The Pond Contractor - Pond Myths

Predators like raccoons and birds will eat your fish.

Raccoons don't swim and while most fish will swim to a deeper, more protected part of the pond when a predator is threatening them, we can also build hiding places when excavating and installing the rock if this is a concern you have. The one predator worth legitimate consideration is the Blue Heron, and although for most people finding one in the backyard is rare, putting up a scarecrow is typically successful option to keep them at bay.

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Rock and gravel in the pond make it difficult to clean.

Rocks and gravel offer a natural place for aerobic bacteria to colonize and set up house keeping. These bacteria break down the fish waste and debris that would otherwise accumulate in the pond and turn into sludge.

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UV lights are the best way to keep your pond water clear.

The fact of the matter is that if you have a pond that's naturally balanced, in which the aquatic circle of life is rotating the way that Mother Nature intended, you don't need UVC at all. In this naturalistic setting, the fish eat the plants, then produce waste that gets broken down (along with other pond debris) by aerobic bacteria that's colonized on the rocks and gravel below, and then it's taken back up as nutrition by the plants, continuing the cycle.

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A pond in your backyard means you have a lot of mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes will generally only lay their eggs in still, stagnant water. If the mosquitoes happen to lay eggs in your pond and the mosquito larvae hatch, the fish in your pond will consider them a treat and will pick them off the water's surface with great enthusiasm.

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You cannot have a pond in an area where there are a lot of trees.

You will have more leaves in your pond in the fall but, by the same token, the shade provided by the tree(s) will help minimize the algae bloom in the summer. Furthermore, if you have a skimmer sucking the top quarter inch of water off the top of your pond, it will pull most of the leaves and related debris into a waiting net. This takes about 30 seconds to empty. So don't worry about trees and ponds. They're fine.

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It's necessary to drain and clean your pond regularly.

If you decide to work in harmony with Mother Nature by installing the Aquascape™ System as we recommend, then draining and cleaning your pond should take place only once a year (at most). Cleanout should occur in the spring before the weather gets warm and the bacterium has an opportunity to set up.

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My Pond will overflow when the rains come and it will be a giant mess.

When we install your Skimmer we also install an overflow basin connected directly to your pond so that any excess water leaves your pond well before it reaches the top. The water trickles into the basin and drains naturally.

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