Helpful Tip #1
When purchasing plants
Just a friendly reminder, the re-potting process for our lilies can take some time. If you know what you want but cannot get to the store an hour prior to closing, you are more than welcome to call ahead and we will do our best to have your order ready for you. Due to the process taking some time we ask that if you want plants and are unsure of which ones you want, please try to come to the store an hour prior to closing. Thank you.
Helpful Tip #3
How many fish should I have in my pond?
We all love watching our fish grow and possibly multiply. They can easily become very dear to us. However, if they do multiply and the pond suffers in balance, it can make your beloved fish ill. No one wants that.
How to figure it out.
To know how many fish one pond should hold, you need to know the dimensions of the pond. Take the length of the pond and multiply that by the width of the pond. For example, length of pond is 9 feet, width of pond is 5 feet, 9 x 5 = 45 square feet.
Now that you know the surface area of the pond, you can translate that number into inches of fish. If your surface area is 45 square feet you can have 45 inches of fish. So if you have 9 5-inch fish, your pond is at its maximum. If you have 9 3-inch fish, your pond is doing well in regards to fish population.
Formula
L X W = square feet surface area = inches of fish
Helpful Tip #4
Helping your pond in the fall.
* After the leaves have fallen for the season, make sure they are cleaned out for the
winter.
*Begin using the wheat germ food for your fish as the water cools down.
*If the water temperature drops below 55degrees, stop feeing the fish all together.
* If you are using a UV light, be sure to remove it if the temperature is going to get
below 32 degrees.
*You should no longer be fertilizing your lilies. By now some have already begun to go
dormant.
Fish Feeding Tips
As found in Lilypons Water Gardens catalogue 1998
*Fish eat 1 - 4% of their weight daily. Only feed your fish what they will eat in 3-5 minutes.
*When it is warmer your fish will have a higher metabolic rate and enjoy several feeding times a day. Please remember that feeding them more than once adds nutrients to your pond that feed algae and the fish produce more waste.
*When water temperatures are below 50 degrees F do not feed your fish.
*Spread out the food over a wide enough area so that smaller fish have an opportunity.
*Fish food should be stored in a cool, dry place.
*Change food with the weather. High protein for the summer and low protein for the spring and fall.
Helpful Tip #5
We love our ponds, but what consists of a balanced water garden?
Five items will help create an ecologically balanced water garden.
Fish– Provide movement and interest, nutrients and carbon dioxide for the plants and eat mosquito larvae and other insects.
Oxygenators – Plants which grow under water and supply the fish with oxygen, breeding habitat and an environment for the fry (baby fish) to hide in . These plants also assist in removing nutrients from the water to reduce algae.
Shallow Water Bag Plants – These provide some shade for the hot summer sun and because they are heavy feeders, they remove nutrients and reduce algae growth. Many, such as iris and pickerel, provide color from their flowers and a contrast with the other plants because of their height.
Floating Plants – These plants provide shade and because their root system is suspended in the water, they filter and live off of the nutrients in the water.
Water Lilies - These plants provide the majority of shade for your pond. Your pond needs 65-75% coverage of surface area; this cover cools the water and redused sunlight, both of which algae needs. Also, very importantly, these plants provide some of the most beautiful flowers in the world.
