Plan Your Pond Facelift

Fall is the perfect time of year to start planning updates for your pond. Not only does it give you plenty of time to make a well thought out plan, but it’s also right around the holiday season when you can start asking for some of your necessary pond supplies as holiday gifts!

So, how can you update your existing pond to make it even more enjoyable?

If you’re getting a little bored with your backyard pond there are a variety of ways you can update it to provide new excitement. The most popular choice for updating a pond would be to add some sort of water feature.

Water Features

Water features are a great way to personalize your pond and turn it into the focal point in your backyard. Some of the common choices for water features include:

• Waterfall
• Pond fountains
• Floating pond fountains
• Birdbaths
• And more!

When you choose to add a water feature to your backyard pond, you can completely customize it. Whether you choose to have a gushing geyser, gentle waterfall or charming birdbath is completely up to you.

Koi & Goldfish

Another way to update your water garden is to consider adding fish. If your pond doesn’t currently have fish, it’s an easy addition you can make that will add new interest and life to your backyard.

Some of the common koi and goldfish you can add to your backyard pond include:

• Decorative koi fish
• Butterfly koi fish
• Goldfish

Looking for other ways to change the look of your boring backyard pond? Consider adding pond lights, new water plants or even new decorative features.

Make it easy on your family and friends this holiday season. Tell them you want to update the look of your backyard pond with new pond supplies and features from Pondliner.com.

What Do Fish Do All Winter? How Do They Survive?

Feeling a little uneasy about leaving your fish in your backyard pond or water garden this winter? It’s common to feel a little guilty about leaving your fish exposed to frigid temperatures and harsh weather conditions.

Believe it or not, your fish are actually designed for winter dormancy.

If your pond is at least 30 inches deep, your fish can survive the winter weather. What will your fish do all winter in your backyard pond? Not much. A fish slows its metabolism down during the winter months, going into a state of hibernation. This means, your fish won’t really be swimming around or even eating.

A fish can easily survive during winter months without food and without the warm weather. However, in order to survive, there needs to be at least one open area on the pond surface that is not covered by ice. Your fish will need this in order to continue “breathing” under water.

The best way to ensure your fish are safe in your water garden during winter is to invest in a quality pond heater. A heater can help keep the surface of your pond from freezing over completely.

Another option is an aerator,  which can serve a similar purpose to the pond pump, but is a more affordable option if your area doesn’t often get freezing temperatures during winter. You could also use backyard pond pumps to keep the water on the surface of your pond circulating to prevent freezing.

So, you can rest assured with proper pond winterization your fish will be safe and sound all winter long. 

Top Five Fall Backyard Pond Purchases

Winter is a time for dormancy for your water garden, but the affects the weather has can be dangerous for the life within your pond.

Luckily, there are ways to protect your pond from the adverse weather winter brings, so in spring your pond will jump back and be better prepared for your enjoyment.

What are some of the purchases you need to make when fall approaches? Use our guide below to help you purchase what you will need to prep your backyard pond for winter:

1. Leaf netting – After you work hard to clean your pond and prepare it for winter, make sure no other debris accumulates in it by using leaf netting.
2. Pond heater – A pond heater or de-icer will help prevent the top of your pond from freezing. This is especially important if you have fish hibernating in your pond during the winter months.
3.  Heated water hose – A heated water hose is important if your area experiences freezing weather during winter. This hose can melt ice and regain its flexibility.
4. Aeration kit – This can help release toxic gases and replenish the fresh oxygen in your pond during the freezing months of winter.

While you can purchase all of these essentials separately, it might make sense to purchase everything in one easy to use pond winterization kit. Not only will this save you money, but it will ensure that you have absolutely everything you will need to keep your pond healthy during the winter season.

Pond winterization kits may differ, but try to find one that includes a heated de-icer, pond netting, aeration kit as well as wheat germ food sticks and spirulina. Purchasing this kit all at once will save you time and money in the future.

Shop for all your winter pond supplies from Pondliner.com to ensure you have everything you need to prep your pond for winter dormancy.