How To Make Your Own Half Barrel Pond

Before starting the half barrel pond project it worth giving some consideration to the plant life and animal life that the pond will be home to.

Strangely enough a half barrel isn't needed in order to construct a half barrel pond! It is quite possible to use a rigid plastic barrel liner, clay container or even a concrete container.

Many people tend to go for the rustic look afforded by a wooden half barrel merely for aesthetic reasons.

What you will need to decide is whether or not you want to line the barrel using apond liner. It is not essential however!

Place the liner inside the half barrel, fill with water and trim off excess liner, slightly below the top edge of the barrel. A pond liner measuring 5 ft x 5ft should suffice in the vast majority of cases.

If on the other hand you want to do away with a rubber pond liner or pvc plastic liner in order to save some money then try the following alternative.

Firstly prepare the barrel (usually a whiskey or wine barrel) by filling it with water and throwing in a few water hyacinths, whose roots act as a filter system. You will need to empty and replace the water, along with the water hyacinths every few days.

Continue to do this for a couple of weeks or until you can no longer smell the old contents.

Whether you chose the easy option (using a rubber pond liner inside the barrel) or opted to save money and prepare the pond using the method above you are now ready to prepare the half barrel pond for future habitation by fish and plants.

As with any pond the colonies of natural nitrifying bacteria need to be present, in order to break down ammonia compounds produced by your fish and other aquatic life, such as frogs, toads etc.

Recommended Plants To Use In A Half Barrel Pond

To achieve a balanced ecosystem the following aquatic plant varieties are good to go with ...

• Pygmy water lilies, hardy or tropical lilies
• Oxygenating plants
• Floating plants such as the water hyacinth, water lettuce or duckweed
• Tall bog (marginal plants) such as rushes, Canna, horsetail, lobelia, reeds and cattails.
  

A word of warning - Duckweed grows rapidly and will quickly try to cover the entire surface of any small fish pond unless controlled. You can either remove some of it by hand or let your pond fish eat it; goldfish like to nibble at it.

The full article can be read at ...
http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/Newsletters/build_half_barrel_pond.html

Learn how to choose the right pond keeping equipment online, to save money, Guaranteed! Go to http://www.garden-pond-filters.com to learn everything you need to know NOW!

FAQ & Answers Part 6 - Fish Problems

Why Have My Fish Got White Spots On Their Body?

This is probably a fungal disease and immediate expert advice should be sought. Fungal infections are often spread amongst the fish population at a rapid rate.

In the early stages it is often possible to cure using topical remedies or anti biotic courses. The infected individual will usually need to be quarantined and treated in isolation.

My Fish are Gasping for Air at Pond Surface

This is particularly common in hot sunny weather when the water temperature is higher. Warm water is physically not able to hold as much oxygen as cold water.

It is also more difficult for atmospheric oxygen to dissolve into pond water in these conditions. When you see your fish gulping this is not a good sign and is a sure fire indicator that you need to introduce more oxygen into the pond.

The best way to do this is to add a pond air pump, fountain or waterfall to your existing set up.

I'm Sure I Had More Fish Yesterday Than Today!

Your pond has probably become a favorite haunt of a predator of some description, targeting an easy meal. Herons and other birds such as king fishers are the usual suspects but snakes and other animals have been known to take fish.

Watch early morning activity and late afternoon activity close to your pond. There are many predator scarers on the market, some better than and more effective than others.

Herons are a common pest and how to stop herons eating your fish? is a common question. The best solution is to use a fake heron, as heron's are territorial and will more than likely stay away from a competitors patch.

The full article can be read at ...
http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/Newsletters/PondkeepingFAQpart6.html ...

Learn how to choose the right pond keeping equipment online, to save money, Guaranteed! Go to http://www.garden-pond-filters.com to learn everything you need to know NOW!

FAQ & Answers Part 5 - Pond Algae

Welcome to part 5 of my 6 part frequently asked pond keeping questions and answers series. Today I would like to discuss how to keep pond water free from algae as well as taking a look at some other common pond problems ...

How Do I Prevent My Pond From Going Green?

The best way is to install an Ultra Violet Sterilizer (UV Clarifier) that has enough wattage for the size of your fish pond. An 8 watt pond UV light is usually adequate for a fish pond up to 5,000 litres.

Water turns green or brown usually as a result of the build up of microscopic algae cells (4 microns across) in the pond.

This is further increased when there is a lot of sunlight. The algae feed on increased nutrients in the pond, present during the warmer summer months.

Due to the microscopic size these single celled algae can not be removed from the pond by a pond filter at this stage.

When pond water containing algae is pumped through an ultra violet clarifier it is subjected to UV light which breaks down the cell wall, killing the algae. This causes the algae to clump together.

As large amounts of algae clump together they form a much larger mass which is easily removed by your pond filter.

