How to Plant a Waterlily

Waterlilies come in a variety of colors and are easy to grow, making them a favorite choice among water gardeners. If you’d love to try your hand at growing these beauties but don’t have a pond yet, you can grow them in a water-tight container and place them anywhere in your landscape – although they do best in full sun.

Instructions for Planting Hardy Waterlilies

Before putting your waterlily into a decorative container, you’ll first need to plant it properly into an aquatic container or planter. These no-hole planters come in both rigid and flexible options and can be found at water gardening stores or online.

Plant the waterlily in an aquatic planter approximately 8”x6” in size. Add Aquascape Once-a-Year Fertilizer to the planter following package instruction. Waterlilies have voracious appetites and will perform best if well fed. Then add soil, using media specifically designed for aquatic plants, such as Aquascape Pond Plant Potting Media. Place the hardy waterlily rhizome at a slight angle (about 45-degrees) with the cut end deeper in the soil and placed at the edge of pot, with the growing tip projecting 3/4” above the surface of the soil.

You’ll then want to cover the top of the soil with washed gravel or small pebbles so the soil doesn’t escape into the water once you set the aquatic planter into your decorative container. Layer the rock or gravel about ½” thick. It’s helpful if you use black or dark gravel so that it’s not easily visible in the water. Now that your waterlily is properly planted in its aquatic planter, you’re ready to place it into its decorative container.

Your best bet is to use a decorative container specifically designed for container water gardening. That way, there’s no hole to fill in the bottom of the decorative container and you don’t have to seal the insides to eliminate seepage. Choose a container at least 12 to 15” deep with a diameter of 24 to 36”. Fill the decorative container with water before placing the waterlily in its aquatic planter into the container.

Carefully place the mesh pot into the decorative container, slowly lowering it at an angle while the bubbles escape. Tilting the waterlily in its aquatic planter while lowering it into the water-filled decorative container will avoid turbulence.

A Proper Home

Make sure you give your potted container waterlily a proper home. Waterlilies need a minimum of 6 hours of sun. However, they will perform optimally in an area that receives at least 8-10 hours of direct sun.

5 Tips for Feeding Fish

Feeding your fish is a fun activity that the whole family will enjoy. In the beginning, after you first bring your fish home, they will be a little shy and not seem interested in what you’re feeding them. Don’t worry too much about this; just sprinkle a little food in the pond and move back. After a few minutes, they will take an interest and eat.

1. Be Consistent

The key is to be consistent, try to feed at the same time each day, and from the same spot. After a few weeks in your pond, they will be conditioned to you feeding them and the response will be considerably different. After a complete season, you will have them eating out of your hand.

2. Serve High Quality Food

Since everything you put into the pond is going to be broken down and removed by the filter, it is important to remember to only feed them high quality food, such as Aquascape Premium Fish Food, that is specifically designed for the fish in your pond. Feeding them anything other than high quality fish food could lead to many water quality issues like green water, string algae, and poor water conditions.

3. Variety is the Spice of Life

Many pond owners also choose to offer their fish a treat now and again. If you want to spice things up a bit, try a little fresh watermelon and watch your fish go crazy. Most fruits and vegetables will be fine as well, just keep in mind that the natural ecosystem has to deal with every bit we feed them or that is left in the pond.

You can also give your fish the Aquascape Pond Fish Vitamin Treat. Each depression of the pump top bottle creates a small worm-like looking treat for your pond fish. Aquascape Pond Fish Vitamin Treat increases appetite and vitality, enhances natural colors of the fish, and stimulates breeding.

4. The Five Minute Rule

A good rule of thumb is to only offer what your fish can eat in four or five minutes. The decision to feed your fish is up to you. Many pond owners never throw a single piece of food into their pond. Your pond will produce food for your fish to eat and also help create a balance between plants and fish. Remember, however, that larger fish need more food than small ones, so they may take a look at your plants for a snack. Not to mention the fact that if you are not feeding your fish, you are missing out on another whole level of fun that your pond has to offer.

