How To Ensure Clean Clear Healthy Water In Your Garden Pond
My friend Peter J May, one of the UKs top water gardening landscapers puts it best. He says "To have the sight and sound of water near them in a garden has been an almost instinctive urge to people of all cultures in all ages. Now as then, the beauty of reflection, the relaxing sound of moving water and the life that it attracts make the water garden as desirable to many people as a lawn or patio. "What a beautiful description yet so many water features and fish ponds do not achieve this goal". Let me explain why .
When a water feature is installed and especially when goldfish or koi are placed into a pond a cycle of events takes place briefly described and simplified as follows .
The fish are fed and the waste products are released by natural metabolic processes. These waste products are essentially ammonia and if allowed to build up the ammonia reaches levels that are poisonous to the fish and the fish die.
Do you remember that lone goldfish in a goldfish bowl when you were a kid? The fish lasted about a week then died. Yet goldfish are capable of living for many years.
Well the fish died from poisoning itself.
In a pond environment it is absolutely essential to install 2 things.
A pump to circulate water containing life-giving oxygen to the fish and to the bacteria that purify the water .... Go here to select the correct pump for your own pond or waterfall A biofilter in which bacteria grow and thus provide a mechanism for purifying the water similar to what happens in a natural pond. These bacteria convert the ammonia to nitrate fertilisers that can be used by pond plants .... UV & bio filters ... Clean and clear water pond reviews
The pump must circulate water through the biofilter 24 hours per day or the bacteria will die from lack of oxygen. You can build your own biofilter for a small garden pond up to 1,000 litres very simply and cheaply using Alfagrog or you can buy one for about R300 if you choose wisely.
In South Africa virtually all fish ponds go green in summer owing to large concentrations of suspended algae forming in high sunlight, warm water conditions.
The only effective way to keep a fish pond crystal clear is to install many plants and in most cases even with planted ponds to use an ultra violet light that kills the algae which are then removed in the biofilter. Below is a picture of a combined biofilter and Ultra Violet light (UV for short)
Read
about these UV and bio filter combo units by clicking below. These are
the best and lowest cost in the opinion of myself
UV & bio filters ... Clean and clear water pond reviews
Golden rules of fish pond keeping
1. Pump water into biofilter 24 hours per day
2. Do not overfeed your fish
3. For crystal clear water all year round buy an UV light ... normally buying UV and pond filter combo is best and cheapest route to go ... see above
Do these three things and you will achieve Peter J Mays vision.
To learn a great deal about pond keeping and get a free book go to http://www.practical-water-gardens.com subscribe to the newsletter and you will be provided with link to a free introductory 25 page book about pond keeping that you will be able to download immediately.