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  • In winter the filter will continue to operate mechanically at all temperatures above freezing but there is little point in using the U/V unless the temperature of the water rises well past 10C (45F). If this is likely then many U/V clarifier manufacturers advise you fit new a bulb. If it freezes, drain the filter and start again in the spring as though from scratch. This means it will take about 6 weeks for the pond filter to be effective so start up early. all about pond uv and algae

  • 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

  • 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

  • Pond building materials ... Specially formulated flexible plastic non preformed pond liners are also suitable. Look for good guarantee. Do not use ordinary plain black sheeting such as that used by builders. Always source from reputable supplier. For larger ponds (above 600 litres or about 120 gallons) garden pond liners should be installed - preformed liner ponds become too expensive. Rubber (butyl or EPDM) is the material of choice. You can go as big as you like. Even small reservoirs use this type of material. Liner ponds are ideal for water lily ponds. For ponds below this size it would be very wise to choose from a range of preformed pond liners or preformed garden ponds as they are better known. A word of warning: Do not let your dogs swim in water where garden pond liners are used non preformed pond liners are easily damaged by their claws. If you do have dogs go for fibreglass preformed garden ponds. http://www.practical-water-gardens.com/pondliners.htm fiberglass water features

  • Many people use salt in their ponds. I do not recommend it but the reason is to help prevent parasitic diseases that lead to complicated bacterial diseases. It is important not to overdose and if the intent is to remove parasites from individual fish then rather place the fish in another small temporary pond loaded with salt for a few minutes. Use about 2 lbs per 20 US gallons of pond water as a general treatment. As a short term soaking to treat individual fish use about 3 times as much salt as above. Adding pond start bacterial mixtures can do no harm especially at springtime. blanketweed in fish ponds

  • Pond and garden lighting ... A very unique and effective garden light has been newly introduced into the UK and Europe. During the day this device is a highly realistic looking rock. At night the whole rock glows with diffused light creating a magic and enchanting effect. Japanese lanterns also create magical effects. Foggers used in conjunction with lights add magical and mystical properties to pond and plants. preformed garden ponds

  • 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

  • Building bridges in and around your water garden ... encouraging aquatic pond wildlife to come and go Encourage wildlife into your pond environment. A pond attracts a wide variety of wildlife and the attraction can be made even greater by paying attention to a few approaches of design and layout. In nature diversity is enormous. You find that certain animals prefer shallow areas, others stony areas and still others wooded sections. Many insects prefer riffling running waters over a clean bed of gravel. http://www.practical-water-gardens.com/artbuildbridges.htm all about water garden fountains

  • Do not feed more food than what you fish can eat in about 5 minutes. Remember your fish can survive almost indefinitely without food from you. Any excess food should be removed ... there are even devices sold that confine the food to an area to enable excess to be removed. As water temperatures increase the appetites of fish increase and the oxygen holding capacity of water decreases. Getting the balance right between feeding and overfeeding is important. If you find your fish gasping at the surface and are not sure why start changing portions of the water immediately. Stop feeding. water gardens, pond keeping

  • 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

 

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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