Clams and Mussels

After introducing fish and becoming experienced and successful in that aspect, you may be interested in adding different types of life into your water garden. Freshwater clams or mussels, for example, require similar care as crustaceans. Trays of sand or aquarium gravel help create the living environment and won’t cloud the water. Fresh water clams act as a filter by taking in as much as a gallon of water every two hours through their shells. They also feed on algae and other organic particles. Hold back on introducing them into your pond until your water garden is well established so the clams don’t starve.

 

The Swan Mussel is the mussel that is most widely available at most aquatic supply and pet stores. You can also search at local markets for this variety. Be sure to check that the mussels you are purchasing are in fact alive and are freshwater species. If you purchase dead mussels or those that are saltwater species that end up dying, their decay will pollute your pond and mask it with a disgusting stench. Be very careful to avoid this because the only way to completely start over is to drain and clean out the entire pond. Although freshwater clams can be found along natural creaks and streams, avoiding plucking them and introducing them into your pond because since they are wild they may be carrying parasites. 

 

Spawning and Fish

Large water gardens are where you are going to find the owner caring for the fish while they are spawning and reproducing. Purchasing just a few fish and then allowing them to reproduce, and helping these fish reproduce you will have a water garden full of fish in just a matter of a few years. For the smaller water garden, skimming out the eggs and eliminating the areas where fish like to lay eggs, you can somewhat control the spawning of fish in your water pond.

So you are going to stock your water garden – should you put more females or males in your water garden? If you are really going to be interested in breeding your fish, keeping more males than females in your water garden is going to make the male fish compete for the females and you are going to have better results with breeding. If you are not going to be concerned with breeding your fish, it really won’t what your ratio of males to females is in your water garden.

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Similar Goldfish

Although you will find that there are many different colors and sizes of goldfish, you will find that many of their breeding habits, feeding needs and their climate needs are similar. In this article I just wanted to tell you a bit more about goldfish, their habits, and information you can use when raising goldfish in your own water garden.

Goldfish will survive best and thrive for years in a water that is either still or very slow moving. The water where there are plenty of plants in and around the water is an ideal location for raising goldfish.

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Floating Plants

Because planting a floating plant involves nothing more than placing it in the water, the main concern is keeping their reproduction under control. Too many floating plants can lead to depletion of oxygen levels in no time. In shallow ponds, especially during summer, the plants can actually trap heat within the pond which will lead to the water temperature rising to dangerous levels. On the other hand, too much coverage during a rainy day or abrupt change in temperature can result in the upper layer of water which is also warmer and more oxygenated to mix with the lower layer of cooler and less oxygenated water. This is called turning and will prevent sufficient oxygen exchange and will stress out any fish that are present.

 

To avoid this, excess plants should be removed. Duckweed multiplies at an incredibly fast rate in early spring. Even though the surface coverage will discourage the growth of algae, it can easily overrun your pond. The common type of Duckweed, Lemna minor, is usually kept under control by the stomachs of your fish. However, larger Duckweed doesn’t seem to interest fish and should be kept or pulled out of the pond. You will notice less of this plant in the hot summer months but if it is still a nuisance to you, removing excess or all of this plant in the spring and fall will be in your best interest.

 

Another floating plant, Water Meal, is a tiny plant that looks like fine grit that hangs out in clumps along the pond’s surface. Like Duckweed, Water Meal can overtake your pond in the blink of an eye. If your fish are not up to the challenge of eating the Meal to keep it under control, a copper or simazine treatment may be necessary to get rid of the problem.

 

Frogbit reproduces by growing side-plantlets that break off to multiply on their own. Frogbit roots in shallow pots of marginal plants and will create matting around the pot. Luckily, excess plants can easily be pulled out by hand. Frogbit doesn’t generally make it through winter. You can attempt to bring in some Frogbit before the first frost and keep it alive indoors, but people who have done this have found that they don’t grow back as nice in the spring.

 

Water Lettuce and Water Hyacinth are both tropical floating plants. They multiply through plantlets that are sent out off of the sides. Hyacinths bloom a pretty purple flower that lasts only a day. Water Lettuce is a favorite among fish for a snack. These plants make great additions to the compost pile because they absorb minerals from the water. Any excess plants are easily removed by hands and can be grown indoors during the winter but success at this is dependant on how well they’re kept and can be expensive. Tossing them out at the first frost and purchasing new ones the following year may be your best bet.

Purchasing Koi Fish

Koi fish are a breed that are well known and popular for the water garden as they are variant in colors, sizes, and they are one of the easier types of fish to care for. Koi are going to balance the water garden, and will live in harmony with your plants.

What you should avoid when purchasing koi:

Avoid fish that have parasites, as these fish will require medication often not living long at all. learn more about the different types of parasites on fish through the articles on this site. Parasites live and eat from the fish itself, eventually killing off the fish when it is heavily infested.

Avoid koi that have gill plates that stick out from the head, otherwise known as standing proud from the head. The gills that are sticking out become caught, irritated and can become infected easily.

Do not purchase koi that have bumps on the side of the head. The bumps on the sides of the head mean that this fish has some other type of medical problem and will not be a species that will live long or thrive in the water garden.

Koi that have red on the body or fins that looks like blood under the skin or under the gills are not a fish that you will have success with. Raised scales or holes that appear in the skin of the fish means infection or disease, stay away from fish with this problem.

