaches ... if you have not looked already the filter is in need of a major service. The Ultra Violet clarifier needs cleaning too if you have one. The filter needs back flushing if you have that facility, otherwise scoop out the medium and rinse it in pond water or rainwater to flush out the worst of the muck. It does not need to be spotlessly clean, but check the chamber in the base because if the system has been overloaded at some time in the summer the evidence will be there to see. Scoop out this mess and rinse with pond or rainwater water. water gardens and pond filters
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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
Pond Links and Tips
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