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What Are Those Tiny Red Worms In My Filter? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on June 22, 2012 by thepondguy

What Are Those Tiny Red Worms In My Filter?

Q: What are those tiny red worms in my filter?

Jose – Highland Park, IL

A: They’re tiny, they’re wriggly, and they’re blood-red – or at least a creamy pink color. What are they? They’re non-biting midge fly larvae, also known as bloodworms. Though they’re an unsettling infestation to see in your filter, they’re actually harmless to your fish.

Know Your Chironomidae

Midge flies hail from the family Chironomidae, which includes more than 10,000 different species worldwide. Some varieties appear bright red in color thanks to a hemoglobin-type substance that helps them live with oxygen-depleted water, giving them their “bloodworm” nickname.

As adults, midge flies resemble mosquitoes, but they have fluffy antennae and no blood-sucking proboscis. Large numbers of them can be a nuisance as their droppings can cause damage to paint, brick and other surfaces. And when their tiny corpses pile up, they can cause a stink.

Home Sweet Home

These insects thrive in freshwater aquatic and semi-aquatic environments. In their larval stages, they live in tree holes, bromeliads, rotting vegetation, soil and artificial containers – including filtration systems, infesting media pads. They spend their time attached to the container’s solid surface and taking in tasty food as it floats by.

Midge flies lay their eggs in water, preferring it to be still, clear, dark and safe from critters like fish and frogs that nosh on the larvae when they emerge. To protect themselves, the bloodworms actually create and live in tiny half-inch tubes they build from mud, algae and other naturally occurring resources. Look closely in your filter, and you’ll probably see some of these worm-sized mud huts.

A Tasty Fish Treat

Don’t worry: These little guys won’t harm your pond or your fish. In fact, if one wriggles its way into your pond, it will be a welcome treat for your fish! Goldfish and other smaller fish will gobble them and their little mud homes; koi and other larger fish will treat them as tasty hors d’oeuvres.

Bloodworms are quite nutritious for fish. In fact, the insects are about 55 percent protein – which is a key nutrient fishes need to grow, reproduce and maintain their health. So rather than balk at the tiny worms, scoop them out of your filter and give them to your pond dwellers. They’ll thank you for them!

Pond Talk: What’s the weirdest (or coolest!) insect you’ve seen in or around your pond?

Filed under: Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: blood worms, filter, filter media, midge flies, pads, worms | 4 Comments »

How Well Do You Know Your Koi? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on June 15, 2012 by thepondguy

How Well Do You Know Your Koi?

How Well Do You Know Your Koi?

Koi add color and movement to your pond. They’re relaxing to watch. And they’re likely the centerpiece of your water feature. But how much do you really know about your finned friends? Check out these five factoids about koi and impress your fish-keeping pals during your next pond-side shindig.

1. A Long Life Span: Have you heard of Hanako? He’s the fabled koi who lived for 226 years after being supposedly passed down through the generations and was aged by counting rings on his scales. To set the record straight, Hanako has been proven to be an urban myth. Koi typically live 25 to 35 years in a well-maintained fish pond – but that’s still not a bad life span, all things considered!

2. Growth Spurts: Koi, like most other fish, start out as teeny-tiny fingerlings and grow to their genetically determined adult size. But unlike many fish, koi will grow to fit their accommodations – which means they’ll develop into super-sized beasts in the right environment. In their first three to four years of life when housed in an adequately sized pond, a koi will reach about 18 inches long. Throughout its lifetime, it can grow to reach up to 3 feet and more. That’s some big fish!

3. Colorful Gastronomes: The ultimate underwater foodies, koi will eat just about anything, with the exception of meat. Though they love their commercial pelleted diet, like Pond Logic® Growth & Color Fish Food, koi will happily gobble down lettuce, apples, oranges, watermelon, and even tiny shrimp. So why not treat your scaly pals to some healthy fruits and veggies now and then!

4. Feast and Famine: Koi love to eat and will chow whenever food is offered, but these guys can actually go more than 10 days without food during the warmer months – and fast even longer when temperatures drop and they go into their winter torpor, or hibernation, when they pass on meals for months at a time. Of course, if you feed your fish regularly, don’t suddenly stop as doing so can affect their health and happiness.

