Tips For Adding A Garden Pond To Your Yard

May 10, 2022 Fish Pond, General, Water Garden No comments yet

If you’ve been dreaming of adding an enchanting and relaxing outdoor feature to your yard, a garden pond would be the perfect addition. If you’d like to add a garden pond to your yard, spring and summer are the best times of year to build a new pond. Building a garden pond may sound like a big project, and you may not know where to start. Luckily, here at Castle Aquatics, we specialize in garden ponds and we can help you with all of your pond care questions and needs. Today, we’d like to go over tips for adding a garden pond to your yard.

WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN ADDING A GARDEN POND TO YOUR YARD

It could be argued that one of the most important aspects of your garden pond is its location. You’ll want to pick a location for your garden pond that will make it a feature of your yard, and not something that is tucked away in the corner where you won’t really be able to enjoy the beauty of it. We have some tips for you on choosing the perfect location for your garden pond, as well as some other things you should take into consideration when you’re planning for your garden pond.

  • Choose ground that is level so that you don’t have any difficulty with drainage from your pond.
  • You’ll want your pond closer to your home so that adding electric wiring won’t be a problem.
  • You’ll also want to ensure that your pond is not over any existing cables, sewer lines, septic tanks, or pipes.
  • Again, the closer your pond is to your home, the closer it will be to a faucet to add water to the pond.
  • Don’t place your pond in an area with too much shade from the sun due to large trees or buildings. This way, you don’t limit yourself on the types of flowers you can add to the pond.
  • If you’d like fish in your pond, you’ll want to add things like shrubs, lily pads, and plants so that the fish will have shade for the hotter parts of the day.
  • You will also want to avoid having your pond near large trees to reduce the amount of leaves and other debris that could blow off of the tree and into the pond, which could result in clogging the pond filtration system.
  • Smaller ponds will benefit from shade, since algae tends to grow in higher water temperatures, and higher water temperatures will also increase the chance of water evaporation in small ponds.
  • Some plants are toxic to fish and can make your water murky, so be sure to do your homework on the best kind of plants to add.
  • Ensure that you pick a location in your yard where you can make your pond deep enough for the types of plants and fish you plan to have in your garden pond.
  • Adding water features such as a waterfall or fountain can benefit your pond by keeping the water oxygenated. Water features will keep the water circulating, which helps to decrease algae and can keep mosquitoes away.
  • Using natural native rocks to create an edge around your pond will make your garden pond look and feel more like a natural feature of your yard.
  • You’ll also want to ensure that you have some type of protection around your pond to account for rainwater so that your pond will not overflow.If you are part of a homeowner’s association, check to make sure that adding a garden pond won’t be a violation of your HOA.
  • If you don’t want a large garden pond or if you’d prefer not to dig into the ground, you can place a pond form on a raised bed and build out your added features around the pond form.

We hope these tips will be useful for you as you are plan for your garden pond. For more help with pond care and maintenance, but sure to check our blog regularly. And for your pond maintenance tools, shop our site now!

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Part 2: How To Reopen Your Garden Pond This SPRING

April 7, 2022 Spring Pond Care, Water Garden No comments yet

Now that the weather is changing and the temperature is rising, it’s time to start thinking about getting your yard ready for the spring and summer months. If you have a garden pond in your yard, you’ll want to be sure you follow the necessary steps to get your pond up and running in the best condition possible. In our previous blog, we went over the first six steps of getting your garden pond ready for spring. Today, we’d like to finish our step-by-step guide. If you should find you need any tools or products that are necessary for your pond care this spring, be sure to shop our products here at Castle Aquatics!

STEPS TO GET YOUR GARDEN POND UP AND RUNNING THIS SPRING CONTINUED

Step Seven

If you live in a climate that requires you to turn off your pond pump and filter during the winter months in order to prevent damage to the pump and filter from the cold, you’ll want to reconnect your pond pump and filter now. If you did not clean your filter pads in the fall before shutting down your pond for the winter, you’ll want to either clean or replace the pads. Do not clean your pads with soap or bleach. Simply rinsing the pads is best practice. If the pads are torn or worn-out, you should replace them.

