Water Features and Garden fish pond tips, ideas, solutions
Testing pond water. This is straight forward and is done by using special kits. Look out for expiry dates since chemicals used for testing are sensitive to time. Do not get carried away with the test results. After all they are indications only. The good reason for testing is to check stability or consistency and not absolute values. If your fish and plants are thriving and your pH for example is consistently on high side .......... so what? When you see a definite change then start testing.
Water has a maximum density at 4 degrees centigrade, about 39 degrees Fahrenheit so when a pond has a frozen surface the water at the bottom of the pond is normally at this temperature. Only in extremes of climate or in very shallow ponds therefore does a pond completely freeze solid. Koi will normally stop feeding around 8 degrees centigrade, 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Plants and algae in a pond compete for the available nutrients in the form of phosphorous and nitrogen containing chemicals. It follows that the more pond plants there are then the greater the probability of reducing algae blooms. Old well planted stable ponds as a result tend to suffer less from algae problems than newly created young ponds.
It is a good idea to pump out about 10% of your pond water every month or even weekly if you have lots of fish and replenish with tap water. The reason is that nitrate levels slowly build up and can reach a level that is too high for the pond. The easiest way to arrange this is to place a valve and "Y" or "T" piece into the pump line then all you need to do is connect a temporary pipe to the valve and lead the pipe to a spot in your garden - pond water makes for a good garden fertiliser.
Always spray water onto the pond surface when filling with fresh tap water ... any chlorine in the tap water will then be reduced.
continued water features garden fish ponds tips
How To Choose Fish Pond Bio Filters Get Clear Ponds How To Select Garden Pond & Waterfall Pump
Large Pond Filter Review Aquabead Filters for Koi Ponds
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