Chlorine 411

Chlorine and Chloramines

 

Chlorine, a gas, will dissipate with water circulation and exposure to the air within one or two days. Chloramines, on the other hand, take much longer to break down. Both are harmful to fish and will kill the nitrifying bacteria in the pond. They both also have the potential to burn or kill aquatic plants. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep chlorine and ammonia levels under control with some simple tips and tools.

 

When adding chlorinated water to the pond, spray it with a hose to give the necessary aeration to dissipate the gas. De-chlorinators are available at many pet and pond retailers. If you’re only adding five to ten percent of the pond’s water, it is unlikely the resulting ammonia will affect fish and plants.  If you are adding greater amounts of water, testing after using a de-chlorinator is a wise idea.

 

Sodium Thiosulfate will also remove chlorine from water. Refer to the bottle or ask a supplier specific instructions before using. Sodium Thiosulfate will also pull the chlorine from the chloramines. Be sure to monitor the ammonia levels and label and safely store after use. A bio-filter will also help remove ammonia and is something to consider if you are regularly topping off or changing more than five to ten percent of the pond’s water on a weekly basis with chlorinated water. Adding up to five percent of the pond’s water with untreated chlorinated water no more than once or twice weekly is okay for your fish and plants.

pH Defined

The pH level in your pond is important, everybody knows that. But what is pH exactly? According to the (Webster’s New Collegiate) dictionary, pH is the negative logarithm of the effective hydrogen-ion concentration or hydrogen-ion activity, in gram equivalents per liter, used in expressing both acidity and alkalinity on a scale whose values run from zero to 14, with seven representing neutrality. Numbers less than seven increase acidity and numbers more than seven increase alkalinity.

 

Phew! That’s quite the definition and may not make complete sense. To explain it a little bit more, logarithmic means that a pH of 5.0 is ten times more acidic than 6.0 and 100 times more acidic than 7.0. On the flip side, a pH of 9.0 is 10 times more alkaline than 8.0 and 100 times more alkaline than 7.0.

 

The amount of solid waste (nitrite) from one pond to another is also the difference in the acid level. The water source, vegetation and whether there is a bio-filter present or not, are also factors affecting the pH level. Water plants and algae increase the acidity by changing out calcium, potassium and manganese that they consume and switching it out for hydrogen and aluminum ions. 

 

Knowing what pH is exactly isn’t as important as how to control it. Simple kits can be bought to take care of this. A sign of poor pH levels is if you see your fish rubbing themselves on the sides or bottom of the pond (also known as flashing). This can be caused by parasites or a big change in the pH.

Choosing the right fish

Choosing fish to stock in your pond varies on the size of water garden you have and the price you are willing to spend. Fish such as goldfish are easily maintained and generally won’t grow to be bigger than six inches thus making them ideal for smaller ponds. The common goldfish, comet goldfish and Shubunkin are known to be hardy. However, fancier goldfish including fantails and lionheads are more easily preyed upon.

 

More desirable fish such as Koi take a little more consideration, time and maintenance. Koi require at least three feet in depth, better water quality and a bigger pond as a general rule of thumb. At one year of age, Koi will generally get to about 6-8 inches, 12-16 inches in two years, with the possibility of getting up to 24-36 inches in a decade. However, the size of Koi greatly depends on how big their habitat is as well as the quality of their environment, water and maintenance. Although much goes into the care and keeping of Koi, they make great pets and can become very friendly, even eating out of your hands at dinner time. They also help in keeping your pond beautiful as they graze on algae.

 

Fish such as The White Cloud fish and Catfish variety aren’t typically kept as pets like Goldfish and Koi. The White Cloud Fish are often kept for the purpose of mosquito control, mostly in warmer climates while Catfish will get rather large, tear up plants and stir up sediment and most likely prey on smaller fish.

 

Whatever your selection, with a little care and attention, fish can add color and fun to your water garden.

Problems with Koi, Nutrition and Vitamin C

Your koi fish are going to need your attention occasionally as they live in your water garden. Watching and examining the fish for any disfigurements, bulging and other problems can help you decipher what is going on with your fish in the water garden.

Your koi will need nutrition just as you do to become healthy adults. Fish need vitamin C, and a shortage of Vitamin C will make your fish to be disfigured. A fish that does not have enough Vitamin C will have muscle problems and their bodies will change to form an S shape, as the muscles in their body do not hold their shape.

complete article on koi nutrition here

Keeping healthy fish

What is Spring Sickness and how can I avoid it and/or treat it?

 

Spring Sickness is a term that loosely describes poor health shown by some fish after the winter season. Spring Sickness is not a specific disease but an umbrella term for anything from excessive body slime or mucus production to Bacteraemia, also known as internal bacterial infections. Most cases of Spring Sickness will clear up on its own as spring progresses and the immune systems of the fish get going again.

