Finally, the garden pond is installed, but what if things don't appear to be quite as perfect as you wanted them to be. How do you keep backyard ponds in good shape?
Here are some of the more common fish pond maintance concerns that you might encounter and how to go about solving them.
• My Pond Will Not Hold Water?
If the pond appears to be losing a lot of water at a rapid rate, do not mistake this for evaporation. It's likely that there's a leak somewhere. If the leak is located at the bottom of the pond, it's time to drain it. Have to hand a sheep's foot roller to introduce bentonite clay to the leak. Sadly, bentonite is often costly, so this isn't a cheap fix. Even so, it is the ideal way to repair leaks.
Bentonite can be effective as it swells to 10 to 13 times larger than its starting size once inserted into a leak; this makes a leak proof seal. In addition it still allows nutrients to be exchanged between deposits in the pond.
The concern can also be as a result of a plumbing leak. In that case, with the pump in action, check the hose for a leak and then repair the breach by replacing the segment of hose that contains the leak.
On occasion, water loss from backyard ponds might be as a result of water seeping over the liner edge. You can trace the spot by shifting rocks and other barriers. Once the low point in the liner has detected, reset it to cease the leak.
• pH
You can do a check of the acidity, or pH level of the small backyard ponds water with a pH testing kit. A reading on the pH testing kit of 7 is neutral, a reading that's higher than 7 is noted as alkaline and reading that's below 7 is acidic. The pH reading should be more or less 7 to 7½ in the pond.
It shouldn't be below 6.8 or higher then 8, as a low pH level can prevent efficient biological filtration and this can result in stress on the fish. A high pH indication can make it difficult for plants to develop or survive and can be harmful to the fish also. pH levels might change as a result of acid rain, fish waste, and soil runoff. So check on a frequent basis. If the pH scale of the pond isn't ideal, you can purchase water proofing fish ponds products that are able to alter the pH level in water.
• How Do I Eliminate Algae Growth In My Pond?
A limited amount of algae growth is actually a great sign, as this indicates that the pond features the ideal system and nutrients to support life. Still, too much algae is often a cause of a problem, as it can cloud the water and take the necessary nutrients from the fish and plant life. If the garden pond doesn't feature any plants, the odds of algae growth is that much greater, so it's a great idea to add plants to the pond.
Algae and plants require the same nutrients, but plants are likely to receive the nutrients ahead of the kinds pond algae, this can keep algae from taking form. Over feeding fish is often a common cause of excess algae development, so be certain to feed the fish the right quantity of food. This can often be achieved with an automatic pond fish feeder system.
To assist in preventing algae growth and to maintain the calibre of the water, it's often advisable to install an ultraviolet sterilization and mechanical filter. Ultraviolet sterilization is easy to install and isn't going to affect the fish, plants and water as it operates from outside the pond.
It might also be necessary to replace some of the water in these backyard ponds on a frequent basis to help in removing the nutrients that algae feeds on.
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