After some time, your old pond equipment may no longer work as it used to. Or, it may have updated versions out in the market already. But as to how to keep your pond healthy, there are tips already tested over time and are bound to stay helpful for pond owners like you, no matter what. Let’s take a look at few of them in this post. (more…)
Adding a water garden with fish to your backyard has been a growing trend over the past couple decades. Water gardens allow you to create a tranquil, quiet place right in your backyard. They’re also a great way to add beauty to your Southern California property.
By adding fish to your pond, you’re able to bring a piece of nature to your home. After a long day at work or during the weekend, you can go into your backyard, sit by your koi pond and enjoy the scenery. Another fun feature is that over time, koi fish will begin to recognize you, which makes feeding time fun for the whole family.
As with all ponds, fish ponds require some effort to keep them clean and healthy. There’s a common misconception that fish pond maintenance is time-consuming and difficult, but this isn’t the case. By following these 9 fish pond maintenance tips, you’ll be able to keep the work to a minimum, allowing you to spend more time enjoying your beautiful water garden. (more…)
Your pond will always be exposed to outdoor elements. Dirt will find its way to the pond and it’s impossible to keep your attention to it round the clock. Yes, keeping pond water clean and clear requires work. But to make tasks more manageable, (more…)
Some homeowners are reluctant of installing a water feature in their yard fearing it would only attract mosquitoes.
It’s only natural to worry as these blood-sucking insects are associated with a number of potential diseases, with the West Nile virus being the most recent threat to California.
A water feature, however, when properly maintained, can keep mosquitoes at bay.
If you already have a pond installed in your yard and feel that mosquitoes ruin your day of fun and are causing you headaches, then it’s high time to deal with these annoying visitors. Let’s talk about few tips how you can do this the natural way.
Get Rid of Standing Water. Mosquitoes reproduce in water. If you eliminate standing water, you also prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Any area in your yard can serve as a potential breeding ground for mosquitoes. While it could take up to 14 days before a mosquito fully develops, it’s best to take immediate action. Look into children’s toys, pet dishes, buckets, and other tools in your yard such as a shovel or wheelbarrow. Empty them with water and consider turning them over when when not in use. Watch out as well for standing water when irrigating your plants.
Ensure Regular Maintenance. Clean after piles of twigs and leaves sitting on your yard. Check your pond as well for water that may have been trapped between the stones and consider filling them up with gravel. Thick aquatic plants crowding the water surface serves as a refuge for mosquitoes. Trim them and remove dead leaves or grass to allow water to circulate.
Encourage Water Movement. Mosquitoes love non-flowing water. Consider installing a feature in your pond such as a fountain or waterfalls. This will help break the surface area and encourage movement in the water, hence keeping mosquito-laying eggs at bay.
Add Hungry Fish. Fish don’t prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs on the water, but they do feed on larvae and prevent them from developing into adult mosquitoes. Koi does not target larvae so you might want to add small fish to your pond such as goldfish and guppies. These types of fish will go along well with your koi and come after the mosquito larvae.
For your family’s safety, it’s important to take necessary precautions against mosquitoes. Manage mosquitoes as early as possible, and enjoy your pond in and day out with the help of these tips to getting rid of mosquitoes.
Summer is great for spending time outdoors and is also a time when your pond needs your attention the most. Care for it the right way so it can continue to delight you and your family. Here are few things to take note of.
Your pond is able to interact with gases only on the water surface. If you see your fish gasping and you notice your pond emitting a foul odor, chances are the oxygen level is not enough.
Warm temperature limits your pond’s ability to hold oxygen. It’s ironic as your fish require more oxygen in warm environments and they tend to be very active during summer.
Using an aeration device can help increase oxygen levels in the water. Aeration devices work by encouraging movement in water, hence breaking the surface and improving the ability of water to interact with the air.
Another way you can oxygenate your pond is by cleaning your water filter regularly so it can do its job effectively and bring about movement in the water as well. Also, keep watch of your fish. The more fish you have, the more oxygen your pond would need to support their needs.
Warm water speeds up fish metabolism. Feed your fish 1-3 times a day but do not give them more than what they can finish in 5 minutes.
Resist feeding them more even when they seem hungry. They appear as though they can take in more food as they are used to feeding over a long time. Should they really need more, your fish could always turn to natural food for supply.
Fish overfeeding could result to poor water quality. Add to that, decaying excess food and fish waste use up oxygen that your fish need.
If you’re leaving for a holiday trip, there’s no need to worry as your fish can find food they need in the pond. But should you decide to send someone in to check your pond, make sure to also discuss with them a feeding schedule for the fish.
Plants are beneficial as they provide shade and keep sunlight from directly hitting the base of your pond. But then, too much coverage can interfere with the gas exchange. In turn, the oxygen level decreases.
While keeping a variety of aquatic pond plants present, see to it as well that they are not swamping the pond. Remove overgrown plants every now and then to allow growth of new plants.
And don’t forget to remove dead flowers and foliage too. Decaying matter will only compete with your fish for oxygen supply.
Warm temperature makes ponds vulnerable to algae. Never use algaecides, though as harm chemicals will also kill your plants. Also, decomposing algae will only lead to another serious problem.
Decaying matter will encourage another wave of algae, and this time, much worse. You may need to try varying solutions to keep algae at bay and it differs on the type of algae itself.
Green pea soup algae, for instance, can be controlled with a combination of biological filters and uv light.
String algae, on the other hand, can be removed physically. Hold it near the base, cut it out using scissors or roll it around a stick so you can grab it completely. Another solution is to add plants that grow quickly to starve string algae of nutrients that fuel its growth.
Read: Pond Algae – Why You Want it and How to Control it?
You need your water garden to help you relax you after a long day and it also needs you so it can stay healthy and clean. Whatever love you put into caring for your pond this summer, it will give back to you for sure.
Pacific Outdoor Living now offers pond repair and maintenance as a regular service. Our pond maintenance specialist are fully experienced and trained to handle any project including pump replacement, leak repair, lighting and anything else that will get your pond fully up and running again.
Full pond clean outs that can get your water garden back in shape and crystal clear again are also available. After a clean out, regular maintenance is something you might consider to make sure that it’s clean and stays clean. Multiple maintenance packages are available depending on your ponds needs including quarterly, monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly packages.
The maintenance and repair department is not limited to just ponds, but they can also repair fountains of any size and waterfalls. To get further information on the repair department or to set up a maintenance call for your pond, feel free to contact Pacific Outdoor Living at 888-600-7224 and we can set up an estimate time for you.