Step Eight

In our last blog, we went over changing out either 25 percent of your pond’s water or 100 percent of the water, depending on the debris that built up in the pond over the winter. Regardless of how much water you change out, you’ll want to test the quality of the water. Both the nitrate and the ammonia levels should be at zero. If you only did a 25 percent water change, you may need to do an additional 25 percent change or change the water until the desired levels are reached. Your pond’s pH levels should be between 6.5 and 8.5. You can purchase pH solutions for your pond to help control the levels. If you keep fish in your pond, you’ll want to be sure that the salinity is between .1 percent and .25 percent. You can change the salinity of your pond by adding pond salt. Pond salt should be 100 percent pure salt in a large crystal form.

Step Nine

Now is the time you’ll want to add a sludge reducing bacteria to your pond in order to breakdown any remaining gunk from your pond if you did not do a 100 percent water change. This solution will help to re-colonize bacteria that is beneficial for your pond.

Step Ten

If you have a UV light clarifier, which helps to prevent green water, you’ll want to replace the bulb of your light and clean the clarifier. You should wait about 48 hours after you clean your pond to turn on your clarifier to ensure that the bacteria has colonized.

Step Eleven

If you don’t already have protective barriers set up for your fish in your garden pond, around the edge of your pond, you’ll want to install a fish tunnel or a pond cover net. It’s also a good idea to add rocks and safety barriers in the pond to provide a place for fish to hide from predators that may try to get into the pond. A motion detector deterrent system may also help to scare away predators.

Step Twelve

You won’t want to begin feeding your fish again until the water temperatures are at 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher for at least a week. When water temperatures are between 50 and 65 degrees, feed the fish once per week. When the water temperature reaches 65 degrees or higher on a consistent basis, you can feed the fish every other day. You can purchase an automatic fish feeder that will make caring for your fish simple and effective.

At this point, your garden pond will be up and running for the season! For proper pond care and to keep your pond clean and healthy, be sure to get the cleaning solutions you need for pond maintenance throughout the spring and summer months. Shop our products here at PondMax & Castle Aquatics today!

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Part 1: How To Reopen Your Garden Pond This Spring

March 16, 2022 Fish Pond, Spring Pond Care, Water Garden No comments yet

If you’re ready to get your pond up and running this spring, you’ll want to be sure that you take the necessary steps in order to have a well-functioning and clean pond. Here at Castle Aquatics, we have the necessary tools and products you need for your garden pond care. For pond filters and pumps, pond lighting, UV clarifiers, and more, shop our products today. To learn more about starting up your garden pond this spring, keep reading!

STEPS TO GET YOUR GARDEN POND UP AND RUNNING THIS SPRING

If you’re certain that you’ve experienced the last freeze of the winter, and temperatures in your area have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than a week, you can begin your garden pond clean-up to get your pond ready for use this spring. Follow the directions below for a simple, step-by-step clean-up process for your garden pond.

Step One

Rake up any leaves and debris that have gathered around your garden pond. Ideally, you will have installed a pond net to place over your pond in the fall so leaves won’t have found their way into the pond. If you do have a pond net in place, you can now remove it.

Step Two

If there are leaves and other debris in your garden pond, you can use a pond vacuum to clean out the extra debris.

Step Three

Now is the time to start tending to any water plants that you may have. You will need to take the time to cut off dead debris and repot plants if necessary. If you have aquatic plants that need fertilized, late April or early May is the perfect time to begin that process.

Step Four

Ponds that do not have a significant amount of buildup should have about 25 percent of its water changed out. When adding new water, you’ll want to add a water conditioner to your pond to ensure that any chlorine or chloramines from your city water are removed.

Step Five

If your garden pond has one inch or more of buildup, it’s a good idea to completely change out your pond’s water. You’ll need to set up a temporary tank for a safe place for your fish during the process. You’ll want to be sure that the difference in water temperature from the pond to the tank are no more than two degrees fahrenheit. If the temperatures vary more than that, place the fish in plastic bags with water from the pond and then place them in the temporary tank. You’ll want to check the water temperature of their temporary water and the pond water when it’s time to put them back in the pond before you release them from the bags.

Step Six

Once you drain all of the old pond water, and before you fill the pond with new water, use your pond vacuum to thoroughly clean out your garden pond. If you have to step down into your garden pond in order to clean the bottom, be sure you keep your pond vacuum out of the pond. You may want to use a long brush with a handle in order to clean off any algae that has built up over the winter while the pond is completely empty. Once your garden pond is clear of debris and algae, you’ll be ready to fill your garden pond with water again.

