Maintain crystal clear water with biofilters.
Vol: 316 Date: Jul 6 03
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Contents
1. Back to basics part 1
2. Back to basics part 2
3. Admin Section
1. Back to basics part 1 ...
When a person builds a pond it is to achieve the vision of crystal clear water. The vision normally includes a pond full of colourful fish and attractive aquatic plants. Often the reality of a pond is something quite different ... a green smelly hole in the ground. This need not be the case. This article identifies the really important factors that will result in a beautiful pond, something to be proud of and which the family can enjoy. Something to add value to your home and lifestyle.
Before you dig the hole do understand that if you intend to keep fish then a biofilter must be installed. A biofilter can be a fairly simple box shaped container with a suitable biomedia inside it onto which bacteria can accumulate so that they can do the job of purifying the pond water day in and day out.
The job of the biofilter is to purify the water first and foremost. Fish excrete ammonia which if allowed to build up results in the fish poisoning themselves ..... remember those goldfish in the bowl which lasted about a week ... they died because there was no biofilter to purify the water. The fish poisoned themselves to death in simple terms.
The biofilter's secondary job is to remove solids. Many people believe its job is to remove solids as its most important function ... not so.
The best biofilter medium by far for conventional box-type biofilters is Alfagrog, a porous ceramic medium specially made for purifying fish ponds. Many people use plastic tubes, hair curlers, plastic coke bottle tops and the like. Be aware that these media need to be used in quite large quantities to be effective at holding sufficient bacteria to ensure clean (biologically speaking) water. You will need 40 times the volume of plastic tubes as Alfagrog to achieve the same biofilter capacity.
If you want to save money and reduce dramatically the risk of pond infections and fish disease do NOT use a sand filter for a pond. They are great for swimming pools, and bad for ponds.
If you want to ensure your pond always stays crystal clear then an ultraviolet light must also be installed since without this the risk of a pea-soup coloured water developing is great. Fish and biofilter bacteria need large amounts of oxygen to survive so a reliable pond pump which will operate 24 hours per day every day must be obtained. A biofilter even the very best (vortex type biofilters are the best but are difficult to install and are only necessary on large sophisticated koi ponds)
Once upon a time all ponds were concrete. Today unless you wish to have a very large or special pond concrete is NOT the material to use. It is simpler, cheaper, better and quicker to use pre-formed ponds ideally made from fiberglass in natural rock finishes with matching waterfalls or streams. If you want a pond whose volume is larger than about 500 litres then it is best and most economical to use a black plastic liner designed specifically for pond building.
So you can already see that a pond is not just a hole in the ground you casually dig one day and then hope it will add value to your life. Without care and knowledge that hole in the ground will cost an arm and a leg and will not please you. Unless you go out of your way to learn the really important parts of pond keeping then do not even dig the hole......... it will not be worth it. Spend a little to learn and SAVE a lot ... click here
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2. Back to basics part 2 ..
1. Avoiding Problems and Hassles
When you have finished reading this article and if you are still not sure or would like some re-assurance ask someone who can provide the information and will give you sensible advice.
If the advice is sound and makes sense and can be backed up by example or published information then it is probably good advice. However if something does not make good sense to you; if it is too general, like a biofilter must be 20% of the pond's volume for example, then maybe seek further advice and certainly probe the advice given. A bad installation is expensive to fix.
2. Some general tips to start off with
Problems can show themselves in many forms but the most obvious and frequently encountered is the dirty water pond.
Unless you are prepared to install a biological filter I would strongly advise you to reconsider your intention to build a pond. Without a biofilter you will be almost certainly be disappointed with your pond and it will be a source of annoyance rather than a pleasure. I promise you that you will install one sooner or later. Do yourself a very big favour and do it in the beginning. Pond keeping is about enjoyment. It is not about hassles and disappointments.
4. The pond pump is the heart of a pond system
Do not buy a pump until you know how to select the right one. The chances are you will get poor advice from many retailers and be sold a pump which is totally unsatisfactory because some retailers themselves do not fully understand what they are selling. The cheapest pump to buy is often the most expensive to run especially with regard to larger capacity pumps and running costs can be very high.
Every unit of electricity consumed by your pump will cost at least 25 cents if you live in South Africa. Pumps should have at least a 2 years guarantee and for ponds must have 10 metre cable lengths and 3-core cable at that. It is illegal in South Africa to sell a pump with less than 10 metres of 3 core cable for outdoor application.
