| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Keeping the Balance of Nature: Pond Water Maintenance
You might be tempted to let Mother Nature, tend to your backyard pond, and who could blame you? After all, she does a pretty good job of taking care of really big ponds, so why would your backyard ecosystem pose much of a challenge to her? Unfortunately, the fact is your backyard pond is only going to get some cursory attention from Mom; the rest of the work is going to be left up to you. In the "real world" chlorinated water doesn't find its way into ponds very often. "Big" pond water passes through a great many natural filtration and oxygenation systems, and the various fish and flora work together to keep the pond clean and fresh. Our backyard ponds don't have quite that much help, so here's where you need to step in: If you are going to keep fish then you absolutely must remove all traces of chlorine from your pond before your favorite Koi set up housekeeping. Pond fish cannot live in chlorinated water so don't even try. There are many products available to remove chlorine quickly, or you can opt for the old-fashioned, natural way if you have the time to spend. If you opt for 'a la natural' then expect to wait about 8 to 10 days for the chlorine to dissipate. You will need to make sure that your pump and filter are running and that you have set up an aerating method such as a waterfall or "splasher" to bring oxygen into the water. Make sure that the pond is exposed to plenty of sunlight (the natural enemy of chlorine), and use a chlorine testing kit to check the water daily. Me? I just drop some de-chlorinating product into the pond and check back the next day. Even if chlorine is totally removed, you still have nitrite and ammonia to worry about. These two toxic buddies are byproducts of fish waste and can wreak havoc with your Koi's health. After a while Mother Nature will kick in some help by allowing beneficial bacteria colonies to develop that enjoy eating nitrite and ammonia for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They won't be present in new ponds, however, unless you buy some bacteria starter kits to kick start the process. Your garden pond could become overtaxed, ecologically, if you add too many fish too quickly. Start out adding no more than two per week so that the newly introduced bacteria do not get overwhelmed by the waste that will be produced. Just when you think you've got it all under control that ugly thing called "pH" raises its head. Testing for pH levels is also very important since neither plants nor fish will survive very long if the pond's pH is out of whack. Your pH test kit should show a reading of between 6.8 and 7.4. You can add the proper chemicals to raise or lower if as neccessary. Speaking of test kits, get one that will allow you to test the pond's salt levels as well. Unless you're raising baby Sea bass, too much salt is not a good thing. After your pond is fully established, Mother Nature will lend a bigger hand and you can settle into a routine of testing every three of four weeks unless something serious, such as flooding, has occurred in between. Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
MORE RESOURCES:
landscaping gardening - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Wildlife in Winter Ponds This may seem contradictory, but you want to leave a little bit of debris in the pond when preparing it for winter.Some water gardeners net out the fish, completely drain the water and scrub out the pond, refilling it with fresh water. Adirondack Chairs - How to Choose One In Blue Mountain Lake, New York, you will find a unique museum called the Adirondack Museum. According to the experts that run this museum, the Adirondack chair was originally called the Westport chair, named after a small town located nearby Adirondack Mountains. Ten Considerations Before You Buy A Bird House When you decide to buy one bird house or more -- be aware that there are many designs being sold that are unsuitable for the birds. These houses may not attract any birds or the types of birds you wish, or they may actually be harmful. Planting Bare Root Roses Before planting, the plants must be prepared. The following suggestions will help insure that your roses grow into healthy bushes, trees, etc. Teak Planters - Accent Your Outdoor Space with One Do you want to add something to your outdoor space that will take it from beautiful to breathtaking? Do you have all of the right teak furniture but feel that something is missing, some accent that will truly make your space unique and worthy of only the highest praise? If so, maybe you should accent your outdoor space with teak planters.Teak planters can be a gorgeous addition to any outdoor space whether it is a formal garden, porch, poolside or entryway because they are beautifully constructed with the highest quality of standards using only the finest Javanese teak. What to Feed Your Fish During Colder Winter Months With air and water temperatures dropping in most parts of the country, now is the time to greatly reduce the amount of food you are feeding your fish.When your water temperature starts falling below 65 degrees, you should consider switching your fish food to a more digestible wheat germ food. Water Ponds and Wildlife - How To Attract More Animals to Your Backyard Wildlife require water just as humans do. Water is essential for life. Creativity with Ponds Here's where your creative instincts kick in. This is where you make your pond your own. Gallica Roses Very soon stocks of new season's roses will be arriving in the garden centres, if they're not already there. Indeed, to be sure of getting the most sought after varieties it may have been necessary to put an order in some time ago. Cannibals on the Porch No, ghosts of the Donner Party have not started haunting my porch, nor have others of the human type I may have reference to. I am speaking of cannibals in the insect world of which there are many, but two in particuIar that make me stop and wonder. Daphnes for Scent and Colour Anyone with even a passing knowledge of plants knows that daphnes have wonderfully fragrant flowers. And because some of them - usually the most scented - flower in winter, they're the sort of must-have plants that are usually among the first planted in any new garden. Teak Furniture - The Proper Way to Care For & Clean It Teak furniture is tropical hardwood that has a rich, golden honey color when new. However, as teak begins to age and is exposed to the elements, the natural, beautiful color changes to a silvery gray patina. Gardening - Natural Science NOT Rocket Science Don't force yourself out of the most profitable hobby in the universe because you think it's too hard to learn .. Fountains of Refreshment When hot, sticky days hit, try to use all your senses to keep cool. Sight and sound have amazing psychological effects, even when the thermometer soars. Basics of Pruning Roses Pruning your roses does not need to be a dreaded task. Follow these tips and make rose pruning an easy gardening job. Perfume Your Garden and Home with Gardenias One of my favorite plants is the large white-flowered Mystery Gardenia (gardenia jasminoides) that grows to about 5' tall and wide. The perfume-like scent adds an exotic feeling to gardens. The Design Principle of Unity in Gardening and Landscaping A principle of all art is unity. This means that each piece of art has one meaning. The Heralded Teak Furniture Manufacturer: Kingsley-Bate With an average lifespan of 75 years, teak wood has long been commended as the ideal choice for outdoor furniture. It has qualities unlike any other wood in its ability to withstand the rigors of adverse climates, yet weather attractively. CO2 for Free We've all heard that there is no such thing as a 'free lunch'; well the process described in this article may be as close to one as you get. Most of us already know the benefits of CO2 enrichment for photosynthesis. Patio Design - Expanding Your Home Outdoors A patio can be just like another room in your house. Effective patio design can mean that your increase the floor space of your home, by adding an outside room that allows you to entertain like never before.
|
