Construction Tips Planning- Use a hose or rope to mark out the area for the feature and leave it there for a few days while you study the shape and size making any changes to your satisfaction. At least one area of the feature should have a minimum water depth of 18-24 inches for over wintering fish and waterplants.Check the services coming into your home and make sure your not going to dig where you shouldn't. Location- It's usually best to locate a feature in an area where it will be veiwed the most and easiest from your living spaces. If you wish to grow water lilies at least part of the pond should recieve a minimun 4-6 hrs daily of direct sunlight in the summer . Liner size- After excavating the site use a string or extension cord following the contours of the site on its longest length and its widest width to attain your base liner measurments. To these measurements add 3 feet to each and you will have the size of liner you require. Keep in mind the liner comes in 5 ft increments. So for example if your final dimensions are 14 x 14 you will require to purchase 14 x 15 piece of liner. Remnent strips and pieces are often available for waterfalls streambeds and small ponds. Installing- Use old carpet,heavy-duty landscape fabric,cardboard or other such fibrous material to provide and underlay for the liner. This will help protect the liner over the years from ground motion, sharp rocks and tree roots. As you fill the feature with water continually adjust the liner around corners making many small folds where needed instaed of a few large ones. Always allow 24-48 hours after filling to finish the edge as much settling and stretching of the liner occurs during this period. Avoid using concrete or morter in or near the feature as leeching of the lime can compromise Ph value of the pond water.     Safety Bylaws- Some municipalities have bylaws concerning pond construction. These bylaws may restrict anything from where on your property you are allowed to construct to water depth or if fencing is required. These bylaws are in place for public safety- please make sure that you check with your municiplity before doing anything.

Electrical- Make absolutely sure that all pond pumps and lights are only plugged into ground fault interupter recepticals or that the circuit for that outlet in your electrical breaker box is a GFI circuit. If your not sure - make sure call an electrician. Children- Ponds and water features attract children. This has allways been a concern for people and rightly so. Fish and koi ponds should be located in fenced backyards or where accsess to small children can be restricted. There are a couple things that can be done to construct features in a safer manner. A partial above ground feature is less likely to be fallen into. Changes in depth should be contructed in steps not in slippery slopes. Fill the depths of your feature with large river round rock- this still provides spaces for fish and plants while minimizing the danger of the water depth. Make sure that small children are allways supervised around water features.

General Maintainence Water condition- get familiar with your local water supply- is it? chlorinated,chloramined, from a reservoir? a well? a river lake or stream perhaps an aquifer a spring or maybe a lake? Wells and rivers are most notorious for thier high mineral salt content(high PH) and high levels of metals. Both can be toxic to pond fish and waterplants (and us). A PH of 7.3 is ideal (but illusive) between 6.5 - 7.5 will do. Toxic metals can be reduced by introducing charcoal to your pond water-filter but a high PH is only reliably lowered by flushing with more acidic water. Chlorine and chloramine are both extremely toxic to fish and mildly toxic to plants If your water is chlorinated it must either be treated with a neutralizer or stand exposed to open air for 24-48 hrs so that the chlorine can evaporate. Water that has been treated with chloramine must be treated with a neutralizer as it does not evaporate. Avoid concrete, morter and porous rock in and around the water as it can raise the PH too much either through direct contact or rain run-off. Water replacement- during the warmer months from late spring to early fall it is recommended to regularly do partial water changes of up to 1/3 of the total pond volume. Use your pond water on other terrestrial plants in the area and then top off your pond with fresh water. Don't just top up your pond when the water has evaporated ; mineral salts and organic nutrient may concentrate in the water that way.  Plant maintainence- It is reccomended that you keep you waterplants in pots; it is easier for maitaining the plants and helps to keep the water clearer by restricting access to the soil by pondfish. Remove yellowing leaves and spent flowers from lillies and other waterplants. This not only looks nicer; it removes easy food for would be plant pests. Fertilize water lilies 3-4 times during the growing season and other waterplants twice early spring and summer. Remove excess floating plants during the summer so they don't cover more than half your pond surface. Remove all floaters in October for the winter.

Seasonal Care Spring- When the days start getting warm and the pondfish are active near the surface and the shoots of new growth are showing on plants;  turn on your water pump for the season. Repot plants that need and topdress with peagravel. Clean of dead growth and fertilize alll plants. You may begin to feed pond fish at this time but sparingly when they are very active. Summer- Partially replace your pond water regularly. Replace or clean your pond-filter and media anytime the waterflow slows. You can feed your fish regularily- best not more than once a day though. It is a good idea to fertilize your lilies a couple times more through the summer and remove spent flowers and leaves on all plants.  Fall- When the floating plants start looking a little yellow and brown in the fall remove them all to the compost. Use a net to remove any major amounts of dead leaves and prevent falling leaves from accumulating in the pond. Slow down on fish feeding and stop later in fall when the weather is colder. Turn off the main pump for the season. Avoid cleaning up the marginal plants and grasses till spring. Thier fibrous tissues help insulate new growth and buds for the winter.    Winter- Do not circulate the pond water during frosty periods; this chills the plants and the fish too much. Do not allow the pond surface to seal with ice for any length of time. Toxic gases can accumulate under ice especially if thier is much rotting organic matter at the bottom of the pond. Koi are even more sensitive to this condition than goldfish. Use a small block of wood or a soccer ball floating to help discourage an ice seal. If the ice does seal set a pot of boiling water on it until melted threw as soon as possible. Do not feed the fish even if they do get active once in a while. Food given at this time of year may cause the fish problems as it cannot be digested in the cooler temperatures.   Clean-out- Anytime during dormancy oct-april; every 1- 3 years ; depending on the size and depth of the feature; a complete pond clean-out should be done. The main reason for this is to remove the layer of organic matter accummulating on the bottom. This layer begins to change the pondwater chemistry as it thickens and not in a good way for fish and our favorite plants. Any repotting can also be done at this time. Keep fish in a large cotainer in cool secure place in the original pondwater while doing the cleanout. Keep covered with a net or towel as they're prone to jumping out of confined spaces. Dispose  the bottom sludge around your favorite terrestrial plants they'll love you for it.

