Is My Pond Temperature Too Warm?

If you have a smaller pond, you might be worried about the warm temperatures it reaches in the summer. High temperatures from the sun can be harmful to your plants and fish. Your pond supplies, such as pumps and filters, could also be damaged by high temperatures that increase algae growth, so it’s important to monitor the water temperature.

 What is an Acceptable Pond Temperature? 

While higher temperatures can be tolerated in ponds without fish, the ideal pond temperature is 65˚F–75˚F. Fish can survive small pond temperatures of 35˚F–85˚F, but if the water is consistently above 85˚F, you will need to enact some cooling procedures to keep your fish and plants healthy.

How Should I Cool My Pond? 

Safe cooling procedures are often a good idea for keeping your fish healthy and minimizing sun exposure, which increases algae growth. Stay away from simply changing out hot water for cooler water, though. Your pond life will be shocked by the quick temperature change, and your fish and plants could die. Consider some of the following tips you can use to safely cool your pond:

·         Plant trees around your pond. By adding shade around your pond, you will decrease the pond’s exposure to sun and extreme heat. This is a natural way to cool your water without affecting any of the internal workings of the pond’s habitat.

·         Add lilies or other shady water plants. You can easily cool your pond and add a new decorative plant by adding lilies to your backyard water feature. Lilies lay on top of the water, protecting fish and the other plants from the sun’s heat.

·         Add a waterfall. If you want to make an addition to your pond and decrease its temperature at the same time, you can install a waterfall or fountain aerator. These pond supplies will aerate your pond, and you can blow a fan across the falling water to cool it before it enters the pond.

·         Use a pond tint. By treating your small pond with pond tint, you can help your pond filter during the hot sunlight. A slight blue tint will keep your pond cooler than it is with its natural color.

Using these cooling tips can help protect your pond life from the dangers of heat. If you need pond supplies to cool your backyard water feature, Pondliner.com is here to meet all of your pond maintenance needs.

Summer Lovin’: Giving Your Pond Summer TLC

Backyard pond maintenance in the summer doesn’t take much work. It’s the time of year when you can sit back and enjoy your backyard. You can’t completely neglect your pond, though. Fish are more active and your plants are growing, so problems could quickly arise. Learn how to keep your pond clean so it stays healthy in the summer.

Keep the O₂ Coming

If you don’t have an aerator for your pond yet, summer is the time to get one. Warm water doesn’t retain oxygen as well as cooler water, so it’s important to keep your aerator on 24/7. Increased oxygen allows more ammonia and nitrate reduction. This needs to happen so you can allow algae to grow healthily and fish to digest their food efficiently. You can talk to an expert from Pondliner.com to decide what pond aerator is best for you.

Algae Is Good, But Avoid Algae Blooms

You want the algae in your pond to grow at a healthy pace, but it could get out of control in the summer months. Increased sunlight, plant growth, and fish activity can create an abundance of algae. Consider trimming back your plants and adding some water lilies that block the sun. If you decide to use algaecide, be sure to avoid overuse, or purchase non-toxic chemicals so you don’t harm your fish.

Check Your Pond Supplies

With all of that pond life activity, it’s important to monitor your pond filters and pumps. Pond supplies might be more likely to break in the summer because of all the use they get. Stay on top of maintenance issues by checking to see if your pond pumps and filters are in working order. If not, you might need to buy some new products or get them fixed.

You pond can be healthier in the summer if you simply keep it oxygenated, beware of algae blooms, and monitor your pond supplies. Pondliner.com is here to help you with all of your summer pond maintenance needs. Contact us today.

How to Add Oxygen to Your Backyard Water Garden

When the sun starts shining and the weather begins to heat up, summer pond maintenance begins. One of your major summer pond maintenance responsibilities is adding oxygen to your pond. 

But, is oxygenating your pond really that important? And if it is, how do you go about adding oxygen?

This is actually one of the simpler pond tasks you will have this summer. It’s important to add oxygen to your pond, because the sun can cause your water garden to heat up which is unsafe for your fish and plants. Oxygen is necessary to maintaining an ecological balance in your pond.

Oxygenating Your Pond

The easiest way to ensure your pond has sufficient oxygen is to make sure there is constant aeration. There are testing devices some pond-owners use to test oxygen levels, but this is unnecessary if you maintain aeration in your pond.

There are several ways to add oxygen to your pond:

1. Pond pumps keep water moving constantly in your backyard pond and make a practical solution to filtering your water and oxygenating your water.
2. Water features are another simple way to introduce oxygen to your pond water. Using waterfalls, fountains and other devices constantly aerate your pond water
3. Airstones are designed to bubble air into your water to keep oxygen at sufficient levels throughout the warmer months.
4. Decreasing plant life is another way to increase oxygen levels. Oftentimes, your plants grow more during the warmer months, which could be depleting your pond of precious oxygen.

It’s not hard to keep your pond oxygenated, but it is vitally important that you do. The health and wellness of your fish depends on the amount of oxygen in your pond water. Your best bet to avoid algae growth and promote aeration is to constantly keep the water moving and producing oxygen day and night. 

*Photo courtesy of Stellajo1976 via Flickr