The hand of man has altered the face of North America drastically in the last
few hundred years. Where there used to be forest and grassland, fed by ponds
and streams, there are now cities and suburbs, freeways and shopping centers,
high-rises and warehouses. To species other than man this is just desert.
No matter how hard we try, we cannot turn the clock back and return to our mossy
woodlands with deep, clear pools. That biodiversity has been hugely reduced and
whole ecosystems and habitats lost. We can never put them back exactly as they
were. However, as an individual, one of the things you can do to repair a tiny
corner of the damage is to build a pond and create an oasis in this man-made
desert. Putting a pond in your garden is a huge benefit to wildlife of all
kinds-it truly is their oasis in the desert. Sometimes the simplest touch can
create a profound difference.
The Aquatic Ecosystem
View the Aquascape Ecosystem Poster
The three main types of pond filters include biological, mechanical, and
chemical/sterilizer. Biological filters work by using bacteria to break down
pond wastes, converting them into harmless particles that can be used as
aquatic plant fertilizers. Mechanical filters work by trapping and removing
debris and sediment, thus cleaning the pond water. Skimmers and pre-filters for
pumps are two examples of mechanical filters. Water sterilizers, such as
ultraviolet or ozone generators, destroy all living organisms that they
contact. They are higher maintenance and should be left for pools and spas.
A good biological filtration system, teamed up with a mechanical filter (such
as a skimmer)
to remove solids before the water enters the biological filtration unit, is the
most effective way to filter water. As the water enters the biological filter,
there should also be a swirl chamber designed to avoid channeling, and to allow
more solids to settle. Next, the water should flow up evenly through the filter
media. Any number of materials could be used as long as they have a high amount
of surface area. We’ve found BioBalls
to be a very effective material. The final factor in a good biological
filtration unit is that the water is well oxygenated on its return to the pond.
This happens most naturally and most easily through a waterfall or stream."
On The Wild Side…
Attract birds, butterflies, frogs and other creatures to your back yard by
providing for their basic needs. Water is one of the most important components
that wildlife need in their habitat. When we add this feature to our yards and
gardens, we will double the number of species that we are able to attract.
Fluttering Friends - Brightly colored butterflies can be a welcome addition to
your yard. To attract the greatest number, and have them as residents, you will
need to have plants that serve the needs of their life stages. They need a
place to lay eggs, food plants for larva (caterpillar), a place to form a
chrysalis, and nectar sources for the adult. Most water gardens will also
attract dragonflies which you probably won’t see without one.
For The Bird - The comings and goings of avian visitors add movement to the
garden scene, and the music of song birds adds yet another pleasing and
interesting dimension to the setting. Many types, such as swallows, are very
helpful in keeping the mosquito population controlled.
Frog Bog - Aquatic frogs are naturally drawn to ponds because their skin
must never dry out, and they therefore require areas that are wet or moist, in
addition to needing water for tadpole development. Frogs are great for
educating children about nature and life. They add another dimension into the
garden with their croaking and activity, and also help keep pesky insect
numbers low.
Added Attractions - You may also have toads, turtles, and newts as garden
guests. Whereas these are naturally attracted to water, they are not as
dependent upon it as are frogs. With their preferred diet of slugs, toads are
welcomed by the savvy gardener. Newts are also beneficial pond creatures,
dining on insects larvae among other things. Depending on the species, turtles
have an omnivorous diet base largely on plant food, and care should be taken
with them, since many species eat fish eggs and/or young fish.
Fishy Facts
Japan is the Mecca for Koi. Koi are part of the culture, much like dogs and cats
are here in America. In one village, the fish in a family’s pond had been
passed down through so many generations that the original ancestors who’d kept
these prize fish could not even be recalled. Knowing though, that these were
some old fish, it was decided that someone should find out just how old they
were.
Working with a local university, a few of the fish gave up some scales for the
sake of science. When the scientist tested the scales, even they were amazed at
the results. The oldest fish alive in that pond had been around for an amazing
226 years! Two of his fellow pond dwellers were 180 and 156 years old.
