Category: Myths

Can You be a Koi Hobbyist and a Water Gardener at the Same Time?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

Of course! Yes! Absolutely! Don’t believe anyone telling you otherwise.

You can raise koi and have a beautiful water garden.

There are koi hobbyists who have perfectly balanced pond ecosystems with no chemicals, no sterilization, and a nice assortment of plants. The koi can grow up to be just as beautiful and just as healthy as they are in traditional koi ponds – and you’ll love them just as much!

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How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
will predators eat all my fish in my pond
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue

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What Is the Best Filter System for a Koi Pond?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

What is the best filtration system for a koi pond?

Believe it or not, you can over-filter a pond. Tight filter pads in your skimmer pick up the smallest particles of debris, causing you to be cleaning the filtering mechanism out constantly. Now remember, we’re not talking about drinking water here. What we are talking about is water clarity and water that’s healthy for your fish. Fish in the wild certainly don’t swim around in bottled water. If you can see a dime on the bottom of the pond, then the water clarity is just right for your fish and filtering past that is overkill and will create headaches, not eliminate them.

Keep it simple. Trust us when we say we’ve been around long enough to learn that the setup in the photo to the right is NOT what you want to go with. We recommend a simple, eco-system type pond with natural biological filtration. Your fish will thank you.

Our experience is the nerds that insist on having the most complex system available, and look for excuses to justify it, have the most nightmarish expriences with their koi ponds.

This is an article from our Learning Hub. Want to learn more tips and tricks about water gardens?

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
What is the best filtration for a koi pond
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue

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Should I Put a Bottom Drain in My Koi Pond?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

Should you put a bottom drain in your koi pond? If you’ve asked this question online anywhere, you’ll see endless debates on the matter. Some of the forums get pretty emotionally charged on this subject even.

The claim by many koi keepers is that the water will lack sufficient oxygen at the lower levels, and this insufficiency can be detrimental to your koi.

The real fact is that if you avoid making your pond any deeper than two feet, there is very little difference in the oxygen levels at the surface and at the bottom of the pond.

The problem we see with bottom drains is that they have a tendency to promote leaks, possibly leaving your fish land-locked. Now that’s a problem to avoid at all costs. We do not recommend them.

This is an article from our Learning Hub. Want to learn more tips and tricks about water gardens?

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue

If you’d had enough, and don’t even feel like reading or searching for more info, just give us a call. We’ll help you out.

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Do high tech systems, tests and treatments make my koi pond better?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

Do high tech systems, tests and treatments make my koi pond better?

Do high tech systems, tests and treatments make my koi pond better? | Denville, Rockaway, Morris County NJ

It depends what you are referring to in your question.

If you are wondering whether your pond is the equivalent to a science lab with tests, and more preciptions, treatments, and daily meds than your grandad had, then no. High tech in that regard is not the answer or something you want to get started in. More than anything else, being observant and learning from Mother Nature is what it takes to be a water gardener. Whatever she does naturally is what you should be doing in your pond. Whatever she doesn’t do is what you should be avoiding in your pond.

Now, that being said, there are some pretty cool “high tech” things available in the pond industry.

Such as iOT pumps, lights, water jets, Ion Gen for algae control, automatic dosing systems to feed your pond with bacteria. These things are high tech, and afford us some pretty cool features. Such as setting schedules for your pond lights, turning on that little frog spitter from your app on your phone, etc.

Give us a call if you’d like to see what’s available! Just tap the blue button below the picture.

This is an article from our Learning Hub. Want to learn more tips and tricks about water gardens?

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue

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Can You Use a Timer on a Koi Pond?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

Can you use a timer on a koi pond to save on energy costs?

Well, it depends.

If you have a larger koi pond with multiple streams or pumps, then yes, you could shut them all down except one pump that meets the minimum required circulation.

If you only have one pump on your pond, then no, do not use a timer. Your pond and fish and plants need to breath. Your pump is the source of that oxygenated water.

Now pondless waterfalls and fountains are not necessarily maintaining a living ecosystem, so you can put those on a timer as much as you wish.

Keep in mind, your pond is a living, breathing ecosystem that needs constant oxygen, just like the human race. If you shut your system down at night, then you can never have sufficient growth of beneficial bacteria to fight algae blooms, and your finned friends will have a hard time breathing.

