Avoid New Pond Problems | Backyard Pond Basics To Be Aware Of Before Choosing A New Pond
Common Sense Tips To Help You Avoid New Pond Problems...
These are prime objectives that you need to be aware of when building and maintaining a garden fish pond. I have put together some backyard pond basics to try to give you some idea of what is needed to avoid new pond problems.
I have wherever possible entered a link which will allow you to gain further information and advice on the particular matter.
Where Is The Best Place To Locate My Fish Pond?
Many people wishing to install a backyard pond do not give enough thought to the actual location of the finished project. Often the best location will be a compromise between the best place from your point of view and the best place from the aquatic fish and pond plants point of view.
If you have a garden which is also home to trees, particularly deciduous trees or poisonous trees then I would seriously advise you not to place it nearby for the following reasons:
- During the fall many of the leaves will fall into or blow into the pond. This increases the pond filter load and causes carbon dioxide problems.
- Depending upon the species of tree you may also find that the spreading roots will come into contact with the actual pond construction material.
Despite garden trees providing a welcome respite from a hot summer’s day for the fish, as they provide shade there are safer and better ways of doing this.
Remember that certain plant species, particularly water lilies need at least 5 or 6 hours of sunshine per day in order to flower and develop to their maximum potential.
If you are looking to add some shade or a hiding place for Koi and goldfish from predatory birds such as herons and king fishers then I would recommend that you use aquatic plants and marginal pond plants to provide shade, as they also add valuable oxygen to the pond water and remove excess nitrates and phosphates. This will also help to keep algae bloom at bay.
A major concern for parents of young children is the question of how to keep them away from the pond, for obvious reasons. There are products available that act as a safety gate and can be placed across the fish pond, just in case Mr. or Mrs. inquisitive should fall in.
The last thing you want is to start excavating your pond to discover that you have inadvertently built over or near to one of the following:
- Water pipes
- Gas pipes
- Electrical conduit systems.
If you intend to place your pond on a patio or decking area then please make sure that the base is solid and capable of containing the weight of the fish pond when it is full of water. Water is heavy and has a habit of moving around.
When choosing the pond location, try to avoid placing it near to where rain water, from your roof can enter the pond. This will add all kinds of pollutants. It is also advisable to keep it away from garden borders, as the water run off will almost always contain phosphates and nitrates, from regular plant fertilizers.
This again will increase the chances of algae bloom forming. In addition some fertilizers contain poisons which you will definitely want to keep away from your pond water.
Run-off can also cause murky pond water from mud getting into the pond. This will settle on the bottom and require cleaning out at some stage with a pond vacuum cleaner, commonly known as a pond vac or muck vac.
Avoid New Pond Problems ... Choose The Pond Keeping Equipment Carefully
Always choose well specified, branded pond keeping equipment. This is particularly important when choosing the right pond pump, biological pond filter and UV equipment.
These three pieces of pond keeping equipment are essential in my opinion to maintain a healthy, clean backyard fish pond.
- The biofilter removes impurities from the water, particularly poisonous ammonia and nitrites.
- The pump circulates pond water and provides oxygenated water to your biological filter, as well as supplying water features such as a waterfall.
- The UV sterilizer or UV clarifier will effectively control the build up of planktonic algae.
It will however not be able to control the growth of blanket weed … VIRESCO Aqua or VIRESCO Koi is an excellent product for removing blanket weed, string algae and suspended algae by removing their food source (nitrates and phosphates).
Backyard Pond Basics ... Plan Ahead Before Building the Pond
Depending where you live and size of the fish pond you intend to build you may need to get planning permission. There will always certainly be a regulation specifying how the pond pump, biofilter, UVC and other equipment will need to be connected up, for safety if nothing else. Your house insurance may be affected by the inclusion of a fish pond or water garden.
When planning the pond shape it is a good idea to do a sketch of what you want the pond to look like; try to avoid intricate shapes and sharp angles. Gentle curves are best in terms of functionality and simple installation and operation. Once you are happy with the shape use rope or tubing and physically mark out the pond shape in the desired location.
Your final pond will also need a pond biofilter, pond pump and UVC light; you will more than likely need pipes running to them. Think ahead. If you intend to use a box type gravity discharge filter then you may need to incorporate a way in which to hide the filter from view.
Make sure that there are adequate power points near by. The Cal Pump Power Control Centre is a great piece of equipment for adding extra power points.
What Type Of Pond Should I Choose?
The choice of actual pond will normally depend upon whether you are looking for a professional Koi pond, in which case you will probably select a concrete pond.
For small ponds (goldfish pond construction) the best choice is a preformed garden pond liner. If you are looking for a medium sized pond then a flexible EPDM rubber or butyl rubber pond liner is your best bet. The choice will also depend upon your budget!
When excavating the hole that will eventually become your fish pond, incorporate marginal shelves into the design. That is if it is a liner pond of course. This will allow you to include a variety of different aquatic pond plants into the overall design. Certain species of water plant, such as pond lilies and Lotus flowers prefer deeper water, whereas other species prefer shallower water.
If you decide to use a flexible pond liner as the pond material for constructing your garden fish pond then always make sure that you use a suitable pond liner underlay. This will prevent punctures and tears from stones and other sharp objects. You may think that you can cut corners because you have removed all sharp objects from the excavation and avoid using an underlay.
I guarantee you will miss one and the resulting leak may be a hassle to find and fix. You do not have to use pond underlay specifically! You can use an old carpet for example. The main point here is to lay a protective base between the liner and the soil.
In general the larger the pond the more stable the environment as larger ponds are not affected by factors such as temperature as easily as smaller, shallower ponds. Pond fish are conservative creatures that do not like change.
The actual depth of the intended fish pond or water garden needs to be considered. A simple fish pond, holding mainly goldfish and small Koi does not need to be deeper than 2 feet. However a professional Koi pond will need to be much deeper than this; ideally a depth of 5ft or more is needed.
The ideal Koi pond will incorporate a bottom drain and have sloping sides and a sloping base. This will allow pond debris to sink to the base of the pond where it can be purged through the bottom drain. Incorporating a bottom drain can be expensive and will require the services of a professional builder. If you have an average garden pond then you will not need a bottom drain.
What Happens to my pond in winter?
If like myself you do not live in a temperate year round warm climate (I live in the North West of England, near Manchester) then you will need to consider what will happen to the pond inhabitants during winter. In cold winter climates where there is the distinct possibility of the pond freezing over you will need to find some way of combating this problem.
An option is to house the fish indoors in tubs or other alternative containers. During winter pond fish are in a semi hibernation state and are capable of surviving indoors without the need for elaborate biological filtration systems. Just don't feed the fish.
Personally I do not like the idea of starving the fish and would much rather install a pond heater or pond deicer as a way of preventing the pond from freezing over or at least maintaining a hole in the ice service, through which toxic gases can escape.
Why Rocks & Gravel Is Bad For Fish Ponds
In conclusion I would like to point out the disadvantages of placing rocks, pebbles and stones on the pond floor. Although they look aesthetically pleasing they are not a good idea.
- Firstly they allow debris to accumulate, which causes heterotrophic bacteria to develop, which in turn will spread disease within your pond.
- Secondly you will from time to time need to get into the pond, depending upon the size of course to remove debris. It will become much more difficult to do in a pond full of pebbles and rocks.
- Thirdly sharp objects have a way of puncturing or causing tears in flexible pond liners.
If you are looking for a comprehensive guide on all issues relating to pond keeping then seriously consider downloading “The Complete Pond Solver eBook” ... This is guaranteed money, well spent.