5. Choosing the Best Food

Studies have been done comparing the digestion of protein from various sources in fish, and found that fish proteins were the best digested and assimilated by fish. Fish eat fish.

Fish are adapted to the consumption of others in their food chain, so fish proteins are the best for fish. When you look at a bag of food and the first ingredient is wheat, is that the best choice for your fish? No, wheat protein is not equal to fish protein so keep looking. You should look for fish or other aquaculture proteins as the first ingredient in a decent diet for your koi and goldfish.

For more information on fish food, read our article, Dissecting Fish Food Labels.

Watch our video for more important information about fish food:

Troubleshooting Pump Problems

Your pond pump is one of the most important pieces of equipment in your pond, so why not learn how to take care of it properly? Oftentimes, pumps burn out or die prematurely due to improper care and installation. By knowing how to take care of your pump, you can ensure it will last several years.

Issue: Pump Hums but Pushes Very Little Water

Possible Cause: Impeller may be seized by debris

Troubleshooting: Unplug and remove the pump from the pond and inspect the pump intake to ensure there is no debris restricting the impeller. Remove any debris, like rocks or sticks, which may have become lodged around and above impeller.

While the pump is still out of the pond, lay it on its side and plug in the pump to see if the impeller spins. If the impeller does not spin, use a screwdriver or similar tool to kick start the impeller.

Possible Cause: Pump may be air-locked.

Troubleshooting: Air has gotten into the impeller chamber. Tilt the pump while it’s in the pond to allow air to be released from the chamber or remove the pump from the pond and re-install, ensuring that the impeller chamber is flooded with water.

Issue: Pump Pushes Very Little Water

Possible Cause: Plumbing clogged with debris.

Troubleshooting: Disconnect the pump from the pipe. This will allow the plumbing to drain. Clogged debris may back-flush out of the plumbing and into the pond during this procedure. Inspect the plumbing to make sure no debris is lodged inside.

Issue: Pump Is Not Running

Possible Cause: Poor electrical connection, tripped breaker, blown fuse, or other interruption in power supply.

Troubleshooting: Check to make sure all electrical connections are working and that a qualified electrician installed and tested it. Note – Long extension cords may cause voltage drop at the pump and the amps to rise above maximum level. This can cause the pump to heat up and burn out the motor.

Issue: Pump Operates Intermittently

Possible Cause: Not enough water in the pond.

Troubleshooting: Most pumps must be submersed in water to operate properly. Low water levels may cause the pump’s internal thermal shut-off to activate. The thermal shut-off will deactivate once the pump is cooled down. The proper water level must be established in the pond for the pump to work properly.

Possible Cause: The pond is too small to support the volume of water needed for the stream.

Troubleshooting: The pond must be designed to provide enough water to the stream and waterfalls for proper circulation. When the pump is first started, it may be necessary to add a few inches of water to the pond in order to account for the water used to feed the stream and waterfalls. Upper pools and “check” dams in the streams are also very effective at holding water upstream when the pump(s) are not operating. Ponds that are too small may not be able to supply enough water to start the streams and waterfalls. This will cause the water in the pond to drop below the opening of the skimmer upon initial start-up and starve the pump of water.

Just Enjoy!

Remember, your pond should not be an endless source of frustration and confusion to you. If you continue to have problems with your pond, regardless of the troubleshooting steps you performed, it may be time to call in the help of a professional. You can find a Certified Aquascape Contractor in your area by logging onto http://www.aquascapeinc.com/findcontractors.php.

But please, don’t consider routine, general maintenance to be a burden on you. After all, how many tasks do you get to perform in the warm sun, with the sounds of frogs and birds all around you, and your friendly koi nibbling at your fingers? And how often are you tempted to take your shoes off and dip your toes in the bathtub when you’ve been cooped up in the house washing windows? Not often. That’s why you installed your pond. Enjoy it!

Watch our Pump Troubleshooting video for more tips on maintaining your water feature pump.

