Importance of Pond Filtration
If you are building or installing a new pond, or improving an old one, you will want to consider the benefits of filtering the pond water.
While it isn't always necessary to filter the water in ponds, if you are planning to stock yours with Koi fish, it really is essential.
If you are going to introduce goldfish it is recommended, because you will see the fish better, even though a well-balanced pond doesn't really have to be filtered.
If yours is going to be a reflective pond, just to introduce mood into the garden or patio, clear water will be a decided advantage, and so filtration will be a good idea.
But if you are only going to have water plants in the pond, it isn't particularly important provided you keep the water clear of dirt, debris and excessive algae.
Nevertheless, there's nothing worse than an overgrown, untended pond that is murky and clearly has a slimy growth of algae and other debris floating in the water.
Anybody who knows anything about Koi fish will appreciate how important pond filtration is when it comes to Koi ponds.
Not only will good filtration minimize pond maintenance, but it will also ensure that the water remains clear and healthy all the time.
Koi are so incredibly beautiful and colorful it's a total waste if you can't see them.
They are also expensive fish that have a long lifespan (up to 50 years and more), so you need to consider their health and ensure they have an environment where they can grow to their full potential, and spawn.
It is also true that any effort you make to improve the quality of your pond water will benefit all other forms of life in the pond from plants to frogs and toads.
If a pond is carefully planned, properly constructed or installed, and then well maintained, you will find that it naturally attracts creatures in the forms of birds, insects like dragon- and damselflies, amphibians, and even some small mammals.
If you plant in and around the pond, and stock it with fish, you will encourage a natural food chain to develop and so set up a good balance of nature and have a well-balanced pond.
Apart from the creatures that you will obviously see, there are many other microscopic beings that live in the water and contribute to the natural balance of any pond and to its food chain.
Even algae which we generally do our best to get rid of, plays a vital role in the balance of nature, purely because it is food for some creatures.
There are proven steps that you can take to ensure that your pond is naturally balanced, including planting oxygenating plants in the water and shading the surface of the water.
The depth of the water in the pond will also play a role.
Usually if it is at least 18 inches (45 cm) deep, once the correct balance has been achieved, the water may stay clear for at least nine months of the year.
Often in spring water will become a bit cloudy, and then you'll need to do some seasonal maintenance to get back the pristine conditions.
As plants start to grow, it usually clears.
A few ponds do stay clear all year round, but when you have Koi in the pond, you have fish excreta and often leftover food to contend with.
This is a major reason why pond filtration is such a valuable addition to most garden ponds.
While it isn't always necessary to filter the water in ponds, if you are planning to stock yours with Koi fish, it really is essential.
If you are going to introduce goldfish it is recommended, because you will see the fish better, even though a well-balanced pond doesn't really have to be filtered.
If yours is going to be a reflective pond, just to introduce mood into the garden or patio, clear water will be a decided advantage, and so filtration will be a good idea.
But if you are only going to have water plants in the pond, it isn't particularly important provided you keep the water clear of dirt, debris and excessive algae.
Nevertheless, there's nothing worse than an overgrown, untended pond that is murky and clearly has a slimy growth of algae and other debris floating in the water.
Anybody who knows anything about Koi fish will appreciate how important pond filtration is when it comes to Koi ponds.
Not only will good filtration minimize pond maintenance, but it will also ensure that the water remains clear and healthy all the time.
Koi are so incredibly beautiful and colorful it's a total waste if you can't see them.
They are also expensive fish that have a long lifespan (up to 50 years and more), so you need to consider their health and ensure they have an environment where they can grow to their full potential, and spawn.
It is also true that any effort you make to improve the quality of your pond water will benefit all other forms of life in the pond from plants to frogs and toads.
If a pond is carefully planned, properly constructed or installed, and then well maintained, you will find that it naturally attracts creatures in the forms of birds, insects like dragon- and damselflies, amphibians, and even some small mammals.
If you plant in and around the pond, and stock it with fish, you will encourage a natural food chain to develop and so set up a good balance of nature and have a well-balanced pond.
Apart from the creatures that you will obviously see, there are many other microscopic beings that live in the water and contribute to the natural balance of any pond and to its food chain.
Even algae which we generally do our best to get rid of, plays a vital role in the balance of nature, purely because it is food for some creatures.
There are proven steps that you can take to ensure that your pond is naturally balanced, including planting oxygenating plants in the water and shading the surface of the water.
The depth of the water in the pond will also play a role.
Usually if it is at least 18 inches (45 cm) deep, once the correct balance has been achieved, the water may stay clear for at least nine months of the year.
Often in spring water will become a bit cloudy, and then you'll need to do some seasonal maintenance to get back the pristine conditions.
As plants start to grow, it usually clears.
A few ponds do stay clear all year round, but when you have Koi in the pond, you have fish excreta and often leftover food to contend with.
This is a major reason why pond filtration is such a valuable addition to most garden ponds.
