Delivery Timer

This Delivery Timer indicates the next time our orders will be fulfilled and shipped.

Pond Decoration & Maintenance Tips

Pond Decoration & Maintenance Tips are vital to pond keepers and water gardeners.  Maintaining your pond can be an enjoyable part of pond management. A small investment in the right tools will help to simplify your efforts, while saving valuable time and minimizing potential setbacks we have added some useful information to aid pond keepers and water gardener’s alike.

Useful Pond Decoration & Maintenance Tips:

• If your pond has foam filters to trap dirt and fish waste going through the filter, always wash these out with water from the pond, so not to kill beneficial bacteria.
• Be sure to prune and cut back aquatic plants to prevent debris from entering your water garden pond.
• Invest in a fish feeding ring to keep all pond food in one place and stop it from going into the skimmer if one is needed.
• If your fish have not entirely eaten the food you placed in the pond within 5 minutes, could cause water quality issues, due to overfeeding.
• A good pond skimmer is essential to remove floating debris like leaves and uneaten food.
• A low hanging fixed net, placed over the ponds water surface is an effective means, to keeping out certain predators, and unsightly debris.

Decoration items are widely available. We stock a large selection of solar water lilies, floating ducks and swans that add interest and protection to the pond.

Check out our Facebook page for latest news and information.

Pond Plants & Fish

Adding Pond Plants & Fish to a pond can be an exciting experience for the pond keeper, but needs to be carefully managed not to affect the overall pond ecosystem.

Before you buy any fish, the following should be taken into account:

Water quality has been checked and nitrate and ammonia are under control.

When adding new fish, float the transport bag in the pond for 15 minutes to allow the water temperatures to equalize, slowly mix the water in the bag with the pond water, to release the fish slowly.

Pond fish are mainly from the carp family and will live happily together, Koi carp are brighter in many different colors and will grow quite large. When adding other species like sturgeon or pike, seek advice from where you purchase your fish.

Plants make a pond look more natural and are a great habitat for beneficial insects and amphibians. There are three types of popular plants for ponds:

Marginals that sit on the margins on the ponds on shallow shelves (remember to add shelves that will accommodate these plants in the pond design.)

Lilies and Rushes which cover and add shade to the pond.

Floating plants like water hyacinth and water lilies. Check your local municipal laws regarding pond vegetation. Some water plants are illegal in certain areas.

All plants should be in an aquatic pond plant basket, so that the roots can be contained and the soil does not leech out.

For adding Pond Plants & Fish – check out pondh2o.com for some great choices!

Pond Water Chemistry

Knowing about your water garden koi fish pond water chemistry is essential to a Happy & Healthy pond. However, several variables influence water quality for plants, flowers, fish and aquatic life including water temperature, nitrates and pH, carbon dioxide, alkalinity and hardness. Additionally, water quality can be affected by the interaction of these factors and others.

When you initially setup your koi fish pond and fill with water, there is no natural bacteria available to digest fish waste and ammonia omitted from the fish’s gills. There are a number of bacteria additives that you can introduce. Using these additives will speed up the balancing procedures of your pond. Over a period of weeks the pond will go through the nitrogen cycle. The first issue to be aware of is a potential rise in nitrates (NO2), if this happens, stop feeding and do a partial water change.

Rising NO2 levels are toxic to aquatic life. Causing fish to become sedentary and lethargic ultimately killing your prized koi pond. The bacteria additive will turn the NO2 into NO3, which are far less harmful to fish, and extremely beneficial to aquatic plant life.  A single cell algae will bloom as green pea soup. At this point the pond is becoming balanced, and adding an algaecide or bacteria will help balance the water in your pond.

The best advice anyone could give regarding your pond water chemistry and about the nitrogen cycle is arm yourself with a water test kit so you are fully aware of what your pond water is doing. Proper cleaning, testing and maintenance will keep your water garden pond water within range to eliminate water problems.

