Pond Help Articles-South Jersey|Camden|Burlington|NJ - Landvista Aquascapes

Fall Pond Service and Netting

10/25/2017

It's a beautiful time of the year when the leaves are beginning to fall. But did you know that keeping leaves out of your pond is an important preventative in keeping your fish healthy thru the winter? Landvista Aquascapes services the South Jersey area to help you take care of your treasured gems of the pond. Call us today for your netting supplies or to schedule this service.

What occurs during a fall pond service and netting:

Perform full spectrum of water tests
Remove fallen leaves and debris from in/around pond
Clean on/between/under the rocks
Remove dead foliage from marginals
Trim lilies to 6” below surface
Clean out skimmer
Clean & inspect pump
Drain & clean BioFalls/filter parts
Inspect/adjust waterfall lights
Scrub algae from waterfall rocks
Add prescribed water treatments
Install aerators
Install tent-frame for netting
Secure netting over frame

Note: I took the ‘Before’ picture after having already blown the leaves off the edge rocks and the surrounding planting beds, making my ‘before’ photos a bit less dramatic in these photos than it was in person.

Controlling String Algae in your Pond

6/20/2017

June is the time of year when pond owners often call us up with questions or concerns about the string algae growing in their water feature. It can show up seemingly overnight, and without a solid plan of action, controlling it can become a regular chore. Fortunately, there are several proven measures you can take to combat the stuff, and there are quite a few products available that are designed to assist with that task. The main problem then seems to be a lack of education on how to use those products, and a misunderstanding of what causes string algae and the role it plays in an aquatic ecosystem.

Click 'Read More' down on the right to learn how the pros deal with string algae...

Spring Cleaning A Backyard Pond in South Jersey

5/9/2017

Springtime is when we start spending more time outdoors, and for water feature owners, this means you are probably looking at dark water full of the past season's leaves and muck. This is the best time for a little maintenance on your pond or waterfall. An annual spring cleaning not only beautifies your water feature, it can also prevent problems from arising later in the season. For those of you who are the hands-on type, read on for tips on a successful pond clean-out.

If you're in the South Jersey area and would like to leave it to the professionals, pick up the phone, and call the preferred team of local pond experts: Landvista Aquascapes at 856-768-9404.

If you don't live in SJ, but still want a professional to take of your pond, click here to find your local Certified Aquascape Contractor.

Click 'Read more' down on the right to see the rest of the article.

Tips for spring pond maintenance

3/15/2017

Although you wouldn't know it by looking out the window, we are merely five days from the start of Spring. This means it is nearly time to do some annual pond cleaning. Even if your pond was just cleaned last year, leaves and debris have probably been falling in throughout the winter and decaying into muck on the bottom. Performing a spring cleaning can help prevent future problems from arising throughout the pond season. Some pond enthusiasts are happy to handle their own maintenance, but you can always hire a professional to take care of it. For our neighbors in the Camden/Burlington/Gloucester area, Landvista Aquascapes has a team of pond experts that are trained by the best in the world to properly care for your ponds and water features.

Click 'Read more' down on the right to see the full article..

How much should I be feeding my koi?

1/24/2017

For koi living in South Jersey, the feeding months run from roughly mid-April through mid-October. This is the time of the year when the pond water is over 55-degrees, and koi metabolisms are actively digesting food. The first few weeks you should only feed them a small amount once every other day. When water becomes warmer than 65-degrees you can begin feeding them every day. Knowing how much food to give the fish per session is easy, just give them whatever they will eat within five minutes. One feeding per day is enough. In fact, don't do multiple feedings per day until June or when the water is safely into the 70's.

It is better to underfeed than to overfeed. Koi are foragers, and in an ecosystem pond there will naturally be lots of stuff for your fish to eat among the plants and rocks. To keep the system in balance, a good rule of thumb is to stay at 3" of fish for every 100 gallons of water in the pond. Adhering to this rule will ensure that you don't have more fish waste being created than the filtration can process.

If you would like to learn more about feeding koi, I suggest reading the following page by our go-to fish expert, Dr. Erik Johnson. He has written a very thorough article all about koi food, koi eating habits and recommended feeding practices.

Everything you need to know about feeding koi, by Dr. Erik Johnson.

Are the water temps too cold to be transporting fish in December?

11/29/2016

When it comes to transporting and relocating fish in late autumn/early winter, a few people have asked us if it would be better to wait until spring when the water is warmer. The assumption being that as the temperature drops, fish become relatively inactive and their immune systems become suppressed, thus the added stress of a relocation would be bad for their health.

Click 'Read more' down on the right to see the full article...

How do koi survive under the ice?

9/29/2016

Running a fountain in the winter can create amazing and continuously-evolving ice sculptures on your pond!

As you probably know, winters here in NJ can get pretty cold. While you're inside feeling warm and cozy by the fire, you may glance out the window and wonder how your fish are doing out there in that frosty pond. Will they freeze? Do they have food? Are they bored?

This article should answer your questions and ease your mind. Fish are pretty easy to care for in the winter. Being cold-blooded, their activity level drops along with their metabolisms. During the cold season, they'll spend most of their time resting safely at the bottom of the pond where the water is warmest. The only things they're counting on you to do is ensure their pond stays oxygenated and doesn't completely freeze over. Some ice is fine, it adds a new dimension to the pond that will evolve throughout the season. You just have to keep a small hole open in the ice so unwanted gasses can escape the water.

The problem with the entire pond freezing over is that the gasses released by decomposing organic matter at the bottom of the pond then have no way to escape the pond, which leads to toxic levels of these gasses building up in the pond. Fortunately, preventing that from happening is as simple as maintaining a hole in the ice. This can easily be accomplished with the proper application of heat and aeration.

Click 'Read more' down at the right to see the rest of the article...

How to keep your ecosystem pond healthy during the Dog Days of Summer

8/12/2016

Here in NJ, the Mid-August weather can become quite oppressive. Before you go jumping in the pool or hiding out in air conditioning, take a few minutes to consider how this heat may affect your pond and the creatures that live there.

When air temperatures reach into the mid-90's and beyond, water temperatures are not far behind, and this can have a major impact on the health of your pond. The first changes you will probably notice in your pond during the dog days of summer are a decreased water level and increased amounts of algae. The drop in your pond's water level is due to high evaporation rates, and there's not much you can do about it besides providing more shade and adding cool, fresh water.
(Note: If you are adding/replacing more than 20% of the total water volume to the pond, you will need to add de-chlorinator to the water to neutralize the chlorine in your tap water. You can buy a kit to test chlorine levels here.)

Click 'Read more' down on the right to see the full article...

What to do for your pond fish over the winter

5/10/2016

Fish are easy in the winter. Being cold-blooded, they don't have many needs when it gets cold; they'll spend most of their time resting safely at the bottom of the pond where the water is warmest. Their activity, like their metabolism, drops to extremely low levels. All they really need from you is to ensure their pond isn't choked off with ice. Some ice is fine, it gives a nice seasonal change in appearance to the pond. It just can't be all ice. Achieving this is easily accomplished with the proper application of heat and aeration.

Click 'Read more' down on the right to see the full article...

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