Are ponds are a lot of work to maintain?
A properly designed and built pond is nearly self-maintaining. Ponds can be built in sun or shade, large or small. With the right skimmer filtration, most pond debris is automatically bagged and ready for easy removal. A biological filter with supplemental bacteria additions will clean the pond, letting nature establish an ecosystem that recycles fish waste and eliminates green water.

Do ponds use a lot of water?
The Aquascape ecosystem is a closed system. Except for the initial fill-up, the only water that has to be added is to replenish water that has evaporated. Research has demonstrated that properly built ponds typically need less water than the same square footage of lawn.

Do ponds breed mosquitos?
Mosquitoes only breed in stagnant water. Installing a skimmer and BIOFALLS Filter eliminates stagnant water. The skimmer draws in the mosquito larvae from the surface of the water, drowning them.

How high should the waterfall be?
 Waterfall height will be determined by the elevation of the property on which the pond is installed. The waterfall should look as natural as possible. You do not want to create an 8-ft long waterfall on a flat piece of property. Such an out-of-scale waterfall will end up looking more like a volcano than a waterfall. The majority of the waterfalls we install (here in the flatlands of Illinois) are only 2 ft. high. Higher waterfalls can be built on existing slopes, but make sure the pump can handle the extra height.

What is a good starter size for a water garden?
Over the years, we have found that an 11 ft. x 16 ft. pond (roughly 180 sq. ft.), 24 inches deep is a good size to start off in most yards. This size will allow plenty of room for fish and plants to be added over the years to come. When designing the pond, keep in mind that our greatest complaint from the customers for whom we’ve installed ponds is, “I wish we had made it bigger!”

How many gallons per hour of water flow do most waterfalls require?
Everyone has different opinions regarding how much water looks and sounds pleasing cascading over a waterfall. In most residential water features, we try to achieve approximately 1000-1500 gallons per hour per foot of spillway. For example, a 2 ft. wide waterfall would require approximately 2000 gph-3000 gph.

How often should the pond’s water be turned over?
A general rule of thumb when using the Aquascape ecosystem is a turn-over rate of at least once every two hours. How deep does the pond have to be? Hardy fish such as koi, will survive winter in Chicago (zone 5), in as little as 18” of water. The majority of the ponds we build in Chicago are 24” deep. All of the Aquascapes pond kits are designed to be built at a depth of 24”. You can go deeper if you want, but keep in mind a few key factors in the design. A deeper pond will require more digging, rock, and a bigger liner. Bigger BIOFALLS filter, skimmers, and pumps may also be required depending on how deep you go and how much water is held in the pond.

Where is the best location for a pond?
Bring the pond up to the residence instead of the resident having to go to the pond. The ideal location for a pond is near the house, adjacent to a deck, patio, porch. The designer should take into account views from the outside the house, as well as from inside.

Things to avoid when designing your pond:
Never design a water garden system with a larger pond on top flowing into a smaller pond at a lower elevation. We learned this the hard way! The reason is the water in transit from the larger pond and connecting stream will flood the smaller pond when the pump is turned off (or the electricity goes out during a storm). The end result is a very high maintenance pond. Someone will have to go out every time the pump is turned off or loses power and add water back into the system (prime the system). The Solution: Always place the larger pond at the bottom of the system.

Try to avoid placing the pond at a low spot on the property or in an area that receives drainage and properly run-off. This might appear the perfect solution to an already wet area, but it will usually create a number of problems. Water beneath the liner will create hydrostatic pressure, causing the liner to bubble up. Uncontrollable run-off will enter the pond, and can cause an imbalance in the eco-system of the pond, resulting in poor water quality and algae blooms. Instead of placing the pond in a low spot, bring the pond up close to the house allowing the residents to enjoy the water feature from outside, as well as inside the house.

Why should rocks and gravel be set throughout the pond?
There are several reasons we always “rock-in” ponds. Stones and gravel decrease maintenance, extend the life of the liner, stabilize the ponds walls, provide ballast against hydrostatic pressure, and look more natural than a naked liner.

Fish waste, dead plant material, and wind-blown debris combine and decompose to form a smelly sludge that builds up to a few inches over the course of a year. In a naked liner or concrete pond, these materials rot and cause gases that are harmful to the ecology. A pond with a gravel base will have substantially less sludge at the end of the season compared to a bare liner base. Adding gravel over the entire pond bottom allows sludge and waste-eating bacteria to colonize and break down these excess nutrients (just like in a fish tank)

Completely “rocking-in” the pond floor extends the life of the pond by protecting the liner from harmful UV light (sunlight), which will degrade the liner over time. A liner that is covered with stone and gravel is not exposed to UV light, greatly increasing the life span of the liner.

A “rocked-in” pond will anchor in place and create structurally sound walls. Think of it as a boulder retaining wall inside the pond. The weight of the stone will also provide a considerable amount of ballast against hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure created beneath the pond’s liner from water build-up. Hydrostatic pressure can be so strong that it will create unsightly bubbles in the liner.

How many fish can I put in my pond?
As a gerneral rule: 1" of fish per 10 gallons of water. Example: 1200 gallons will accomodate about ten 12 inch fish.

How soon can I add fish to my pond?
Operating the filter system for at least three days, up to a week, will allow the chlorine to dissipate through the waterfalls. If the owner is anxious and wants to add fish sooner, use de-chlorinator to remove the chlorine from the water.

What kind of predators will eat my fish?
As long as your pond is at least two feet deep and eight feet wide with hiding places for the fish, they should be safe from raccoons.

Generally only heron will eat your fish. The best way to deter them is to purchase a scarecrow or yard cop. This is a sprinkler equipped with a motion sensor and shoots several blasts of water when the predator approaches the pond. Also a flat piece of stone can be placed in the between ledges in the pond for the fish to hide under.

Fish caves can be added to the pond to provide hiding places or floating alligators can help deter predators as well.

Why should I put plants in my pond?
• They take up nutrients in water that would otherwise be taken up by algae.
• Create an area for fish to hide.
• Cover the ponds surface area.
• Food for fish.
• Oxygenate the water.
• Soften up the look of the rocks.

What happens to my water plants in the wintertime?
Hardy water lilies planted deeper than 12 inches will survive the water. Cut the dead lily leaves and stalks, leaving approximately 2 to 3 inches of stem at the base of the plant. Hardy bog plants and marginal plants will need all of the dead leaves trimmed down just above the water level. Tropical lilies and floating plants can brought inside for the winter or treated as an annual and replaced each season. Remove the tropical water lily after the first frost. Cut the lily leaves and keep only the tubers. Store the tubers in a greenhouse or basement.