Pond fish often live on foods like floating pond plants, plankton, and the very small roots of the pond plants that float in the water. Pond fish also eat the larvae of insects, worms and other small creatures. A natural food supply is not always available all year round so you need to feed your pond fish other things such as store bought fish food. Pond fish will rush to the top of the pond to feed and it is very enjoyable to watch.

Pond fish are generally bigger in size than the everyday aquarium fish so you need not over feed them, and it is actually recommended to skip one day of feedings. This will keep their digestive systems regulated. Never just throw an over abundance of fish pond food into the water as this can cause an excess of algae to form on top of the pond. An over abundance of food can also bring unwanted visitors such as raccoons as well as other creatures and also it will cause your pond to give off a foul odour. Make sure to give your pond fish a variety of pond food.

Eating the same food everyday is not good for us and it is not good for our pond fish. Before you buy any fish pond food, you need to take into consideration the time of year, temperature of the water, and the age and spawning cycles of your pond fish. We all know one food does not meet all the requirements your pond fish. So be sure to read the food labels carefully.

Try to feed the fish several times a day but in small quantities, just enough that the pond fish will eat, leaving none left floating on the top. Try to feed them at the same time of day and in the same spot if possible. By doing this you will be able to regularly check your pond fish to make sure they are healthy and disease free.

The first thing that you need to look for is an easily accessible electrical socket.  If you really have your eye on a location without a socket nearby you can always hire an electrician but make sure you count this into your final price and installation time.  The reason you need an electrical socket nearby is that if you want to keep your plastic pond clear and free of algae you will need some kind of water filtration system.  Without electricity, you also won’t be able to plug in any outdoor fountains that you may want to have in place.

Also look at your land’s topography when you’re installing your pond.  Is it going to be at the bottom of a hill?  While it’s not impossible to place a pond here it does make it much more difficult.  Runoff from the hill when it rains can cause your pond to overflow, seep into the ground around it causing it to settle, and even bring dirt and debris down into the pond that you will then have to clean out.  All this can make your pond more trouble than it’s worth.

When you’re trying to pick out the best area to install your backyard pond, you need to look at a lot of things, but two of the most important ones are how close any electrical sockets are and if there are any hills nearby that might run off into your pond.  Keep these in mind if you want to choose the best location possible for your pond.

Bird-baths are commonly placed within the interiors of well-designed gardens not only to provide local birdlife with a free drink of fresh water, but also to improve and enhance the visual attraction of the overall garden environment. For this reason, bird baths are an increasingly popular purchase choice in the garden decor category. Birds of different types, colors, and habitats will be more likely to drop by your garden and increase your viewing pleasure.

A bird-bath is traditionally sculpted from marble and created with attractive design patterns or intricate engravings. The style of the bath sculpture itself may be classical Greek, Roman, Renaissance, or Oriental in design. On the other hand, modern styles are becoming increasingly common in bird-bathing structures, and can be purchased from a number of different specialized online stores as well as locally. Other materials used in bird-bath construction are glass, metal, granite, and copper. Sometimes, materials will be combined as is the case with wooden “tree stump” bath bases with marble bowls attached to them.

Birds will be particularly attracted to running water systems, as this mimics natural surroundings to a closer degree. It is easy to find baths integrated with small water fountains. As technology has increased, it has also been applied to this sort of garden decoration. You will find bird-baths that will have water-heating devices or ice-melting systems ideal for Winter functionality. It is also possible to find 2-in-1 systems where you will get a bird-bath and a bird-feeder built into the same structure.

Because of the very personal nature of garden decoration in general, you should always opt for something that is suited to your individual tastes and preferences, whether it be clever metal bugs appearing to crawl the dirt or the stone faced wisdom of a Buddha statue placed in front of your bird bath. Search through a wide range of different options, and you are more than likely to find something that is reasonably inexpensive and visually appealing in its design.

See also Best Garden Bird Baths for Sale for some good deals on bird baths.

Oxygenating pond plants carry out the process of photosynthesis during daylight hours. If you look closely at these plants in the water, you can see tiny oxygen bubbles being released. These plants take in carbon dioxide and water during the day, which is transformed into energy and oxygen by the plants. This oxygen is beneficial to helping fish breathe in addition to enabling the good bacteria living in the pond filter to transform ammonia waste materials in the pond into less toxic nitrites and nitrates. Without oxygenating pond plants in the water, a pond could quickly become toxic thanks to the build up of dangerous chemicals in the water.

Because oxygenating pond plants will grow bigger once planted, it’s important not to overplant your pond. A good rule of thumb is one Water Lily, two bunches of oxygenating plants and one bog plant for every 10 square feet of water.

Oxygenating pond plants are usually rootless plants that, unlike water lilies, are totally submerged in the water. Hornworts, Water Violets, Elodea Densa, Water Crowfoot and Parrots Feather are among the most popular oxygenating pond plants. They will usually float around the water, and sometimes can take root in any soil at the bottom of the pond. To prevent oxygenating pond plants from not staying submerged, you can attach sinking weights or stones to keep them fully submerged in the water.

There are additional benefits to adding oxygenating pond plants to any water garden. These plants provide a natural cover for the aquatic life that protects them from being seen by such predators as birds, in addition to offering a protected area for spawning grounds for fish, frogs and tadpoles.

Ask your supplier of garden pond plants about using plant baskets, plant holders and plant bags to help the oxygenating pond plants you select thrive and flourish once they have been submerged and anchored in your pond.

