Use the following link to shop supplies for ponds, lakes, water gardens and water features. www.thepondguy.com
Archives
Categories
Pages
RSS Feeds
Search The Blog
Topics
Aeration aeration system aerator airmax aeration algae Algae Control algae defense aquatic plants bacteria beneficial bacteria Cattails defensepac EcoBoost filter fish fish care fish food fish habitat fish kill Fish Population fountain goldfish green water ice koi Koi & Goldfish lake muck muckaway pond pond aeration PondClear Pond Clear pond dye pond liner Pond Logic seasonal defense Water Waterfall water garden watergarden Water Quality winter winterization winterizingPopular Categories
Calendar
-
Top Posts
-
Recent Comments
dennis kile on Should I put catfish in my pon… dennis kile on We’ve had a mild winter so far… Dottie on Q&A: Are there any tips to… Links
Follow The Pond Guy on Twitter
- Tomorrow is Groundhog's Day. Any guesses on whether or not he'll see his shadow? Let's hope Spring is around the corner! 5 days ago
- Retweet if you LIKE a mild winter. Ivy from Ill wondered if it will affect dormancy of fish. Read on for answer. http://t.co/InPHFid3 1 week ago
- To aerate or not to aerate, that is the question. Click here for an answer. http://t.co/7wAToLwu. What did you choose for your pond? 1 week ago
- Got weeds? Unsure? Check out the new Weed Identification Guide on the new Pond Guy web site! http://t.co/eelcR428 1 week ago
- Many exciting changes and new offers planned for our customers in 2012! Sign up for our emails to be part of the fun! http://t.co/0sh2mJ7j 2 weeks ago
Blog at WordPress.com. Theme: Digg 3 Column by WP Designer.
I need help! My water is very hard & high PH and my plants are turning yellow & brown.. The fish seem OK right now but with the high PH I am worried all is gonna crash soon. I want to do a water change as I have tried everything else to fix the problem. Do they make a product like a filter that will fit on the end of a garden hose so when I fill the pond with my well water it will filter it first. I used bottled conditioners and they will not bring it down to a safe reading. Please advise.
What I use to control my pond is Vinegar for high PH or Backing soda for low ph, You will have to test your PH and keep on trying.It’s a lot cheaper than bottle chemicals.I got this info from a guy who installs pools for a living.It works.
Hello Richard,
Pools are different than ponds with fish. Vinegar, which is acetic acid, is actually toxic to fish — it is an eye and gill irritant. The use of baking soda is not recommended. It will adjust the pH level too quickly; that sudden increase in the pH will be detrimental to the fish. pH should be either raised or lowered by no more than 0.5 units every 24 hours. A range between 6.8 and 8.0 is ideal in garden ponds.
The pH in your pond will fluctuate over a 24 hour period. Test the pond’s pH at the same time of day for an accurate reading, preferably in the morning. Attempting to regulate pH levels without tracking the daily readings may result in an unnecessary — and possibly dangerous — altering of your pond.
that sounds great. but do you have fish in your pond? dont want to harm the fish i have now. some one said that vinegar is toxic. i would love to try this because to buy ph down is so costly. thank you for the idea. but let me know please.
I AM REBUILDING MY POND !! I HAVE ALL KIND’S OF PLANT’S! {**I NEED FILTER’S**} I HAVE X2 PRE~FAB KIT’S **SIDE~BY~SIDE** LOT’S OF WATER LILLY’S !!
I AM KEEPING EVERYTHING LIVING RIGHT~NOW IN A KID’S WADEING POOL **CATCHING RAIN WATER**
**PLEASE HELP !!** **MY FILTER’S ARE OLD** ** I CAN~NOT KEEP FISH ALIVE WITH THESE FILTER’S** **THANK YOU** **PLEASE HELP**
IN GOD’S LOVE……KAREN BAKER
Karen,
A few questions in order to help you select a filter.
1.) What is the approximate length, width, and depth of your water garden?
2.) How many fish do you have?
3.) Is this a preformed pond or a liner pond?
Please let me know and I will try and get back with you as soon as possible.
Thanks!
WHAT KIND OF FISH? HOW MUCH EFFORT DO YOU WISH TO PUT INTO CLEANING YOUR FILTER? WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET? I HAVE LOTS OF IDEAS BUT NEED ADDITIONAL INFO. JIM
I have what I believe to be Chara. It looks exactly like it except it is brown. Does this mean it is dead and I should remove it with a pond rake? I hesitate because I don’t want it to spread. Does pond weed look like Chara except it is brown? I used copper sulfate twice this season, once in June and again the end of August. Should I apply Cutrine Plus granual or just pull this out?
Hi Julie, Sometimes Chara can be confused with a few other weeds, however Chara will feel gritty and have a distinctive odor where other pond weeds will just smell like pond water. If the plant is completely brown, you can rake it out. If there is any green, you will want to treat with Cutrine first and kill it before raking it. After killing and raking, following up with the use of aeration and natural bacteria. This will help to reduce any of the weeds you couldn’t rake, as well as debris that has already accumulated in the pond. If you are unsure if you have Chara, you can use our Weed ID Guide or mail us a sample in a dry paper towel and we can identify it for you. Let us know how these tips work out for you. Thanks!
is it unusual to have baby kois this early? How do u tell the male from the females? When it gets spring i wil have about 20 baby koi’s. My friend next door wanted to put his tellow butterfly imy pond to see if tshe could get breed. I nee some advice.
Phyllis,
Generally Koi will spawn in spring to early summer. Cooler water temperatures followed by a warm up will often trigger the spawning. Trying to tell the male from the females when they are young is very difficult. As the females mature, they have a more rounded body shape. They are considered sexually mature when their body length is around 10 inches or longer. Watching the fish and seeing which fish lays eggs will give you a positive ID of the female and the males will be chasing the females.
Koi will interbreed with Goldfish, however the hybrid offspring will be fertile. I would be cautious as well that the fish that you are introducing into your pond are in good health before placing them in your pond with your fish. Enjoy your babies, they will be fun to watch!
Thanks for your question,
Sue S.
We live on a small, 2-2.5 acre lake in Dallas, Tx. There are about 16 homes on it. We’re having problems with the sago pond weed for the 2nd year in a row, along with algae. Are there some type of fish that thrive on alga and pond weed?
Thanks.
dl
Hi Donna,
Some customers do use grass carp in their ponds to help maintain weed growth however they are illegal to use in many areas and should not be your complete management program. Adding aeration to your pond would help increase oxygen content so the muck accumulation in the pond would decompose faster. The addition of natural bacteria would further increase this as well. With prevention methods in place chemical control can be used to obtain a temporary relief. This method may be a little more time consuming then adding a few fish however you will end up with a healthier pond in the end.
Will the adult koi eat my babies, if so what do i do to protect them?
Hi Bea,
It is possible that the adult koi may eat some of the babies however you can reduce this chance by having aquatic plants, hollow areas between rocks, or any areas where the small babies would be able to hide out until they grow in size.
Hello, I have asmall.lake about 3 acres and haveing a hard time keeping it clear lots of stringe vegetation . and it looks like a lit brown in color . And keeping water in it sence the drought it has a slow down grade to it. Thanks for any help . Ken
Hi Ken,
The light brown color may just be due to suspended organic material (muck) or reflection of the muck accumulation. Aeration and natural bacteria will help reduce that organic material. As for the vegetation it will depend on the type as to how to best treat it. You may want to e-mail us a picture of the weeds you would like to control and we could assist you better with how to remove it.