5. Koi Agility? No, koi unfortunately cannot be trained to jump through hoops like a dolphin or fetch a floating ball like a Labrador, but they can be conditioned to recognize your footsteps and come to the water’s edge for a visit. Simply feed your fish from the same place consistently and, before long, they’ll learn to go there for food and even learn to eat from your hand! Now that’s a cool party trick.

Pond Talk: What other interesting factoids have you heard about koi?

Filed under: Feeding Fish, Koi & Goldfish, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: facts, fish, fish food, koi, Pond Logic | 15 Comments »

I Know That Floating Plants Help Shade My Pond, But What Do Submerged Plants Do? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on June 8, 2012 by thepondguy

I know that floating plants help shade my pond, but what do submerged plants do?

Q: I know that floating plants help shade my pond, but what do submerged plants do?

Donnita – Palos Park, IL

A: Got plants? If you’re like most pond hobbyists, you probably have plenty of growing and blooming greenery surrounding your water garden – but what about sub-surface varieties? Underwater plants, like hornwort, and red stemmed parrots feather, offer great benefits to your water feature and its inhabitants, including:

Filtration: Underwater plants naturally filter your water. How? Plants, with their copious amounts of surface area on their leaves, stems and roots, absorb nitrates and fish waste – which is actually fertilizer to them. The result is a body of water that’s cleaner and clearer, thanks to Mother Nature’s nitrogen cycle.

Predator Protection: Sub-surface plants also give your fish and other pond critters places to hide when predators stalk or attack. Koi and goldfish will swim into the lush growth and hide out when a raccoon stops by the pond or a blue heron circles overhead. The greenery provides excellent camouflage for your finned friends.

Aesthetic Appeal: As popular as they may be, gravel-bottom ponds are boring. And they’re not very natural-looking either. Have you ever seen a wild pond or lake with no plants beneath the surface? Nope, didn’t think so. Ponds planted with below-the-waterline foliage create a more realistic-looking – and aesthetically pleasing – water feature, which is something most (if not all!) hobbyists hope to achieve.

Oxygen: Underwater plants are called “oxygenators” for a reason. They naturally produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis – and oxygen is one of the best things for your pond’s health and vitality. When submerged plants are used in combination with a sub-surface aeration system, you’ll wind up with cleaner water that truly supports your pond’s inhabitants.

Spawning Areas: The leaves, stems and root systems of underwater plants give your pond life safe places to spawn and lay their eggs. And when those tiny fry hatch, the plants provide protection, food and a comfy place to call home.

Submerged plants are easy to add to your water garden or fish pond. Simply fill planting baskets, like the Laguna Submersible Pond Planting Baskets, with planting media, add some oxygenators, and place the planted basket on the bottom of your pond or on a plant shelf on the side of your pond. The planting baskets allow the plant’s roots to branch out and find nourishment while containing it and preventing fish from nibbling on its root system.

Add some plants to your pond today. Your fish will thank you for them!

Pond Talk: Do you have submerged plants in your pond?

Filed under: Aquatic Plants, Oxygen Depletion, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: Filtration, fish ponds, goldfish, hornwort, koi, plant baskets, planting media, plants, predator, submerged, water features, water gardens | 1 Comment »

Do I really need to adjust my water’s pH level? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on June 1, 2012 by thepondguy

Do I really need to adjust my water's pH level?

Q: Do I really need to adjust my water’s pH level?

Terry – Bishopville, MD

A: Sure, you’ve seen those pH tests, like the Pondcare® Master Test Kit, online or at your local pond supply shop, and you’ve overheard veteran pond keepers talking about pH level adjustments. But what in the world is pH and why would want to monkey with it in your water garden or fish pond?

pH Defined

In super simple terms, pH, which stands for potential hydrogen, is a measure of how acidic or alkaline a water body is on a scale from 0 to 14. Pure water is neutral. It has a pH close to 7.0 at 77 degrees F. Blood is also close to neutral. Ammonia’s pH is ~11, which is high on the alkaline charts, while stomach acid’s pH is ~1, which acidic enough to burn through your chewed-up chow.

pH in Your Pond

So why is the pH level in a pond or water garden such a hot topic? Because pH affects the health of those things swimming around in the water. Fish love a liquid environment that strikes the right balance between acid and base. Your pond’s pH level affects their ability to reproduce, to fight disease, to metabolize their food – to do just about everything. The pH level also affects the health of your plants, frogs, turtles and any other living critters that call your pond home.

