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Q:
How do I contact you? *or*
Where are you located?
A:
Contact Us
Q:
What are the
first steps I should take before I begin
constructing my pond?
A:
There are multiple
steps to take before beginning construction.
First of all before you even grab a shovel call
your local Dig Hotline. This is a free service
in most areas that mark out all power, gas, and
any other known lines on your property. This is
a MUST!
Also before you dig, or even get your hopes up
for that matter, make sure you can have a water
feature. Some community covenants view water
features as a nuisance and are not allowed.
Insurance is another concern. Many residential
areas consider any water feature over a certain
depth to be treated as a swimming pool. This
may require you to build a gated six-foot fence
around the perimeter of your property, and even
effect or insurance premiums.
There are other things that you or the
contractor must consider, such as local codes
for electrical. This is often under the
contractor's responsibilities, but you can never
be too careful. Check local laws, covenants,
and other concerns before getting started.
Q:
How do I get rid of green
water?
A:
There are two basic
routes you can take. You can either take the
natural or chemical route.
If you decide on the natural path, most experts
suggest 2/3 to 3/4 surface cover along with a
healthy ratio of fish, oxygenating plants, and
filtering plants. (such as reeds, certain
marginals, and water hyacinth) This creates
competition for the nutrients that algae feeds
on.
Or you can take the chemical path, using
repeated chemical treatments and/or a UV light.
This is often helpful in early stages of water
gardening, due to the fact that new water plants
do not cover sufficient surface area and
beneficial bacteria has not been established.
*Each pond has differing
conditions and the above suggestion is a
simplified answer. For more info please
contact us
or your local professional.
Q:
Why do I have green water even after I have
drained and refilled my pond?
A:
Draining and
refilling your pond due to green water is rarely
the answer. In most circumstances you are
merely restarting your troubles. There is
almost always a green water period in a new pond
(or refilled), because elements such as
beneficial bacteria and sufficient plant growth
have not been achieved. Without this growth
there is an imbalance in the pond and the algae
may thrive with minimal competition from other
plants.
Q:
Should I have a rock-bottomed pond?
A:
This is a
decision that most pond owners have
contemplated. In our experience, those who have
rocked the bottom of their pond, and do their
own maintenance, have regretted their decision.
Yes, this is the most common recommendation from
'kit' style installation companies. Chances are
if you ask any business that does maintenance
they will emphatically tell you not to. It is
the easy fix for aesthetics when you first
install your pond, but once algae forms (which
it will) you don't really see that 'pretty'
rock. After a season or two nasty anaerobic
bacteria begins to form in the crevices between
the rocks, and that is BAD. That is why many
owners have slaved over removing all the rocks
from the bottom of their pond and power-washed
them. It is not a fun job, many people have
filled in their pond exclusively due to this
chore, also some companies even charge you less
if they don't have to put the rock back into
your pond!
*In my experience many respected installers that
do rock bottom ponds often have larger pumps
than what is common in our region. These
installers often move the volume of their pond 3
or more times per hour, this can create a better
ecological system for a rock bottom pond.
Unless you have or are planning for a lot of
pump I would advise against it.*
So...in our opinion, rocking the bottom of your
pond may be aesthetically pleasing at first, but
the temporary advantage is well outweighed by
the work it creates. Some companies are
suggesting a cemented rock bottom as an
alternative, this way there are no crevices for
the bad anaerobic bacteria to form. We have not
done this procedure, so I am not comfortable
recommending it, but it is an option worth
consideration.
Q:
How
deep should my pond be if I have fish/Koi?
A:
This
answer depends on what type of pond you are
building. If you are building a pond strictly
for Koi, and have large amounts, three feet
depth if the commonly suggested minimum.
Also for a large strictly koi pond there are
extensive filtration systems you should
research.
As far as a 'natural' ponds, we have always had
ponds in depth of two feet and never had a
problem with loss of goldfish or koi. I would
not suggest any shallower, especially with a
large number of koi or a small sized pond. As
long as the pond does not freeze through your
chances of loss due to depth are greatly
diminished. Anything over three feet becomes a
bit of a maintenance issue.
Q:
What type of pond
liner should I use?
A:
There are many
different options in liners you can construct
your water garden. With the Midwest climate,
that we live in, we do not suggest a concrete
pond due to the expanding and contracting over
temperature changes. These changes will
eventually cause cracking in the pond and
necessitate repair or removal. This is a much
less significant concern in warmer climates.
Pre-Form ponds are an option for small ponds,
but often times can be troublesome due to
climate and durability issues. Some can
literally pop out of their hole with specific
climate circumstances. Also they are limited in
size, shape, and options. We prefer to have
marginal shelves in our ponds, which many of the
pre-form ponds do not offer. Another
consideration is limited size the of most
pre-forms. When water temperatures fluxuate
rapidly, which is more common in a smaller
feature, significant fish-kill is more
prevalent. With smaller features, pre-form or
not, you would be advised to take your fish
inside during the winter. This lack of size
also often leads to much more difficult upkeep
and algae problems. But if you have limited
space, budget, or other circumstances, a
pre-form can serve your purpose adequately.
