Protecting your Pond

Putting in a pond is not a cheap task. You are going to have to pay for everything and the materials are costly. When it comes to protecting your investment you need to keep your pond safe and keep it protected from the weather. It is important so that you make sure that you have your pond year after year. Protecting your pond means that you need to first add in the right chemicals to keep the water looking clear as well as covering it in the bad weather. When the season turns cold, you must make sure that you tarp your pond so that the cold and precipitation does not get to it. By protecting your pond, you are going to be able to enjoy it for many more years to come. 

Pond Supplies

Making sure that you have the right pond supplies will make your pond experience even better. When it comes to getting the right materials you need to first know what you want your pond to look like. After you do this, will then be able to keep your pond looking great. Having the right chemicals and supplies to keep the pond looking good and staying clean is important. After all you do not want a pond that looks bad. You want your pond to be beautiful and crisp year after year so that you can enjoy it with your family and friends. There are plenty to choose from so you will have to figure out which supplies are going to help you keep your special pond working great and looking good.

Crystal blue ponds

Having a pond means that you need to take the proper care of it. You have to make sure that you are keeping up with the chemicals so that it looks good everyday. You want your water to stay clean and be clear from any algae or dirt. Having a pond is only going to be worthwhile if you keep it looking beautiful and this means the care of it is very important. You must make sure that you have the right ph balance in your pond so that the water is just right. Usually you can use the help found on directions to these chemicals to make sure that you are using the right amounts. When you shop for your pond chemicals you should go to your local pond supply shop. They will be able to help you decide what you need and how much to use. Once you see how easy it is to use the chemicals and take care of the pond, you are going to have crystal blue water in your pond and this you can defiantly be proud of. 

Taking care of your pond

Making sure that you take care of your pond is the most important part of maintenance. You must make sure that you are taking care of the pond so that you can enjoy the beauty of it. Taking care of your pond is something that you must do on a daily basis. You have to keep up with all the work so that it does not get out of hand for you. It is only going to take a few minutes each day to make sure that your pond is well taken care of. You will need to add in the right amount of chemicals and clean your pond as often as needed. By cleaning your pond, you need to use a skimmer to get out the dirt and other debris that can land in your pond. This should usually be done once a week or more to be sure that it is kept up. If you have flowers in or around your pond, you need to maintain them as well. Keep the weeds out of your pond to so that you do not have an overgrown look around it. This is all going to be well worth the time and effort that you put into it to have a beautiful and admired pond.

Filters for your pond

The need for a filter in your pond is important. You have to be able to keep the water clean and clear. If you are serious about taking care of your pond and making the right choices, you need to do your research. You can make the right choices if you have good facts that will help you to pick the right filter. A good filter is going to keep the dirt and grime out of your pond. There are different sizes and types of filters for each type of pond. It is up to you to make sure that you have the right one to keep your pond clear. Once you have your filter set in place, you need to clean I and occasionally replace it if needed. There are filters of every kind and price. Make sure that you choose a filter that works well with your pond size too. If you are noticing a cloudy look to your pond, this may mean that your filter is not doing its job.

How to tell the different between eggs and parasites

If you are looking to multiply your investment you will want to talk to the fish breeder. You will want to make sure that you ask them for tips on spawning and also you will want to make sure that your fish are healthy to purchase.

You will want to keep in mind that there are a lot of fish that will lay eggs, but there are fish that will produce livebearers. You will want to keep this in mind when you are trying to get the fish to spawn. Springtime is the time for eggs to be laid, so you will want to make sure that you support your fish through the transition of hibernation and spring action.

If you haven’t had a pond or water garden for a long time, you will find that the wintertime will change the appearance of your water garden. You will need to consider that the water will look greener and maybe even thicken. You will want to make sure that you notice that your plants are coming back to life and your fish are more active in the springtime.

You will need to keep in mind that it is very important that you watch as to what it is that you feed your pond. You will find that filtering your garden too early could harm your fish and your plant life. You will notice that the food that you give them doesn’t need to be a lot, because the fish will feed on the algae life in the water. The alga is actually high in nutrients and the fish will need these nutrients in order to live through the springtime and also reproduce.

Some fish will carry their eggs on their bodies. You will want to make sure that you look closely at the fish. This is because you don’t want to confuse the eggs with a parasite. Parasites can be located anywhere on the fish. The fish will usually keep their eggs near their gills and chest area.

You may even want to do some research on parasites from a picture book or online so that you can compare the two together. You will want to treat your fish with medications if it is a parasite, but you don’t want to treat them if they don’t need it. This will cause the fish to go into shock.

It is very important that you understand the difference between the eggs and the parasites. It’s easily to distinguish if you are able to get a close look at the fish, because you will be able to see the sack and the life inside the eggs. You will also want to keep in mind that if it is a parasite you will need to treat the fish right away.

Winter pond care

Taking care of your pond all year long is very important. This is also very important in the winter months when you are not using the pond. You have to make sure that you clean the pond well and properly winterize the pond to keep it from being damaged during the cold season. You have to make sure that you drain the water, and clean it with the proper chemicals. There are plenty of different methods you can use but you have to make sure that you choose the right one for your pond. Covering your pond is very crucial to maintaining it as well. This is to help keep the debris and the weather from getting to the pond and destroying all the hard work that you have done to create the pond in the first place.

UV Sterilizers

Keeping algae under control in ponds is a constant struggle for many water gardeners and it’s no secret that there are many methods to tackling algae; some that work better than others. Of course there are algaecides available but unless you know how many gallons you have in your pond and use the product correctly and carefully, you can risk damaging plants in your pond and possibly killing your fish. There are other somewhat off the wall options such as products that round up the algae in your pond and sink it to the bottom. These can cause serious clogging in filter systems and may give you a bigger headache than you started out with. If nothing has worked well for what you’re trying to do, you may want to consider investing in an ultraviolet sterilizer.

 

When ultraviolet sterilizers first came onto the market, many people were skeptical about the safety of the product. Some thought that the sterilizers would virtually sterilize everything to the point that the ponds would be complete sterile causing the koi to die because their immune systems would shut down. Those concerns, however, have been put to rest. There are so many influences that affect ponds that there’s really no way to keep it completely sterile-certainly not by the sterilizers that are offered.

 

UV sterilizers are used in so many ways and in so many industries with successful outcomes that the idea of using them in koi ponds seemed only natural. The sterilizers keep the pond clean by eliminating water-born algae and reducing the amount of viruses, fungi, bacteria etc. that’s present in the pond. The technical description can be summarized in that a shortwave UV light is released and when it comes in contact with the problem (algae, fungi, protozoa etc.) long enough, it will destroy the DNA chain resulting in the prevention of reproduction.

 

Of course there are different units for different size ponds. Contact your dealer or stop in at a local water garden store to ask some questions and gather information before taking the next step to a cleaner, healthier pond.

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.