Balancing a Garden Pond Fountain Ecosystem

When the ecological balance of outdoor water features is in sync the water is clear. Fish and flora flourish. A balanced fountain system requires less time, effort and money. Use these tips to get an edge on ecological balance:

• Consider the big picture. All the elements of a water feature impact ecological balance. This includes: the size of the garden fountain, aeration, sunlight, temperature, plants, snails and fish.
• Learn as much as possible about ecological balance. Take a course at a local college on garden and fountain installation and fountain care. Study the garden and fountain instruction manual or research how to clean a fountain on the Internet.
• Stay tuned in to your water. Purchase a master water testing test kit that includes: pH, ammonia, nitrite, and salt levels. Don’t let water levels drop significantly. When the level is down by an inch add water. Fountain pumps do not operate efficiently when water level is too low. Always re-test after adding tap water and after heavy rainfall. (Note: Use distilled water that is free of chemicals and minerals for smaller indoor and outdoor fountains and replenish as needed for evaporation.)
• Avoid unnecessarily draining a garden pond fountain. If balanced and maintained properly, you should only have to drain and thoroughly clean a small to medium sized garden pond water feature every three or four years. Refresh water features between draining by pumping or siphoning 10%-15% of the water from the bottom of the garden fountain where sediment accumulates, then refill.
• Aerate and light up. Oxygenate garden ponds with a statuary fountain, floating fountain or waterfall. UV Lights are also helpful in large fountains (1,000-3,000 gallons filter capacity). The light sits on bricks above sediment at the base of the fountain and filters water through it, killing algae with the ultra-violet lamp inside.
• Keep up with simple maintenance. Remove floating leaves and blooms from the surface and the bottom of the fountain. Prevent pesticides and fertilizers from getting into the fountain waters. Avoid fouling the water by overfeeding fish. Use a fountain care kit and only recommended fountain cleaners as needed that don’t impact ecology.

Picking Suitable Fish For A Landscape Water Feature

There are a number of suitable fish for a landscape water feature. What you should get is a matter of taste, how much time you have to invest in the fish, and the size and depth of your pool. We’ve put together some suggestions for fish that are appropriate for a landscape water feature.

Goldfish – Brightly colored and adaptable, goldfish make an excellent choice for most ponds, pools or fountains. They can grow up to 16 inches long if their environment allows it. They can live up to 25 years of age under the proper conditions and are much easier to care for than koi.

Koi – Koi need a pool that is at least three feet deep because of their size. They usually live from 20 to 50 years, but can live to the ripe age of 100. Koi require more care than goldfish – you’ll need a biological filter to clean the water and you have to consider that koi will eat water plants. You also need to supplement their diet with koi food. In the winter, koi will hibernate.

Golden orfe – This variety of goldfish grows to two feet in length. They swim in groups and need a larger pool to accommodate their numbers. You need to keep in mind that these fish are sensitive to chemicals and won’t survive exposure to such substances in their water.

Minnows and Mosquito Fish – Other types of fish to consider are minnows and mosquito fish. They are much smaller at three to six inches long and tend to be more of an insect control fish.

Designing A Landscape Water Feature For Fish

If you’re designing a landscape water feature that will contain fish, you do have to have certain specifications in mind. Ideally, a landscape water feature should cover three basic things – appropriate depth, safety from predators and clean water.

A depth of two feet will be sufficient for most types of garden fish. If you plan on raising koi, because of their larger size, you should have a depth of at least three feet.

Garden predators that you might need to be concerned about include raccoons, herons, egrets and kingfishers. As long as you create a water feature with at least two feet deep steep sides, your fish should be safe. For areas of a water feature with shallow depths, plant a thick layer of bog or marginals to help protect your fish.

In order to keep your fish alive and healthy, it’s essential you provide the optimum water environment for them. One way to do this is by getting a good biological filter to help you maintain their ecosystem. Moving water from a pump or via a waterfall will help oxygenate the fish’s environment.

Balancing Yin and Yang in Landscaping Water Features

In Feng Shui, yin and yang denote the two life-giving forces of the universe. Balancing yin and yang is essential for creating a pleasing and auspicious home or office environment. Feng Shui beliefs also consider outside living spaces an extension of indoor spaces. Consequently, balancing yin and yang when landscaping a water feature is equally important.

If either yin or yang elements are excessive, an environment is out of balance. An outdoor space with excessive yang is not relaxing. Excessive yin may be boring. When looking at the basic yin and yang of outdoor spaces, day is yang and night is yin. Yang is growth, yin is stillness. Yang is dominant; yin is subtle. Water features may be yin or yang. Cascading waterfall fountains and bubbling stone fountains evoke yang energy, while a still garden pool represents yin serenity. Other ways to add yin when landscaping water features include: cool pastels, white and black colors, low-growing lacy greenery, small smooth stones, and filtered shade. And for more yang, choose warm colors, tall trees, large rocks/boulders and sunlight.

Remember that yin and yang are ever-changing. To create the most pleasing yin and yang environment, as day changes to night, look for ways to add yang energy to night’s natural yin. And, as seasons change, it is necessary to re-balance an outdoor landscape. Yang influences help balance winter yin and yin elements offer a cool respite on hot, sunny summer days.

Easy Fountains to Install

Avid garden enthusiasts dig into installing complicated in ground garden pond fountains and intricate landscaping schemes. For those who prefer a more simplistic approach for a beautiful backyard setting, free-standing fountains, statuary fountains, bamboo fountains and patio tabletop or wall mounted fountains offer almost instant sensory appeal to an outdoor setting with minimal installation time and labor.

