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Hello Brett,
We're back! Back on track with our newsletter, after
taking several months off to focus on other projects.
But we've got several timely and interesting topics for
your in this month's Spring issue of Pondstuff!
I've also made the difficult move into a new outdoor tiki
office with a view (click on the link below to view).
Yes, that's right - there is no sacrifice too large for my
readers ;-) That's me in the picture, on my laptop with
new wireless card to my DSL home office connection
(the wonders of modern technology). The other photos
are of my view from my 'desk' here, and of the koi pond
just to me left. I figured the view would give me
inspiration for writing, so from now on - Pondstuff! will
be written from here. Click here to see the
pictures
| It's Springtime, and love is in the air. |
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The winters here in Florida are relatively mild, so with
the first warm days of April I noticed the toads and
tree frogs were back in full force. Nightly 'serenades'
that almost kept me awake at night, and daytime
roundezvous in all the cozy corners and hideouts.
These playful little critters absolutely LOVE the pond
we put in, and flock here from all over the
neighborhood, to swim and play in the pond.
They also seem to like to make tadpoles here, which is
ok, as long as I can keep them to a manageable level.
The fish don't seem to mind them, and the frogs are
pretty quick on their own, so I don't think it's much of a
problem. I snapped these photos last week, during the
morning hours, after a loud and active night out at the
pond.
Take a Look... »
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| Plants and Parasites |
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One of the most frustrating things that can happen to
a pond owner is just to start to lose fish, just when
your everything is finally going great. I've seen it many
times, and also had it happen to me.
You spend all season planting, feeding, and caring for
your pond and then all of a sudden, your fish
mysteriously start dying off. For many people, the
cause will always be a mystery. Your water levels test
fine, you haven't added any new fish lately, and there
are no outward signs of stress or infection.
So what's the likely culprit? Not all pond owners know
this, but you can just as easily introduce unwanted
bacteria and parasites into your pond by adding new
plants, and when adding new fish.
Think about it, the plants usually come from rivers and
streams from all over the place, and are then placed in
holding tanks at the plant distributor's location for
resale. And often, they are placed in the same water
that is circulating through any fish holding tanks they
may have, for the fish they sell.
Read on... »
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| Underwater Lighting |
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So now you have a beautiful pond, the envy of your
friends and neighbors, providing hours and hours of
enjoyment... but what happens at night?
For many pond owners, they are missing out on getting
the maximum enjoyment out of their pond. Adding
some under water lighting can create some really
dramatic night time views, both from the backyard, and
also from the house.
If your waterfall is facing the back of your house,
imagine how beautiful the view could be at night, with
your waterfall illuminated by some underwater lighting.
You can also add some low voltage landscape lighting
around the pond, for some really dramatic night time
views.
A whole different look and feel emerges as dusk turns
into dark, and the pond fish feel it too! We've spent
many hours here after the sun goes down, watching
the fish swim and play under the cloud of darkness.
Continue Reading... »
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| Product Review - Cal Pump Power Control Center |
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Do you need an extra outlet near your pond? Let's
face it, ponds these days require all kinds of different
gadgets, so many that it's not uncommon to run out of
outlets to power them.
What do you do when you have more plugs than you
have outlets to plug them into? You could call an
electrician to run another line out to your pond, add a
new breaker to your fuse box, and of course charge
you an arm and leg (or a fin and a tail?) to do it. Well
that was the only alternative, until just recently.
Introducing our top product pick for 2004! The Cal
Pump Power Control Center is an awesome piece of
equipment, and solves the previously difficult and
expensive problem of needing more power.
This unit comes with a 50' GFCI power cord, using thick
cable for high electrical loads, and delivers up to 4
different electrical outlets and also a low voltage
hookup, for your landscape lighting.
Learn More... »
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| The String Algae Blues... |
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Now that Spring is upon us and things are coming back
to life in your pond with the warmer weather, many of
us are battling with string algae. String algae is caused
primarily by a combination of the buildup of organic
nutrients in the water, and sunlight.
What happens is that during winter, when things slow
down and many of us turn off our filters, decaying
leaves and other organic matter (including fish waste)
begin to break down in the pond.
The result is an excess of organic nutrients in the
water, which is essentially food for algae growth. Add
sunlight and some warmer weather to these conditions,
and you have an ideal environment for algae growth,
both the green water and string algae varieties.
The green water, or 'pea soup' algae is easily
eradicated with a properly sized UV sterilizer, which we
highly recommend. String algae, on the other hand, is
a bit more complicated and difficult to get rid of...
Learn More....
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