A backyard water garden pond is a little man-made eco-system that occasionally needs our help to achieve the natural balance necessary to sustain pond life. When we think of water quality in our water garden ponds, two things usually come to mind: the pond’s ability to support aquatic life and its clarity. Successful pond owners are concerned with both of these aspects.

It is very important to eliminate chlorine (if using tap water) and/or heavy metals (which most well water contains, as does some tap water) when filling the pond. Fish cannot live in chlorinated water or water that contains heavy metals. There are many water conditioning products available to accomplish this.

For healthy fish and a clear pond, the pond water needs to be monitored using the proper test kits. Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels need to be tested regularly. Testing pH levels is also very important. Nothing in the pond will thrive if the pH is too far out of balance. The pH of the pond should be as close (6.8 - 7.3) to neutral (7.0) as possible. If you need to adjust the pH of your pond water we have pH adjusters to raise or lower the pH.

Many pond owners try to keep far more fish than their garden ponds will naturally support. In the wild, fish have large amounts of water so that toxins from their waste do not build up to dangerous levels.

To increase the efficiency of the removal of toxic compounds in their water garden ponds, successful pond owners add concentrated solutions of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that break down sludge and other organic compounds. Successful pond owners also provide an abundant supply of oxygen to the bacteria by the use of pond aerators to increase the efficiency of their pond’s filtration.

At certain times of the year, or if the balance of fish, plants, and biological conversion is off, you may experience green water in your water garden pond due to a build up of single cell suspended algae. One method of guaranteeing clear water against suspended algae is through the use of an ultraviolet clarifier. This device will give a near 99% reduction in suspended algae (“green water algae”) when properly sized to the pond. However, an ultraviolet clarifier must not be used without biological filtration, as the dead algae needs to be broken down. UV will not help with string algae, for this we recommend specialized algae control. Some pond owners use a pond safe water colorant to help reduce algae growth as well as to provide a “Caribbean blue water” look to their pond.

If you occasionally have problems with suspended particles that interfere with water clarity in your water garden pond, then you might consider using a flocculant. Flocculants works by clumping suspended particles together, and then the clumps fall to the bottom of the pond where they can be removed by siphoning or by mechanical filtration.