Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

With the right landscaping and proper maintenance, even the most basic koi pond can be beautiful. However, if you really want your backyard pond to make a statement you should consider turning it into a water garden. Though it may sound like a complicated project, transforming your existing pond into a water garden can be as simple as adding a few potted aquatic plants. Not only will these plants enhance the appearance of your pond, but they will also benefit your koi and make your pond a healthier environment in which your fish can thrive.

Types of Pond Plants

When it comes to aquatic pond plants there are a variety of options which can generally be divided into four different groups. Oxygenators are the category of pond plants which grow entirely beneath the surface of the water where they help to increase the oxygen content and provide cover for your fish when they need it. Floating plants are those that do not need to be rooted in a pot or planter. These plants float on the surface, providing shade which helps to reduce algae growth in your pond.
Deep water pond plants like water lilies and lotus are largely ornamental. Some of these plants produce beautiful blooms which serve to add color to your water garden. The final category of pond plants includes bog plants such as cattails, grasses and reeds. These plants grow best in shallow areas and are most often used to blend the pond into the rest of the landscaping in your yard.

The Benefits of a Water Garden

The benefits of transforming your koi pond into a water garden extend far beyond the aesthetic. By adding live plants to your pond you will not only be making the pond a healthier environment for your fish but you also will be decreasing the necessary amount of maintenance as well. Aquatic plants use the waste produced by your fish as fertilizer and, in exchange, produce the oxygen your fish need in order to breathe. This is an extremely important benefit because koi require highly-oxygenated water in order to thrive. Live plants will also compete for nutrients with pond algae, thus reducing the amount of unsightly algae growing in your pond.

How to Add Plants to Your Pond

Before purchasing your pond plants, perform some basic research to decide what type of plants you want. As you research, determine what the potting requirements are for each type you have chosen. Fabric pots and plastic pots with no holes are the most common types of pots used in water gardens because they keep the potting soil contained and they can be moved easily. For those of your plants which need to be rooted, fill your pots with clay soil and anchor them with sand or gravel. Place the pots in the desired location within your pond, positioning your plants in the arrangement you find most attractive. Floating plants do not require pots – they can be left to drift along the surface of your water garden.

If you want to get the most out of your water garden, try adding a few EcoBio-Blocks to your pond. The EcoBio-Block nsM is a four-pack of water-clarifying stones made from natural zeolite and infused with beneficial bacteria. The special nitrifying bacteria infused in the EcoBio-Blocks will multiply rapidly once you have added the stones to your pond. These bacteria will clarify the water, remove odor and help to decrease the frequency of necessary pond maintenance. If the water in your koi pond is kept clean and clear, it will be a better environment for both your fish and your aquatic plants.

Few things are as disappointing as the water of your beautiful pond turning a horrible green color. When you have a pond, the last thing you want to look out and see is ugly green water. This problem is common and it is aggravating pond owners everywhere.

While green water is not a major problem in koi and goldfish ponds, the owner will undoubtedly be incredibly bothered when they can no longer see their gorgeous fish swimming around in aquatic bliss.

Why Pond Water Turns Green

Green water results from the growth of several single-celled algae, which live suspended in water. Algae are fueled by light and excess nutrients in the pond water. Algae typically make an appearance when sunny days increase during the spring. Algae most commonly occurs in ponds that have been constructed recently, because the water chemistry has not quite settled down. However, older ponds with more established waters are not immune to the green water curse.

The main culprit when it comes to green pond water is nitrate, which is a nutrient that forms naturally as the decaying of fish feces, leftover fish food and dead plant matter occurs. Some people use nitrate test kits, but more often than not, just cleaning out any leaves that may have fallen into the pond, maintaining plant foliage, using Eco-Block Family Products and not overfeeding your fish will make a huge difference.

Keep Your Water Clear

To control algae in your garden pond you need to do the following. It depends greatly on whether the water in the pond is re-circulated with a pump, or if the pond is still.

• Re-circulate water with a pump, mechanical filter and bio-filter
• Shade the pond if you don’t have plants
• Use of chemicals, such as algaecides, will kill off algae, but it will harm aquatic plants also.
• Include pond plants that will establish themselves and take over from algae
• Use bales of oat hay or barley straw in the water where it will break down gradually to eliminate algae
• Keep good bacteria population high
• Add EcoBio-Block pond products containing beneficial bacteria to rid the pond of the nutrients necessary for algae to thrive

EcoBio-Block is infused with beneficial bacteria and keep beneficial bacteria population high which not only helps to control algae problems, but reduces the need for frequent maintenance.

If you have a pond with water which is re-circulated, you can control algae with the installation of an ultra violet clarifier. Ultra violet clarifiers have become increasingly popular within the past few years because they are not only effective, but also easy to install.

When you use ultra violet clarifiers in conjunction with either a mechanical or a biological filter, it will kill the algae. In addition, it will also eliminate bacteria as well as a number of harmful fish parasites. Ultra violet clarifiers also help to clear cloudy water in your pond.

Although your fish may enjoy the shade that green pond water provides during the hot summer months, no pond owner should have to miss fully enjoying his or her pond all season long.

Clear and healthy pond

In order to maintain a pond of healthy fish, it is essential that you keep your pond water healthy and clear.  There are several factors you must pay attention to and maintain in order to achieve this.

