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Q: Is a pond difficult to maintain?
California Waterscapes uses the latest advanced technology from Pond Sweeps. Mfg to give you a low maintenance, natural-looking pond. Once the pond is filled, the pump (which runs silently in the bottom of the patented skimmer) simply recirculates the water over the waterfall. Replacing the little bit that evaporates is all that's needed - and it's done automatically. Our biological waterfall filters only need to be cleaned once a year, and our media rock can be reused, unlike traditional sand filters where you have to replace the media every 6 months. A "well balanced pond" is not hard to maintain. In our video section you can check out a clip of interviews where California Waterscapes customers explain how easy their pond is to maintain.
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Q: Do the ponds attract mosquitoes?
No, the ponds should not attract mosquito's unless the water is stagnant. Using the pump and skimmer, the water should always be circulating. The pond does sometimes attract gnats.
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Q: Do the ponds have an odor?
We use a special bacteria that digests organic particles which allows ours pond to be odor free.
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Q: Is the pond's water safe for pets?
We condition the tap water by removing harmful elements, chlorine and chloramines. Your domestic pets can drink or bathe in our ponds. Video - Everyone loves ponds!
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Q: Do the ponds leak?
The most common leaks are in the stream. Most of the time it is caused by an overgrowing plant, or movement of a rock that causes the water to spill over the liner. The easiest way to spot a leak is to disable your sprinklers for 24 hours and check your pond for wet spots. Our liner is quite durable and it is extremely rare for it to tear or get a puncture. If a puncture occurs there are patch kits available. The liner also has a manufactures warrantee of 25 years.
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Q: How long do the ponds last?
Ponds will last forever, if they're properly maintained.
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Q: Are the ponds expensive?
No, our ponds cost a fraction of the price of a pool and can be fully installed in less than a week. We use natural rocks and boulders and an industrial grade pond liner. The flexibility of both the liner and the plumbing protect from the possibility of earthquake damage.
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Q: Are the ponds child-friendly?
Yes, Parents value our child-friendly ponds. Kids will love watching their pet fish swim or nibble food out of their hands. Video - Everyone loves ponds!
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Q: How often should the water turn over in the pond?
We recommend to turn the water over in a pond once every 2 hours (depending on the size of the pond. Once every hour is the ideal turn over rate in smaller ponds.
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Q: How deep should the pond be?
Average size ponds don't need to be more than 2 feet deep for fish and plants.
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Q: What is the difference between Liquid and Dry bacteria?
The dry bacteria is freeze dried and concentrated. It takes 3 to 4 days in the water before it really starts to become active. The liquid bacteria is already alive and starts to work as soon as it is in the pond. It is not as concentrated, but faster acting. The liquid bacteria is recommended for spring start up and for combating green water. The dry bacteria is recommended for maintenance.
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Q: Where should the water level be on the skimmer?
The water lever on the skimmer should be set at 3/4" below the top of the skimmer opening.
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Q: How do I figure out how many gallons of water is in my pond?
Length x Width x Average Depth (in feet or meters) X 7.48 = Gallons. Example: A pond with overall dimensions of 6' x 12' and a depth of 36" will require a liner of 14' x 20'.
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Q: Should I put snails in my pond?
Most types of snails are not recommended because they propagate at a fast rate, thus leaving you with a snail infestation. A good type of snail to put in a pond is a Japanese trap door snail, they grow quite large (which means they eat more that the common snail). Also they tend to leave most of your aquatic plants alone. Our ponds do not require you to purchase snails, but if you would like to mildly lessen your surface algae it wouldn't hurt to buy some. Note: snails do not help with string algae or green pea soup algae.
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Q: Should I add frogs in my pond?
Frogs will find you if you have good water quality. Mainly bullfrogs, which are not harmful to your ecosystem. You can add native frogs. When adding frogs it is better to do so when they are tadpoles because it will increase the odds of them coming back to your pond year after year. Also, tadpoles are beneficial to you pond because they eat small aquatic insects and algae.
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Q: Is it beneficial to add newts to my pond?
Not really, though newts will eat small bugs in your pond. Most of the time they hide under rocks and cannot be seen.
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Q: What's up with all the ducks, eh?
It is quite rare, but some ponds do get seasonal visits from ducks. Ducks are enjoyable to look at, but you must keep in mind that they eat fish, mainly your fish. Also, there is a huge amount of ammonia in their waste. We recommend to not encourage ducks to visit your pond.
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