Tips to Create a Low Maintenance Pond

One of the best ways to take advantage of your outdoor space is to install and cultivate a pond. The gentle sound of wind whistling along the surface, the burbling brook you installed in the corner, watching the bright flash of fish as they flit past. Nothing is more relaxing and beneficial for your mental health.

Nothing is more aggravating than giving up every weekend to take care of what should have been a relaxing hobby that somehow turned into another chore on your to-do list. While you might be reading this and re-thinking creating a pond, the good news is that there are cheap, easy ways to make your pond low maintenance so you can focus on enjoying it.

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Remove Negativity

The negativity we refer to here is specifically contaminants. Being outside, your pond will be exposed to all manner of dirty things, including bacteria, sticks, leaves, and whatever else the wind blows in.

You take the unhealthy things out of your water by incorporating a biological filter that removes harmful bacteria and provides good bacteria with a place to grow. A mechanical skimmer is another must-have for removing surface debris like those pesky leaves and twigs. It even does the work for you, ensuring you have a clear view when you look out at your pond. Set these two components across from each other to maximize their cleaning potential.

Go With The Flow

Water is at its healthiest when flowing and coursing through the land, leading to our country’s obsession with spring-fed bottled water. Before buying a pump, ensure it’s the right size for your pond and waterfall. It should circle through all the water in your pond once an hour. This aerates the water, keeping it healthy and ensuring an excellent place to live for your finned friends.

Go Back To Nature

The whole point of this pond in the first place is to enjoy nature within the confines of your comfortable house, so bring the best, most practical aspects of nature into your pond. You can encourage beneficial bacteria to grow and help further your pond’s ecosystem with little assistance by including rocks, gravel, and as many natural elements as possible.

Get Fishy

Not only do you get a new pet, but fish are an essential part of any ecosystem. They eat algae and then use it to “create” fertilizer for your plants, doing a lot of your work for you. Don’t overdo it, though. Too many fish and not enough water will make for a bad day.

If you like math, the rule of thumb is 10″ of fish for 100 gallons of water. (So, if you have 300 gallons, add up the lengths of all your little fishes, and it should be no longer than 300″). Incorporating algae-eating fish also helps take a lot of your work from your to-do list, letting your fish feed off your chores.

Check out our PondMAX (www.pondmax.com) and Teton (www.tetonus.com) websites to find all your water garden product needs!

Get Rooted

Remember when we talked about filters? Well, plants play a role in filtration, and they look good doing it. They help keep algae away from your pond by absorbing fish waste. During hot months, try to cover 40% of your pond’s surface with water lilies, mosaic plants, or other floating plants.

Enjoy Your Serene Pond

These steps are simple, straightforward preventative measures you can take ahead of time when creating your pond to make sure the aftercare will be quick, easy, and painless. By focusing on filtration, circulating water well, choosing the best fish and plants, and bringing an earthy vibe into your pond, you can have a great water feature to kick back and relax with.

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Part 2: How To Reopen Your Garden Pond This SPRING

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

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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A Guide To Ideal Seasonal Pond Temperatures

One common goal that many pond owners have is maintaining a healthy and beautiful pond all year-round. One of the main tricks to keep your pond looking great through the summer, fall, winter, and spring, is to maintain ideal seasonal temperatures. For most pond life, but especially fish, maintaining the right temperatures each season plays a huge role in their survival. Throughout each season, it is essential for pond owners to keep an eye on the temperature of the water. Compared to the air, water temperature takes a long time to heat up or cool down, so having a thermometer is vital to figure out the correct temperature for the health and safety of your pond.

In addition, the deepness or shallowness of your pond or water garden will play a role in the water temperature. When a pond is deeper, light is decreased significantly. That being said, when a pond is shallower, light from the sun is able to heat the water faster.  It is for this reason that when the air is cold, the lower layers of water may still have warmth — all of which is essential to the survival of pond life during the various seasons.

Maintaining ideal seasonal temperatures can be a challenge for some pond and water garden orders. To help, we put together a seasonal guide for ideal water temperature for your pond or water garden.

Winter

Since we are currently in the winter season, we are going to start here! It is recommended that pond owners try to maintain a 40-degree water temperature in their ponds and water gardens in the winter season. Of course, depending on what climate you reside in, this may be more difficult for some owners than others. On the water temperature drops down below 40 degrees, it is important to shut off and running water features, like waterfalls or fountains. You will want to make sure that your pond is deep enough so that when the temperature falls, the fish will be able to go to the deeper, warmer parts of the pond. If you live in a colder climate where water often freezes, consider reading one of our upcoming blogs, ‘ What Should I Do If My Pond Freezes?’.

Spring

After winter, when the temperature starts to increase, your pond will start to warm up.  During this time of year, pond water should be between 55 and 65 degrees, Fahrenheit. Spring is a stressful time for fish as they are coming out of a dormant state. This causes them to have weakened immune systems, but when the water temperature is around 65 degrees, Fahrenheit they will become stronger and cause the fish to be more active and have a better chance of survival.

Summer

The ideal temperature for pond water in the fall is around 68 to 74 degrees, Fahrenheit. When the water is around 85 degrees, Fahrenheit and above, the pond water loses most of its ability to contain dissolved oxygen. In addition, high temperatures can cause pond fish to be more active, using up a lot of oxygen. When all the oxygen is used up and no more remains, it can cause the fish to die.

Fall

Across the nation, most pond water temperatures will start falling around September and October. Around this time, the water should be around 70 degrees, Fahrenheit. As the temperatures start to get cooler in the fall, it should be a goal to have your ponds water temperature to drop to around the mid-fifties. Maintaining this temperature through the seasons will allow for pond life to properly adjust to the shifting seasons.

By following these guidelines, pond owners will be able to keep their ponds throughout each season of the year. In addition to maintaining the ideal seasonal water temperatures, part of keeping your pond healthy is having the necessary equipment and pond care products. When you are in need of pond supplies, there is no better place to get pond products online than Castle Aquatics! We carry a wide selection of some of the biggest brand names in pond care products. Whether you are looking for pond filtration products or submersible pumps, pond lighting, or pond UV clarifiers, you will be sure to find it at Castle Aquatics!

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