Installing Pond Liner, Getting a Koi Fish Garden Pond Started

Installing Pond Liner

Installing Pond Liner first step is to cover the bottom of your pond with 1″ (2.5cm) of soft sand to protect the liner from sharp stones. If not too steep, cover flat shelves and the sides or remember to use underlay in these areas.  Put your underlay in. This is usually in sheets or on a roll, it doesn’t have to be in one piece, you can just overlap the pieces a bit. A quick tip for handling your underlay is to wet it slightly to prevent it from blowing away. Ensuring to cover the sides & walls with the underlay.

Now lay the liner in loosely directly on top of the underlay. Quick tip to unfold your liner completely and lay in the sun to smooth out any creases, usually 15 – 30 minutes.  Take off your footwear as to not damage the liner when you need to enter the area to fold all the corners and flatten into shape. You do not want any lumps or bulges as they will be unsightly in a full pond. Use smooth rocks to help keep the liner in place.  Making sure to have enough extra liner for the edges.

Finishing the Installation of your Pond

Fill slowly with a hose, making sure all creases/folds are tidy.  As the water level rises the liner will start to crease and fold, its important to make any adjustments needed while the pond is filling.   The weight of the water will secure the liner in place.  Do not fill to the surface as you may need to cut flaps into shape and cap area with stone, edging etc. There are many products available to edge and cap off your pond.  Installing pond liner does not have to be a difficult project.

Check out our wide variety of Underlays and Pond Liners.   As always, remember to check our Facebook page for coupons and news.

How to Dig a Pond

Getting your pond going is more than how to dig a pond!

LAYOUT THE SHAPE Use a hose or rope to make the shape you require on the ground
surface.

Using this formula: Length x 2 + Width x 2 + Depth x 2 + Overlap x 2 to work out maximum size of your pond. Remember to keep within the size of your liner.

Depth: Depending on your location make the pond at least 18” (46cm) deep, 24-36” (61-91cm) is preferred in colder winter regions.

DIGGING THE HOLE to your shape, remember to leave shelves if you are putting plants in. The depth of the shelves will be dependent on the type of plants you intend to add. Check the plant tag for the correct application.

Make the sides vertical where possible to keep the pond volume high. One option is to add building sand to the bottom and sides of the pond surface, before installing the Pond Underlay to protect liner from damage. Be sure there are no sharp stones or tree roots in the pond walls.

Call 811 from anywhere in the country a few days prior to digging, and your call will be routed to your local one call center. Tell the operator where you’re planning to dig . Your affected local utility companies will be notified about your intent to dig and will send locators to your dig site to mark the approximate location of buried lines with flags or paint.

Choosing a Location for your Pond

Choosing a location for your pond takes some careful consideration. Read our tips below to make sure you pick the perfect place in your garden.

1. Install your pond on level ground with good drainage.
2. Plan the most direct line possible between the house and pond if you will be needing electrical wiring for pond pumps or filters for example.
3. Contact your local municipality to determine if a permit is required.
4. Make sure the site isn’t directly over any underground pipes, cables, wires, sprinklers or septic systems!
5. Being near an outdoor faucet so you can add water to the pond from a garden hose would be very helpful.
6. The more sunlight the pond gets each day, the more choices of water plants you have. If adding fish to your pond, a balance of sun with some shade during the hottest part of the day is best. Try adding water lilies or lotus pads, reeds, shrubs and grasses as additional shade options.
7. Avoid choosing a location for your pond near large trees or in open windy areas. Falling leaves and needles contaminate the water and collect on the bottom of the pond.

You’ll find many products for your pond within our online pond supply store. Read more on our blog on How to Dig a Pond https://www.pondh2o.com/2019/07/03/how-to-dig-a-pond/ and Installing a Pond Liner https://www.pondh2o.com/2019/07/03/installing-pond-liner/.

Call 811 from anywhere in the country a few days prior to digging, and your call will be routed to your local one call center. Tell the operator where you’re planning to dig . Your affected local utility companies will be notified about your intent to dig and will send locators to your dig site to mark the approximate location of buried lines with flags or paint.