Are you looking for water gardening advice and pond keeping solutions? If so you have come to the right place. You will find articles relating to all aspects of water gardening from keeping Koi and goldfish to maintaining a healthy garden pond for all aquatic life including pond plants.
May 14, 2009
Choosing Garden Pond Filters, Pond Pumps & UV Equipment
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May 7, 2009
Remove Toxic Pond Chemicals From Fish Ponds
In natural lakes and streams this does not create a problem due to the volumes of water involved and the small population of fish relative to the size of the lake. In a backyard fish pond however it is critically important to remove the build up of ammonia.
The single best way to stop ammonia and nitrite problems is to use a correctly specified garden pond filter. If however you do not have a biological pond filter then an ammonia detoxifier is the next best thing.
The damaging effect of ammonia is even worse in ponds with a high pH. For this reason it is important to monitor your pond water for ammonia, pH and total hardness on a regular basis.
If you discover that the ammonia levels in your pond water have increased, try to reduce the pond water pH down to around neutral (pH 7). In practice a neutral pH is almost impossible to achieve but try to get as close as possible.
A quick fix solution to problematic ammonia levels is Pond Care Ammo-Lock. Pond Care AMMO-LOCK 2 also neutralizes the harmful levels of ammonia that can occur in pond water from overfeeding and overstocking of fish. The patented formula instantly neutralizes chlorine and is responsible for effective chloramine reduction.
The ammonia is converted firstly into nitrites and then into nitrates by Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter nitrifying bacteria.
The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/garden-fish-pondcontaminants.htm ...
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!
Why Are My Koi Jumping Or Flashing?
Koi , although extremely good swimmers and jumpers, when it suits do not normally exhibit this type of behavior as a matter of course. Remember that it is normal however for your Koi to scratch or itch themselves.
If on the other hand all the pond fish are doing this at the same time then something is wrong.
When a Koi carp is seen jumping it is normally for one of the following reasons:
- They are trying to get more oxygen into their gills.
- A jumping Koi may be the end result of a parasite infection or as a result of gill filament damage.
- Fish ponds with excess heavy metals, such as Copper and irritating chemicals such as chlorine, will sometimes manifest itself in your Koi jumping.
- During the mating season and when spawning, Koi can be seen jumping with joy. A tell tale symptom however will be foaming on the pond surface and eggs.
- Poor pond water quality problems such as excess TDS (Total Dissolved Salts) may cause your Koi to jump. You are more likely to see them swimming erratically, lifting their heads out of the pond water or scratching or itching themselves against the pond walls (flashing).
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!
May 6, 2009
Koi Carp or Goldfish For My Fish Pond
Goldfish and shubunkins are much hardier pond fish compared with Koi, which are a sensitive carp family member that is relatively susceptible to fish stress.
If your pond volume is anywhere up to 500 gallons then goldfish are far easier to care for and are much less hassle and stress.
Disadvantages of Koi Fish
- Unfortunately Koi grow quickly and consume large amounts of food, given the opportunity. This creates water quality problems, particularly with regard to ammonia build up and increased pond algae.
- Koi carp are also more expensive to buy and keep than the equivalent sized goldfish. A Koi can eat 3 times as much as the equivalent sized gold fish.
- If you have a backyard pond containing potted aquatic pond plants then you may also want to reconsider keeping Koi. These curious creatures like to dig at the soil and roots of these water plants. If you are not careful you could end up with floating plants everywhere.
- Koi are strong swimmers and will actively try to jump out of the pond.
- Shallow ponds also leave them, along with other pond fish susceptible to predators such as herons and raccoons. They literally have nowhere to escape to.
Goldfish on the other hand will not disturb your potted pond plants and find great comfort amongst Lilies, Lotus, Iris, and submerged annual varieties. They use the floating lily pads as a way of hiding from predators and the hot summer sun.
It is far better in my experience to plan ahead and ensure that the size of the pond you intend to build is capable of holding the species of pond fish you intend to keep. Koi need a pond that is at least 4 feet deep.The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/garden-fish-koiorgoldfish.htm ...
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Preven Herons From Eating Your Koi And Goldfish
As the heron rests on a post or tree it keeps its eager eyes out for movement of any description. A jumping or flashing pond fish is more than probably going to draw its attention sooner or later.