If you find fish that have cloudy eyes, or that have white blooming looking sections on the gills, these are sick fish. Fins that are looking black, brown or that are broken are not fish that will thrive without attention as they are sick or diseased.

In purchasing koi for your water garden, avoid purchasing fish that are swimming near the top of the water. Fish that are swimming near the top of the water are in stress, having a hard time breathing and could be ill.

courtesy pondsupply.com

Controlling water pests

Besides the obvious charm and enjoyment water containers provide, there is still some maintenance involved in keeping them attractive and running properly. Along with general cleaning duties, protecting your water container fish and plants from insects and pests can seem like a full time job. To name a few: aphids, mosquitoes, spider mites, midges and moths are some pests that can affect the well-being of your water garden. Luckily, just having fish in your containers can help keep the problem under control. Simply hose the insects into the container and viola, fish food. 

If you’re trying to avoid using chemicals to aid your efforts, there are some organic methods of fighting off insects and pests. A salt-like white substance called Diacetemous earth (found at swimming pool suppliers) can be placed in a salt shaker and then sprinkled over the affected area, where its tiny points puncture invaders and eventually kill them. Bacillus Thuringiensis (“Bt”), found at garden supply stores, is a bacterium that, when in direct contact with insects, will parasitize its digestive tract and kill it. Because this bacterium comes in a powder form, it can get messy so try mixing it with water and spraying it directly onto the affected areas.

For the control of aphids, try mixing a small amount of dishwashing detergent along with vegetable oil and water in a spray bottle. The detergent will help the vegetable oil mix with the water while the oil suffocates the aphids. Once the aphids are dead, remove the oil simply by flooding the container so as to prevent oxygen deprivation for the fish.

Although Spider mites are not common in larger water containers, they can be found as some sites. A simple hosing on a daily basis with a strong water jet will usually keep them at bay. For especially bad infestations, remove all plants and hose them off so as to remove any eggs and nymphs from underneath the leaves. Insecticidal soap can also be used every three days underneath the leaves to control the problem.

Mosquitoes are known to breed in the smallest puddle of standing water so it shouldn’t be a surprise to find them living in your water container. However, that fact doesn’t make them any less annoying. Again, in this case you may luck out if you are keeping fish in your container because mosquito larvae are a tasty snack for fish. If your container is sans fish, try floating donut-shaped Mosquito Dunks in your container for mosquito control. For smaller containers, try breaking off a small piece from the donut to float in your container. Mosquito Dunks contain Bacillus Thuringiensis (a bacterium mentioned earlier that parasitizes the digestive tracts of insects, killing them) and are completely natural and will not harm your fish, pets or people. 

Summer Seasonal Care

Summer is the months when you most enjoy your water garden and the fish that are living in the water pond but summer is also a time when you should pay attention to a few things that are happening in the water garden.

Keeping the quality of the water high a filtration system is going to make the overall process easier. A filter system is going to keep nitrate levels lower and will keep ammonia levels lower so fish can continue to thrive. Check your filter system to be sure your water is properly cleaned.

Test and check the water occasionally during the summer months, even just a time or two a month is going to ensure that you catch problems before they get too far out of hand. Water constantly flowing in the water garden is going to keep air in the water, and will help filter out those problems.

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Choosing Plants

When drawing up plans for a new backyard pond, it’s important to think ahead about what you’re going to need and want to achieve your goals. Planning ahead for plants is important because although they only require light and water, different plants need different amounts of each.

 All ponds should ideally get sun for at least half the day. A full day of sun will promote plants to grow at their best but sun all day long can be fatal. Constructing different levels within the pond will be the best way to provide a variety of environments for different plants. Be sure to take in consideration the size and amount of plants you want to keep in your pond. Shelves should have a width that is deep enough to accommodate different plant basket sizes to avoid over-hanging. 

Most marginal plants are suitable to grow on shelves. Building shelves on the south side of the pond will be of benefit to you in sunny weather because you can place plants there that will in turn provide shade to the pond and help cut down on green algae. Water lilies vary in size but most prefer up to 10-16 inches of water coverage so placing them on the bottom of most ponds will suffice. 

If you see a waterfall or fountain in your future, keep in mind that many water plants, including lilies, don’t grow as well in moving water. Therefore, keeping waterfalls in a separate part of the pond, away from the plants, is something to consider. If a big part of having a pond is to grow water plants, know that space and plenty of room to grow is an important key in your plants future to grow to their best potential. 

Maintaining Good Water Quality

As a pond owner, you know it’s important to have a well balanced pond. Keeping your water quality at its best is a huge part of that. Knowing when and what to test for is the difficult part. Each pond is different so it’s important to follow the directions of testing kits. However, sometimes it can be difficult to know what does need testing and what things can slip by.

 

Hardness and Alkalinity of the pond should be tested two or three times a year. As stated earlier, there are kits that go into detail exactly how to test the water.

 

Oxygen is a must in your pond every day of the year. There can never be too much oxygen, but too little and you’ll have dead fish and plants on your hands. Use your discretion on when to test the water but keep in mind that oxygen depletion is more apparent in summer months.

 

Testing for Carbon Dioxide isn’t necessary unless there is a problem. Having good aeration at all times will rid of excess CO2.

 

Although there are no testing kits for overcrowding, it’s important to keep an eye out for this. Too many fish equals less oxygen which can be fatal. Overcrowding will also lead to the increase of ammonia and nitrite.