Adjusting to a Proper pH

Don’t worry: You don’t have to keep your pond at a perfect 7.0 pH all the time. In fact, an acceptable pH reading for a pond is 6.5 – 8.5. But you should use caution when adjusting it because doing so rapidly can harm your aquatic life. If you absolutely must adjust your pH using a pH Stabilizer like pH Lift or pH Drop, apply enough treatment to shift the levels 0.5 at a time, wait several hours before re-treating, and test the waters often with your Pondcare Master Test Kit.

Pond Talk: How often do you test the pH in your pond?

Filed under: Fish Population, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: ph, Water Quality, water test kits | 1 Comment »

How Many Fish Should I Put In My Pond? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on May 25, 2012 by thepondguy

How many fish should I put in my pond?

Q: How many fish should I put in my pond?

Grady – Nevis, MN

A: The general rule for stocking your pond is 1” of fish for every one square foot of surface area, but of course there are exceptions to every rule. First and foremost, don’t forget to leave room for your pond fish to grow. Stocking your pond with 10 one-inch fish may be fine for now, but what about next year when your pond fish have doubled or tripled in size?

Additionally, larger pond fish produce exponentially more waste than smaller fish so you need to factor this into your plans. Look at the chart below for an example of what I mean. One 6” fish produces 3.3 times more waste than one 4” fish and 26 times more waste than one 2” fish. In general, it’s probably best not to stock your pond to the max right away. As your pond is more established and you add better aeration and filtration, your pond will be able to handle more fish.

There are a variety of koi fish packages to choose from when you are ready to get started.

Fish Length	Fish Waste (Grams/24 Hours)
1″	.10
2″	.75
3″	2.43
4″	5.80
5″	11.32
6″	19.55

Pond Talk: Do you find that your fish are cozy or crowded?

Filed under: Fish Population, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: fish capacity, Fish Population, goldfish, koi, koi packages | Leave a Comment »

Are Floating Plants Good For My Water Garden? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on May 18, 2012 by thepondguy

Are Floating Plants Good For My Water Garden?

Jean – Emmaus, PA

Yes. To maintain a healthy, well-balanced eco-system for your fish and prevent algae build-up, aim for 40-60% coverage of your pond with pond plants. Floating plants are an important part of the mix. Floating plants such as water hyacinth and water lettuce are chosen most often because they are prolific growers so just a few go a long way. In an 8′ x 10′ pond, 6-10 floating plants are more than enough to get started.

Floating plants protect your fish from the sun, (Yes, fish can get sunburned!) as well as hide them from predators. Floating plants also have extensive root systems to remove excess nutrients from the water. Removing these excessive nutrients will clear the water and help reducer future algae blooms.

While floating plants are a must, there are many other aquatic plants that should be part of the mix. Click over to our Planting Aquatic Plants article to read more about aquatic plant selections and how to plant pond plants.

Pond Talk: What floating plants are in your pond?

Filed under: Aquatic Plants, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: floating plants, hyacinth, koi pond, pond plants, water garden, Water Lettuce | 2 Comments »

5 Tips For Feeding Your Fish | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on May 11, 2012 by thepondguy

Is There A Special Way I Should Be Feeding My Fish?

Robert – Santee, SC

Start Feeding Pond Fish When The Weather Warms - Once your pond temperature reaches to 45 degrees, fish feeding can begin. During the colder months, your fish are hibernating live off of their stored body fat.

Train Your Fish - Fish need a schedule. Feed them in the same area at roughly the same time each day. Eventually, they will show you that they are ready for food by rushing to greet you at the edge of the pond with their mouths open.

