Muck is ok in natural wildlife ponds but in ponds containing fish, it can lower oxygen levels and encourage algae growth. A lined fish pond shouldn’t have any detritus on the bottom, dealt with by a combination of filtration and maintenance. And if the pond is unfiltered the muck will have to come out before the pump and filter go in, as otherwise, they will just block within hours.Net it o...
Power consumption depends not on the size of the aquarium, but the electrical equipment that it’s running, and how long it’s on for. If its a tropical tank, energy usage will come from the heater, the light, and the filter. Let’s look at some examples.A Juwel Rio 180 comes with a 200 watt heater, 2 x 45 watt lights (90 watts) and a 7 watt, 600lph pump. Total power consumption i...
Summer is now in full swing and in the midst of the summer solstice, UK ponds are receiving 18 hours of daylight. Here are some common pond problems around this time.Mystery pond fish deathsVery common before a storm, the air pressure changes and the pond water is stripped of oxygen. Fish gasp, rollover or worse still die. The largest fish are always the worst affected. Ensure your pond i...
Angelfish are some of the most popular tropical fish of all time and are widely available. They top the lists for many new fishkeepers along with Guppies, Neon tetras and Clown loach, only there are a few things that every potential angelfish keeper needs to know before buying one. Angelfish originate from the Amazon River basin in South America. There they inhabit deep, slow-moving rive...
Built that pond yet? Unsure about what size liner you need and how to install it? We answer all your most frequently asked questions on pond liner here:How much pond liner do I need?Work out the size of the pond you want to achieve first, then dig it, and measure the maximum length, the maximum width, and the maximum depth. Multiply the maximum depth by two, and add that figure onto the m...
Gardening has boomed this summer, with many people spending more time in their outdoor spaces than ever before. By adding a water feature you can bring sound and movement at the same time as providing somewhere for birds to drink, and the best bit is it doesn’t have to be large, or expensive, and anyone can set one up in under half a day.Setting up a water featureWater features are self...
Hot weather can cause real problems for some pond fish and it’s in heatwaves and during warm, muggy nights that your fish are most likely to succumb. Coldwater fish have a higher oxygen demand than tropical fish, yet warm water holds less oxygen.So as your pond water warms up the problem becomes two-fold. The fish demand more oxygen as the heat increases their metabolic rates, yet the wate...
Blanketweed is a real pain, especially at this time of year as long daylight hours, warm water and fish waste fuel its growth. Its a type of filamentous algae which starts off growing on the sides of the pond and amongst plants, but in severe cases it can stretch right across ponds and all through the water like a giant green spiderweb, and can even trap fish, especially Sterlet and Sturgeon with...
There are few things more pleasing than the sight and sound of running water in the garden. Many of us would like a waterfall or watercourse of our own but are unsure how to build or install one. The good news is that they are easy to create - and you don’t even need a pond!The basicsTo create the most basic of waterfalls you simply need water to drop from one level to another below it....
Whenever you use tapwater to fill or change water in a pond, you must dechlorinate it. Chlorine is a gas which is added to tapwater to kill bacteria, viruses and protozoans, so add untreated tapwater to a pond and it will kill good bacteria (like filter bacteria,) as well as bad. New pond syndromeNew ponds and filters don’t contain the beneficial bacteria that are needed to convert...