Common problems Algae- One of the most primative forms of plants; many algae can exsist in a pond with no real problems. Its when certain types of algae proliferate the pond that we tend to take notice. String algae or blanket weed is like green hair. If it gets out of hand it can choke plant life and even snag fish. It's generaly caused by either a high Ph,too much sun/heat, too much decomposing organic material or a combination of any of the above. Possible solutions - check that your water source is not too alkaline from well water or through contact with concrete or morter. Do a pond clean-out to remove the layer of muck at the bottom of the pond. Provide a small tree/shrub or temporary fencing to shade the pond at points in the day if the water is getting too warm. Use Pond Balance for a temporary fix or locally where problems occur. Almost every pond will have green water algae at some point, especially in the spring as the water warms and the other plant life is just waking up. Don't be alarmed at green water early in the spring. Make sure your pond is well planted and that surface floaters cover some of the pond the rest of the season. A pond that is to sunny/warm may have repeat problems unless some shade is provided. Feeding the fish too much can also contribute to a green water problem. For the occasional temporary fix use Clear Away. The more expensive route is to install a UVC this will iliminate the green water problem and even help to pevent disease transmission among fish. Floating algae can also be a problem in certain situations. It tends to be ugly bubbly and a bit fowl smelling. It's generally caused by phosphates in the water. This may be caused by run-off from septic systems or fertilizer run-off from the surrounding lanscape. This algae may also begin to florish if a pond has not been cleaned out in a long time(too much sediment in the pond bottom).       Water conditions- The key to a healthy pond is good water condition. the most common problem is a high Ph. Starting with acidic or neutral water is cruscial and periodic partial water changes prevent the PH from climbing. Avoid using porous rock and anything with lime in it around your pond. The second most common problem in water condition is temperature being too warm. Too many ponds and waterfeatures are built in full sun with a very shallow water depth. Plants will not thrive in these warm water conditions but algae will. Cloudy or milky water is usually either caused by clay soil in the pond or suspended bacteria. Use sandy loam topped with pea gravel rather than clay soils and supply nutrient with fert tabs. Clay soil is very rich and many of your plants would love it and even your fish don't mind but who wants a cloudy mud puddle in the backyard. Use a pond filter  or media in your pond circulation to house friendy organic waste consuming bacteria. For a temporary fix for cloudy water use Clear Pond. Fish health- The most common ailments of pond fish are fungle and bacterial infections. These infections can spread rapidly if your pond water is in poor condition orthey may heal slowly if the water is in good condition. These infections are usually secondary to an injury. Sharp rocks should not be used in the pond as fish can easily injure themselves espesialy during spawning. Cats around the pond can easily scratch or nick fish that they can't really catch. Remove any dead fish from the pond immediatly and or any foriegn animal or material. Occasionaly a racoon or a crow will bring food to a pond to wash and eat or drink with. Mice shrews and small birds have also been known to drown in ponds. These decomposing carcasses and food stuff can seriously contaminate a pond. If you begin to suffer high fish loss begining with signs of infection be thorough in removing any possible contaminates. Use Aniti Bacteria/fungus medication to treat fish that are not too severely infected.  It is less common for pondfish losses from parasites. Many parasites are symbiotic and would prefer not to kill thier host. A few simple precautions can greatly reduce risk. Don't mix plants or tropical fish from pet stores with your pond fish. Never put plants or soil from a natural stream or lake in your pond. Fish Predators- Almost every pond will suffer some sort of predator attack at one time or another. Some of the things you can do to minimize your losses follow. In the depths of your pond put several short lengths of 2 and 4 inch pvc pipe pieces for hiding places and over wintering. Use heavy duty fishing line strung out to interfere with the flight and walking of herons. Make sure your pond has at least one deep area for over wintering and hiding. Fish in shallow water are easy prey. Here is a list of some common predators and the most effective solutions. Herons- fishing line, Heron Scare Sprinkler, heron decoy(move it around). Racoons- electric fencing or trap & relocate   Kingfishers- netting over pond  Mink- electric fencing or trap & relocate Otters- electric fencing or trap & relocate Snakes- catch & relocate or stock pond with larger fish Bears- call conservation officer Eagles- fishing line Plant health- The health of the pondplants is often reflective of the water condition. Make sure it's not to warm or high of a PH. Do not use soil for your plants that is to high in organics(humus) as this can trigger root rot especialy in cooler temperatures. Aphids are common but if they'r getting out of hand make sure you're removing old and yellow foilage. Wash the aphids off once in a while with a hose instead of feeding the fish. Cherry and birch trees are notorious for dropping aphids onto ponds. Trim overhanging limbs if possible.A persistant problem can be a sign the plants need more nutient also.Be sure to fertilize regularly with time release pond tabs. If you ever do a pond cleanout or complete waterchange in the warm summer months wait a couple days to re-introduce the lillies as the shock from a sudden water temperature change can kill them.Use liquid Flora-Boost to give the floating plants what they need once in a while. Never use other landscape fertilizers or insecticides in and around the pond as many of them may kill your fish.

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