How to Install a Landscape Fountain Kit

Date:May 2, 2022, 1:18 am | Post ID:2031 | Views:2465

Aquascape landscape fountain kits make it easy to add a splash of water to any space in your yard, making them an ideal choice if you desire a smaller water feature. Available in a variety of options, you’re sure to find one that suits your unique style. Perfect for the do-it-yourselfer! This video will teach you how to install an Aquascape landscape fountain kit.

How To Build a Pondless Waterfall

Date:October 16, 2021, 1:26 am | Post ID:2029 | Views:2770

Learn from Aquascape experts, Ed Beaulieu and Brian Helfrich, the newest techniques of building the perfect Pondless Waterfall using one of Aquascape's kits. These kits include all you need to install your project with ease including our new Waterfall Spillway and new and improved Pondless Waterfall Vault.

How To Build a Pond by Aquascape

Date:October 16, 2021, 1:26 am | Post ID:2028 | Views:2993

We proudly introduce our New "How to Build a Pond" video. Aquascape expert, Ed Beaulieu, walks you through the 20 steps of building an Aquascape Ecosystem Pond and gives you great insights into the techniques needed to make your project a truly spectacular water garden.

Can You Put Turtles in Your Koi Pond?

Date:May 9, 2021, 4:48 am | Post ID:2027 | Views:2004

Yes, but they don't always stay.

You can keep turtles in your pond, but if they are not confined, they will try to escape. For ponds with fish, know the turtles will try to eat small fish and sometimes go after bigger fish, nipping at their fins, which could lead to fin rot or a bacteria infection for the fish.

Sick Koi: What Should I Do?

Date:June 10, 2022, 11:35 pm | Post ID:2024 | Views:2248

If you suspect your fish might be sick, add a water conditioner (detoxifier), boost aeration, and do a 25% water change (at minimum). It is imperative to monitor sick fish and their symptoms. Sick fish generally show outward signs of illness; if nothing appears wrong on the outside, odds are your issue is water quality.

Water Quality

Ammonia - High ammonia, a byproduct produced by fish, can be deadly if not treated properly.
Leaching - Leaching is the osmosis of environmental solubles into your pond. Chemicals such as lawn fertilizers, weed killers and new mulch will leach chemicals into your pond ultimately posing a risk to your fish.

Bacterial Infections (Second Photo)

Ulcers - Do your fish have red, bloody patches on their sides?
Fin Rot - Are your fish's fins red and deteriorating?

Fungal Infections (Third Photo)

Fungus - Do your fish have white, cloud-like clumps...

Pond Foam: What Does It Mean?

Date:June 10, 2022, 11:34 pm | Post ID:2022 | Views:2874

There are a few reasons a pond might become foamy. Although often harmless, it is important to monitor any build up of foam on the surface of your pond as it can require immediate maintenance for ponds with fish.

Fish Breeding

Are your fish more active than normal? Are your smaller fish chasing around your larger fish? Does your pond smell...fishy? If that's the case, your fish are most likely spawning. This usually happens from May to July. When spawning, fish expel gases (ie ammonia) which creates foam on the pond's surface (it is also responsible for the fishy smell). If this is the case, a 25% water change is recommended. We also suggest adding a water conditioner, or detoxifier, to remove chlorine, neutralize ammonia, and detoxify heavy metals that can harm pond fish. Increasing the pond's aeration and adding carbon/charcoal are also beneficial.

Environmental Circumstances

It is common to get surface foam on your pond in spring. If your...

Should I Install a UV Filter in My Pond?

Date:June 10, 2022, 11:35 pm | Post ID:2021 | Views:2970

If you have a proper filtration system, adequate aeration, and healthy plant material, you shouldn’t need a UV filter. You should generally be able to keep your pond water clear without added equipment (ie UVs, Iongens, Dosing Systems, Chemicals). That said, some ponds thrive using UV filtration.

Clearing Green Water

A UV filter can help in clearing green water. Small single-celled algae will pass through the media in your biological filter. However, when this single-celled algae passes through a UV, these cells can become damaged allowing them to clump together forming a larger mass. This can then be filtered out in your bio filter.

Required Flow Rate

An issue I have with UV filters is that they require a specific flow rate (gph) to function properly. Most homeowners don’t realize this. You can’t install an inline UV onto your existing piping with a 3,000+ gph pump; it won’t be effective. Most UV's have a maximum flow rate under 2,000 gph....

Pond Plants 101: How to Plant Your Pond

Date:June 11, 2022, 12:41 am | Post ID:2019 | Views:2299

As a disclaimer, we are located in Zone 6, so some of the following information might not apply to everyone. These are aquatic plants we like planting in our ponds and on our installations.

Pot or No Pot?

If you have a gravel bottom pond, plant your aquatic plants directly in the gravel. Take the plant out of the pot, rinse off any soil, and plant directly in the gravel. Use large boulders to stabilize taller plants while preventing koi from pulling them out. If you have a liner/preform pond, keep your aquatic plants in pots. For best results, propagate and replant every 2 years; else the plant will become stunted (esp water lilies). Fertilize for optimum growth.

Soil

You should plant your aquatic plants in a dense soil, often mixing sand into the substrate. You want a soil that is dense enough to sink, but light enough to encourage root growth. Never use potting soil or soil treated with unfamiliar chemicals (esp if you have fish). Any natural compost...

Koi or Goldfish?

Date:May 9, 2021, 12:28 am | Post ID:2018 | Views:2209

If you spend the money to build an expensive koi pond, why cheap out on the fish?

There is a big misconception that koi are hard to care for, but with an adequately sized pond and proper filtration, koi are actually better for your pond than goldfish. Koi spend most of their time bottom feeding on both algae and debris while goldfish primarily eat, sleep, and poop.

Koi also love eating plant roots, thus eating most of their fertilized eggs resulting in fewer babies. Goldfish don't. This is why a goldfish pond with 8 fish can easily turn into a goldfish pond with 100 fish (under the right circumstances).

That said, koi can be destructive especially when it comes to pond plants. They also grow much larger than goldfish and other pond fish.

Therefore, if your pond is small, you have predators, or lack adequate filtration, goldfish might be a better option. But you don't have to settle for feeder fish; Sarasa Comets, Shubunkin, and Fantail...

Predators Keep Eating My Fish. What Should I Do?

Date:June 10, 2022, 11:37 pm | Post ID:2015 | Views:3062

To stop predators from getting your fish, it is important to have a hidy cave in your pond so your fish can hide from dangerous predators. A few round rocks with a flat stone on top will make a natural yet adequate spot for your fish to hide. It is also important to have good plant coverage (ie water hyacinth, pond lilies, and marginal plants) on your pond's surface to provide extra coverage.

Common predators include: heron, raccoons, fisher cats, hawks, ducks, snakes, bears, neighborhood cats, bullfrogs

Net Your Pond

Although not the most aesthetically pleasing, netting your pond is the best defense against herons. Pond netting effectively keeps debris and predators from entering the ponds, waterfalls, and other water features.

Motion Activated Sprinkler

A motion activated sprinkler will spray a burst of water when it senses motion thus scaring off predators.

Fishing Line Technique

Using stakes, create a web of fishing line...