 

The best way to avoid Spring Sickness is to make sure your fish go into winter in good health. Fish that come out of the winter season in a weakened state will have greater difficulty fighting Spring Sickness and are at a greater risk of dying and passing the sickness onto others. Spring cleaning not only applies to a cluttered garage but also to ponds that need a bit of TLC after the long winter months. Just keep in mind that slow and steady is the key. Treating your pond with an anti-bacterial mix while gradually increasing feeding as well as splitting and rearranging plants is a must as this will help keep down the stress level for your fish and encourage a lush water garden for summer.

Pond Start Up

Once you’ve gone through all the hard work of planning a pond, cutting and laying liner and filling your new pond, it’s about time to get some fish in there. But not just yet; first you’ll want to turn on your filters and test everything for a couple of days. Check for leaks and make sure any fountains or waterfalls you may have are working properly. After you are satisfied with how everything is running, then you can introduce fish into the pond. Some people prefer to first introduce “test” fish to see how they manage. Goldfish are usually the most popular for this task but keep in mind that they reproduce like crazy so start with only a couple and go from there. Now you are ready to bring Koi into your pond. This is also the time to start adding in aerobic bacteria to jump-start your bio-filter.

 

Your group of fish will naturally provide the waste needed to feed the bacteria so that they can colonize and live. Check the manufacturer’s labels for instructions on how much bacteria to use and for how long. At the same time you’ll want to test the water daily for ammonia and nitrite levels to really make sure the bio-filter is up to snuff. If the test shows any amount of ammonia or nitrite in your water, you’ll need to change out about 1/3 of the pond’s water to rid of the toxins. Don’t forget to add salt into the water to replenish what was removed along with the water. Keep in mind that it generally takes 4-6 weeks to get a properly balanced bacteria colony. Fewer and fewer water changes will be necessary as time goes on.

 

Expect a bit of an algae bloom while you are establishing your bacteria colony. Don’t fret; this will clear up with time. Patience will be your best friend in this respect. Once your bio-filter is running smoothly, your pond will be at its best and your fish will be happy too. Although most of the hard work is done, don’t get lazy with testing the water. This needs to be done on a weekly basis to avoid any surprises that can negate all the hard work you’ve just done.

Liners

You have sited your pond, calculated measurements and dug a hole. Now comes the hard part, what type of liner do you use?

 

There are many types of liners available varying in materials, color and of course price. As with many things in life, it is a good idea to get the best quality for your budget as the product will last longer and cause fewer headaches down the road. Liners made of Butyl rubber and PVC or low-density polyethylenes are used in better quality liners. These are available in different thicknesses and some even have a Glad bag type web design to offer added strength. Different colors and liners with pebbles glued to the edges for a natural look is an aesthetically pleasing option for some butyl and PVC liners available on the market. But you’re not done yet. Adding an underlay (a cushioning material to go between liner and earth) is a wise decision to get your pond off to a good start and protect it from punctures and the elements. Purchasing a specific underlay material is not entirely necessary however. Sand and even old carpet scraps can be used with basically the same results.

 

While the aforementioned liners will get the job done for most pond enthusiasts, there are others to choose from. Polythene liners are cheaper but should be avoided if possible. Lacking pliability and prone to becoming brittle and cracking due to sun exposure, polythene is a cheaper option best used only for temporary projects. Geotextiles or “clay-impregnated” liners are on the other end of the spectrum as far as quality and price. Infused with clay, these liners are able to plug small holes and thus sustain minor punctures. While the idea of never having to deal with leaks is a pleasing thought, geotextiles are ideal for larger, wildlife ponds and aren’t necessary for smaller, backyard ponds. 

 

Now that you’ve decided what type of liner is best for your project, you are ready to shop! Remember to add a couple of inches to each dimension before cutting your liner and underlay. It is far better to be left with an overlap than to run out after all your hard work. 

Learning about Fish, Cyprinids

There are many types of fish that you are going to be able to choose from when building a water garden. The types of fish that you will use in the water garden will be dependant on how large your water garden is, what colors of fish that you like, and a little bit dependant on the climate or grow zone that you live in as well.

Two of the smallest cyprinids are the Bitterling and the Moderlieschen, Opaline, Clicker Barb, Stone Moroko and the Belica. There fish are range from 3.5 inches to about 4.5 inches. These small fish do really well in the smaller water gardens because of their size, of course you still will need to limit the number of fish in the water garden if you choose to build a smaller garden.

The Clicker Barb is a fish that actually makes clicking noises during their mating season. The Bittling is best known as a fish of the sea as they prefer to lay their eggs inside of water mussels when the mating season arrives. The Moderlieschen, Opaline and the Belica are all known for their easy to damage scales which could easily happen in you have several types of fish in the water garden or in you need to handle your fish more often than others.

Larger fish that you can buy include Silver Carp, Chub, and the Bream. The Bream is a flat bodied fish that will grow to be about 30 inches long. The Bream is also best known for its bottom feeding practices. The Silver Carp is a good example of a fish for the larger water gardens, pond, and streams. The Silver Carp will grow to about 40 inches long and feeds on floating types of small plants. The Silver Carp has a huge head and a smaller body that has small scales.