We are most comfortable with flexible liner (45
mil EPDM) due to its relative durability and
ease of installation. Some type of underlayment
is suggested, especially in rougher or rocky
soil, to avoid hole and tears. Some suggest
almost any material could be used, even
including newspaper and old carpet padding.
This is often functional, but you must remember
that this underlay will be exposed to moisture
and other elements, and newspaper will degrade
and padding can become rather unpleasant if too
much moisture is introduced.
Also we prefer to stay away from the 'kit' style
packages found at many large chains and home
improvement stores. While these are
serviceable, do you really want to have a
cookie-cutter pond that limits your creativity
and looks like everybody else's pond? Make your
pond yours and feel free to take chances in your
design.
If you decide to buy your own liner make sure
that it is fish-safe. We are yet to have any
problems with AnJon liners and
Firestone is often considered the 'Cadillac'
of pond liners. If you have used liner that is
not fish-safe you may want to consider removing
it, but it is not always necessary. Even if it
has not produced significant fish-kill, it can
take a few seasons for enough chemicals to leach
out and become lethal.
Q:
How large should
I make my pond?
A:
This is one of the
hardest question to answer. First of all you
need to know what area you are working with, if
the pond does not fit comfortably into your
designated area it will not look right. And
with that being said, I would suggest making it
as large as possible to fit your area.
In my experience there are two types of pond
owners...Ex-pond owners and people who keep
adding. We are the latter, starting with a
relatively large pond and adding two more within
six years. I have to admit, most Ex-pond owners
are often the ones who decided to rock their
pond, creating more maintenance than they are
willing to do. Most people we have met through
pond clubs and forums have started with a small
pre-form or flexible liner. These people than
either add on to their flexible liner or remove
their pre-form and build new. Whether going in
the trash or being replace by a larger flexible
lined pond, this is the main reason why I prefer
flexible liner over a pre-form.
Don't be afraid to build large, unless you want
to take a trial first step with a pre-form. As
I said, many times pond owners who start small
just end up expanding. If you want a "one and
done" pond, I suggest building large.
Also if you are still
not sure you even want a pre-form, but like the
sights and sounds of running water, check out
our disappearing fountains,
pondless waterfalls,
or bubbling rocks.
These are great alternatives to a pond, bringing
the audio and visual pleasures of a pond with
limited to no algae problems or maintenance.
Q:
What should I do
over the winter in a cold climate?
A:
One concern is whether to
turn off the filtration system and/or
waterfall. It is not necessary to disconnect
and remove your pump over the winter. But
saying this, it is the safest. Removing your
pump and other winter maintenance is a
significant amount of work, but it does make the
least work during the winter. If you like to
have your pump and waterfall running all season
you must make sure that the skimmer, or other
pump container, does not ice over. This leads
to the pump freezing or drying out and burning
itself out, either way, you need a new pump. If
you are willing to keep a close eye on your
waterfall all through the winter feel free to
leave it running. But if you take any trips or
extended vacations you would be wise to remove
the pump, or arrange for someone else to keep an
eye on your pond.
Important note! Always
make sure that there is water flowing or a hole
in the ice over the fall and winter season. You
may not have to feed your fish over the winter,
but they still have to breath. If the pond is
frozen over for a significant amount of time the
fish may asphyxiate, due to lack of gas
exchange.
Also, if your pond does freeze over do
NOT break the ice. Use
boiling water to melt the ice. Due to the
near-hibernation state that your fish are in
over the winter, the shockwaves from a hammer
hitting the ice can put them in shock and lessen
their chance of making it through the winter
healthy, and even kill them.
Q:
Koi & Goldfish Health
A:
This is a topic that is
way to deep to even attempt to cover in this
section. We have a great resource on our
Links page and I suggest checking out
koivet.com. Just a couple of signals that you
should be concerned about are: flashing
(scraping on surfaces), milky appearance, sores
or abrasions on sides, specks and
discolorations, gasping at surface, sluggish and
'closed' fins, bulging eyes, and jaw
degradation.
Q:
I'm intimidated with all the information out
there. Can I do this myself?
A:
Yes you can definitely do
this on your own. It is not as simple as
digging a hole and covering it with a tarp, but
with a little consultation from Pondibilities
you can do this on your own and avoid common
problems. Check out the
Common DIY Mistakes
link and you can avoid most on your own. Even
if you do not talk to us, we highly suggest
talking to a local professional. Someone that
specializes in water features and has
experience. If ponds / water falls are sixth on
their list of 'specialties', sorry it isn't
their specialty. We have seen beautiful and
well designed DIY water features, just get your
research taken care of and talk to a pro first.
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