Feed Pond Fish Slowly - At first, add only one or two pellets to the pond. This causes a ripple on the pond surface that will get the fish’s attention. Once the fish begin coming up for food, you can increase the amount of food given.

Don’t Over-Feed Your Fish - New fish may only be able to eat a small amount. Once they become more alert and accustomed to being fed, they may start to eat a little more. Don’t offer any more food than what your fish can eat in about five minutes.

Use The Right Food - This one depends on what kind of fish you have. Some of the most popular pond fish for backyard water gardens are Goldfish and Koi. We recommend feeding these fish either Pond Logic® Growth & Color or Tetra Pond™ Koi Vibrance.

Filed under: Feeding Fish, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: fish food, goldfish, Growth & Color, koi, Pond Logic, tetrapond | Leave a Comment »

4 Tips For Picking The Right Pond Plants | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on May 4, 2012 by thepondguy

How Do I Know Which Plants Are Right For My Pond?

Alice – Chesterfield, VA

Know your hardiness zone. The USDA publishes a hardiness zone map that shows in which areas of the country various types of plants can survive and grow. The majority of your pond plants should be from your hardiness zone because they are best able to tolerate the year-round conditions of your area.

Know your pond’s depth. Some pond plants prefer deep water and some pond plants prefer shallow. Hardy water lilies prefer deep water, for example, while bog plants prefer shallow.

Know what type of sun exposure your pond receives. In addition to hardiness zones, plants also are categorized by the type of light they like to receive (full sun, partial sun, or shade). Marsh Marigolds yearn for sun, while Clyde Ikins Water Lily can tolerate the shade.

Know your pond’s flow. This is a factor that water gardeners often overlook. Some pond plants love moving water while others prefer the water stand still. Dwarf cattails, for example, do well in streams because they enjoy moving water, but water lilies are not fans of being right underneath a waterfall.

Filed under: Aquatic Plants, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: aquatic plants, bog plants, lilies, lily, plant zones, plants, pond plants, zone map | Leave a Comment »

How Do You Divide Water Lilies? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on April 27, 2012 by thepondguy

How Do You Divide Water Lilies?

Cindy – Galesburg, IL

Dividing lilies may seem somewhat complicated, but our step-by-step process will explain exactly what you need to do. Try to plan it so you divide them during your spring cleanout, which would give easy access to tubers. Dividing is necessary every two to three years, and it is helpful if you notice the lily grew mostly pads and few lilies over the past season.

Step 1: Remove lilies from pond or container and rinse off. Plant baskets are ideal containers until they are ready to be moved to the pond.

Step 2: Trim away root growth and old foliage.

Step 3: Cut the tuber down to size. You can safely cut the tuber down between two to three inches on the growing part with a sharp knife. This can be increased to five to six inches on longer plants. Remember to also cut off new buds and older leaves, so that the new root system has a chance to grow.

Step 4: Plant each tuber separately or discard if you wish to reduce the lilies’ quantity in your pond. Use plant fertilizer and planting media for best results and a continuing healthy pond.

Step 5: Replant them shallow in the pond until new growth begins.

Step 6: Upon new growth lilies can be moved deeper into the pond.

Filed under: Aquatic Plants, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: aquatic plants, fertilizer, plant food, pond plants, water lilies, water lily | Leave a Comment »

Do Snails Need To Be Acclimated When Being Added To My Pond? | Decorative Ponds & Water Gardens Q & A

Posted on April 20, 2012 by thepondguy

Do Snails Need To Be Acclimated When Being Added To My Pond?

Bonnie – Fallston, MD

Like fish, snails also need to be acclimated to a pond. It may seem strange since the anatomy of a fish and snail are so different, but snails like the Japanese Trapdoor are also susceptible to shock from early-season chilly waters if they are not acclimated. However, these snails are best for pond life because they are live bearing and don’t reproduce as quickly.

Acclimating snails is the same process as acclimating fish to new pond water. Upon arrival, leave the snails in the bag and float it in the pond for 10 to 15 minutes. Once you have floated the bag you will want to remove the snails from the most newspaper and place them in the pond. By then they should be acclimated to the temperature and be fine.

Filed under: Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: acclimation, pond snails, Snails | Leave a Comment »

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