Being a creature of habitat and also territorial a heron will scour its territory and keep a mental note of where it can get an easy meal. Rest assured if a heron has managed to get one of your pond fish, it will be back looking for more.
The fish stealing raids normally take place in the quiet early morning or early evening.
I am an animal lover and although herons, king fishers and other predatory birds may steal my fish I still don’t want to harm then. I would much rather deter or hamper their efforts. They are after all just trying to live, much like you and I.
The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/garden-fish-heronstop.htm ...
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!
Benefits Of Fish Keeping Clubs And Koi Clubs
Why Join A Koi club or Aquatics Society?
- A major advantage of belonging to a club or society is the pool of resources available to a member. You will be able to get relevant advice and help about almost anything related to your hobby. I guarantee that at some stage another member has had the same issue or problem as you.
- There is guaranteed to be a member who can get you better deals on products or has knowledge of the latest products available.
- Koi clubs and Fish keeping societies often invite guest speakers to talk about a particularly relevant topic or invite authors or famous faces in the hobby to offer guidance, advice and support.
- Well organized Koi clubs and fish keeping societies will often have a full itinerary for the forthcoming year, prepared well in advance.
- If you are into field trips or days out to visit other clubs or places of interest that relate to your hobby then joining a club or society also has a great social aspect to it. You never know you may meet a future partner or a life long buddy.
How do you I find or join a Fish keeping Club or Koi Club?
- In these modern times the easiest way to find out the nearest fish keeping society or Koi club in your area is to take a look on the internet.
- You could start by visiting your nearest aquarium retailer or koi dealer. They often have posters and fliers, advertising local club membership requests and activities.
- Local libraries and book stores will also often advertise membership requests from local aquatic societies and fish keeping clubs. These clubs are always thrilled to receive new members.
The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/garden-fish-koifishclubsocieties.htm ...
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!
May 5, 2009
Do You Know Your Pond Volume And Pond Depth?
For most garden ponds 3 feet is deep enough and even less suits many situations. Koi ponds need 5ft to 6ft depth.
In cold climates shallow ponds freeze and in hot climates they get very warm. In shallow ponds you see MUCH more of your fish and their behavior.
Most aquatic plants prefer shallow ponds but many water lilies require 3 feet of water to grow to their best showing.
If you have a pond and the depth is not constant you can make a very good estimate by taking a stick and mark it in intervals of say 3 inches with an indelible ink pen. At 10 different places in the pond insert the stick and record the depths (get 10 numbers). Add the numbers together and divide by 10.
If your pond is of equal depth and the same cross section then you can accurately measure the pond volume using your pond pump. Using the pond pump and a pipe time how long it takes to fill say a 5 gallons container to the 5 gallons mark (not much more not much less). Now pump water out of the pond for say 5 minutes
Record the depth after pumping out water.
Volume of pond = (S x V x T2) DIVIDED BY (D x T1)
- S = depth of pond in inches or any unit before pumping starts
- D = inches or any unit of water pumped out of pond i.e. difference between start depth and final depth.
- T1 = time to fill the container
- T2 = time pump was run to pump out water
- V = volume of container
Most homes in the USA have a water meter! This makes pond volume measurement simple if you start with an empty system. Just make sure that while filling the pond nobody uses then toilet, takes a shower does the washing up etc. All you have to do is then record the start and finish readings from the meter to get a very accurate indication of pond volume.
The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/garden-pond-volumedepth.htm ...
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!
May 3, 2009
How To Succeed With Garden Fish Ponds
- What You Need To Know Before Building A Fish Pond ... A fish pond is more than a beautifully designed landscape feature with fish. It is a balanced eco system that requires specialized pond keeping equipment to maintain the overall eco balance and clean pure pond water.
- Proper Koi Ponds Versus Garden Fish Ponds ... Breeding and Keeping Koi to professional breeding standards is a very expensive business and necessitates the need for professional pond filtration equipment, not to mention a large pond, usually in excess of 10,000 gallons.
- Aerators And Oxygen The Secret Of Large Pond Care ... Large ponds are not just a bigger version of a small fish pond. They are a totally different creature that needs a totally different understanding.
- Pond Keeping Tips And Answers ... This page will provide you with some simple pond keeping and water gardening general advice and tips, to help you avoid the common mistakes that many pond keepers make.
- What Every Pond Keeper Ought To Know Before Emptying Their Pond ... From time to time you will need to carry out routine maintenance work on your pond, whether it is a preformed pond, liner pond or concrete Koi pond.
