Problem Solving And FAQ's For Aquatic Water Gardening & Pond Keeping

How Do I Prevent Bacterial Diseases From Killing My Fish?

Excellent pond filtration feeding high quality fish food will generally result in few problems with bacterial diseases. In the USA, UK and many other countries Aeromonas and Pseudomonas bacteria cause Ulcer and Dropsy Diseases. Once the disease takes hold it becomes very difficult to eradicate and in the worst case scenario can lead to the demise of your pond fish, including expensive koi carp.

Ensure Your Pond Filter Works Continuously

If you cannot run your waterfall pump at night because it makes too much noise then the best solution is to use Two Pond Pumps instead of one. Install a second, very small pump that will run overnight, supplying your pond system and pond filter with much needed oxygen. Water will also be diverted direct to the pond without making a noise.
Beneficial bacteria in your pond filter die if they are deprived of oxygen for more than 5 hours which occurs when the pump is switched off overnight. Once dead the bacteria take between 4 and 6 weeks to become viable again.

My Fish Pond Water Is Dirty Even When A Biofilter is Installed

There are a number of possible reasons for this but the most important is that the mechanical section of the filter is not doing a good job. You need to check if water is able to by-pass the mechanical section e.g. are there gaps around the sponges or are there holes in the sponges.
If the mechanical section is in perfect condition then green water (algae) may be the root cause. Pond algae isn't always green and it is so small that it can easily pass through sponges.

How To Improve Your Biofilter Performance By 50 Times

Kaldnes K1, SUPRA - water purification process, clean water system Replace your present filter media e.g. plastic balls, plastic coils, tubes, and other devices with SUPRA Biofilter Media (known as Alfagrog in the UK). This is a very porous inert ceramic filter medium, produced in England, specifically for water purification. SUPRA pond filter media has a Specific Surface Area (SSA) of 45. Compare this with plastic coils that have an SSA of 1. You would need 45 times as many plastic coils to purify the same volume of water. This has considerable space and cost saving implications. Each piece of Supra is full of tiny holes. 1 litre has a surface area of between 40 and 100 square metres for the beneficial bacteria to colonize on depending on particle size. Compare this with plastic bio media which has a maximum of 1 square metre per litre.

Why Do I Need A Biological Pond Filter?

In your swimming pool the sand filter removes solids and other suspended particles. This type of filtration is known as mechanical filtration as the filter doesn't purify or clean the water. This water purification job is done by the use of chlorine based chemicals such as HTH. In this way it is safe to swim in the water because all the dangerous bacteria are killed by the chlorine.
A fish pond on the other hand is a totally different eco system, where the addition of chemicals to the water needs careful consideration. As pond fish eat, part of the food is digested and partly expressed as a waste product by the fish. The fish needs to urinate and this passes into the water also. Toxic chemicals build up. Your pond filter purifies these chemicals as part of the Nitrogen Cycle. Without the use of a biological pond filter in your pond the goldfish, koi and other pond fish would poison themselves to death. The secondary reason for a biofilter is to remove solids to allow clear water to be obtained. Its first job however is to purify the water.

How Long Does A New Pond Filter Take To Bed In

When a new pond is built it will typically take 4 to 6 weeks before the bio filter is working effectively. It is advisable during this period to introduce new fish gradually. A continuous supply of oxygen is required to enable the bacteria in the filter to live. This is why it is essential that your chosen pond pump runs 24 hours per day since the water is the source of oxygen for the bacteria and without the oxygen the bacteria die quickly and certainly within 8 hours. Once dead the colony takes 4 to 6 weeks to build up again.

How Many Fish Can I Safely Stock In My Fish Pond?

It depends upon what type of fish you intend to keep in your fish pond! You can put more gold fish than koi in the same size pond. Koi eat more and grow more rapidly than goldfish. If you stock goldfish work on 20" (50cm) in total length per 11 square feet of water surface. Work on half of this is you want to keep koi.
With excellent pond filtration you can stock about 50% more than this. So in a pond with 22 square feet you can stock up to 20 goldfish 2" long. This allows for the fish to grow. If you want to stock more add 1 to 2 litres of Supra or Alfagrog to your biofilter for each 1058 gallons (US) of pond water. It is best to stock goldfish in small ponds.

