Some basic facts for new pond keepers

Pond 101

Basically you are going to have the easiest time of it if you stick to a couple of pond truths ~

A bigger pond is easier to manage than a smaller pond.

Less fish are easier to manage than more fish.

Plants are good, lots of plants are better.

If you have not built a pond yet, investigate
bottom drains and skimmers.

You can never have too many ponds ;-)

FISH CARE

Koi need and like a lot of water.
Koi can be brutal on plants.
Koi need more intense filtration as they grow larger than goldfish
and can do so rapidly. And koi like a big pond and a deep pond.
You really need to read up and think about koi before you put them in a pond.

Goldfish are easier to care for in a pond as they do not grow too big and overwhelm your filter system.
Goldfish can be just as pretty and personable as koi.
It is a good idea to start with a goldfish pond, learn all you can about pond keeping,
then study up and build another pond for koi if that is where your interest grows.

FILTERING for fish waste

Mother Nature does not have to filter her water as she has thousands of gallons per fish and lots of plants.

Our garden ponds are way overstocked compared to Mother Nature's ponds and that is why filtering the pond is a good idea.

Filters can be:
purchased commercially (rule of thumb - purchase twice the filtering capacity that the manufacturing recommends as fish grow and fish reproduce).

build a do-it-yourself filter - there are lots of sites on the internet that describe home made filters. These are usually excellent filters and cost less than commercial filters. Pond board members will gladly describe their home made filters for you and have websites that describe them or visit
here http://www.mikebentley.com/ponds/homemadefilters.htm

I like plant filters for my garden pond which has few fish and lots of plants. I filter thru a rock waterfall planted with watercress.

This is a good explanation of a plant filter written by Dr. Solo:
"The essence of a plant filter is a water proof container with the water from the pond
being pumped in one end flowing thru the roots of various plants and flowing back
into the pond at the other end.
It needs to be long enough that solids settle to the bottom OR have filter material
that will slow or hold the solids (and get rinsed out periodically).
It needs plants of different kinds to maximize removal of all wastes.
it needs sufficient amount of plants to remove in one day all the wastes produced by
the fish load in one day. It needs plants with extensive roots and/or plants that get big so they used up more
nutrients. It needs to be only 8-12" deep so it doesnt go anaerobic."
Pictures of the building of Jim's plant filter
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/43346868XpvJzF?start=0

IF YOU HAVE A SICK FISH

Post on one of the boards with as much information as you can.
The exact symptoms of your fish
Your pond setup
Your filtering setup
Your water readings, the exact test results (you can find them at any pet store that sells fish).
Any changes in your pond, any substance that could have gotten in, new plants put in, new fish put in?

Help, my water has turned GREEN!

It helps to know thine enemy

Algae is normal and natural and needed by the lower
end species in your pond. One of the building blocks
of life. Our problem is when things get out of balance,
very easy in backyard ponds, and algae goes gonzo...


Green Water is caused by single cell free floating suspended in the
water column algae. String algae is long, flowing, likes moving water
and has some body to it. Substrate algae is like a fuzzy green sweater
and grows on rocks, liners, plant baskets, and is considered a good
algae as it keeps the suspended and string algae at bay. It also hosts
lots of tiny zoo plankton, insect larvae, worms and other tasties that
are good for fish to consume along with their veggies (the algae).

All algae thrives on sun, fresh water, fish waste, fertilized run off,
rotting plants and blown in dirt. In new ponds and spring ponds algae
is always the first thing to start growing. Backyard garden ponds are
way overstocked according to Mother Nature's formula.


The best defense against algae is to have lots of plants to compete for
the nutrients, FEW fish, NOT overfeeding those fish, some shade,
blocking run off and cleaning up debris. Usually a good time to clean
out the pond is in the spring. Remove fish and plants, drain and scoop
out the bottom or (if you use the Aquascape system, follow their
directions for maintenance).


Do not use algaecides, they only make lots of suddenly dead algae to
feed the next algae bloom. Algaecides also use up oxygen in the pond and put the fish in stress. Gently remove string algae. Don't worry
about fuzzy algae that grows on the sides of things, the fish will
eat it up if they are not overfed. Another option is using an ultra violet
light. I don't have one but others do and can advise on them. UV lights
as I understand them, rough up the cell wall of the single cell algae
and cause it to die. It has no effect on string algae or substrate algae
as they don't pass under the light like the single cell suspended algae.


Most algae blooms will pass within a couple of weeks.
Time and patience is key.
Remember patience...
and plants.

Help, something is eating my fish!

Build it and all of a sudden all of nature shows up in your backyard eating your fish!

Herons, raccoons, snakes, snapping turtles, bullfrogs and kingfishers are some of
the most common predators in backyard ponds.
Uncommon are minks, otters, owls, hawks, cats and my vice squad labradors who
take canoodling fish out of the pond and lay them on the grass to contemplate a life
of celibacy (because they'll be dead...)

What works to keep them away?
Lots of things. If you know you live in an area heavy in raccoon traffic,
you'd be wise to be proactive. Once predators discover the nice sushi bar
you've opened they'll be repeat customers.

Measures you take depend on how your pond is set up and your individual predator ~

Try:

~putting up an electric Fido Fence around the pond.
~or the more expensive Pond Guardian fence which lays out over the water.
~setting up a motion activated sprinkler, sometimes two for determined predators
~setting up a humane trap for raccoons (call Animal Control, many times they will
lend them to you for free, release nearby, do not transport, you do not want to seperate a nursing mother from her babies).
~netting the pond, be aware turtles can slip under nets, snakes will get caught in them ~ eek!
(also be very careful with birds of prey, if one gets tangled in your net call Fish
and Wildlife immediately for advice!)
~stringing fishing line here and there and everywhere to flummox herons
(this may take time to find the path it takes to your pond)
~putting in a 'heron scarer' decoy for kingfishers and herons - the easier to
catch fake fish will give the real fish time to hide.
~Black pipes at the bottom of the pond, good hiding places.
(go to www.froogle.com for info and price comparisons)

Remember different methods work for different configured ponds and backyards.
NO method is foolproof. Sometimes the best you can hope for is to discourage predators and make
it too much work to fish at your pond.

Lethal methods are discouraged as some of these
animals are federally protected and you can get in a lot
of trouble which cuts into pond dollars and pond time.

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