Q- I have green water in my pond, what do I do?

A- Add plants! Plants shade your pond and consume the excess nutrients that algae lives on. 60%-80% of the surface of the pond should be covered by plants. Adding chemicals to reduce the algae treats the symptom not the cause and does do harm the plants you do have. Over feeding fish will also cause algae blooms. Feed your fish no more than they can consume in 3 minutes. Time them. This is probably far less than you are now feeding. See feeding below.

Q- How many plants do I need?

A- Simply... the more the better. As an example, a Home Depot plastic pond of about 300 gallons should start with a minimum of a large bunch of submerged aquatic such as hornwort,
6 -7 one gallon marginal's and a water lily. This is about a $100.00 budget. Larger ponds require more equally. The number one mistake for beginners is not leaving enough in their budget for plants. You wouldn't build a house and not have the budget to paint it?

Q-Will my pond breed mosquito's?

A- Only if you don't have fish in it. Fish eat mosquito larvae. Ponds also breed frogs and dragonflies which in turn will reduce annoying insects in the area. Chemicals can be purchased for fishless ponds to kill larvae but why bother when you can keep a couple fish? We have a couple fish in every propagation tank and even the rain barrels.

Q-Do I need to feed the goldfish daily?

A- No, we actually suggest not feeding your goldfish at all. They eat algae and keep pond critters such as snails, midges and the like in check. They are content but just don't grow as fast. If you do feed them give them no more food than they totally consume in three minutes or less. Overfeeding is the number one source of algae blooms and green water. Our ponds have been kept this way for years.

Q- Can I use city water to fill my garden?

A- Yes. When we initially fill it we'll treat the water to remove chlorine/chloramines and after that you can top it off with tap water to compensate for evaporation. 5%-10% at a time will not hurt the fish or plants. If you forget and leave the hose on an hour or two all the fish will die. We suggest having enough chlorine/chloramines remover handy for that possibility. I've done it myself before. Well water can be added directly.

Q- Must I have a pump and filter?

A- No, but you must have a balance of fish, oxygenating plants and plant covered surface area without them. We have all our propagation ponds without power as well as some clients ponds. We size the pumps to match the pond size for minimal maintenance and a pretty water feature. A pump and waterfalls enhance the beauty of the pond and make balance much easier but is not necessary.

Q-Should I get Koi or goldfish

A- Goldfish!
Although koi are pretty they create many problems for the average water garden. Unlike goldfish they constantly root around in plants and will eat the new buds on lilies and other plants.They also outgrow most smaller ponds and make keeping balance almost impossible. As Koi grow larger, one must add to bio filtration to keep up with additional ammonia build-up as well as mechanical filtration. Keeping koi is advanced water gardening and troublesome. Fancy tail goldfish are what I recommend. If you want a successful koi garden it must be designed with all these things in mind.