Make Your Pond Hospitable to Plants and
Fish
A pond is just a hole filled with water. Add plants and it
becomes a water garden. Add fish and your pond comes alive. You’ve got an
entire aquatic ecosystem right in your back yard. Here are a few things to keep
in mind when planning for plants and fish.
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Before adding plants or fish to your newly filled pond,
wait a week for the chemicals in the tap water to neutralize. To accelerate the
process, you can add a dechlorinator to the water. Consult your water garden
supplier for more info on this chemical.
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Anchor plants in pots or baskets designed for aquatic
plants. A third option is to place the roots of each plant in “root
balls,” a mix of gravel and soil in nylon stockings tied with soldering
wire (Fig. A). Root balls are cheaper than pots or
baskets and are easier to move. They also keep fish from disturbing the
soil.
Mistake: Don’t use standard potting soil in your
pond. The high nutrient content encourages algae growth. Ordinary garden soil
is just fine.
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If you plan to stock your pond with fish, part of it must
be at least 18 in. deep.
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If you plan to leave your fish in year-round, keep a spot
open in the pond by running an aerator or fountain all winter. If your climate
is so cold that the pond still freezes, purchase a floating heater (less than
$50). Keeping your pond open provides needed oxygen for the fish and allows
gases to escape.
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For convenience, leave hardy water plants in all winter.
Bring tropicals or water plants from warmer plant zones inside for the winter.
See “For More Information” for storage
techniques.
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Fish, like teenagers, need their space. One inch of fish
for every square foot of pond surface is a good rule of thumb. For example, a
4-in. fish needs 4 sq. ft. of pond surface.
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Hardy fish -- goldfish for example -- don’t
require much attention. You don’t even need to feed them once
they’re established, as long as your pond isn’t overstocked. Hardy
ones can survive by eating insects and the plant life in your pond. They
actually help keep your pond clean. If you plan to stock your pond with more
exotic species, you’ll have to domore to ensure their survival.
Simplify
Maintenance With a Skimmer and Filter
Keeping your pond clean isn’t difficult; once you
get it down it’ll be as routine as taking a bath. Your pond has two
sources of pollution: debris that falls or blows into the water and algae. Pick
up leaves other wind-and blown debris with a fine-mesh net. The type used for
skimming swimming pools works great. Skim daily to prevent the material from
sinking to the bottom, decomposing and creat ing sludge.
Fine-Mesh Net
An easier but more expensive way to clean out this debris
is with an automatic skimmer system, kind of a dishwasher for your pond. Once
you have one, you can’t imagine pond life without it. A skimmer system
works off the inflow of your pump. Water is drawn through a tub containing a
mesh bag that collects leaves, paper and other debris. The system bags it for
you -- all you have to do is empty the bag about once a week. The frequency
will depend on the time of year, the amount of wind and the number of trees in
your area.
Skimmer and Filter System
It’s easiest to install a skimmer system when you
build your pond. If you decide to add it later, you’ll have to drain your
pond, dig a hole and readjust the liner. (See the Buyer’s Guide for
manufacturers of skimmers.) Skimmers cost $200 and up.
The second threat to a clean pond is algae, microscopic
plants that’ll turn your pond green. A small amount of algae is
beneficial, but large amounts can have your pond looking like the swamp monster
scene from Scooby-Doo.
Filter System
Keep
Algae at Bay by Limiting Nutrients and Sunlight
Here
are some tips to do this:
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Shade the surface of the pond with water plants such as
lilies. A good rule of thumb is to cover one-third of the surface with
plants.
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Install a variety of plants. Plants consume nutrients
from fish waste and decomposing matter in your pond, stealing the food algae
need to live.
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Keep debris out of the water. As debris decomposes, it
releases nutrients into the water.
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Don’t overstock your pond with fish. Too many fish
will release more nutrients than the plants and bacteria can consume, leaving
food for algae.
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Don’t overfeed your fish. Food not consumed by the
fish provides nutrients for algae.
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As a further measure, biological and mechanical filters
are available from your pond supplier for $200 and up (photo above). They take
a lot of guesswork out of keeping a balanced, clean and clear
pond.
Once you establish a biological balance in your pond,
maintenance is minimal. A thorough annual cleaning (draining and rinsing out
the pond) and periodic maintenance (keeping debris out) are all that’s
required. Your pond may still go through a “green” phase in
early
Keep Your Pond Healthy -- Make Water
Fall
It’s important for water to circulate and aerate
throughout the pond. Buying a $10 fountain head and connecting it to the end of
the water circulation pipe is the easiest way to accomplish
this.
To control water’s frustrating tendency to flow
invisibly under or between rocks instead of pleasantly over them, fill hidden
passages with expanding foam sealant. It’s available at hardware stores
for about $6 a can.
The most dramatic way to circulate and aerate water in
your pond is to construct a waterfall and stream. Install a stream bed liner
the same way as for your pond. Begin by digging a holding pool. The pool keeps
water from spraying out of the circulation pipe and allows it to spill lazily
into the pond. Next, dig the course for the water to flow in. Two feet wide is
a good dimension. Lay the liner in place, overlapping the pond liner by at
least 6 in.
Creating an attractive water flow will take some
trial-and-error adjustments of the rocks. But this is the fun part. Don’t
mortar your rocks in place. The mortar looks unnatural and makes it difficult
to move rocks around to get the desired effect.
How to Choose a 24-Hour-Per-Day
Pump
Buy a pump that’ll turn over the pond’s entire
volume once per hour. To size your pump, calculate the approximate volume in
your pond: Multiply the length (ft.) x the width (ft.) x the average depth
(ft.) and multiply by the conversion factor of 7.48. Also note the height and
distance the pump needs to move the water between the pump and the water inlet.
With these figures in hand, consult your pump supplier for the pump size and
circulation pipe diameter for your pond. (See Buyer’s Guide for pump
sources.)
High-efficiency pumps cost more but last longer and are less
expensive to run.
Once you’ve determined the pump size, decide whether
to buy a high- or low-efficiency pump. High-efficiency pumps cost more but last
longer and are less expensive to run. Since your pond pump will run 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, the lower utility bills will soon make up for the
higher price tag.
Place your pump in a pump container to keep it from
clogging with leaves or debris. Either buy one from your pond dealer, install
the pump in a skimmer container, or make one from a sturdy garbage can peppered
with 1/4-in. holes (Photo 6). Don’t be shy
about drilling holes. The more water you allow through the can, the
better.
For More
Information
Buyer’s Guide
You’ll find pond supplies at some lawn and garden
stores and home centers. For stores that carry a wide range of supplies and
offer professional advice, look under “Landscape Supplies and
Equipment” in the Yellow Pages.
AQUASCAPE DESIGNS INC.: (513) 357-0123. A
wholesale distributor of pond supplies, skimmers and filters. Its Web site,
www.aquascapes.com, can direct you to a retail distributor in your
area.
BECKETT CORP.: Dept. TFH, 5931 Campus Circle
Drive, Irving, TX 75063-2606; (888) 232-5388. Pump supplier.
www.beckettpumps.com
HEDBURG
AGGREGATES: Dept. TFH, 4375 170th St. W., Farmington, MN 55024;
(651) 423-5048. A retail distributor of pond supplies.
LILYPONS WATERGARDENS: Dept. TFH, 6800 Lilypons
Road, P.O. Box 10, Buckeyestown, MD 21717; (800) 999-5459.
POND
FILTRATION INC.: Dept. TFH, 11551 Rupp Drive, Burnsville, MN 55337;
(800) 882-5327. www.pondfiltration.com