The moral of the story is, take good care of your Koi, because maybe someday
your great, great, great, great, grandchildren’s grandchildren will enjoy
gazing at these truly amazing creatures.
One problem we run into is people with, what we call, “fish fear”. You know
things like…
-
They’ll freeze over in the winter (a winterization problem)
-
Or, the pond will spring a leak ( a maintenance problem), run out of water, all
while they’re at work, land locking and eventually killing their fish
-
Or, they’ll forget to feed their fish one day (a feeding problem) and suddenly
their on the brink of extinction.
The problem with fish fear is that fish are one of the 5 absolute necessary, unequivocally required, parts of the balanced ecosystem recipe. Without the fish you are only 80% complete. Without fish, you’ll be missing out on at least 20% of your ecosystem and a lot more of the fun.
The Antidote to Fish Fear…
Now the antidote to fish fear is the knowledge that the kinds of fish most
people put in their water garden are very hardy varieties, which have evolved
in the bowels of Mother Nature herself. They’re extremely adept at finding
their own food, (believe it or not) with or without you! They’ll survive nicely
over the winter, just as long as you keep a hole in the ice and allow gasses to
be exchanged. This can be done two ways, one is with a floating heater and the other is with a circulating pump or winter return de-icer. And so long as you steer clear of bottom drains,
an Aquascape pond is physically incapable of draining completely and land
locking you fish. It’s important to recognize that the presence of fish
actually reduces your maintenance time since they consume algae, and excrete
waste which fertilizes your aquatic plants nutrients, both of which play a significant role in your
ponds circle of life.
What About Predators?
Things like raccoons, muskrats, herons, and snakes. Categorically I’m referring
to predators. Raccoons for example are not swimmers, and if you build your pond
correctly, that is to say 2 feet deep at the lowest shelf, these bushy little
varmints will be no problem for you. Muskrats only show up if your pond is
close to some other natural water source such as a lake or a creek. Heron
problems are usually discouraged with a motion controlled sprinkling system or a Heron Decoy. Note that Heron are a territorial bird and will not invade
another Heron’s territory. These birds are intelligent so you’ll need to move
the Heron Decoy on occasion or the bird will realize over time that it is a
decoy and invade your pond. And then there are snakes. Many people think that a
new water source will draw a reptile population to your yard. And if you live
in certain areas of the southern United States, this can be the case. But in
99% of pond installations, snakes just never show up.
The Moral to This Story…
Forget your fish fear. Put ‘em in your pond. They’ll do just fine. Once you introduce these little critters to your pond, you’ll never regret it!
Green Water…What Green Water?
If you have a pond that’s properly built using the five-part recipe you will not ave a green pond. We see ultraviolet devices as pills, or band-aids that attack the symptoms, not the causes, of algae. To assist your biological filtration, beneficial bacteria specially formulated for cold climates or routine maintenance bacteria should be added to keep your aquatic ecosystem running smoothly.
Pond Myth
UV lights such as those in the Ultraklear UVC are the best way to keep your pond water clear.
UV clarifiers are one of the ways to keep your pond water clear, but certainly not the only way, and arguably not the natural way. The fact of the matter is that if you have a pond that’s naturally balanced, in which the aquatic circle
of life is rotating the way that Mother Nature intended, you don’t need UVC at all. In this naturalistic setting, the fish eat the plants, then produce waste that gets broken down (along with other pond debris) by aerobic bacteria that’s colonized on the rocks and gravel below, and then it’s taken back up as nutrition by the plants, continuing the cycle. A naturally balanced pond is a low maintenance pond because Mother Nature is doing the work for you. Pretty good deal, don’t you think?
There are several drawbacks to the UV solution though. First, no matter how intense, UV clarifiers don’t affect string algae at all, and so this problem is not addressed. Secondly,after the free floating algae are killed, it generally falls to the bottom of the pond, biodegrades, and provides another wave of nutrition for another (often larger) algae bloom. If your not careful, it’s easy to encourage larger cycles of algae blooms by using a UVC. If your pond is unbalanced, the choices are minimal. The third and most obvious drawback is that a UVC isn’t cheap, and the bulbs usually require replacement every year.