5 Aquatic Plant Choices for Your Pond

Spring is right around the corner and now’s the time to think about what new plants you might want to add to your pond. Whether you currently own a pond or are adding one to your landscape this year, here’s 5 aquatic plant choices that we think you’ll be sure to enjoy.

Golden Creeping Jenny: Lysimachia nummularia
This little plant is great for concealing edges and works well in shallow areas of the pond or stream. Creeping Jenny softens the look of the pond’s edge and is easy to manage. Delightful, small yellow flowers add pops of color to your water feature.

Cork Screw Rush: Juncus effosus
This quirky plant lends a punch of personality to the pond and can be planted in shallow edges up to 4”. The twisted grass-type plant (thus the name “cork screw”) comes in many varieties such as “Blue Medusa” and “Unicorn.”

Water Forget-Me-Not: Myosotis scorpioides
Dainty Forget-Me-Not thrives along the edge of a pond and in the streambed. This perennial’s tiny blue flowers bloom all summer long. Tuck it between rocks to soften the edges of your pond.

Parrots Feather: Myriophyllum aquaticum
The feathery fronds of this plant make an impressive statement when used along waterfalls. As Parrots Feather grows it cascades over the rocks providing lacy green touches of interest. Pinch it off during the growing season and you’ll have more plants to use along the edges or stream.

Joey Tomocik: Nymphaea ‘Joey Tomocik’
BEST FOR: 6-12” deep
Bright yellow blooms remain open almost all day on this stunning hardy waterlily. Joey Tomocik can have up to 6 blooms on one just one plant. The blooms rise up out of the water up to 6” and are a true show-stopper.

Now that you have a list of some favorites, you can check out your local aquatic garden center for adding these beauties to your pond.

If you need help in locating a retailer near you, simply log onto http://www.aquascapeinc.com/retailerlocator and type in your zip code or city.

Give Your Pond a Spring Jump-Start

When your pond begins to thaw, you want to ensure that you give it a healthy start. Performing a bit of maintenance now creates an improved environment for your fish, plants, and water quality. As we move into spring, here are some handy tips to get your pond in tip-top shape for the water gardening season.

1. Remove the pond heater and bubbler that you added in the winter to keep a hole in the ice for exchange of gasses.
2. Remove any debris that accumulated over the winter, such as leaves, sticks, or fine sediment. A skimmer net, with a finer mesh than a fish net, comes in handy for removing sediment.
3. If your water is fairly dirty, you’ll want to conduct a partial water change. To do this, you can use your existing pump connected to a pipe for water removal, or you can purchase a pump specifically designed for pond clean-outs (or you can always hire your local pond contractor to do this for you). Your pond water is rich with nutrients, so as you’re pumping out the water, use it to irrigate your surrounding landscaping and garden beds. Your flowers and veggies will thank you!
4. Perform a bit of maintenance to lengthen the life of your pump. Simply inspect the intake and remove any solids or debris.
5. When refilling your pond with water, be sure to apply a water conditioner such as Aquascape Pond Detoxifier. Pond Detoxifier removes chlorine, chloramine, and ammonia … and detoxifies heavy metals. What’s more, it’s safe for fish and plants.
6. You can begin to add water treatments once your feature is up and running. If the water temperature is below 55 degrees, you can start by adding EcoBlast and SAB Stream and Pond Clean (be sure to follow package instructions). SAB is a powerful phosphate binder that helps keep your water clear. EcoBlast is a fish and plant-safe algaecide. These two products will work extremely well together in getting your pond off to a good start.
7. Once your pond water temperature reaches 55 degrees, you can start adding Aquascape Beneficial Bacteria on a regular basis. Beneficial Bacteria assists in balancing your pond, reduces maintenance by keeping filters clean and debris-free, reduces harmful ammonia and nitrite, and produces crystal clear water quality.

To help your pond clean-out go as smooth as possible, Aquascape has created a Spring Starter Kit which contains everything you need to get your pond ready for the season.

