A backyard pond is a lovely thing to enjoy, especially when it is full of colorful koi fish. Watching them swim around your pond is one of the best parts of having a pond. In order to admire the fish, however, it is important to have good water clarity. We get a lot of calls from people who are unhappy with the green water in their pond. Fortunately, we are very familiar with this and have learned how to efficiently deal with it.
As we've said elsewhere, the easiest way to avoid green water is to set up your pond correctly from the start. To see what we mean by that, read this article. If you are well-beyond the initial set up, read below for some tips on what you can do today to clarify the water in your pond. Before we begin making adjustments to our pond, we must first determine the cause of the green water. It could either be single-celled algae, or it could be tiny particulates (dead string/carpet algae) suspended in the water. (This part is very important) Take a sample of the pond water in a clear container and place it against a white background:
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Using Wetland Filtration on Your Backyard Pond Does your pond have sparkling clear water? If so, does it require a lot of effort to keep it that way? Thanks to the benefits of a properly-built wetland filter, it doesn’t have to! What is a wetland filter? A wetlands filter is an advanced form of natural filtration. Think of it as a big hungry sponge that feeds on the waste from fish and plants. Like a sponge, it is porous, allowing water to slowly pass through. Like a sea-sponge, it is alive, and it literally has an appetite for the stuff that clouds your pond water. Unlike a sponge, a wetlands is a complete ecosystem, populated by of trillions of individual bacteria, and usually, a handful of plants and invertebrates. These organisms colonize on the bottom of the pond and feed on particulates suspended in the water. When you look at an established wetland in a backyard pond, it just looks like a shallow area with slow-moving water over fine gravel. Maybe there’s some grasses or thalia plants growing there. What you won’t see, however, is what’s going on beneath the surface that allows it to clean your water so efficiently. Click 'Read More' down on the right to see the full article When it comes to trees and ponds, one of the most commonly associated species is the weeping willow. Its scientific name, Salix babylonica, might suggest a Middle Eastern origin, but it actually comes from near-tropical parts of Northern China. Today, the weeping willow can be found growing all across America, and in many other countries as well. They have long, slender and wispy branches that are densely covered with thin, flat leaves. They get their common name, 'Weeping Willow', from the sound rain makes as it drips off the tree's many leaves, as if the tree is crying.
These trees love water, and they have very thirsty roots. It is for this reason that they are so strongly associated with ponds and are often found growing near bodies of water. As a non-native species, it is quite possible that many weeping willows you have seen were deliberately planted, rather than propagating through natural means. They can be quite useful when it comes to strengthening shorelines, as their roots form extensive networks and may seem drawn to water like a magnet. This can help hold a sandy lakeside together and prevent it from being washed away into the water during storms. Click 'Read More' down to the right to see the full article... Our job at Landvista Aquascapes is to enhance your living space - be it installing a relaxing waterfall or revamping your landscaping to create a relaxing retreat - we’re called in to make things pretty. Of course, that also means that we need to actually spend time in your space while we do that: in an effort to make that process as easy on you as possible, we thought we’d outline the steps taken once you contact us.
*** Steps described in detail below ***
![]() Don’t panic. Before you go taking things apart looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, there are a few relatively simple causes to rule out. Evaporation. This is the first thing to consider. The average rate of evaporation for a pond in South Jersey is approximately 1“ to 2“ per week. This will vary depending on the size of your pond, the temperature and humidity, the amount of sunlight it gets, and the extent of any waterfalls or streams you may have. Water evaporates faster when it has increased surface exposure across stream rocks and splashing falls. If you have a small 6‘ pond with a long stream or high waterfall it will drop much quicker than would a 25' pond with the same stream and waterfall. If you are experiencing water loss at a rate of multiple inches per day, then we can safely rule out evaporation as the cause. (Unless you are in the desert, we have heard of ponds in Phoenix that will have 3" of evaporation per day in the middle of summer.) Click 'Read more' down on the right to see the full article... Have you inherited a fish pond with your new house? Here’s what you need to know, and what you need to do, to get the most enjoyment out of it.
The first thing to do is learn about your pond:
Click 'Read more' down on the right to see the full article... |
AuthorLandvista Aquascapes provides Pond & Water Feature Design, Installation & Maintenance -Repair services for South New Jersey Homeowners Archives
June 2019
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