Taking Care of Your Water Garden

How to care for a water garden

A water garden can turn an ordinary backyard into an extraordinary backyard! However, if water gardens are not maintained, they can turn into an eye sore quickly. If you decide a water garden is for you, please understand that you will have to spend time and money to keep it looking beautiful. Below are recommendations for taking a proactive approach to managing your water garden. These recommendations are designed to save time and money spent maintaining your water garden, so you have more time to spend enjoying it.

There are many products available for use in water gardens and it can be a daunting task determining which products to use, when to use them, and how much of them to use. Because no two water gardens are exactly alike, there is no clear cut 'recipe' for taking care of them. There are, however, some basic recommendations that apply to almost every water garden owner.

Spring Maintenance & Start-up

1. System Check-Up - Check over all of the components of the water garden for any damage that may have occurred over the winter. If any damage is found, it should be repaired as soon as possible.
2. Spring Cleaning - Remove dead leaves and other debris that may have accumulated. A net can be handy for scooping the leaves out. Pond Logic Oxy-Lift™ Defense®, a product included in the DefensePAC®, works great for lifting debris off rocks and other surfaces, bringing it to the surface making it easier to remove. You could also add Orb-3 Water Garden Pellets to digest the muck and debris that is lifted from the surfaces. Depending on the amount of water and its condition, a water change may be needed. If you have fish, the water change should be done in steps by changing only 15 - 25% of the water over several consecutive days. Of course, if you do not have any fish or plants and your water feature is small, you can do a complete water change all at once. If you are introducing new tap water, it is very important to properly condition it. Municipal water contains chlorine and chloramines, which in trace amounts can be quite irritating to fish and damage the tissue in their gills. Larger amounts of chlorine can be lethal to fish. Pond Logic™ Activated Carbon or Pond & Fish Conditioner Defense® can be added to the water to remove these toxins.
3. Ensure Proper Filtration - Clean or replace filters and give the natural biological process a boost (see Algae Growth 101 for more information on why this natural biological process is important). Begin adding Pond Logic™ Seasonal Defense® Natural Bacteria to boost the natural biological activity.
4. Feed Fish - Start to feed fish with a food that is specifically designed for cold water temperatures.  Fish will naturally start to look for food when the water temperature approaches 42° F (6° C). Aquascape Premium Cold Water Fish Food Pellets is specifically formulated for pond fish when water temperatures are between 42° F and 70° F. This fish food includes a stabilized multivitamin and will promote brilliant colors on all pond fish.  It will not make the water cloudy because the pellets do not break apart.
5. Add Salt - Spring is a perfect time to add Pond Logic™ Pond Salt. Pond Salt provides a two-fold benefit. Not only does it provide fish with essential electrolytes necessary to stay healthy and vibrant, it can also help prevent algae blooms.
6. Care for Pond Plants - If you have rooted plants, this is the time to divide and re-pot them. This is also an ideal time to introduce floating plants which are beneficial because they provide shade and absorb excess nutrients, thereby reducing algae growth.

Summer Maintenance

Routine Season-long Maintenance - Having performed the spring maintenance recommendations, your water garden is off to a good start. Now you will want it to stay clean and clear throughout the season. To take the guess work out of maintaining your water garden, Pond Logic™ DefensePAC® is an all-in-one award winning package containing 5 essential products: Muck Defense to digest muck and sludge, Oxy-Lift Defense® to help lift debris from surfaces, Nature’s Defense® to add natural bacteria which helps maintain clean, clear water, Clarity Defense® which stimulates bacteria growth, and Seasonal Defense® with Barley for spring and fall preparation.

Fall Maintenance & Winter Shut Down

Fall maintenance is an important, yet often overlooked activity. The steps below will help reduce potential problems that can occur over the winter, and will also reduce the amount of work needed for Spring Start-up.