Many people make the mistake of overfeeding their fish.  It is suggested that you only feed your fish twice a day for 3-5 minutes, whatever they can eat in that amount of time.  Any food that they do not eat should be removed immediately afterwards.  Leaving leftover food in the pond will lead to the accumulation of bacteria, which will lead to an explosion of algae, which results in the pond water turning green and a depletion of the oxygen in the water, which can endanger the lives of your fish.

You should add oxygenating plants or submerged plants to your pond.  These plants act as natural filters and remove nutrients from the pond. Algae need nutrients, specifically nitrates and phosphates, in order to reproduce.  Therefore, if there is a higher level of nutrients in the water, there will be more algae.  That is why it would be advantageous for you to have as many oxygenating and submerged plants in the water as possible to keep the nutrient level low, and as a result, the algae level of your pond.  It’s also important to have as many submerged plants as possible because many types of fish tend to eat the submerged plants, but provided there aren’t too many fish, the plants should be able to reproduce faster than the fish are able to eat them.

Adding floating plants to your pond, such as water lettuce, water hyacinths, and water lilies will provide shade for your pond.  This is important because algae need sunlight in order to reproduce.  The shade will inhibit the algae from producing in your pond and turning the water green and cloudy.  Additionally, floating plants will compete with the algae for nutrients in the water, further inhibiting the algae from taking over your pond and endangering your fish.

It is critical that you have the proper equipment to maintain the health of your pond.  You must have a pump and filter that is able to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week continuously.  It is important that you obtain the right size for your pond.  The pump you obtain should at least be able to move the full volume of the water of the pond each hour.

It is a good idea to fill the bottom of your pond with smooth river gravel or pebbles, as beneficial and helpful bacteria will grow on the gravel and pebbles.  You want these bacteria to be present, as they help to digest fish waste and plant matter that settles to the bottom of the pond and decays.  Fish waste can throw off the delicate pH balance of your pond due to the ammonia that it gives off, making the water more basic (i.e. pH level rises), which allows algae to flourish in your pond more easily and harder for your fish to survive.

In addition, EcoBio-Block nsM and/or EcoBio-Block Wave can help to clear your pond of cloudy pond water and fill your pond with helpful bacteria that will maintain the health of your pond and fish.  Its special formula maintains clear pond water, decomposes organic matter, reduces the need for water changing, quickly establishes nitrifying bacteria, removes odors, is easy to use, safe for your fish, and produces results in as little as 2-6 weeks.

Maintaining a clear and healthy pond is essential for the long-term survival of your fish.  Algae is the primary nemesis to the long-term survival of your fish, as they take up most of the nutrients and the space in the ponds.  The best ways to combat the growth of algae is through reducing the nutrients in the water with floating plants and submerged plants, only feeding your fish a few times a day and removing any excess food, having the right pump and filter for your pond, and utilizing EcoBio-Block products to increase the number of nitrifying bacteria and maintaining the healthy pH levels of your pond.  By doing these things, you can have a beautiful looking pond with a healthy complement of fish in it for a long time to come.

Waterlily

Did you know that plants are an essential element of the ecological system of your pond? Water plants are also an important part of the maintenance of your pond. If you haven’t planned to have plants in your pond, you might want to rethink that decision.

Many people do prefer the rather stark look in pond design, and are very happy with a no-live-plant pond. However, if you do not have plants in your pond, it will soon become full of algae, which is not a pretty sight. The reason for this is that algae vie with the plants for all of the different nutrients that are in the water.

Plants are beautiful, and they can do even more for your pond if you do decide to use them. A varied selection of plants in your pond will help to filter the water by turning the fish waste into food for the plants. Plants will also provide oxygen for your fish, and by covering the surface of the water, will protect your plants from predators. By having plants in your pond, your fish will have a perfect habitat for spawning.

Aquatic plants perform many essential jobs while at the same time adding beauty to your pond. In the daytime, the plants in your pond take in carbon dioxide, and then release oxygen into the air. At night, water plants do the exact opposite, and take in oxygen, then release carbon dioxide into the air.

Mother Nature has her own system for making pond water that has become cloudy clear again, and for purifying water in general. This is done in nature via the use of beneficial bacteria. The bacteria break down the organic waste that any pond naturally will have, and then returns it back from whence it came. You can give Mother Nature a boost by using EcoBio-Block nsM, a product that makes use of this system of nature. The beneficial bacteria live and multiply in the block, and keep your pond populated with beneficial bacteria that will make your pond‘s environment clear and healthy.

The EcoBio-Block nsM and EcoBio-Block Wave does not take the place of plants. Nor does it take the place of proper pond maintenance. What it will do is cut down on the amount of maintenance that your pond will need. The block decomposes organic matter, which clarifies the water in your pond so that it is beautiful and clear, while eliminating odors . The nitrifying bacteria in the Eco-Bio Block nsM establishes itself quickly in new pond setups as well as in ponds that have been in place for some time.

You’ll find that the Eco-Bio Block nsM is easy to use. All you must do is rinse the block well and soak it in a container overnight, then place it in your pond near anywhere the water is flowing. An Eco-Bio Block nsM will give you more than 2 years of improved water quality in your pond. Since the Eco-Bio Block nsM was originally used in Japan to clear up pollution in rivers, canals, and even the ocean, it will do an amazing job for you in your backyard pond.