Looking for a pond? If you want a stable pool environment then c

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Looking for a pond? If you want a stable pool environment then consider a pool with a surface area of at least 3.3 square metres or 30square feet. There may be the just the shape amongst the array of preformed pools on offer that fits your conception perfectly. On the other hand, armed with your dimensions, you will possibly find that those preformed pools stacked up in racks at the garden centre that look so vast, would seem pretty insignificant in your allotted space. Estimating the size of a flexible liner. Add double the depth to the length and breadth of the proposed size. The minimum depth ought to be 18inches to 2ft or half a metre. Keep the shape simple blanketweed in fish ponds
If you want to ensure your pond always stays crystal clear then an ultraviolet light must also be installed since without this the risk of a pea-soup coloured water developing is great. Fish and biofilter bacteria need large amounts of oxygen to survive so a reliable pond pump which will operate 24 hours per day every day must be obtained. A biofilter even the very best (vortex type biofilters are the best but are difficult to install and are only necessary on large sophisticated koi ponds) koi filters
A tip from Patricia in Ireland. She has a large pond with no fish. It had green algae problems. Patricia tried barley straw which took 6 weeks to work. Her tip is that to prevent the mess floating barley straw can make put it into old (or new for that matter) tights. Thanks Patricia. uv light specification
In winter make holes in the ice using a pan full of hot water to remove toxic gases. Do not break the ice - this is not good for the fish as you can probably imagine. These days there are low cost electrical heating devices that consume small amounts of power and maintain a "breathing hole" in the pond. pond pump curves
Once upon a time all ponds were concrete. Today unless you wish to have a very large or special pond concrete is NOT the material to use. It is simpler, cheaper, better and quicker to use pre-formed ponds ideally made from fibreglass in natural rock finishes with matching waterfalls or streams. If you want a pond whose volume is larger than about 500 litres then it is best and most economical to use a black plastic liner designed specifically for pond building all about ponds and waterfalls
Winter and garden ponds. Pioneering marginals like Bog Bean (Menyanthes trifoliata), the Spearworts (Ranunculus flammula and R. lingua Grandiflora) and Parrots Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum syn. proserpinacoides) that seem intent on investigating the outer reaches of their universe should be cut back to home base: show them what youre made of. The same goes for Reed Maces ( Typha angustifolia and Typha latifolia). Feel around the baskets to see which plants have linked up in a firm vegetative bond. A bit of basket busting may be in order to sort them out. marginal pond plants
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
Do not buy fish food with more than 10% ash in it unless you know why. Read the label. If no label BE CAREFUL of quality. Gold fish food or koi food bought in stick form is normally money wasted and offers no real benefit to the fish. It is the analysis of the food that is important not the physical shape. Gold fish food or koi food in stick form was developed before pellets could float - this is the reason gold fish food or koi food sticks were invented. pond pump selection
Oygenators, pond plants ...The best by far for the pool or pond. is also often referred to as "Curly Pond Weed" but is most rightly called aragasiphon major or more commonly Elodea crispa (South African native). This has a tendency to take advantage of highly nutritious pond environments by filling them up, but at least you don't get algae. It is easy to control by just snapping handfuls of it near to the source of growth. Fish love to spawn on or near it and it is dense enough to provide protection for the eggs and the subsequent fry. For indigenous plants to the UK: Water Starwort, (Callatriche stagnalis), rampant but easy to crop to its source. marginal pond plants
Save when you buy koi food or fish food. Check your koi fish food label. Do NOT waste money. Understand the specification on koi food and fish food packets and you will save considerable amounts of money and grow bigger koi fish more quickly. Do not believe everything you are told about koi food it might not be true. Check for yourself easily. Koi Food If a 5 kg bag of koi food contains 15% ash, 10% moisture and 3% fibre then 28% of the bags contents (amounting to a whopping 1.4 kg) is a total waste of money. http://www.practical-water-gardens.com/koifood.htm pond pump selection

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