What is meant by 97% Digestible Koi Food?

As far as koi food is concerned the digestibility is governed by the type of raw material used. If you use high grade raw materials in formulating fish foods then you get high protein and low ash.
97% digestibility means that this high quality koi food is very pure and made from the best raw materials making all the contents of the bag with the exception of the ash and moisture available for the fish's benefit.

What type of fish food is best for my koi & Goldfish?

Always buy the best food you can afford. This will give you good water quality and your koi and goldfish will reach their optimum growth potential. Koi Sticks and Pond Sticks are a waste of money. It is far more economical to purchase floating pellets. Just look at the analysis and you will understand why.
The best foods are those with ash levels of about 5% and moisture levels of about 5-8%. Never buy food which does not give this type of information on the packet. Ash and moisture are a total waste of money. Some foods have a total of ash and moisture = 25%. This means that for every bag you buy a 1/4 is rubbish and a waste of money. Ideally you are looking for fish food made from herring meal or whole fish meal as the best ingredient and with protein levels of 35% or higher.

Pond Lighting ... Are Pond lights dangerous?

For superb night time effects install a lighting system in the pond. Underwater Lights are very safe since they use low voltage (12V) systems. They are also low in cost.
You can have floating globes, underwater spotlights, in ground spotlights, coloured lenses and so on.

Pipes and Fittings ... What type of pipes and fittings are best?

Until recently it was only possible to get clear hose or normal hose pipe or to use rigid PVC hose. There are several draw backs with these products: Transparent hose and garden hose pipe kink easily. Rigid pipes need expert fitting and are difficult from maintenance point of view. Thankfully you can now buy ribbed hose.
Ribbed hose pipe doesn't kink and is easy to use and very versatile if used with EasiFitt connections. Do spend a bit more on selecting the right Pipe Fittings and hose to reduce any pond keeping nightmares. Don't use jubilee clips as they easily rust and become to difficult to remove. If you are determined to use clear hose then make sure that you don't have kinks in the line. This will severely restrict the pump flow. Avoid sharp bends and minimise the number of connections in the lines.

What pipe sizes should i use when connecting Pond Pumps, Biofilters & uV sterilizers?

Always use the largest diameter pipe you can consistent with fittings on the pump or other piece of equipment. The reason is that larger diameter pipe interferes less with flow rate from pump.
If a pump is supplied with a 1" outlet then use 1" pipe. If you are using a long piece of pipe (30 feet) then it would be useful to install a reducer to increase the pipe size from 1" to 1½". What is important is to reduce pipe length and increase pipe diameter to get the best out of your pump. Don't use ½" fittings and pipe except on very small pumps.

What Chemicals Should I Add To My Pond Water?

Don't add any pond chemicals unless absolutely necessary and you know what you are doing. The absence of a filter is more often than not the reason people add chemicals.
When it is absolutely necessary to add pond chemicals then this should be done under guidance. Treating pond water in the majority of cases is totally unnecessary. Some exceptions are when it is important to start up a filter from scratch then a bio starter can be used. These are non chemical and are perfectly safe to add. Another time is if you get blanketweed One remedy for this in the USA is Pond Care AlgaeFix or Nishikoi Goodbye Blanket Weed in the UK

I Want A pond but i am not sure about many things! What Should i Do?

Nothing until you have spoken to a reliable source of information and products.
If you unsure then I would always advise asking someone in the know! If the advice is sound and makes sense and can be backed up by example or published information then it is probably good advice. However if something does not make good sense to you maybe seek further advice and certainly probe the advice given. A bad installation is expensive to fix.

What Should I look Out For When Installing A Garden Pond?

Installing the pond is the most time consuming and most difficult part of the total project so do your best to get this right. Seek help if you do not feel comfortable with doing the job yourself. Most important do not rush it - take your time, get it to fit well into the hole, create good back fill and edging support where necessary.
For preformed pond installation TAKE trouble to get the pond leveled. If you do not the pond will certainly appear lopsided once the water has been filled into it. Use a sprit level. For larger ponds use Black Plastic Liner designed for pond building. Look for a 15 year or more guarantee and get the surround level.

