The Art of Maintaining Good Water Quality

 

The Art of Maintaining Good Water Quality

 

The clarity and quality or your water is important, both for aesthetics and the health of the aquatic life in your pond. Without the right filtration and maintenance, the quality of your water will decrease, leading to problems such as poor fish health, cloudy, odorous water and algal blooms.


Causes of poor water quality

Poor water quality is usually a result of the concentration of nitrogen compounds (nutrients) being too high. These nutrients are present in the form of Nitrates, Nitrites and Ammonia; natural, soluble chemicals, all present in equilibrium with each other in your fishpond. Nutrients are utilised in the growth of plants, but since your water plants have plenty of nutrients stored in the soil in their pots, the only plants excess nutrients feed are algae! This can turn your pond into something resembling pea soup! To understand how to reduce these nutrients, we must understand the natural process called the “Nitrogen Cycle”.


Sources of nitrogen

The main source of nitrogen entering your fishpond is in fish food. When fish are fed the correct amount of food, (enough to be eaten within 5 minutes) a lot of this nitrogen is absorbed into the fish for fish growth, and the rest is excreted by the fish as urea and fish waste. As fish waste decomposes, it releases soluble nitrogen into the water. If the fish are overfed, the excess fish food, rich in nutrients, will quickly foul the water, leading to fish deaths. Other sources of soluble nitrogen include leaf litter in your pond from over hanging plants/trees and waterplants.


Controlling the amount of nitrogen in the fish pond

To control the amount of nutrients in the pond, we must do several things:

Reduce the sources of nutrients:

 

  • The number one rule to keeping fish is “Do not overfeed your fish”. Uneaten fish food is rich in nutrients and will turn your water foul very quickly and be detrimental to your fish’s health.

 

  • Fish waste must be removed regularly. This is where a good pond filter will make your life much easier. Canister filters separate the solid waste, catching it in a sponge which can easily be backwashed.  By removing fish waste regularly, you are removing the source of much of the excess nutrients in your pond.

 

  • Leaf litter must be removed periodically

 


Reduce the soluble nutrients in the pond

 

  • Soluble nutrients must be removed. This is done by two methods. The most important being biological filtration. Biological filtration uses bacteria found naturally in your pond, which convert nutrients to non harmful forms which can be absorbed more easily by water plants. There are two types of good bacteria which undertake this process: nitrosomonas and nitrobacter. Both of these grow on every surface in your pond. Biological filters provide the good bacteria with a huge surface area to grow on, increasing their numbers and hence their ability to consume nutrients. To find out more about biological filtration, CLICK HERE.

 BUY BIOLOGICAL FILTERS HERE!!

  • The other way of decreasing the nutrient concentration in your pond is to undertake occasional water changes of around 20%, making sure to use water de-chlorinator if replacing the drained water with tap water. Chlorine, found in common tap water, is extremely toxic to fish and must be removed from any water entering your pond.

 

  • Dissolved oxygen another important element in your pond. The greater the oxygen content in you water, the healthier your fish will be and the more efficiently the good bacteria will convert nutrients to safer forms. Ways of oxygenating you water include the use of fountains/waterfalls, aerators, oxygenating plants and venturis.

 

  • If your fishpond receives more than 3 hours of sunlight per day, it may turn green, even if you take all the above precautions. In this circumstance, your pond may require Ultra-violet clarification.

 

  • We recommend reading more about filtration HERE if you think that your current filter is inadequate for you pond.

 

         Green Water

 

  • Green water is caused by single celled algae present in the water.  This type of algae is not harmful to your fish, however, it can be an indication of there being too much nutrients in the water, or the pond receiving too much sunlight.  (see above on ways of lessening nutrient concentrations) 

 

  • Natural ways of dealing with algae include reduced feeding and reducing sunlight reaching the pond, but introducing more waterplants such as waterlilies..  But a more permanent and reliable solution would be an ultraviolet light filter

 

BUY POND CHEMICALS HERE TO CLEAR YOUR WATER!!

         Cloudy water

 

  • If your water is a brown or milky colour, you probably have clay particles in suspension.  This may be due to your fish getting into your waterplants or a sign of inadequate filtration. 

 

  • First, see if you can locate the source of this dirt, and stop it from happening again..  This could be by putting a layer of gravel on top of your waterplants, or by preventing surface water from flowing into your pond during times of heavy rain. 

 

  • Secondly, use a flocculent such as a product called “Clearpond” to clear up the water.  This product acts by binding the particles together, making them either sink, or become large enough to be caught within your filtration.  If there is a significant amount of dirt in your pond, a total pond cleanout may be necessary..  We do have a pond maintence service if you need your pond cleaned out..... click here for more details 

 

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Keeping Your Pond and Fish Healthy

 

All fishponds need to be maintained to stay looking good and for optimum fish health.

Here are some tips in keeping any fishpond healthy:

 

  • Feed you fish everyday in summer and 3 times a week in winter
    - Your fish’s metabolism is related to the temperature of the water
     
  • Feed your fish only what they can eat in 3-5 minutes
     
  • Remove any uneaten food
     
  • If you have a sponge canister filter, clean it out monthly in the warmer months, every second month in the colder months
  • Remove leaves from pond periodically with a net
     
  • If you have water plants, fertilise them with special slow release tablet fertilisers at the start of spring and summer
     
  • Maintain your water pH between 7.0 and 7.4
     
  • Observe your fish. If you notice any signs of disease, such as sores, fungus on the fins or unexplained fish deaths, go to your local fish specialist to seek advice on appropriate medication.

 

Saving Water

Get the right filter

Ponds which have good filtration require far less frequent water changes, perhaps just once a year for some ponds, compared to once a fortnight for some ponds without adequate filtration. This is because good filters actually remove nutrients from the water continually, so you don’t have to worry about diluting pollutants in your fishpond with precious drinking water.


Pond construction and location

If building a new pond, be sure to use only the best materials and sealing products, so that the pond will not leak. If building a pond from liner, make sure the liner is EPDM rubber, so that it will not degrade in UV light.
Fish ponds that are located in semi shade do not lose as much water through evaporation as ponds in direct sunlight do

When draining any water from the pond, use the water to water your garden. The nutrients in the water are great for plants!

Regularly check waterfalls for any loss of water, if you suspect a leak in your pond, get it checked out.


INVEST IN A WATER TANK…