Similar to the Silver Carp the Chub is a fish that will grow to be about 25 inches long. It has a large mouth, large head and a slimmer body than most fish along with a silvery color along its scales.

Two approaches to controlling algae

If natural remedies for your algae problem didn’t work to your satisfaction, there are chemical remedies that can be exercised with caution.

Remove as much algae as possible before starting chemical treatment. Maximum effectiveness of ridding algae occurs at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Just as sunlight will feed plants as well as algae, algicides will slow the growth of algae as well as other plants and high doses may kill them. A way of avoiding too high dosages is to perform a fifty percent water change and then treat the water with a half dose.

The algaecide Potassium Permanganate is only to be used on cool, cloudy days when the water isn’t too warm. If used on sunny days, the treatment will turn the water a murky yellow. A maximum of three applications on three successive days is usually recommended. At the end of the treatment remember to remove the dead algae. 

Formaldehyde (37 percent solution) may be used in the rate of one drop per gallon of pond water to kill floating algae. A possible killer of lily cultivators, it is wise to remove plants before treatment. Fish will not need to be moved as the 37 percent solution is safe for killing fish parasites but will not kill the fish. The person handling the solution should avoid skin contact and breathing in the chemicals.

For larger bodies of water, Copper sulfate can be used. Dosages vary and will usually be used on alternate days over a two week period if there are fish in the pond. Use Copper sulfate with great caution because a too high dosage can kill your fish by way of asphyxiation. 

Algae can certainly be an annoying problem to deal with while maintaining a water garden. Fortunately, there are many ways to keep an algae-free pond but a good place to start is with plants.

Under water plants such as Elodea, Hornwort, Sagittaria and Cabomba are some primary plants to consider in this equation. Ideally, one bunch for each square foot of the pond’s surface is enough. If you have a high population of fish in your pond, consider more plants to counter-balance fish waste and their grazing habits. Elodea is a great plant to help control algae because it breaks dormancy earlier than other submerged plants. Usually in bloom a month earlier than others, you’ll get a head start on controlling algae. Keep in mind that Elodea grows and spreads rapidly and will need thinning by summer.

If your pond water is already green with algae, it will take longer (usually up to six weeks) to get the problem under control. Under these circumstances, submerged plants should be moved closer to the water’s surface where they can receive more sunlight for faster growth. As the problem lessens, the plants can be moved back to their original settings. Ponds that have up to four inches of pea gravel at the bottom are ideal for the “tame” Dwarf Sagittaria that roots directly into the gravel. Ponds with Dwarf Sagittaria are unlikely to experience any green water algae problems at all.

Sunlight not only helps submerged plants grow but also greatly aids in feeding algae so covering your pond with floating plants is ideal. A general rule of thumb is to cover one-third to two-thirds of the water’s surface with plants such as lily pads and floating plants such as Water Hyacinth, Water Lettuce, Fairy Moss and Duckweed to name a few. 

Surface shading isn’t necessary in keeping a pond clear of green water algae, however it is much more difficult to maintain a pond without it and will require many more submerged plants. As stated earlier, Dwarf Sagittaria carpeted along the bottom will help compete with algae for the available nutrients. 

Using wood around the pond

Wood is a widely available and versatile material that can be used in many ways in the garden. Along with its natural color and texture, wood is also relatively to work with. Unfortunately, woods major disadvantage of course is rot. Fortunately, wood rot can be overcome and controlled.
 

Although the natural look of wood generally looks best, applying a finish can keep wood looking good for longer. Take precautions when choosing a finish so as to protect your fish. Microporous paints and stains all the wood to breathe. Applying sealant evenly is important because uneven seal jobs are at greater risk of cracking in time. Preservative free stains are available but keep in mind they are harder to find.
 

Don’t use preservatives on wood that comes in contact with your pond water. Be sure to treat the wood far away from the pond so as to avoid any possible chance of the preservatives getting into the water by accident. Always use low-toxic preservatives. Wood preservatives are often in a toxic-solvent base, generally including various pesticides and fungicides that can be lethal to fish and other pond life. Avoid solvent-based treatments when re-treating wood. Fumes from the solvent can even be lethal to fish. Timber is often pre-treated with preservatives so be sure to check before buying.
 

Promote rain water run-off by positioning wooden structures and edging in a way that won’t build up pools of water but will naturally run off. Although hardwoods are more expensive than softwoods, they are more resistant to rot than softwoods. Hardwoods are also harder to cut but are ideal for structures that will be supporting something, such as bridges that people will be walking across.
 

Softwoods can be sealed with clear polyurethane paints, or can be painted with low-toxicity bitumenastic paints. Larch is one of the most rot-resistant softwoods available. Imitation logs available from Japan are molded from concrete and placed around pond edges. After moss grows on them, they look rather natural.
 

It is very important to make sure that wooden slats in bridges and decking are secured safely before they are open to public use. Use rustproof screws when constructing because nails can come loose over time. Drill pilot holes first so as to minimize the risk of splitting. Load-bearing beams need to be bolted into position.