Basic Pond Keeping Questions and Answers Home Page |

 

Complete Pond Solver

 

 

 

 

 

 

More info or buy here


 

 

How To Use These Links

We have extracted brief information about the page you will go to if you click the link at the end of each paragraph.

  • How To Measure Water Garden Pond Depths and Volumes ... Pond depth is one of those factors in pond building much talked about and misunderstood especially by those people who "mix" with dedicated koi keepers. So often you must ask yourself do I want a koi pond in which I want to raise monster sized or prize winning koi or do I want a garden fish pond containing koi around which I can sit with the family and enjoy the scene. If you belong to the dedicated koi keeper class then yes depth of your pond should not be less than 4 ft and preferably 6 feet. This is quite simply to provide space to swim and exercise a mechanism which in part determines the koi's shape. http://www.practical-water-gardens.com/artponddepth.htm all about ponds and waterfalls

  • If you pond is losing water then do a quick check by shutting down the pump. If the level stops falling then the leak is outside the pond itself. If the level continues to fall then obviously the leak is inside the pond itself. When a constant level is reached then you know the leak is at that point where the surface remains level. Leaks from concrete ponds are notoriously difficult to repair and many sealants claim to do the job. In my experience fiberglass resins with glass fiber are best suited and it is worthwhile doing complete resurfacing job. sump pumps

  • It is a good idea to pump out about 10% of your pond water every month or even weekly if you have lots of fish and replenish with tap water. The reason is that nitrate levels slowly build up and can reach a level that is too high for the fish in the pond to tolerate easily. The easiest way to arrange this is to place a valve and "Y" or "T" piece into the pump line then all you need to do is connect a temporary pipe to the valve and lead the pipe to a spot in your garden - pond water makes for a good garden fertilizer. fiberglass water features

  • Spring marginal plant favourites ... The Marsh Marigolds (Caltha palustris and all the species and varieties) are still at it. Brilliant. The Water Forgetmenot (Myosotis palustris) is also making waves of blue around the pond. Also there is the Golden Club (Oronitium aquaticum) and in the deep water The old South African stew ingredient, the Water Hawthorn, Aponogeton distachyos, is flowering its socks off. An amazing plants that comes up from unlimited stygian depths to perform at the most ludicrous times of the year. It still thinks its down in the Cape, nestled in the fynbos looking up at Table Mountain. where to buy pond plants

  • Not got a biological filter? Then all the microbial activity that happens in biological filters has to happen in the bottom of the pool. All the muck that falls has to be digested by bacteria down there. But with the advent of winter this activity slows right down at a time of year when the potential load is increased by falling autumn leaves. Any leaves that have found their way in to the pool need to be dredged out with a net. Leave the resulting muck to drain away on the side of the pool for 24 hours. This will give time for any wildlife to make its way back into the pool. using pond filters for clean ponds

  • Use garden pond bottom waste on the compost heap. This organic matter is full of mainly anaerobic bacteria which will catalyze the composting process. Backflushings from the pond filter can be sprayed onto the lawn or garden as a source of nitrogen fertilizer. Use black or opaque pipes in your pond instead of transparent low cost plastic tubing. Since light cannot penetrate the black piping the algae growth inside the pipe will be very considerably reduced. This means less maintenance and also less expenditure on replacing transparent pipe when it becomes clogged with algae. submersible pumps

  • 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

  • To determine an approximate average depth of your gold fish or koi pond whose depth is not constant take a stick and mark it in intervals of say 3 inches with an indelible ink pen. At 10 different places in the pond insert the stick and record the depths (10 numbers). Add the numbers together and divide by 10. Use this answer as the average depth of the pond. If your pond is of equal depth and the same cross section then you can very accurately measure the pond volume. solar pumps for ponds

  • 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

  • Water gardening and winter ... Take a leaf from the Japanese approach. The Japanese build their gardens for all seasons. Part of the purpose of a garden is to reflect the time of year in the scene laid out to view. A view that seems static in itself, unchanging from year to year; but it changes from season to season. In winter the harmony between the various basic elements of stone, evergreen shrubs and trees and water is most obvious. The balance is not formal but is derived from the almost inimitable feel that the true master Japanese garden designer has for these elements. blanketweed in fish ponds

 

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

 

 

 

copyright 2005 all rights reserved