How Much Does A Complete Pond Cost?

This is an impossible question to be answered in general terms. As a general rule however rather spend more on a small pond than go for a larger pond and skimp on pond keeping equipment.
A very beautiful pond including all necessary equipment can be created within a day by unskilled people choosing the DIY approach for a cost of around $1000 for a pond of about 1300 gallons. Such ponds will incur minimum running costs and will involve very little maintenance if the ideas in this publication are understood and followed. What is important is the use of a quality branded Pond Pump, Biofilter and UV sterilizer. It is not imperative to use the products advertised on this site but they have been chosen for their quality, economy and price.

When Installing A Liner Pond What Should I Look Out For?

The fundamental potential problem lies with the fact that a liner is relatively thin at between 300 and 500 microns. Avoid complex shapes. Do not worry about the liner pleats that will inevitably remain in the pond.
If you are going to build a Liner Pond then prior to placing the liner in the excavated hole it is important to line the hole with old carpet, underlay, newspapers or something of that ilk to prevent stones from puncturing the liner. If you have dogs that like swimming then a liner pond can be bad idea since clawing the liner will inevitably damage it.

What is the best type of fish pond or garden pond?

The best type of pond is the one that suits your idea in terms of size and appearance. There are various types to choose from: rigid pond liners (preformed pond liners), black plastic liners or concrete ponds.
Unless you want a really big pond to keep and grow big koi avoid concrete. Concrete pond construction is very expensive to carry out properly. Constructing a goldfish pond up to say 220 gallons is best achieved using a pre formed fibre glass pond. These are the simplest to install and are also the cheapest form of rigid pond liners to use. The cost of building a pond is drastically reduced if you decide to use a pond liner.

How Do I know how much water is in my fish pond?

Record how much water your pond holds - you will need this information to specify a number of products and also for future reference. Store the information safely unless you can recalculate the volume yourself.
If your pond is square or rectangular and is the same depth throughout it is very simple. All that is required is to multiply the length by the width by the depth. To calculate the volume of water in the pond in litres use metres to measure the dimensions and multiply the result by 1,000. For example for a pond of 3 m length * 2 m width * 0.5 m deep the volume of water it can hold is 3,000 litres of water. If your pond is not a simple rectangle or square then you have to approximate.

Where is the best location for my garden pond?

Your pond should be sited so you can enjoy it, you should be able to see it easily, be able to sit close to it.
Full shade should be avoided, whilst partial shade is a good idea from the fishes point of view. Do not put the pond close to deciduous trees if you can avoid it because of falling leaves in autumn. Your pond should be sited so you can enjoy it but don't put it outside the bedroom window unless you like the sound of running water to get you to sleep. The reason is because your biofilter needs running water 24 hours a day and the gurgling/splashing sound might just annoy you as you lie in your bed.

When Choosing a Pond Pump What Does maximum head mean?

This bit of information means at that head or height difference between the water surface and the waterfall the flow from the pump will be 0 litres per hour - i.e. there is zero flow.
This information should be ignored or used to compare one pump to another. This information has mislead many people into buying the incorrect pump. It is important to know how much water the pump can handle at different practical heads or height differences between the water surface and the waterfall inlet for example.

Will buying a cheaper pump save me money in the long term?

The majority of retailers who sell pumps will never mention the advantages of low power consumption pumps yet this is a very important part of a purchasing decision. I would go as far as to say that the concerns over running costs could outweigh those concerning the cost price.

How do i know the size of pump that i need to buy?

As a basic rule of thumb a pump should pump the total volume of the pond every 2 hours. In this way the contents of the pond are circulated 12 times a day. At this flow rate there is a good balance between the needs of plants, fish and the biofilter in a pond system. You may want to pump more than this if you want an impressive waterfall effect.
A pond of volume 1322 gallons would be happy having a pump flow rate between 530 and 1058 gph. A pond of volume 530 gallon would be happy having a flow rate between 185 gph and 423 gph. The important point is to get the flow rate somewhere between one third and about two thirds of the pond volume for a good balance. What is more important is that if your pond is say 264 gallon (1,000 liters) then you certainly don't need a pump that can do 1322 gph ... This is simply a waste of money.

