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What Can I Do To Maintain My Pond This Season? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Your first season with your new pond can be an exciting and relatively hassle free endeavor, as long as you take the right precautions to maintain it properly. Lucky for you, you’ve come to the right place to learn exactly what you’ll need in order to successfully maintain your pond for the season.

My koi are moving really slowly, but scatter when I get close to the pond. Is that normal? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

When the water gets cold, koi fish get lazy. Okay. Maybe not lazy – but they slow down considerably as their bodies conserve energy to withstand colder temperatures. But despite their natural tendency to slow down in the off season, their survival instincts remain intact. Thus, when they sense motion from the outside world, they get nervous.

What if my pond has aeration and it still freezes over? Will my fish be okay? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q&A

The reasons for aeration during the winter months are largely the same as they are during warmer weather. The oxygen provided by aeration is vital to the health of fish – all year ‘round. In the winter, aeration does double duty, both by introducing sufficient oxygen to the water, and by preventing the formation of ice that could contain harmful gases produced by leaves and other decaying material on the pond’s bottom.

When should I switch my fish food? | Decorative Pond & Water Garden Q&A

If you’re eating fish food, you should probably consider switching it right away. I recommend pizza. Unless, of course, you’re a fish – which, for the purposes of this post, we’ll assume you are.

I purchased a bright yellow-colored koi. Several months later, the colors began to fade. Why? I purchased a bright yellow-colored koi. Several months later, the colors began to fade. Why? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q&A

Think about the things that make you feel healthy and happy. Like good food. Low stress. And enough sunshine every day to keep the blues away. With that simple recipe, you’ve described the perfect balance. And if you don’t stay true to it, everything suffers. Including your complexion. Just ask your koi.

Can fish get sunburned? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q&A

At some point in everyone’s childhood, a kindhearted teacher, seeking to encourage unrestrained curiosity, makes this simple pronouncement: “there’s no such thing as a silly question.” As adults, we know that silly questions do, in fact, exist. As a result, we tend to stop asking questions like “can fish get sunburned?” It’s just too silly to even consider.

How many and what type of plants should I have in my pond? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q&A

If you’re a person – and we’re going out on a limb here to assume you are – you understand the importance of eating a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins. Variety, it seems, is more than just the spice of life. Like you, your water garden thrives on variety – in the form of a carefully selected mix of aquatic plants.

I think I spotted some eggs in my pond, do I need to do anything with them? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q&A

If you have koi fish in your pond, there’s a distinct possibility you may be right. If you don’t, we may have a mystery on our hands. For the purposes of identification, koi eggs are about the size of small beads – or small pinheads. Their color can range from milky white to greenish brown, and you’ll often be able to see black dots – which are developing koi eyes – inside them.

My fish always seem hungry. How much should I really be feeding them? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q&A

Proper fish feeding is one of the great balancing acts of pond ownership – and there’s precious little in the way of definitive, measurable guidelines. With a little observation, though, you’ll have it down to a science in no time.

As a rule, it’s best to feed your fish once a day, and preferably at the same time. An established routine trains them to be on the alert when mealtime rolls around, which in turn makes each feeding more efficient and effective.

What’s the best way to introduce new fish to my pond? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q&A

What’s the best way to introduce new fish to my pond? Chelsea – Eagan, MN So you’ve made the decision to invite a few new friends to your home, but are you getting more than you bargained for? As is true with any purchase, you want to make sure you are getting quality before you [...]

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