Once you’ve completed the six steps above, you’ll be halfway through your spring cleaning for your garden pond, and you’ll be that much closer to having your pond up and running. Stay tuned for our next blog for the next steps in the pond cleaning process. If you’re in need of a pond vacuum, a new filter, or any other products for your pond care this spring, shop our products here at PondMax & Castle Aquatics today!

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Does Your Pond Have Healthy Ecosystem?

November 30, 2021 Fish Pond, Fountain, General, Water Garden No comments yet

A healthy pond ecosystem doesn’t just happen. Imagine seeing your fish thrive, your plant flourish in well-oxygenated pond environment, and your pond water turned crystal clear! You can achieve that dream pond by understanding the five key elements: filtration, aeration, aquatic plants, healthy fish and beneficial bacteria. These five pieces work in sync with Mother Nature to create a sustainable environment that will thrive all year long. Better yet, you can achieve optimal health and beauty with little effort and no chemicals that can be harmful to animals, people or the planet. Let’s take a look at each of these five elements and understand why they’re important.

Filtration – Ensure your water crystal clean & safe

Our water garden experts are often asked, do we really need a filtration system? If your planning on keeping fish thriving in clean & clear then yes you will need one.

A good filtration system will include mechanical & biological components.

Mechanical – include skimmers such as Atlantic Pond Skimmer,  filter brushes, foam pads, and other tools. This will trap and remove all unwanted & visible debris and waste and makes things easier for the next stage of the filtration process which is biological.

Biological – Once all visible solids are removed, the biological filtration comes into place and reduces the invisible wastes in the water such as ammonia that is toxic to fish or excess nutrients and convert them to less harmful compounds. This filtering system introduces aerobic bacteria, which will attach themselves to surface such as rocks, plants, or filtering media and eat away debris. One of our PondMAX latest products, PondMAX Clear Water Kit will provide you with multi-stage cleaning with coarse black filter traps larger debris, a fine blue filter catches smaller particles, and multiple bio-balls contain helpful bacteria to promote a healthy ecosystem.

Circulation– Improve pond and fish health.

Efficient circulation helps to maintain appropriate oxygen levels for plants and fish to thrive. It also helps avoid that unpleasant sulfur-like smell that can accompany still water where methane and other gasses have accumulated. Stagnant water can quickly become a haven for weeds, bacteria, noxious gases & unpleasant sulfur-like smell, but circulation will maintain a pond’s natural balance and create a healthy environment. Water gardens alone cannot produce sufficient amount of oxygen, but aeration kits like Teton XA Aeration Kits OR PondMAX Aeration Kits will do the tricks. Subsurface aeration works from the bottom up, circulating water and increasing dissolved oxygen levels. When the sun goes down, fish and plants both use dissolved oxygen in your pond water. By providing well-designed aeration & pumping system, oxygen levels stay high all day and night. Aeration is also great for winter climates. Running an aerator and a deicer together cuts your electricity costs and keeps a hole open in your pond.

Aquatic Plants – Natural algae control.

Aquatic plants are like the perfect spouse: amazing to look at, likes to clean, and will provide food, shade, and shelter. They also consume “filtered” fish waste which will become fertilizer to create exceptional plant growth and help reduce algae blooms. Approximately 40-60% of your pond’s surface area should be covered in plants. This is extra important if your pond is in direct sunlight most of the day.

Fish – The beautiful habitants of your pond

Not only adding colors, fish and other aquatic animals also eat algae and move stagnant water around. However, the more fish, the more waste, and fish loads and waste must be controlled. Want some advice? With standard filtration and 60% plant coverage, allow 1-2 koi or 2-3 goldfish per 200 gallons of water. If you need help figuring out how much filtration your fish need or filtration solutions for your pond, give us a call!

Beneficial Bacteria – Natural treatments for a balanced pond.

Using natural treatments, such as those found in PondMAX Water Treatment products, aid in keeping your pond balanced and happy. This product range is well designed to keep a pond’s ecosystem perfectly balanced by removing excess nutrients and debris, and maintain pond water crystal clear.

It’s Possible To Have Too Much In Your Pond

Don’t add too many plants or fish to your pond’s ecosystem!

You’ll want to have right amount of fish and plants in your water garden . Too many fish will cause too much waste, plants and filters will be blocked, and the water will get…murky. 

If you avoid this, you can have a thriving ecosystem and an amazing pond.