How do i know if a pump is suitable for using in a fish pond?

Pond pumps are designed to operate in harsh outdoor environments. In practice this means the water in which they reside becomes polluted. Foreign objects find their way into the pump moving parts and can do damage if the pump is not designed to withstand these rigors.
It is illegal to sell an outdoor pump unless there is at least 10 metres of 3 core cable attached to it. The box and if not the box the label on the pump itself will indicate indoor or outdoor ( a small sign showing picture of house with arrow pointing into the house indicates for indoor use only). The pump will have 2 or 3 year guarantee period. If any of these are missing do not buy the pump for use in a pond.

Why is a good warranty so important?

A 2 or more years guarantee tells the customer especially when it comes to pond pumps that the design is good, the performance good, and that the manufacturer stands behind his products.
A pond is a very harsh environment in which a pump has to run 24 hours a day 365 days a year. When you see a 2 or more years guarantee on a pump you can buy with total confidence. Beware of Sump pumps. These pumps are powerful and large - they stand upright and are thus easily recognized. Sump pumps are designed to run for a certain amount of hours and since they are primarily designed for intermittent running their life span can be considerably shortened when run continuously in a pond.

How to select the correct pond pump?

Selecting the Correct Pump is critically important. Apart from doing the job you want it will last you a long time and running costs will be very low. If you want a waterfall and no fountain choose a pump which does not need a sponge on the suction side of the pump. This saves a lot of maintenance. Do ask us for advice if you are not sure.

What Does Pump Head Mean?

This is a fancy word used to describe the pressure that the pump is able to produce i.e. how high it can pump water to.
Pump Head is the height difference between the water surface in the pond and the outlet point of the pipe attached to the pump. If the outlet pipe from a pump was lifted 50 cm above the pond surface then a certain amount of water would flow out of the pipe. If the pipe was then lifted to 1 metre above the surface of the pond then a reduction in flow would be seen What we now see is that the higher the head for the pump then the lower is the amount of water pumped.

What Does Maximum Pump Flow Mean?

Maximum Flow is the absolute maximum water the pump can handle. However it is only able to pump this amount with no pipe attached to it. It is an impractical indication of pump usefulness.
This information should be ignored or used for comparison only. It has mislead many people into buying the incorrect pump. It is important to know how much water the pump can handle at different pumping heights.

Is a Waterfall A Good Idea For My Pond?

It is a good idea to have a waterfall for the following reasons: To hear running water, to add character to your pond feature, to add oxygen to the water for the benefit of the fish and the biofilter and to use the soil that came out of the ground when you installed the pond.
A waterfall with a wide lip will need more water than one with a narrow lip to create a good effect. In my experience the fibre glass rock-like waterfalls are perfect for most garden ponds and are well designed to handle the appropriate water flow for the size of the waterfall itself. Very few garden ponds benefit from a waterfall as high as 3 feet and even this is probably too high unless a cascade effect rather than a fall effect is required. An ideal height for a waterfall is between 15" and 25".

How Do I Stop My Pond Water From Going Green?

Installing a UVC or UV sterilizer of the correct wattage for your size of pond is the best form of ongoing prevention. 8 watts is normally big enough for a pond up to 1322 gallons (5000 liters).
Water goes green because the algae which feeds on nutrients in the water provide it with food. This together with bright sunlight can happen very suddenly. Because algae is very small (4 microns) it is almost impossible for a normal filter to remove it. If water containing algae is passed through an Ultra Violet clarifier the algae are killed and they clump together making it possible for them to be taken out in a good biofilter.

Does A UV Sterilizer Need Any Maintenance?

Ultra violet clarifiers (UV for short) have been one of the best inventions ever for the pond keeper but surprisingly only a very small percentage of pond keepers know of their existence.
One very important maintenance point has to be made. The UV lamp inside the quartz tube has to be replaced after about 8,000 hours use which is every year in practice. This is a must because the lamp is useless after this period. The best time to install a new lamp in the Northern Hemisphere is February. So if your pond starts to go green even if the 1 year is not up it is probably time to replace the lamp in your UV unit.

A To Z Of Water Gardening