5 Common Water Gardening Mistakes, Learn What Not To Do With Your New Garden Pond

As with any new hobby or pursuit, there are many things for the new water gardener to learn on the way to building and maintaining a successful garden pond. Some mistakes along the way are almost unavoidable, as experience is the best teacher. But you can avoid making some of the most common water gardening mistakes by heeding the following lessons:

1. Don't start too small

One of the most common mistakes that new water gardeners make is to experiment the first year, and build a pond that's too small for their long-term needs. They often discover after the first season that their pond is too small for the amount of plants and fish that they're keeping, and they have to re-think their entire project. A pond that's too small can quickly take on a busy, overcrowded look -- or even worse, block vital oxygen that plants and fish need to survive.

2. Don't plant under a tree

This is another common mistake new pond keepers make. While it's tempting to install your new pond under that lovely weeping willow tree in your back yard, it's also a very bad idea in the long run. The problem is that in the spring and fall months, trees shed blossoms, sap, leaves, and other matter that will eventually end up in your pond water. Many of these items are toxic to plant and animal life. And most aquatic plants need at least 5 or 6 hours of direct sunlight for good growth and blooming. If you have water lilies, for example, they will have a hard time blooming if your pond is in a shaded area beneath a tree.

3. Don't load your pond up with rocks

Rocks or stones in the bottom of your pond may look nice at first, they will become a real problem when it comes time to change your pond water or clean your pond. Your garden pond is a natural ecosystem, and rocks won't be beneficial to either your plant or your koi or other fish.

4. Don't overstock your pond with fish and plants

This can be a tricky area even for more experienced pond keepers. If your pond becomes out of balance with fish, you'll have real long-term problems. Stocking too many koi or other fish will eventually lead to sediment and ammonia build-up in the water, and become a breeding ground for algae (which can rob your pond water of oxygen vital for your fish and plant life). And too many plants can also be a problem, as they can clutter up your pond and crowd out your fish. But avoid too few plants as well, as this can lead to algae build up and green water problems.

5. Choose the right pump/filter combination

This can be another tricky area for new pond keepers. Most water gardeners are now aware of the maintenance and health benefits of using biological filtration in their ponds (as opposed to mechanical filtration). But biological filtration requires a different approach to pumping. In order for beneficial bacteria to grow in your biofilter (these bacteria are the filtering medium in your biological pond filter), the pond water needs to move through the biofilter at a relatively slow rate. This rate is about half of what's needed in a mechanical filtering system. If you're running a biofilter, look for a pump that will re-circulate your pond water about once every 5-6 hours. If you have a waterfall or other water feature that requires a higher flow rate, consider using two pumps - one for the waterfall, and a second one for the biofilter.

Please see the UV and clear water pages for more on topic.

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