1. Remove Leaves - As the fall season's name implies, this is the time when the leaves fall... right into your water garden, no doubt! Leaves and other debris should be removed as soon as possible. The more time leaves, or other organic matter are in the water, the more biological activity, such as decomposition and nutrient release will occur (see Algae Growth 101). If your water garden is small to medium in size, you could skim out the leaves by hand every day before they sink to the bottom. An easier option is to place a large net over the entire water surface preventing leaves and other large debris from falling into the water. If you choose to use a net, it should be cleaned off weekly to prevent it from falling and to keep leaves from slipping through.
2. A Good Fall Cleaning - Just as you clean all the surfaces in the spring to prepare your water garden for summer, the same should be done in the fall - especially if you have fish that will stay in the water garden over the winter. Pond Logic Oxy-Lift™ Defense®, a product included in the DefensePAC®, works great for lifting debris off rocks and other surfaces, bringing it to the surface making it easier to remove. You could also add Orb-3 Water Garden Pellets to digest the muck and debris that is lifted from the surfaces.
3. Adjust Fish Food - Hopefully your fish have been eating a high-protein fish food over the summer, like Premium Staple Fish Food Pellets or Premium Color Enhancing Fish Food Pellets. A high-protein fish food fed over the summer months will allow the fish to build up a reserve of fat that will help them get through the winter. In the fall, your fish will naturally begin to transition into their dormancy state as the days get cooler. As this is happening, gradually reduce the amount of food you give your fish. When the temperature falls below 60° the fish should be fed a food that is specially formulated for their transition into winter. Aquascape Premium Cold Water Fish Food Pellets is designed specifically for this.
4. Bacteria Changes - Just as the weather changes, the amount and type of bacteria should also change. Natural bacteria that can tolerate colder water, like Seasonal Defense® with Barley should be added now. This will speed up the decomposition of leaves, scum and sediment that tend to build up over the fall and winter months.
5. Prepare for Fish Needs - If you have fish that you plan to leave in the water garden over the winter months, now is the time to put a system in place that will prevent the surface from completely freezing over. When organic material decomposes, toxic gases are released. Normally the gases escape out of the water's surface. If the surface is completely frozen over, the toxic gases will become trapped in the water column and could eventually kill your fish. Running a water garden aerator throughout the winter will help keep a hole open in the ice to allow the release of these toxic gases. Do not break the ice as this can create a shock wave that can hurt or kill fish. Depending on the size of the water garden, the aeration system's diffuser(s) should be moved to a shallow area so it sits within one foot of the water's surface. Another concern for fish as their metabolism slows is the threat of predators, such as raccoons, birds, and other animals. A great way to protect your fish is by covering the water with a net, like the type used to keep leaves out of the water garden.
6. Prepare Equipment - If you do not have fish and choose to shut down your aerator over the winter, be sure to drain all the water out of the airlines, fittings, diffusers, etc. Remove the pump, wash it thoroughly and store it in a garage, basement or other shelter where there is no risk of freezing.
7. Plant Care - Different plants require different care over the winter. Some plants can be left in the water throughout the winter. Other plants should be removed from the water and planted in the yard until spring. Tropical plants will likely need to come inside for the winter.

Algae Growth 101

Did you ever wonder why plain, sitting water, like a birdbath, gets slimy or scummy after a couple of days, and then turns green with algae before long? Understanding the answer to this question will help you considerably in the management of your water garden. Most freshwater bodies of water contain planktonic algae that are invisible to the naked eye. Planktonic algae serve multiple purposes. They oxygenate the water and are a food source for microorganisms and small fish. In a balanced ecosystem, natural food chain activity keeps the algae in check. When nutrients suddenly increase, algae can overproduce quickly creating an algae bloom, which then turns the water cloudy, slimy and sometimes opaque. So the key to maintaining clean, clear water is to manage the nutrients in the water. This can be tricky because nutrients are invisible to the naked eye.

Let's look at an example to illustrate how nutrients contribute to the growth of algae. If leaves fall into your waterbody in the fall, remain there all winter and are not removed in the spring, they will have naturally started to decompose. This decomposition is a biological process which results in the release of nutrients. The more leaves, or other organic matter that decompose, the more nutrients are released. The algae that already exist in the waterbody in controlled numbers (even though you cannot see them, they are there) consume these nutrients, allowing the algae to reproduce at an alarming rate, thereby forming an algae bloom.

