Winter Pond Care to Ensure Survival of your Fish and other Aquatic Life

Winter truly has set in here in the New Year of 2014 in South Central Wisconsin.  During the last couple of days we have had a little bit of snow fall (about 1 inch) with a lot of wind and quite a variety of temperatures.  Yesterday we had a high of 31 degrees F, today was maybe 9 degrees F (at midnight, then down from there), and tomorrow the forecasted high is going to be around -12 degrees F (Wind-chill around -50 degrees F or lower).

With the wind and snow fall we have had there has been quite a bit of drifting of the snow.  That drifting can have an impact on your pond and your Koi and/or Goldfish.  How is that?  The drifting can create a cover over the opening(s) in your pond that are supposed to be keeping your fish happy and healthy.  The drifting snow can block the opening(s) in the ice responsible for allowing the gas exchange of oxygen into the pond water and ammonia out of the pond water thus decreasing the water quality for your fish and other aquatic inhabitants.

What should you do?  Take a moment to really look at your pond and the "De-Icer" and the opening that should be created by your "winter" pump and de-icer.  Make sure there is an opening that will allow for the necessary gas exchange.  If there is no opening, carefully shovel off the snow above the de-icer and/or pump to create the opening that will allow for the exchange. Do Not "Bang" or "Pound" on the ice to create an opening.  Doing so is not good for your fish.  Your fish and other aquatic inhabitants will be happy for that oxygen.

Enjoy your winter.  Be sure to contact me with any questions at Shawn@AquaticInnovators.com.

Your Invited - Pond & Water Feature Tour 2012 - with Moonlight Tour - Saturday July 28, 2012

Please join us for our Pond & Water Feature Tour to see a variety of different water features in the area.  This is a perfect opportunity to see these features in person, meet their owners. and learn more about the enjoyment of owning a water feature.

Aquatic Innovators, LLC is hosting the Pond and Water Feature Tour on Saturday July 28, 2011, rain or shine, 9am to 5pm to show off some of the ponds and water features we have built, renovated, or perform maintenance on. We are also using this event to raise money for a local non-profit organization, Friends of Noah, WI. Please visit their website (www.FriendsofNoah-WI.org) to find out more about them.

A Moonlight Tour of select locations is part of the event. The Moonlight Tour includes water features with underwater lighting and will give you the opportunity to see the ponds and water features after dark. The underwater lighting gives the water features a whole new look, showing how you can truly enjoy your pond or water feature 24/7.

Hours of the Moonlight Tour are: 9pm to 11pm

Tour locations are throughout Rock County, Wisconsin: Janesville, Milton, and Beloit.

Cost: $8.00 (12 and under are Free)

Tickets will be available NOW at:
Wild Birds Unlimited, Janesville
Dave's Ace Hardware Stores in Milton & Evansville

Water features at the properties include Ponds (large and small), Bubbling Vases, and/or Bubbling Stones.

Please join us and take part in the tour. Doing so will help out a local non-profit organization, give you an opportunity to see a variety of ponds and water features, and meet other pond and water feature enthusiasts. You just might end the day with some new friends.

Contact us with any questions/comments/suggestions via email at: Shawn@AquaticInnovators.com, or by telephone at 608-373-7040.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  2011 has come and gone in a flash.  At this time last year we already have plenty of snow on the ground, while this year we are still waiting for our first big snowfall.  We had our first batch of babies in our newest pond this summer.  The population grew from 10 to at least 25 (the little guys sure know how to hide in the rocks).  We are maxed out on fish.  The babies are really growing fast.  Our dogs and even the cats love to watch the fish swim around.  As of today, many of the babies are already almost 3 inches long - still not sure which ones are the parents though.  I am sure the babies prefer the warmer water during the summer, but spring will be here soon.  The pond is currently about 1/3 frozen over which is hard to believe for the start of the new year.

Thank you all for a great 2011 and we look forward to talking and working with you in 2012.  Happy New Year!

What the heck is an IonGen™?

Spring is just around the corner! The warm weather we are having is giving me spring fever. Yesterday I was walking down a sidewalk and I caught the smell of dirt. It was a great reminder of what is soon to come. I am sure there will be a few cold spells and several inches of snowfall yet, but the days are getting longer and the sun is warmer. Pond season is soon upon us.

 

We are preparing for the season and getting ready to prepare and start up the ponds again. We will be trying out a new product this year for tackling our algae control throughout the season. It is called the IonGen™ System by Aquascape, Inc. The IonGen™ System has been available to the public for over a year now. The reviews have been great. Any issues that came up during the prototype period prior to being available to the public, and any that came up over the past year have been addressed. Following is a description and picture of the new system from Aquascape, Inc.

 

Electronic clarifier for ponds and pondless waterfall systems. Simple to install.

 

  The Aquascape IonGen™ is a water clarifier solution for ponds, Pondless Waterfalls, and other decorative water features. The IonGen™ drastically reduces pond maintenance and provides crystal clear water without the use of chemicals. A microprocessor inside the IonGen™ control panel causes the outermost atoms of copper, silver and zinc to lose an electron, creating a positive ion. The positive ion attempts to flow from one of the Probe's bars to the other and is swept away by the flow of water where the ion can begin to treat the water. The IonGen™ Probe is self cleaning, using reverse polarity to prevent scale and debris build-up on the Probe's bars. The metal alloys in the Probe are scientifically blended and tested to produce maximum results. The IonGen™ System is safe for fish and plants and is not toxic to any animals that may drink from the pond.

Iongen System by Aquascape, Inc.