- Fish Ponds Are Cheaper To Install Than Large Koi Ponds ... To grow large Koi you will need specialist Koi pond keeping equipment. To achieve healthy, large Koi you will need a large pond and ensure that the pond water is free from ammonia.
- Backyard Pond Liners For Backyard Pond Construction ... Using rubber pond liners to construct your garden pond is the most versatile way of building a garden pond.
- Garden Fish Pond Liner Selection Advice And Tips ... Unless you are intending to build a large Koi pond with the bottom drains and other specialist equipment needed to successfully keep these ornamental Koi, then a liner pond, constructed from EPDM rubber or butyl rubber is your best bet.
- 4 Good Reasons To Know Your Pond Water Volume ... To correctly specify the right pond filter you will need to know your pond volume. It is the volume of pond water together with the fish load that determines the pond size required and the amount of pond filter media required.
- Planning and Preparing For A New Pond Build ... These are prime objectives that you need to be aware of when building and maintaining a garden fish pond.
- New Pond Problems ... As soon as a new pond is stocked with fish, a continuous 'trickle' of ammonia is released into the water. As the trickle continues, the concentration of ammonia starts to rise until the pond's water quality is in danger of stressing your fish.
- Backyard Water gardens And Pond Maintenance Tips ... Aquatic water gardening is a rapidly growing hobby and form of relaxation in the USA, much like the UK where it has been popular for many years.
- Problem Solving And FAQ's For Pond Keepers ... Common answers and solutions to many pond keeping and water gardening frequently asked questions.
Garden Fish Pond Keeping Refresher Hints And Tips ... The aim of building a pond is create a focal point and pleasing distraction from life’s everyday routine and hassles. - Are You A Pond Keeper Or A Koi Pond Keeper? ... What exactly is it that differentiates the average hobbyist pond keeper from a Koi professional?
- Which Pipe Fittings To Use In Fish Ponds ... Pipe fittings and selecting the right sizes can be confusing. 99% of garden ponds contain at least 2 components that need connecting and in some cases more than 3 items of equipment.
The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/garden-pond-pondarticles.htm ...
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!
Large Ponds Are Too Big For Biofilters And UV Products
The addition of large amounts of oxygen allows even large ponds to be circulated. It also encourages wind effects. The addition of 2 large fountains or floating aerators will also do this.
Without oxygen added in this way your pond will accumulate debris that will settle at bottom and the pond will eventually silt up. Oxygen breaks down organic debris and allows the nitrification process to take place.
If you are the owner of a very large pond and do not cater for the addition of the large amounts of oxygen you will certainly end up with dead fish in summer, as the pond water temperature rises.
What is Bioaugmentation?
According to Wikipedia, Bioaugmentation is the introduction of a group of natural microbial strains or a genetically engineered variant to treat contaminated soil or water. In lay terms, with regard to pond keeping is is the addition of pond water treatments or pond water additives in order to cure a particular problem. Examples include adding pond algaecides, pond sludge removers etc ...
All bioaugmentation products work best when combined with oxygen rich pond water. These products are designed to combat the three forms of nutrients commonly found in pond water, namely: carbon (organic), nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients.
Large ponds with excess nutrients will be characterized by excess algae, weed growth and pond sediment build up.
The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/garden-pond-largepondcare.htm ...
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!
May 1, 2009
Why Use A Tankless Pond Water Heater
If you decide that you want to continue feeding then you will need to use a pond water heater to maintain the required conditions. If you have a smaller pond, containing small Koi and mainly goldfish then you will at least need to maintain a small hole in the pond surface to allow dangerous gases to escape; a pond deicer is the best choice here.
In large Koi ponds, pond water heaters are in fact highly sophisticated automatically controlled gas fired tank less pond water heaters. In smaller backyard fish ponds immersion or tank water heating is often used.
Professional Koi pond keepers will often use gas fired tank less pond water heaters to maintain a constant ambient temperature for their Koi. These units keep the temperature constantly at around 15 Celsius (60 Fahrenheit). This is ideal for the Koi as it prevents there body from hibernating and allows them to continue feeding to maintain their size and to develop and grow.
As Koi hibernate they stop feeding, resulting in loss in body mass and overall size. There is also a weakening of the Koi’s immune system, making them more susceptible to fish disease problems and fish health problems.
