Pond Maintenance

Question: I rebuilt my pond enlarging it to 14ft x 11ft, 3600 gal. pond with 3 levels, of 2.5ft, 4ft and 4.5ft, a skimmer, waterfall, an aerator, several variety of plants, a 3700GPH ext. pump and 150 gal. stock tank filter. It’s been operating about 2 months now. I live in Montana, where it can…

Question: I recently added a UV light to my pond after its spring cleaning. Although my water is crystal clear, I am getting what I call algea hair on my rocks and waterfall. Do I have to turn off the UV ligtht when I add bacteria? Will the UV light kill bacteria Answer: Using a…

Question: We have had our pond for about 3 weeks now. I had 3 fantails in it. This afternoon when I went to feed them only 2 were there. I know we have cats in the area but never had a problem with them coming into the fenced-in yard. Is there anything I can put…

Question: We have a 5,000 gallon pond installed in September 2007. We live in Southeast Texas with a lot of rainfall. After recent rains, the pond developed air under the liner. We removed some of the rocks along the edge in several places. Then got in the pond to try to move the air pockets…

Question: I have a ninety gallon pond with small water fall. I have only had the pon since May of 2007, so I am quite green on how to take care of it. Until this weekend I have had minimal problems maintaing the clearity of the water. When feeding the fish yesterday I noticed that…

Question: I have a Pond O Vac 3 and am wondering if it is working properly. I thought there would be a constant flow of water out of the drain hose but it pauses for a time and then spurts out the water. Is this the way it works or is my vac defective? Answer:…

Question: I LOVE your newsletter. Can’t wait to read the newest info and tips. Also love your videos! Question: is it beneficial to run the aerator at the bottom of the pond throughout the winter? We’ve had it going all summer. We keep our waterfall going all winter and use a little heater when the…

Question: The Mosquito problem is very easy to solve. Just throw in some “Mosquito Dunks” and the pesky things will be history shortly. For real quick help use the “Mosquito Quick Kill” and then follow up with the “Mosquito Dunks”. “Mosquito Quick Kill” as well as “Mosquito Dunks” are a perfectly safe way to keep…

Question: Planning for a pond and am considering a bottom drain to make cleaning easy. Will the fish go “down the drain” with the debris? Thanks Answer: Pond Bottom Drains generally have mechanism that prevents the fish from going out with the water. Also, fish are generally opposed to “going with the stream” and will…

Question: If the water in my pond freezes will my little fish die? Someone told me to put a hole in the ice,I also tried using the plastic bottle but that just freezes too? Thank YOU Answer: Lack of oxygen is the # 1 fish killer in the winter. It is best to use a…