Category Archives: Pond Building

State of the Pond 2022

Posted on June 9, 2022 by esearing

2022 Return to the Pond – new filter, repair work, and general maintenance required. Continue reading →

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Pond conditions 2017

Posted on March 11, 2017 by esearing

The pond is running smoothly but I have some issues to deal with this year. Filters are doing a great job and the mesh is holding up well, though I must admit I am not cleaning as often as I … Continue reading →

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Spring maintenance 2014

Posted on March 23, 2014 by esearing

Ok, so I have been a little neglectful this past winter due to all the cold. I merely dumped the filters every couple of weeks vs truly cleaning them weekly. Now that it is warming up I needed to do … Continue reading →

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Spring time parasites and treatments

Posted on April 26, 2013 by esearing

As the water starts to warm up during the spring months so do the parasites and algae. Algae can be controlled by adding Algaefix as a chemical additive or by turning on the UV Sterilizer. String algae will grow well … Continue reading →

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API Test Kits Review

Posted on August 11, 2012 by esearing

To monitor the Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrates in my pond I have used a couple of different kits. I have even used the test strips but found they were not informative enough to really know what was going on. I … Continue reading →

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Microbe-Lift PL review

Posted on August 8, 2012 by esearing

Since I gave the Buffer a bad review I thought it only proper to also review the product suggested by Mark Krupka: Microbe-Lift PL. “Denitrification is the reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas, and an excellent way of removing nitrogen … Continue reading →

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Microbe-Lift 7.5 pH Buffer Stabilizer Review

Posted on July 15, 2012 by esearing

This week I tested Ecological Labs Microbe-Lift 7.5 pH Buffer Stabilizer to determine if it would stabilize my pH at 7.5. It did not. My pond continues to fall below 7.5 at both morning and night. The goal is to … Continue reading →

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Using baking soda to adjust pond pH

Posted on June 25, 2012 by esearing

If you are reading this you are probably experiencing the dreaded pH drop most of us fish keeper see sooner or later. My pH has been steadily declining this summer and my water hardness is almost zero. Most koi sites … Continue reading →

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How not to install a bottom drain

Posted on June 13, 2012 by esearing

I ran across this image and just had to rant about it. This is so wrong this pond professional should be banned from building anything. You will notice the image shows a bottom drain running to a skimmer via 2″ … Continue reading →

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Gravity flow vs Pump Fed

Posted on June 2, 2012 by esearing

New pond builders rarely learn the significant differences in water gardens vs “ideal” koi ponds. We tend to borrow ideas from aquarium technology, water gardens, water treatment, industrial processes, and even the ideas tried and tested for a long period … Continue reading →

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