A pond or water garden doesn't have to be large to be enjoyable or beautiful. Small ponds provide the sight and sound of water in the landscape and will attract birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and more!
I do have a book on ponds and have been thinking about this for awhile, but since several of you have actual experience in pond building and maintenance I thought I would get your expert advice.
Vivian, not sure about solar. Correct, the pond must be a certain depth, but you still need a plan for keeping the ice from becoming totally frozen over. So that means electricity run to the pond for the heater and the filter system.
As far as the trees and shade, it's a blessing and a curse. You don't want it in full shade especially if you want to grow water lilies and some other plants in your pond. I have morning sun and
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afternoon shade on mine. You can have a pond in full sun. Make it deep enough and have large shelf rocks to create a shade area for the fish. They have ultraviolet lights to help with algae problems. Maybe find a good pond installer and consult with them for your area.
Great questions and feedback. I will try to make sure I answer every one. Marie G and Vivian S - in order to overwinter pond fish your pond needs to be at least 24" deep. The fish will go into hibernation at the bottom of the pond. Sandy K is correct, you do need to keep a hole in the ice which you can do by placing a simple pond de-icer in the pond. Some people choose to leave their pond and waterfall running through the winter, which creates beautiful ice formations. We have tons of info
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on our website at www.aquascapeinc.com. In the search box, simply type "pond maintenance" or "winter" and you'll be given a list of articles that contain information on these topics.
Judy B, please don't be too discouraged about adding a pond to your landscape. As long as you keep a balance of fish, plants, rocks, circulation and filtration, your pond will require minimal maintenance. Yes, you'll need to perform maintenance tasks throughout the year, no different than when you need to pull weeds in the garden or mow the lawn. In the spring when the pond comes back to life, you'll notice an increase in algae, but this can be controlled by various measures - pulling out
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the sting algae (which some people think is fun) or applying an algaecide. In the fall, you'll need to remove fallen leaves or debris, otherwise they sink to the bottom and decay and can become toxic to the fish. We offer a free pond owner's manual on our website that discusses some of this in more detail. But if you're still hesitant, you can always add a fountain or "pondless" waterfall to your landscape. With the pondless waterfall, you get to enjoy the sight and sound of running water in your garden ... and once you have some confidence with water in your garden, you can always add the pond to the waterfall at a later date! You can find the pdf file of the free pond owner's manual at http://www.aquascapeinc.com/upload/29952_Pon....
Vivian S - you could do a search on Google for solar pond pumps. I do believe one is out there but I don't know the reliability of it. If you have outdoor electricity, you can always opt for a high-efficiency pump that costs very little to run.
We have a small pond, but have much trouble keeping the algae at bay, the water clouds up and you can't see the bottom.. It is very sunny where we have it. We do have a filter on it, and waterfall feature. We have had fish in the past, as well as plants, but with the algae out of control we have not added any the last two years. Algacides control for a short time. We have recently used bleach to kill all of it and keep the water clear, but obviously you can't do that with fish in it.
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We recently got rural water and are hoping this helps. ANy tips for a frustrated pond owner?
Hi Lori! In order to give you thorough information, I'm providing a link to an article on pond maintenance. Toward the end of the article is information on Algae Control. You'll need to scroll down toward the end of the page. The article covers important information on types of algae and how to control it. In addition, we released the IonGen System a couple years ago with great results. It's an electronic water clarifier that you install to help keep your pond water clean and clear. Info
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Hi Aquascape Inc.!! I do have an Aquascape pond system and love it. We have the rocks all on the bottom and sides of the pond so you don't see the liner at all. I get the bacteria going in the Spring and my water stays clear all the time.
Aquascape Inc: Thank you so much for your advice especially starting out with just a waterfall. That sounds terrific for right now. Again thank you so much!
I am having an awful time controlling algae this yr. What is the best product to use for that. I have been using the algaecide from lowes. I do not have fish in this one just ponds plants. I don't see much of a change.
Hi Jane! Fish help to balance a pond so you might want to include a few of them - they'll even eat algae! Here's an article that will give you more information on balancing the water in your pond: http://www.aquascapeinc.com/index.php?page=a....
Jane A. Is there an accumulation of organic debris in your pond? If so, it may need cleaning. As this debris breaks down it adds nutrients to the pond Algaecides are only a band-aid approach. Although they may 'kill' the algae, it in turn decomposes and releases the same nutrients back into the pond water. The algae returns and you are out a few bucks. Remove the source of the problem and you remove the problem.
Just dawned on me - our koi pond is an 'aquascape'! I had pulled out the 'notebook' and lo and behold - I believe our pond was installed around 1999. We had to replace the pump - but it's going strong!!
As far as the trees and shade, it's a blessing and a curse. You don't want it in full shade especially if you want to grow water lilies and some other plants in your pond. I have morning sun and ...»
"spruce it up" a bit !
Thank you so much for your great insight and advice.