If you want a fountain effect in your pond choose a pump that comes with a fountain attachment. They can be expensive to buy later. Such a fountain can only run well if the pump has a strainer device. This is normally a special open-celled plastic foam on the suction side of the pump. It prevents particles of dirt from blocking the fountain nozzles. It also is used to protect the pump's impellor. If you do not want a fountain in your pond then save yourself a tremendous amount of maintenance effort by buying a pump with an impeller that can run without the need for a strainer on the pump inlet. These pumps are sometimes called vortex pumps indicating the impeller can handle solids.
5. The only guaranteed way to avoid green water
Do seriously consider spending a bit extra on an Ultra Violet clarifier (UV for short). This keeps your pond from going green in summer. It will make a dramatic difference to your enjoyment of your pond and is the secret to crystal clear water. I am tempted to say that if you do not do this at the time of installing your pond you will wish you had done within 6 months.
6. Not too many fish
Do not overstock the pond with fish. For the gardener with a small pond of say 1,000 litres or less goldfish are ideal. They are hardier than koi, eat less than koi and so grow more slowly. They do not destroy plants as many koi will do. However do not let me put you off keeping koi. These fish really are wonderful and beautiful fish. Put less rather than more fish in your pond but we recognise this is difficult advice to follow especially when you have a beautiful, crystal clear pond and you have managed to breed some of your own fish.
7. Make it easy to maintain your filter, pump and UV
Do make access to the filter and UV easy. Use good quality pipe fittings. These will cost more but will repay the investment many times over when the time comes to maintain the filter or UV. When selecting hose keep the diameter as large as possible and minimise the hose length. Avoid piping that kinks and avoid bends and sharp corners because these can seriously effect the output from a pump. The ideal size pipe for most garden ponds of the sort we are discussing (up to about 5,000 litres ... say 3m x 2.5m 0.6 metre deep) is 25 mm internal diameter.
8. A waterfall is a source of oxygen for a pond
Unless you really enjoy landscaping and digging buy yourself a waterfall or stream made from glass fibre with a rocklike appearance. These are so realistic these days it makes no sense at all to me to go out and buy rocks and then engineer them into a waterfall using liners or concrete. A waterfall is a great way to introduce oxygen to the water which helps in the overall good health of the pond.
9. Very important ... feed high quality fish food
Do buy high quality food. It probably costs a bit more per packet but repays itself handsomely in water quality improvement and reduced filter maintenance. Your fish will also benefit far more from this food and odds are at the end of the year you will have spent less. If there is no information on the packet indicating contents and analysis DO NOT buy it. Aim for a minimum of 35% protein and ash content less than 8%. Water or moisture content should be 10% maximum.
10 Aquatic plants make a pond special
If you intend to put water plants in your pond and I highly recommend you do this then plant them in pots and in good quality soil without fertilisers and maybe a bit of bone-meal. Be aware that water lilies do not like turbulent water or splashing. Oxygenator plants are very good for any pond. Koi generally like to eat plants so protect them by using gravel on top of the of the soil after planting in the container.
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A bit about this Gazette .. How, Why?
Why? ......Water gardening is my business and it is ultimately in the company's interest to help as many people as I can all over the world so that the market prospers. I hope to also encourage others to follow my example by putting their knowledge on the web.
How? ... do I do it.
Well, the internet is a passion of mine. Over the years I have learned how to do almost everything myself and not rely upon any outside expensive 3rd party (I would just not be able to afford what I do if I had to rely upon outside designers and publishers). Now it is quick and easy for me to design effective web pages keep in touch with 000's of customers design "instant" catalogues create books manipulate images for the web summarize complete web sites in seconds prepare other useful data for mutual customer & supplier benefit, and help others to practically & successfully market themselves and their company using the internet all while I do my "day job" too.
I am not a web designer, nor a computer expert. However my web sites attract attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every month because they get found on search engine searches and they have useful content.
In response to queries I get and for anyone interested in web marketing the following are highly recommended resources to consider if you have a desire to effectively use the internet for the benefit of yourself, the community at large or your company.
Without access to tools like the "stuff" below I would not get all the visitors to my web sites nor would I be able to communicate so easily as I do with you. In fact I just would not be successful .. blimey I would not have even started. It is all very much easier than you think .... when you know how.
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