A water garden that’s well planned out and designed with the right solutions for these key elements will save you tons of time for maintenance including ph tests or other water tests. You can enjoy more of your pond and work less.

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What Should I Do If My Pond Freezes?

November 23, 2021 General, Water Garden, Winter Pond Care No comments yet

Depending on where you are in the nation, you could currently be facing the harsh cold weather of the winter season. And, if you have a koi pond or a pond with fish in it, the winter weather could end up being a big threat. When the winter comes and the water in the pond freezes, it is essential for pond and water garden owners to take the necessary steps to keep a hole in the ice to allow for a constant gas exchange during these colder months. Many pond owners will utilize aerators or de-icers to keep a hole in the iced water surface, but in certain conditions, the cold can cause these holes to potentially close and stop the exchange of gases. In addition, pond equipment like an aerator or deicer can malfunction, especially in freezing temperatures. Gas exchange is essential for getting oxygen into the water and removing the carbon dioxide out of it. Plus, gas exchange disperses the pollutants that build up in the pond’s water. With an insufficient amount of gas exchange, pond fish can undergo stress and can even die. Gas exchange is essential for the health of your pond as well as the fish and plants within it.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY POND FREEZES?

If you find that your pond freezes over, whatever you do, do not hit the ice to attempt to make a hole. Maybe pond owners come to find their ponds frozen and immediately worry about the health of their pond and fish. To quickly resolve the issue of insufficient gas exchange, they will try making a hole themselves. However, this can cause more damage than most people think. Banging on the frozen surface can be hazardous to the health of the fish within.

HOW DO I PREVENT MY POND FROM FREEZING?

If you are using an aerator and a deicer to maintain the hole in the ice, you shouldn’t have to worry much. Having both pieces of pond equipment should be able to manage the hole in the ice during the winter season. Of course, you will want to check the aerator periodically to ensure that there is no snow covering the hole in the ice. As long as the hole in the pond’s ice is free from snow or is not frozen over and the aerator is still operating properly, you can rest assured that the gases are being exchanged properly and that your fish are healthy. As the winter weather dwindles, the aerator and deicer will eventually create another hole in the ice as the temperatures rise.

Castle Aquatics Tip: If you are only using an aerator in your pond, try adding a deicer as a backup, which will add to the pond fish’s well-being.

If you are using a deicer without an aerator, maintaining the howl may be a bit more difficult for you. To start, you will want to make sure that the area of the pond near the deicer is free from ice, snow, and debris and ensure that the deicer itself is working properly. The best way to make sure a deicer is functioning properly is by looking for the light that indicates the device is on and receiving power. If you don’t notice the light or suspect the deicer is working improperly, you’ll want to first inspect your electrical sources. If you notice that the power source is on but do not think it is working, it is likely that you need a deicer replacement.

ADDITIONAL METHODS TO TRY

If there are no holes in the ice and you suspect that the deicer is not working properly, you will have to act fast and create a hole in the ice to ensure that gases are properly exchanged. Remember, you should never bang, hit, or step on the ice to try to create a hole. If you ever find yourself in this predicament, consider trying these two methods:

METHOD #1: USE HOT WATER

If you find you pond frozen over, you’ll need to create a hole. An easy way to do this is to bring hot water to a boil and slowly pour it into an area of the pond. Depending on how thick the ice is in your pond you may have to do this a couple times. Once you create a new hole in the ice, place your new deicer or aerator in the thawed area to continue the deicing process.

METHOD #2: CONSIDER A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DEICER

If your pond seems to be no match for deicers, there are other options available. You can now find deicers that can be placed on top of your frozen pond. Once turned on, the device will melt a hole in the ice’s surface and continue to deice the pond once it is submerged. Not all deicers can do this, so be sure to carefully read the manufacturer’s instructions before use.

The two methods above will need to be used if you deicer or aerator ever stops working and your pond freezes over. It is best to consistently check the hole in the ice at least once a week to ensure there isn’t any snow covering it. By following these steps, you should be able to prevent any major pond problems from occurring this winter season.

When you need pond care products and equipment, like deicers and aerators from PondMAX, be sure to shop at Castle Aquatics! Castle Aquatics carries a wide selection of pond equipment and products, from pond pumps to pond lighting. To find great Castle Aquatics products near you, locate the nearest Castle Aquatics dealer!

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