This is an article from our Learning Hub. Want to learn more tips and tricks about water gardens?

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue

If you’d had enough, and don’t even feel like reading or searching for more info, just give us a call. We’ll help you out.

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Are Koi Ponds a Liability or Safety Issue?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

It’s natural to have these thoughts and concerns, but it is more important to remember that a professionally-installed water garden has steps leading into the pond. The first shelf is only ankle high once the gravel is laid down. The smallest area in the bottom is just above your knee, so it is not constructed like a swimming pool. We do recommend that you make your neighbors aware of the water garden and educate your own children and friends about the safety of any body of water..

This is an article from our Learning Hub. Want to learn more tips and tricks about water gardens?

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue
Are koi ponds a liability or safety issue

If you’d had enough, and don’t even feel like reading or searching for more info, just give us a call. We’ll help you out.

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Is It Ok to Use Chemicals in My Koi Pond?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

This one comes from the swimming pool industry. If chlorine is good for humans in the local swimming pool industry, then chemicals must be okay for fish and the plants in the pond. The truth though: No. It is not ok. You will risk killing all forms of life in your pond, depending on the chemicals you would use. You could even destroy pumps and pond lights.

Products like algaecide (copper sulfate), dechlorinator (sodium thiosulfate), and fish antibiotics are commonly used as quick-fix solutions to eco-system balance related problems. In the end, your best bet is to attack the root cause of the problem and make sure that you have a naturally balanced pond that allows Mother Nature to take care of all the maintenance issues.

We recommend and use Aquascape pond products, which are natural biological products designed to assist Mother Nature, not kill her.

This is an article from our Learning Hub. Want to learn more tips and tricks about water gardens?

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
does a koi pond decrease my home value
Bleach in a koi pond is not ok

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Does Having a Pond Decrease the Value of My Home?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

Everyone knows when it comes to the resale value of your home, a swimming pool can be deadly.

However, in the opinion of some real estate agents, ponds can be a great addition to your home that might even pay dividends. With water features becoming more and more popular, you can bet that the demand for them will get even bigger!

This is an article from our Learning Hub. Want to learn more tips and tricks about water gardens?

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
does a koi pond decrease my home value

If you’d had enough, and don’t even feel like reading or searching for more info, just give us a call. We’ll help you out.

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Can You Have Koi in a Pond With Rocks & Gravel?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

Pond Fish are an integral part of any ecosystem. Unfortunately, fish are often seen as creating a maintenance nightmare. Contrary to popular belief, fish will actually reduce pond maintenance, as they graze on string algae and bottom feed from the pond floor.
Koi are actually just a fancy variety of carp, and all carp are bottom feeders. They love to swim along the bottom and scavenge everything that is available on and in-between rocks. In nature, it’s not uncommon to find ponds, lakes, or rivers with rocks on the bottom. It’s more like their natural environment than an exposed rubber liner, so why even think about doing battle with Mother Nature?

Want to learn more tips and tricks about water gardens?

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
can koi be kept in a pond with plants

If you’d had enough, and don’t even feel like reading or searching for more info, just give us a call. We’ll help you out.

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Do Koi Ponds Attract Mosquitos?

Posted on by Weston Zimmerman

Do Koi Ponds Attract Mosquitos?

Do Koi Ponds Attract Mosquitos? | Denville, Rockaway, Morris County NJ

Short answer: no. Mosquitoes will generally only lay their eggs in still, stagnant water. And a properly built ecosystem pond does not have still, stagnant water. The water in all the ponds we build is constantly moving and circulating.

Additionally, if the mosquitoes do happen to lay eggs in your pond and the mosquito larvae hatch, the fish in your pond will consider them a treat and will pick them off the water’s surface with great enthusiasm. Your skimmer will sweep up whatever the fish miss.

How deep does a koi pond need to be Denville NJ
can koi be kept in a pond with plants

If you’d had enough, and don’t even feel like reading or searching for more info, just give us a call. We’ll help you out.

Take The Plunge!

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This is an article from our Learning Hub. Want more like this? Click on the button to see our entire library of useful information!

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