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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's surprising that Robin Leach of “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous” has not titled one of his episodes “Ponds of the Rich & Famous”, especially since Robin Leach enjoys his own koi pond in the gardens of his mansion on a remote island in the Caribbean. Many celebrities have koi ponds or water gardens but finding out about them is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I was, however, able to come across a few interesting and somewhat surprising tidbits — enough information to leave us all wanting more.

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.

Certain biological processes must occur before a pond is fully seeded and balanced. Nitrifying bacteria must be present and working in the pond’s ecosystem before the pond can promote a healthy environment for aquatic life. New ponds will have none of those necessary biological processes in place. This creates a “New Pond Syndrome” that can be frustrating if the new pond owner is not equipped with knowledge on how to deal with it. Giving the pond time to develop these processes is the most important step and there are things that we can do to hasten the development.

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.

If it’s spring and the water has just warmed up the first thing that comes to my mind is that your fish have been doing the “wild thing” in your pond. They’ve been spawning. Fish usually prefer to rendezvous at daybreak or at dusk so if the foam sighting is just after these hours that’s a good sign that all is well. Another indicator is if the fish have been wallowing in the plants or if several fish seem to be chasing one. If this is the case the foam you see is actually fish sperm. Lovely mental picture — isn’t it?

Now that spring is just around the corner it’s time to begin the loving task of opening up the pond. The transition of winter to spring can be tricky for the fish. Parasites and anaerobic (bad) bacteria thrive in cool waters before the fish have had time to build up their immunity. Aerobic (good nitrifying) bacteria take their time to establish in the biological filter so we run the risk of deadly ammonia and nitrite build-up in the pond during this time of year.

Springtime is the most critical time of the year for fish in the pond. As water temperatures rise it puts our fish in the danger zone also referred to as Aeromonas Alley. The danger zone is water temperatures between 50° and 65°. In many states during the winter the water temperature drops below 50° which kills all the bacteria (good and bad) and most parasites become inactive. Fish do not eat at these temperatures and the pond goes into a period of dormancy. Here in Georgia, however, spring's warmer daytime temperatures starts raising the water temperature but we still have cool nights.

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.

Four score and seven years ago our forefathers knew nothing about ponds or filtration. In fact, the early pioneers of the ornamental pond and koi-keeping hobbies were taxed to find methods to keep their water clean and clear and their prized fish healthy. Even now, with all our modern technology, we still find it difficult to create and maintain a healthy, clean pond environment. What we have learned is that it takes filtration - and lots of it!