Building a Pond

Springtime is almost here, and it’s time to get the yard ready for some fun in the sun! This usually means cleaning up several months’ worth of debris, and it’s often hard to decide where to start. Most homeowners begin by raking leaves and mowing the lawn, and then focusing on the areas where heavy debris accumulates. If you have an outdoor koi pond or water feature, you already know that you have your work cut out for you every spring. Even a covered pond can collect a lot of debris and sludge over the winter!

A pond as part of your home's outdoor ambiance is a beautiful featured addition that provides times of peace, relaxation and tranquility. However there are special needs and possible seasonal occurrences that are typical for most outdoor fish ponds one should be mindful of. As temperatures dip a freeze is probable over your pond and there is partial protection nature invokes; the pond experiences a state of suspended animation of sorts. At best a small pond heater is a great idea to protect your outdoor space adequately.

It all depends. Do you have fish? If you do, are there any places on the surface of the pond that are completely still. If so, you need more. Do your fish hang out at the water return? If yes, you need more. Fish require oxygen in the water to breath. If the oxygen is depleted, the fish simply smother.

Incorporation of the element of water into residential landscaping is not a new idea. Ancient fountains were found in the ruins of Pompeii and one only has to witness the extravagantly crafted fountains of Versailles to realize the importance 17th-century France placed on water in the garden. Perhaps ancient Oriental cultures were the first to use the element of water in landscape design. The roots to our modern koi ponds are richly imbedded in Japan while the roots of our water gardens are probably more from Europe and more specifically the United Kingdom. It was in these areas of the world where the first cases of Pond Fever were reported.

I know of people who feed their pond fish catfish food and even dog food. They smile and tell me how cheap these foods are and that their fish do just fine with them. This may be true — for a while. Eventually, however, the "cheap" ingredients in these foods will cause the fish to become obese and die.

Most folks are going to grab whatever is handiest and cheapest for the fish in their ponds. Little thought is given to what kind of food it is and for what purpose. The fact is ornamental pond fish really DO NEED to be fed because Mother Nature cannot supply worms through rubber liners. We, at Pond Doc’s, DO look at the label and size up just what the food does for the fish. Some brands are extremely poor quality and build fat on the fish. Yes, fish suffer from obesity just like humans do! Others are on the other end of the spectrum, supplying the equivalent of our steaks and caviar.

It’s been our experience that once a pump goes on the blink it becomes extra weight in the trashcan. There’s very little middle ground. They either pump up a storm or they hum with no water flow at all. You’ll also notice that pumps go out on you at the worst possible moment. You may have a dinner party planned or it’s prom night and the waterfall is the backdrop for the pictures you plan to take. The pump may decide to go out just as you begin your PP treatment. But before we get too carried away and start shopping for a new one it’s worth a try to see if it’s only a matter of a good cleaning.

A few days after one of the many torrential rainfalls we experienced this spring a customer called me for help with her leaking pond. “You must get out here quick,” she said. “The pond is going down every day. Pretty soon my fish will have no water at all!”

Just because something is cheap does not mean you’ll save money. This is true with everything in life and is especially true when it comes to ponds. The words “price” and “cost” have two different meanings. The price is what you pay at the time you purchase an item. The cost is what you end up paying over the life of the product. Something that is low priced may end up costing you more after only a year or two.

It’s no secret that we prefer liners to preformed shells. We’ll order them if you insist but we won’t clutter our store with something we don’t believe in. If I’ve steered you away from purchasing that seemingly “easy to install” preformed pond shell — good! Now you need to decide what kind of liner to install. We have our preferences on that too!