My friend Peter J May, one of the UK's 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.
1. A pump
to circulate
water
containing
life-giving
oxygen
to the
fish and
to the
bacteria
that purify
the water
s make
sure you
select
the correct
pump for
your own
pond or
waterfall
2. 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.
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
(250 gallons)
very simply
and cheaply
using
Alfagrog
(called
Supra
in the
USA) or
you can
buy one
for a
small
sum of
money
if you
choose
wisely.
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.
These
algae
(algae
are tiny
plants
that multiply
by photosynthesis)
are then
removed
in the
biofilter.
The simplest
equipment
to install
which
will guarantee
you crystal
clean
garden
ponds
are called
combo
filter/UV
units
... in
other
words
a combined
biofilter
and Ultra
Violet
light
(UV for
short)
all in
one to
make for
easy installation.
Golden
rules
of fish
pond keeping:
1. Pump
water
into biofilter
24 hours
per day
2. Do
not overfeed
your fish
and buy
the best
quality
fish food
you can
afford.
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
