Pond Solver Articles | Pond Keeping General Advice & Water Gardening Tips
Create A Beautiful Water Garden Pond The Right Way
Problems can show themselves in many forms but the most obvious and frequently encountered is dirty pond water.
Follow the pond keeping general advice and water gardening tips outlined on this site and you will save yourself time and money as well as avoiding dirty pond water.
Unless you are prepared to install a Biological Pond Filter I would strongly advise you to reconsider your intention to build a water garden pond. Without a pond filter you will be disappointed with the look and feel of your water garden pond in 99% of cases... Trust me when I say that you need to install a biofilter from the beginning if you don't want to end up filling your pond in.
Do not buy a Pond Pump until you know how to select the right one. The chances are good you will get inadequate advice from many retailers and be sold a pump which is totally unsatisfactory because some retailers themselves do not fully understand what they are selling.
The cheapest pump to buy is often the most expensive to run especially with regard to larger capacity pumps and running costs can be high.
Pumps for use in ponds should have at least a 2 years guarantee and for ponds must have 10 meter cable lengths and 3-core cable at that.
If you want a fountain effect in your pond choose a pump that comes with a fountain attachment. They can be expensive to buy later. Such a fountain can only run well if the pump has a strainer device. This is normally a special open-celled plastic foam on the suction side of the pump. It prevents particles of dirt from blocking the fountain nozzles.
Do seriously consider spending a bit extra on an Ultra Violet Clarifier or UV Sterilizer (UV for short). This prevents your pond water from becoming an algae ridden hole, especially in summer time. A UV Sterilizer will make a dramatic difference to your enjoyment of your pond and is the secret to crystal clear water... Yet again my advice would be to install one from the beginning.
Do not keep to many fish in your water garden pond. For the water gardener with a small pond of say 1,000 litres (250 gallon) or less then goldfish are an ideal fish species to keep. They are hardier than koi eat less than koi and so grow more slowly. They do not destroy plants as badly as many koi will do.
Do not let me put you off keeping koi. These fish really are wonderful and beautiful fish. Put less rather than more fish in your pond but we recognize this is difficult advice to follow especially when you have a beautiful, crystal clear pond and you have managed to breed some of your own fish.
Do make access to the filter and UV easy and you will never regret this. When selecting Pond Hose keep the diameter as large as possible and minimize the hose length. Avoid piping that kinks and avoid bends and sharp corners because these can seriously affect the output from a pump. The ideal size pipe for most garden ponds of the sort we are discussing in this book is 25 mm (1 inch) internal diameter.
Unless you really enjoy landscaping and digging buy yourself a waterfall or stream made from glass fiber with a rocklike appearance. These are so realistic these days it makes no sense at all to me to go out and buy rocks and then engineer them into a waterfall using liners or concrete. A waterfall is a great way to introduce oxygen to the water and this helps in the overall good health of the pond.
Do buy High Quality Fish Food... It probably costs a bit more per packet but repays itself handsomely in water quality improvement and reduced filter maintenance. Your fish will also benefit far more from this food and odds are at the end of the year you will have spent less. If there is no information on the packet indicating contents and analysis DO NOT buy it. Aim for a minimum of 35% protein and ash content less than 10%.
In addition to adding a great deal to enjoyment and appearance to most garden ponds the addition of Aquatic Pond Plants offers many benefits to the overall eco system.
Be aware that water lilies do not like turbulent water or splashing.
Oxygenator plants are good for any pond. Koi generally like to eat plants so protect them by using gravel on top of the soil after planting in the container.
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