For smaller fish ponds or koi holding tanks a submersible pond water heater that rests on the pond floor is probably your best bet. These electric immersion pond heaters have been designed in such a way that they must be constantly immersed and the controller must be protected from the elements.
As a general guide line you can work on the principle that 1 kilowatt (1000 watts) of electricity is sufficient to heat approximately 250 US gallons by 10 degrees Fahrenheit (approx 8 degrees Fahrenheit for Imperial gallons) and maintain that pond water temperature.
The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/garden-pond-tanklesswaterheater.htm ...
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!
Are You A Pond Keeper Or A Koi Keeper?
- Class 1. The professional Koi keepers. People like Peter Waddington and Nigel Caddock who are extremely passionate and enthusiastic about their large Koi ponds. These people are at the front end of almost anything to do with Koi carp. They study and develop theories and systems to assist in the development of the hobby as a whole.
- Class 2. Somewhat down the scale are the the large show prize winners. Those individuals who are financially able to buy prize winning Koi and benefit from the joys of entering them in competitions and perhaps even winning.
- Class 3. The avid koi keeper who sees keeping koi as an entertaining interesting and challenging hobby on which a fair amount of money can be spent. This koi keeper type would enter important koi shows, perhaps win some of the lesser prizes quite often and rightly pride him/herself on the efforts and rewards of the hobby.
- Class 4. The koi keeper who keeps ONLY koi in the pond but has no desire (yet) to enter or win competitions. The person is motivated by wanting to see how the smaller koi grow in the pond environment. This person is probably someone who may turn out to be a class 3 member one day and then class 2 and then maybe even a class 1 Koi keeper.
- Class 5. The average garden pond keeper; people like you and me who strive for a perfectly healthy, crystal clear pond with healthy pond fish in it. The species of fish kept does not have to be a prize winning Koi. In fact the type of fish does not really matter at all; goldfish, koi, rudd, golden orfe are all acceptable.
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!
Seasonal Pond Care Articles
- Spring Time Pond Keeping Maintenance What Do I Need To Do? ... Spring is a time of year that can initially be a bit of a surprise to your Koi and other pond fish. It is at this time of year that they are most susceptible to fish health problems, as their fasting period has left them with a reduced immune system.
- Seasonal Fish Pond Keeping Hints And Advice Spring Time Has Arrived ... Spring is the time of year that life comes back to your garden fish pond. Koi and gold fish are on the prowl looking for much needed food, after their semi hibernation during the cold bleak days of the past winter.
- The Fish Pond Keepers Guide To Northern Hemisphere Spring Water Garden Ponds ... Spring is the time of year that those little amphibious monsters crawl out of their leaf heaps to get it on.
- Pond Keepers Guide To Preparing Your Garden Pond For Winter ... Fall is the time of year that routine maintenance to pond keeping equipment and aquatic plants needs to take place. It is also the time of year to be aware of the do's and don'ts of keeping your Koi, goldfish and other pond fish healthy and safe over the forthcoming winter season.
- The Pond Keepers Guide To Cleaning Your Water Garden Fish Pond In The Fall ... In a normal water garden fish pond which does not have the advantage of a bottom drain there will be a gradual build up of organic matter and solid fish waste over a period of time. If left it will start to decay, producing toxic gases and starve your pond of oxygen.
- Winter Ponds Tankless Pond Water Heaters Keep Koi Ponds Warm And Safe To Feed ... Do I want to let my Koi hibernate over the winter period and stop feeding or do I want to keep the pond water warm, encouraging them to continue eating, growing and developing?
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!
Blog Archive
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2009
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May
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- Choosing Garden Pond Filters, Pond Pumps & UV Equi...
- Remove Toxic Pond Chemicals From Fish Ponds
- Why Are My Koi Jumping Or Flashing?
- Koi Carp or Goldfish For My Fish Pond
- Preven Herons From Eating Your Koi And Goldfish
- Benefits Of Fish Keeping Clubs And Koi Clubs
- Do You Know Your Pond Volume And Pond Depth?
- How To Succeed With Garden Fish Ponds
- Large Ponds Are Too Big For Biofilters And UV Prod...
- Why Use A Tankless Pond Water Heater
- Are You A Pond Keeper Or A Koi Keeper?
- Seasonal Pond Care Articles
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