For more information on Aquascape products, please visit www.aquascapeinc.com. You can download our free catalog at www.aquascapeinc.com/product-catalogs.

Watch our video that reviews how to care for your pond in the spring.

Decorative Fountains are Economical and Easy to Install

Decorative fountains are a convenient and economical way to add the sight and sound of running water to your landscape. Even if you already have a pond in the backyard, a small fountain can be a great addition to the front yard adding unique curb appeal to your home.

Aquascape’s AquaBasin® Mini Kits make it simple to have a water feature in almost any setting. Create a simple bubbling fountain or add one of the many Aquascape water fountains or features to suit your setting. Tuck one by the front door to greet guests or place it near a deck or patio to help relax you at the end of a busy day.

The AquaBasin® Mini Kits include the basin, water pump and decorative fountain. Made of fiberglass stone composite, the decorative fountain has all the natural beauty of real rock with the added durability and light weight of fiberglass. Fiberglass stone composite can be used indoors or out, never fades or chips, has a natural rock veneer and ages like real stone!

Watch our video below to see how easy it is to install an Aquascape fountain kit. For information on where to buy, visit http://www.aquascapeinc.com/shop-online.

4 Tips for Success with Aquatic Plants

If you want to have a low-maintenance, naturally balanced ecosystem pond, you absolutely must incorporate plants into your water garden.  Without aquatic plants, algae will enjoy a healthy feast on the nutrients that are available in the pond. Following are some easy tips to help you succeed in making sure you keep your pond balanced with aquatic plants.

1. Include a minimum number of plants for your pond. We recommend a minimum of 40-50% of the surface area of your pond covered with plants. This can be accomplished with shallow bog plants, waterlilies, floating plants, or any combination thereof. Plant cover helps shade the water keeping it cool for the fish and slowing the growth of algae. In addition, the coverage of plants provides the fish with a safe place to hide from predators. Additionally, plants make it possible to blend your pond in with existing landscape.

2. Use plants to naturally filter the water in your pond. Plants absorb nitrates and phosphates that would otherwise encourage and contribute to algae growth. Generally speaking, the more plants you have, the less algae-related maintenance will be required.

3. Prune plants to keep them from overtaking the pond. If your pond looks like it’s being suffocated by plants, it’s time to do a little pruning to regain a balanced look. Aquatic plants are usually very easy to divide, but each different type has its own requirements. Invest in a good aquatic plant book and you’ll have all the information you need. When you’re finished dividing them, you will likely have some extra [plants that you can use to decorate a less crowded section of the pond, or you can share them with your water gardening friends.

4. Add marginal plants for a natural look. When you look at ponds out in the wild you’ll see Mother Nature has incorporated a variety of plants around the edges. Be sure to include marginal aquatic plants in your pond to help soften the edges and make your pond blend in with the surrounding landscape. Plant your marginal close to the edge, or even between the rocks surrounding the pond. You’ll be rewarded with a more natural-looking pond.

Watch our video about the joy and beauty of aquatic plants: 

The Color and Pattern of Koi

Colors in the pattern of a high quality koi should be strong and distinct. For example, red should be true red, not orange-red. White should be snow-white and black should be true black, without a hint of gray. Not only are the clarity and depth of the koi’s coloration important in judging; it’s also important in a pond setting!

All colors should be of an even thickness over the body and unblemished by any other pigmentation (unless forming another pattern). Patterns should be well-defined and not fade into the background color. No two koi are alike, and each variety has its own pattern parameters.

Markings should be well balanced throughout the fish’s body. Interestingly, it is important to the koi judge that the koi pattern be balanced from side to side and from front to back. Some judges will judge fish in three sections: the head, the body, and the tail.