Looking at this example, removing the leaves soon after they fall into the water can slow this whole process. But what about the nutrients that cannot be seen? How can they be kept in check so algae blooms are less likely to occur? The answer is beneficial bacteria and enzymes. Bacteria are commonly thought of in a negative way, like the microorganisms that can make people sick. While these exist, there are many types of good or beneficial bacteria. These good bacteria are tiny, microscopic organisms that naturally live in waterbodies and work by breaking down organic matter and consuming nutrients. Organic matter contains cellular structures ranging from rather simple to very complex. The more complex the cellular structure, the more difficult it is for bacteria to break it down. This is where enzymes are helpful. Enzymes can accelerate the process by breaking down the complex structures more quickly so they can be consumed by the bacteria. The bacteria and enzymes described here occur naturally in waterbodies. Most of the time however, there are not enough bacteria or enzymes to keep up with the organic matter and nutrients that exist in the waterbody. Therefore it is advantageous to add them yourself. Click here to see bacteria and enzyme products designed specifically for water gardens.

Controlling Algae

Excess nutrients and sunlight are the perfect recipe for growing algae. There are several common factors in ponds and water gardens that lead to excessive algae growth: an overpopulation of fish, overfeeding fish, a lack of aquatic plants, a lack of beneficial bacteria, and warm, stagnant water. Fish waste and uneaten fish food will result in excess nutrients in the water (see Algae Growth 101 for more information about how excess nutrients contribute to algae growth). If there are too many fish in the water garden (creating too much fish waste), some fish may need to be removed. So, how do you know if your water garden has too many fish? A general guideline is 2 to 3 fish per 500 gallons of water. This is not an absolute, but a good place to start. Overfeeding fish is another activity to avoid. Feedings should be limited to 3 to 4 times per week, and each feeding should be limited to the amount of food your fish can eat in 2 to 3 minutes. Reducing the amount of fish food will not only help reduce the amount of uneaten food, but will encourage the fish to consume more of the nutrients found in the water - a two-fold benefit! Another factor to consider is the type of food you feed your fish. High quality fish foods, like the Aquascape line of fish food are made with better ingredients which are digested more efficiently, thereby reducing the amount of fish waste.

Beneficial bacteria and enzymes added to the water will tie up excess nutrients which have been released from organic matter such as fish waste, uneaten fish food and leaves.

Aquatic plants can be helpful in providing shade, reducing the amount of sunlight that is able to penetrate the water. Plants are also a fantastic way to help bring more balance to your water garden's ecosystem. Aquatic plants absorb excess nutrients and bring a higher level of aesthetics to your water garden.

Aeration (adding oxygen to the water) is another recommended way to control algae. Aeration systems like the Koi Pond Aeration Kits and OB1 Linear Aeration Systems are designed specifically for water gardens. They work by circulating the cool water at the bottom, which prevents the warm, stagnant water near the surface from growing algae and mosquitoes. Aeration also dissipates the nutrients algae feed on and promotes beneficial bacteria to grow. During winter months, aeration systems will help keep the water from freezing entirely over. This is critical for fish survival because keeping a small area of water open will allow toxic gases from underneath the ice to escape, and supply fish with more oxygen.

How to Get Rid of Algae

There are times when algae can grow, even if you have implemented all of the suggested preventative measures. For example, a balanced water garden ecosystem can quickly become disrupted by a heavy rain storm that washes rain water and soil runoff (excess nutrients) into the waterbody. If you have fish in your water garden, you will want to avoid using algaecides that are copper-based. GreenClean® Granular Algaecide is a good choice for treating algae in water gardens that contain fish. If no fish are present, Stocktrine® II or GreenClean® Granular Algaecide are good choices for combating algae. Treatments for algae should be followed by an application of Orb-3 Water Garden Pellets. These pellets are bacteria-based and will degrade the dead algae, thereby reducing excess nutrients that could lead to more algae.

How to Get Rid of Muck

Muck that accumulates on the bottom of a waterbody is a common complaint among water garden owners. Orb-3 Water Garden Pellets and Pond Logic Muck Defense® Muck Reducer are specifically designed to accelerate the decomposition and reduce the amount of accumulated sediment and organic material (muck) on the bottom of a water garden. Both of these products should be used when the water temperature is above 50° F. If water temperatures are cooler (below 55° F), Seasonal Defense® with Barley is a good choice for reducing organic debris.