Image by  Fabelfroh

Wall fountains come in both vertical and horizontal designs. These different designs look good in different situations. A room with a high ceiling would suit a tall vertical fountain. On a very wide wall a tall vertical fountain can look out of place unless you intend to place other features on either side of the fountain. For a room with a long wall and lower ceiling height choose a horizontal wall fountain. In a room with high ceilings horizontal a wall fountain would look smaller than it actually is. Measure the available space for your wall fountain.

Also take into account the depth of the fountain. In a narrow corridor or walkway this could be important although most wall fountains have a depth of about 6 inches so this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Sizing Up a Wall Fountain

Find out the dimensions of the wall fountain you intend to buy then measure it out on the wall where you have chosen to place it. Stick thumb tacks or post-it notes at the corners then stand back and look to see if it looks good. You could also use tape to trace out the outline of the fountain for a better idea of how it will look when hung in place.

Table Top Fountains

Find out the diameter of the fountain you have chosen to buy then make sure it will fit on the surface where you will place it. It’s a good idea to place an object of a similar size at this location to ensure that it looks good. To judge the height you could stack some books to the required height and see if it look OK. Some tabletop fountains vary in height as they use natural stones that, of course, are not uniform. make sure you allow for this when deciding on the fountain to purchase.

Outdoor Floor Fountains

The width is the most important consideration although if you are placing the fountain on patio or under an arbour or other construction you will need to find out the height of the fountain. Stack boxes in the location chosen to ensure that it will fit comfortably and look good.

Image by jhbsculptor

Since pumps in ponds need to work 24 hours a day, installing a solar pond pump can prove to be quite energy efficient. Solar pumps can work during daylight and the power grid can be connected for nighttime. Solar pumps and filters help to save a lot of energy reducing utility costs and are environment friendly. Solar pond pump is easier to install and maintain compared to conventional garden pond filters and pumps.

Garden pond filter and pumps need high voltage electricity supply. Hence, be cautious while installing such water accessories and keep kids away during the pond filter installation. Underwater pond filters are easier to install in comparison to external pond pump filters. However, external pumps and filters for the pond are high in efficiency than other counterparts.

Fish pond pumps should be considerably powerful to provide enough water to the fountain for a cascading effect. Buying a little expensive yet energy efficient pond filters and pumps can cut the utility costs in the long run. An efficient pond pump filters the debris in the water by constant circulation and oxygenates the pond. This keeps the pond free from algae and provides pet fish in the pond with plenty of fresh oxygen. Adding water features makes a pleasing landscape, and they look great at night when lit up by landscape lights. Garden ponds provide ample scope for creativity and decoration.

• Stress Relief
• Sound Alleviation
• Humidification
• Drinking Water for Pets

Decorative Effects

Water fountains can be used both outdoor and indoors. In the home or office a water fountain can be welcoming, and serve as a beautiful art piece. Water fountains can be used in foyers as a way to invite your guests into your office or home, in the living area and in doctors or dentists waiting rooms to calm the waiting patients.

Stress Relief

The peaceful sounds of running water can be a big help in times of stress. In meditation the goal is to find a higher sense of calmness and peace and the perfect water fountain can help to achieve this goal. Garden water fountains with soft sound of running water, rather than the harsh sound of splashing droplets is needed here. You should look for a fountain that has a short fall of water and an even flow. An adjustable pump will be useful in gaining the perfectly tuned water flow.

Sound Alleviation

The sound of running water can help cover unwanted noise pollution. In waiting rooms the sounds will mask distracting noises. Close to busy streets the bothersome sounds of traffic will be mitigated. Overall the sounds of running water will add to the pleasant calming effects achievable by placing a water fountain in your home or office.

Humidification

Water fountains and waterfalls act as natural humidifiers by adding moisture to a dry atmosphere. Instead of the noise of a fan driving a humidifier you will have the natural sounds of running water. In addition water fountains and waterfalls do not encourage mildew and molds which mechanical humidifiers are known to do. The extra humidity in the air is good for indoor plants especially ferns.

Drinking Source for Pets

Last, but not least, garden water fountains provide a constant source of drinking water for your pets. Do not add any chemicals to the water if you have pets as they will love to drink from the running water rather than their own bowl!

Conclusion

Outdoor garden fountains make a great addition to your garden and will make your garden a soothing and peaceful place to rest.

photo credit: pasotraspaso

Setting up a Solar Fountain

Solar powered garden fountains are very easy to set up and most will need no installation. Solar fountains either have solar panels built into the main body or remote panels that can be places some distance away. This enables the fountain to be placed in a shady spot while the panels are located where they can collect the sunlight. The remote panels can be placed on a hard surface, mounted on a wall or tree or on a wooden stake planted firmly in the ground.

Energy Storage

Most solar panels are not capable of storing energy so they cannot be used at night. They will work most efficiently on sunny days and during overcast days they may only pump water slowly or not at all. During the winter it is best to disconnect the panels as during frosty or icy weather the pump may work if it is sunny and damage could occur to the pump. Some solar fountains may have battery backups to compensate for short periods but most are really only designed to be used on sunny days.

Buy the Duo Solar Cascading Fountain in Natural Terracotta now

Convenience

Solar garden fountains are convenient as they need no wiring from a power supply and can be placed a long way from the house. With remote panels they can even be placed in shady spots or arbors.

Solar Pond Fountains

Solar pond fountains, made specifically for ponds, are also convenient as they do not need power cords from the house. They can be set to float on the pond or fixed in place with rocks or tied to anchor them.

Buy the Lily Floating Solar Pond Fountain Now!

Safety

Solar water fountains are environmentally friendly with no toxic fuel emissions, no noise and no materials that can leak out and be a hazard. As there are no power cords they are safe for pets and children.

photo credit: Ryan Somma