Though scales do not usually play a role in overall quality (unless they are missing) they can be an indication of koi type by the pattern they exhibit … full scalation, partial scalation (armor scale), or no scalation (doitsu or leather). Another interesting division among types of scales is the term kinginrin (abbreviated ginrin), referring to a shine possessed by a koi’s scales. Ginrin scales are highly reflective, in fact, sparkling when it catches light. Matsuba describes a darker pattern in the center of the scales, resulting in what is often described as a pine cone pattern. Non-metallic matsubas are classed in kawari-mono, whereas metallic ones are classed in hikari-mono. Complete books have been written dissecting the meaning and nuance of the various terms used to judge koi.

The overall size of a koi will also command a greater value. Koi can exceed 40 inches in length, though most water gardens are too small or too crowded to allow the fish to grow to its maximum potential.

Tips for Winter Pond Keeping

Keeping your pond running during the frozen months of winter will allow you to enjoy the beautiful ice sculptures that form in the stream and waterfall. Although beautiful, it’s possible that the ice buildup can form dams that could divert your pond water out of the pond. Check on the waterfall and stream and monitor the water level periodically throughout the winter. If you see an ice dam forming or the water level dropping at a high rate, your pond might be losing water because of the frozen sculpture and it might be time to turn off the pump for the winter. If you decide to leave the pond running until warmer weather however, your main concern is to ensure there is enough water for the pump(s) to operate properly.

Can a Pond Run Through the Entire Winter?
During the winter months, the usual water supply options are not available.  Outdoor water spigots and automatic water fill valves should be turned off to prevent pipes from freezing and cracking.  Therefore, pond owners who run their systems during the winter will have to find an alternate water source to replenish their pond.  Water can be supplied via a hose run from inside the house or by making multiple trips with a five-gallon bucket.  Generally speaking, it’s not uncommon to have to go out a few times a month during the winter to “top off” the pond. 

Won't the Waterfall Freeze Solid?
Pump size is important when determining a waterfall’s ability to operate during the winter.  A pump that provides at least 2,000 gph can be operated throughout the winter without a problem, as long as it runs continuously. Moving water will usually keep a hole open in the ice around the waterfalls and in front of the circulation system. However, repeated days in sub-zero temperatures may lead to excessive ice build-up and can cause the system to operate improperly. If the flow of water into the circulation system is unable to keep up with the pump because of ice build-up, it may be necessary to shut the system down. The system can be run again once the ice is melted and normal water flow is restored.

Will the Filters and Pipes Crack?
Most good filters are constructed out of rotational-molded polyethylene, and are designed to bow and bend with the freezing and thawing effects of winter. The PVC flex pipe is reinforced and will also not crack unless water is left in the pipe over the winter and allowed to freeze. If you decide to keep the pump running all winter long, there will still be a constant flow of water traveling through the pipe, and the moving water will not freeze.

The Bottom Line
The bottom line for winterization is maintenance. Roughly 70 percent of pond owners in the colder climates decide to shut down their system because they don’t enjoy tending to their water garden during the bitter months of the winter. The aesthetic rewards of the winter pond are absolutely worthwhile, so by all means; don’t be afraid to keep the system running as long as possible. Shutting down a pond during winter is also an option. Just be sure you take precautionary measures to preserve fish, plant, and pump life.

New and Improved Pond FAQs

You may or may not know that we have a list of troubleshooting and frequently asked questions (FAQs) on our website, all related to the pond lifestyle. But did you know we recently added many more questions to this section of our website? We expanded our FAQ section from around 40 questions to almost 200!

Do you have a question about green water? Are you curious about how often you should feed your fish? Maybe you’re having pump problems and need to resolve the issue. To find answers to these and other frequently asked questions, log onto www.aquascapeinc.com/troubleshootingfaqs.

In the right hand column of the FAQs page, you’ll see the list of categories. You can find the category you’re interested, and choose the topic there. Or, simply type a few search terms in the search box and you’ll be given a list of choices related to that topic. Click on the question that best reflects your concern and you’ll see the answer.

We’ll keep adding relevant questions to the Pond FAQs section of our website, so be sure to visit often when you have a pressing question!