Does A UV Clarifier Need To Be Maintained?

A UV light truly is one of the best inventions for a pond keeper. It is surprising knowing this fact that not that many pond keepers know of its existence. A UV clarifier doesn't need that much maintenance to be honest.

There is one thing that does need to be done however to maintain its effectiveness. You must change the UV bulb after around 8,000O hours of use. This works out at once a year. This is a good rule to follow.

However if your pond starts to develop a build up of algae in the interim then it may be a good idea to change the bulb before 8,000 hours are up.

How Do I Get Rid of Blanket weed?

The single best solution I have come across, far better than barley straw in my opinion is a new product called Viresco. This is an excellent product for breaking down organic sludge that forms on the pond floor.

If left to build up this sludge will start to give off poisonous ammonia. A tell tell symptom of this is excessive bubbles rising up from the pond bottom.

The full article can be read at ...
http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/Newsletters/PondkeepingFAQpart5.html ...

Learn how to choose the right pond keeping equipment online, to save money, Guaranteed! Go to http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/ to learn everything you need to know NOW!

FAQ & Answers Part 4 - Pump Selection

Welcome to part 4 of my frequently asked pond keeping questions and answers news letters.

Today I would like to answer some common questions relating to fish pond pumps and what to look out for ...

What Does Pond Pump Maximum Head Mean?

This is a fancy term used to describe the amount of pressure the pump can deliver i.e. how high it can pump water.

This bit of information can be misleading and should be used as a guide to get an idea of exactly how high a specific pump model is capable of pumping to.

The reason that I say misleading is because at maximum head there is no flow. So if a pump says that Max Pump Head is 3ft then at 3ft the pump runs out of power and there will be no water flow.

It is important to be aware of how much water the particular pump model can handle at various practical heads or height differences between the water surface and the inlet of a waterfall or fountain.

Head is the difference in height between the pond surface and the inlet of a waterfall or fountain for example.

If the outlet pipe from a pump was lifted 50 cm above the pond surface then x amount of water would flow out of the pipe. As you increase the amount of lift needed (height required) there is a reduction in the water flow until a point is reached where there is no water coming out of the pipe.

Choice Of Fish Pond Pump Is Very Important

The majority of retailers selling pumps sell their range usually on the cost of the pump, often misleading buyers into going for a cheap pump in the belief that they are saving money.

This is false advertising as the major factor when choosing any garden pond pump is its power consumption. This factor is far more important than its purchase cost.

What you need to remember is that a pond pump needs to run 24/7/365 and a bad choice can be expensive in terms of running costs.

When choosing a pump make sure to look at the power consumption and try where ever possible to compare this against other pump models to see which is the most economical.

The full article can be read at ...
http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/Newsletters/PondkeepingFAQpart4.html ...

Learn how to choose the right pond keeping equipment online, to save money, Guaranteed! Go to http://www.garden-pond-filters.com to learn everything you need to know NOW!

FAQ's & Answers - Part 3 - General

Welcome to part 3 of my FAQ's & Answers Newsletter series. Today I am going to try to answer some common questions relating to garden fish ponds and keeping ponds in general ...

I Want a Garden Fish Pond. What Do I Do?

The first thing that you need to do is to find a reliable source of information and products to ensure that you get what is adequate for your budget, size of garden, size of pond, type of fish to be kept etc.

A bad installation can be expensive to fix and also costly to maintain.

If you are not sure ask someone who can give you good advice. If the advice is sound and makes sense and can be backed up by example or published information then it is probably good advice.

What Do I Need To be Aware Of When installing A Pond?

The actual installation of the pond is often the most difficult part of the project. If you know what you are doing then this shouldn't be a problem.

However if this is your first pond then I would recommend getting help from an expert who has experience in installing ponds and landscaping in general. Your local garden centre is normally a good starting point.

If you decide that the DIY approach is for you then take your time, get the pond to fit well into the excavated hole, create good back fill and edging support where necessary.

The majority of small ponds are usually preformed liner ponds. Make sure that the pond is level in the hole using a spirit level. Failure to do this will definitely result in a lopsided pond once water is added.

Medium sized and many large ponds are constructed from black plastic liner with butyl rubber and EPDM rubber being amongst the best materials to use. Look for a long guarantee; at least 15 years or more.

How Much Does A Pond Cost?

This is an impossible question to answer as it depends upon the size of the pond, equipment to be used, labor costs etc.

As a rule of thumb go for a smaller pond and spend the rest of your budget on an economical pond pump, biofilter and UVC.

That way you are less likely to be disappointed with the final outcome.

The full article can be read at ...
http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/Newsletters/PondkeepingFAQpart3.html ...

Learn how to choose the right pond keeping equipment online, to save money, Guaranteed! Go to http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/ to learn everything you need to know NOW!