Pond Users Guide Index 1. Pond Design 2. Pond Installation 3. Pond Pump and Filtration suitability 4.

How to care for a pond 5. What water quality means and how to check it 6. How to rectify water quality issues 7. How to clean and maintain your pond 8. How to diagnose and treat fish problems and diseases 9. How to work out pond water volumes 10. Useful Calculation Information 1. Pond Design When designing a pond it is important to remember a few points. The main point is the depth of the pond. For UK temperatures the pond should be 18 inches or more deep to prevent the water getting too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. For Koi carp the pond must be a minimum of 36 deep to prevent the fish from jumping out. Also making sure the pond has ledges is a good idea as many plants cannot be placed too deep in water some as little as 10 inches. 2. Pond Installation When installing a pond think of the following: Is the area of installation too sunny? Is the area too close to trees? Are there any other contaminations close to the site? Is it going to be accessible?

If there is too much sun light the pond will suffer from green water problems and blanket weed which will be difficult to control even with the modern solutions available on the market today. If the pond it situated near to trees leaves will be a problem. Not only are leaves in the water unsightly some are also poisonous to fish and other livestock. Other contaminations may include chemicals stored in a shed or outhouse close to where the pond will be situated or maybe a close water tap (it may seem harmless but untreated water contains chlorine which is harmful to fish and filtration). If the pond is not accessible cleaning and maintenance will be made unnecessarily difficult.

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3. Pump & Filtration Suitability The first thing to know when working out filtration is how much water your pond holds. (See section 9). Once you know the water volume it is easy to find the correct equipment. Be sure you know what types of fish you want to keep (e.g. Common gold fish or Koi) this is important as Koi require additional filtration where as gold fish will be fine with more basic filtration. Another factor in filtration is sun light. The more sunlight your pond gets the more filtration is required as sunlight produces water impurities. For a pond that holds 1000 litres of water that has less than a day in the sun and only holds gold fish will be fine with a pump and filter designed for a 1000 litre pond. If your pond has more than a day in the sun you need to add 25% to the water volume and if the pond has Koi carp then another 25% needs to be added. Remember to add the 25% separately if both apply. Do not add 50% Example: Water volume + 25% for sunlight + 25 % for Koi = = = 1000 litres 1250 litres 1562.50 litres

So a pump and filter that is suitable for ponds of 1600 litres and above would be necessary. 4. How to care for your pond Pond care is simple. Feed your fish small amounts and ensure the food you are feeding is suitable for the livestock and time of year. Some foods are only for use in the summer and some are designed only to be fed in the winter months. Be careful about how much you feed. Most aquatic fish products will state that you should feed your fish 3-4 times a day and feed as much as is required to keep your fish feeding for 2-3 minutes. This may be OK for ponds that have been running for several years and have low levels of livestock and have lots of filtration but for most its far too much. Feed your fish twice a day during the summer and just a handful. If any food is left after a few minutes it is important to remove this as it will begin to break down in the water and start to poison the livestock Keep the pond clean and maintained, this will help you keep your pond healthy and prevent any health problems.

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5. What water quality means and how to check it Water quality refers to chemicals and bi products produced by livestock that are present in most if not all of ponds. The main 5 are listed below: Ammonia Urine produced by fish Nitrite A bi product of Ammonia Nitrate A bi product of Nitrite PH The level of Acidity of the water

All of the above can be tested with a simple water test kit available from any aquatic centre. 6. How to rectify water quality issues Ammonia is the most dangerous as it is pure urine produced from any livestock, this is normally removed from the water by your pond filter but over feeding especially in the summer could produce excess ammonia that the filter may not be able to deal with. The most obvious visual sign of excess ammonia is a yellow or brown discolouration of the pond water. Nitrite is produced by bacteria living in your pond filter the excrete nitrite as they consume the ammonia. Low levels of nitrite are harmless to livestock but higher levels over 10ppm can be disastrous. There are no visual signs of nitrite levels Nitrate is produced by the bacteria that feed in nitrite. Nitrate is a nutrient and is a good source of food for plants. However Nitrate levels of 25ppm can be dangerous and the only way of resolving them is to change some of the ponds water. If this is necessary it is important to change no more than 50%. PH is difficult to judge as the water where you live will already have a reading and changing this is almost impossible. For ponds a PH of 7.0 is ideal, however most ponds have a reading of 7.8 - 8.0 due to the local water supplies. Anything over 8.0 is too high and anything under 6.8 is too low. One possible cause of high PH is untreated rocks around the pond. Most rocks release a chemical into the water which will increase the PH level. Most aquatic centres sell treatments to fix PH levels and to treat rocks.

7. How to clean and maintain your pond

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Pond maintenance can be easy if it is done on a regular basis. Ponds that are left for long periods of time can be hard to clean and may have health problems when new livestock is introduced. The most important thing with pond maintenance is to clean the filter sponges and media on a regular basis, only using pond water as water from the tap contains chlorine and will kill the good bacteria living on the foams/media. Keeping the pump cage clean of debris is also essential to maintain water flow and preventing damage to the pumps internal workings. Remember to open the pump which is usually just a case of a few clips or screws and cleaning the impellor, which is the device with rotating blades on. (Always ensure the mains is off and the impellor in not rotating when carrying out any maintenance) Keeping the bottom of the pond is also an essential part of a healthy pond as debris on the bottom of the pond will rot and release chemicals into the water. This can be done by using a pond vacuum which can be purchased from your local aquatic retailer or even hired if the service is available. 8. How to diagnose and treat fish problems and diseases Fish diseases are fairly common and are normally easily treated. The easiest way to tell if your fish are unwell or are suffering from disease is by carrying out a visual inspection. Check the fins. Fish that are unwell will usually clamp their fins against their body. Also check for any obvious marks, swelling or any signs that the scales may be sticking out. White dots on the fishes body is usually white spot and can be treated easily. White fluffy bits on the fish can be fungus and again is easily treated. However swelling of the fish or signs that the scales may be sticking out can be caused by a disease known as dropsy. Dropsy is similar to liver failure and is rarely treatable. Treatments for all the above mentioned diseases and illnesses can be found at your local retailer where we would suggest you obtain further more detailed advice about your individual fish health problems. 9. How to work out pond water volumes Pond water volumes are strait forward. Measure the length, Width and depth at the longest points. Once you have those measurements use the formula below to work out your volume. Length (ft) x Width (ft) x Depth (ft)m x 6.25 = Volume in Gallons Gallons x 4.54 = Litres

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10. Useful Calculation Information Litres to Gallons Gallons to Litres Centimetres to meters Feet Meters Litres / 4.54 = Gallons Gallons x 4.54 = Litres 100 cm to 1 m Meters x 3.3 = Feet

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