•  Features:
• Treats up to 25,000 gallons
• Less than $1/month in electricity
• Includes: 2" PVC tee, control panel, 6 watt transformer, 1 Probe, Copper test strips.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these units for your pond, give us a call. Based on the reviews from others that have used this system, this will be a great addition to the system, and drastically reduce the time you need to spend maintaining your pond. We will update you as the season gets into full swing to let you know how it’s working. Feel free to contact us at 608-373-7040, or Shawn@AquaticInnovators.com if you want to know sooner, would like more information, or with any questions.

 

Enjoy the rest of the winter, and get ready for spring.

 



Winter Pond Maintenance

Winter Pond Maintenance Items

Maintaining Proper Water level, De-icer's and Pump's, and Debris Net’s/Basket’s and/or Pre-Filter’s

Reminder - DO NOT bang on the ice to create an opening in it. This is harmful to your fish due to the sound waves created by the banging. If you find that your pond has frozen over for some reason (e.g. power outage, equipment failure), contact us for some ideas to safely open it up.


1)  Maintaining Proper Water level - Check the water level and add more as needed.


This is especially critical if you have a skimmer with a pump inside and it is operating as it normally does during the warmer months. Where does the water go? Water will continue to evaporate, albeit at a much slower rate than during the summer. Also, as ice forms across the pond and throughout the stream and waterfall, less water is available. Small water losses have a larger impact on the water level. As water splashes onto the adjacent rocks and the ice covering the pond, that water freezes, essentially leaving the system and becoming “unavailable” (until it melts again in the spring). It generally only takes a 5-gallon bucket or two to get the water level back to the normal operating level, unless an ice dam developed and diverted a large amount of water out of the system.


2)  Uncover your deicer and pump


These items work well for maintaining an opening in the ice during the winter months. However, heavy snow fall events, high winds and drifting, and blizzards (similar to what we recently encountered) can overpower the abilities of these items, and create a snow dome over them. Snow is a great insulator and can block the ever important gas exchange (oxygen dissolving into the water and toxic gases exiting the water) from taking place. So go ahead and carefully shovel/scrape the snow from covering these up. Your fish will love you for it. Be careful if you step onto the ice to do this. We do not want to hear about anyone stepping out onto thin ice. That water is cold. Brrrrrr!




3)  Check the debris basket/nets and pre-filters


These items are there to protect your pump, and as long as water flows through them, they will continue to filter out and collect items before they reach your pump. Similar to what happens during the summer, too much “stuff”, and your pump will become starved from having enough water to operate correctly, and potentially burn out early. So check these items and remove the debris.






Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube sites as we have added pictures, video clips and additional reminders/suggestions to them.

Winterization

http://www.aquaticinnovators.com/

It's that time of year again to prepare yourself and your pond, stream, waterfall, and other water features for the onset of winter.

As a refresher for those that have winterized their features before, the main things to do are to feed your fish a cold water fish food, switch to a cold water bacteria, cover your pond with netting to keep all the leaves in the neighborhood from getting into your pond, trim your hardy plants back, remove as much organic matter (leaves, sticks, etc. that do get into the pond) as reasonably possible, turn off remove and rinse off the main pump and check-valve assembly, and install a small bubbling pump and de-icer.  Store your (submersible) pump in water for the winter to prevent the seals from drying out and cracking.  We also recommend removing and thoroughly cleaning your filter media for the winter.  It'll be ready to go in the spring.

If you have trouble spot or two of string algae that develops, Ecoblast is a perfect solution - it works as long as the water isn't frozen (most other products are temperature sensitive and are ineffective in cooler/cold water).  First, physically remove what you are able to, then sprinkle the Ecoblast right onto the algae and watch it disappear.  Be sure there is no water circulation in the treatment area for at least 20 minutes to allow it enough time to work.

Remember, the above is just a brief overview of the basics of winterizing your water feature.  For a free downloadable maintenance sheet, visit the Pond Maintenance page on our website or click here.

For specific questions about winterization, or to schedule a time for us to winterize you water feature for you, please contact us at 608-373-7040, or Shawn@AquaticInnovators.com.

Be sure to visit our social media sites - Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and more.  Links to each of these sites are also on the home page of our website

Have a great fall and winter season.

Basic Pond Maintenance

Welcome to Summer!  OK, it isn't officially summer yet, but I think we can safely say there won't be any frost for a while, and the forecast for the next week is hot and sticky with a chance of rain every day for about a week.  Spring came a bit earlier this year than the past couple of years, so your ponds and water features should be fully cycled by now.  Your water should be pretty clear if not crystal clear by now, your aquatic plants will be blooming, and your fish begging for food every time they see you.

Like anything, there are always things that you can do to maintain, or tinker with your pond or water feature.  I am always tinkering with our pond.  Not necessarily because something needs to be done (other than finish it  :-)  ), but because I find it relaxing, and can feel the stress melting away while doing it.  A couple of weeks ago, I was actually in our pond planting some water lilies.  The water was 84 degrees F.  It felt great.  Our pond is still a work in progress.  It is functional, but the landscaping around it and plantings within still need some work.  Below is a picture of our pond from a couple of weeks ago.  When the picture was taken, only one of the two pumps was operating.  We don't always have both pumps running to save on electricity costs.  The second pump more than doubles the flow of water.  Each of the waterfalls is about 2 1/2 feet wide.  The center of the pond is 5 1/2 feet deep.  If you want to know more about why we have multiple pumps (other than to save electricity) and their placement, contact us and we would be happy to explain.

If you are interested in a printable listing of the basics of what you could/should be doing for maintenance of your pond, please visit the pond maintenance page on our website.  There you will be able to download the pdf. document.  If you haven't been to our website for a while, take a look around you will see that we have made some changes, with more to come.  Suggestions are always welcome.

Here is a link to the pond maintenance page:  Pond Maintenance Information

Also, be sure to check out our Facebook page.  We have been updating that a bit more frequently than the blog.  A link to our Facebook page is on our home page.

Have a great season!