Picture sipping a glass of wine or cup of coffee or tea in a tranquil Zen-like garden with a bamboo fountain. Water creates a soothing background, flowing trough the bamboo chutes and into a bowl of natural river stones. Installation involves minimal assembly, filling the basin with water and plugging it into a GFI electrical outlet. Add elegance to any garden setting with a statuary fountain. Introduce the rich patina of a three to nine leaf sculpted copper fountain to a sunroom or covered patio. Fill, plug in and enjoy. Or, install a custom water fountain and treat patients or customers in a waiting area to a soothing respite from the clamor of the outside world.

Childproofing a Garden Fountain

Kids love water and are naturally attracted to sound and action of moving water in a garden fountain. Children can’t resist playing in water. They want to mimic the statuary garden fountains that shoos water from its mouth into a pond and a drink from a garden fountain on a hot summer day is almost irresistible. All of these temptations create safety hazards for young children. Toddlers can drown in just an inch or two of water and even older children should be closely supervised around water sources.

Before installing a garden fountain or garden pool, check local ordinances for safety requirements and make sure homeowners liability insurance covers water fountain gardens. Fences surrounding a fountain area create a barrier and help discourage uninvited young visitors. Raise home garden fountains above the ground so that they are out of reach and cannot be tipped over. Rocks and stones are attractive and control the depth of garden fountains. Pots overflowing with lush plants make access to a fountain less accessible. Keep a garden fountain and children in view at all times when outdoors. And for still pond or pool waters, install a floating alarm signals disturbances on the water’s surface.

Create a Backyard Fountain Nature Habitat

Water fountain habitats attract a variety of birds and butterflies and delight nature lovers year-round. A well-planned backyard water fountain nature sanctuary provides the essential elements for a healthy sustainable wildlife habitat and may also earn distinction as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Here are five elements required by the National Wildlife Federation to attract wildlife and qualify for habitat certification:

• Water Sources: Birds and butterflies need a source of clean water. A shallow and sparkling backyard birdbath fountain offers aerated, moving water attracting winged visitors and providing soothing background for relaxation and observation.

• Food Sources: Bird and butterflies visit a backyard garden in search of edible plants, seeds, fruits, berries and nectar that are native to your area. Butterflies are particularly attracted to plants with red, pink, orange, yellow and purple blooms. Include “host plants” as larval food sources. Visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for lists of native plants by region and state. Place supplemental food in bird feeders when natural food is scarce and for added visual appeal in your backyard fountain habitat.

• Places for Cover: Birds and butterflies need safe and secure places to rest. Tree and shrubs provide natural resting spots. Avoid dense undergrowth around the fountain that might conceal predators like cats and raccoons.

• Places to Raise Young: Bird houses and nesting boxes encourage making your backyard a home. Monitor nesting boxes and shrubs to discourage unwelcome guests that might harm birds and butterflies.
  
• Sustainable Gardening: Avoid using herbicides and pesticides that contain harmful chemicals and contaminate water fountains. Use chemical-free fertilizer, natural mulch and include a source of water like sprinkler or misting garden hose.

Considerations for Backyard Water Fountains

When choosing the best backyard fountain or patio fountain consider space, budget, care and maintenance.

• Make the most of the space you have. If you have visions of extensive outdoor projects with multi-level decks, a gazebo, waterfall cascading over massive boulders, pools/ponds and a jungle of outdoor plants, make sure outdoor space is adequate for your dream. Measure and plot available and scale up or down accordingly. A wide range of features and sizes makes it easy to match backyard fountains to available space.
• Water fountains are available for every budget. When money is no object, you can easily spend thousands on a backyard sanctuary. When the budget is tight, start small. Develop a long-term plan and add to the project over time.
• Are you the do-it-yourself or hire-the-expert type? Fountain how-to ranges from simple to complex. With the instructions, the right materials and time, most do-it-yourselfers can finish a backyard fountain project in a day or two for half the cost of hiring a contractor.
• Water fountains require different levels of care and maintenance. Some fountain owners use a pool service for maintaining large, complex gardens. Small fountains are easily maintained with basic and preventive maintenance. Clear debris from the water surface and fountain bottoms frequently. Practice algae control. Inoculate water with “good” bacteria following cleaning or backwashing. And, periodically clean fountain pumps and fountain filters to ensure proper operation and extend their working life.

Outdoor Water Features Safety

Outdoor water features should be a haven for everyone who comes to visit. Although outdoor water features aren’t hazardous, there are some safety considerations to keep in mind if you’re having one built so you can enjoy your water feature without any worries.

• Children are at the most risk around an outdoor water feature. In order to keep your water feature a safe place, keep watch over them at all times. You can also add features like a rock wall around the edge and add wide, shallow plants to discourage venturing near the water’s edge.
• Maintain safety by keeping electrical controls hidden away. You should make sure all outlets have a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to prevent electrocution.
• Have the surface edges around your outdoor water feature designed with a non-slip material. Rock surfaces should have some roughness to them to prevent slippage.
• Outdoor water features with deep floors should have some sort of fencing around it to prevent accidental falls.
• Have an inside ledge designed into outdoor water features to give easy access out to someone who does fall in. Marginal plants would require a ledge in outdoor water features regardless of safety considerations.

Hiring Experts For Your Garden Fountain

Sometimes, designing your vision of the perfect garden fountain becomes too insurmountable a task to do on your own. In that case, it’s time to call in the experts to help you get your project accomplished. If you’re just getting started, here is a list of some of the professionals you can contact to get your project underway.

Landscape Architect – The landscape architect can design and manage your outdoor project as well as give you helpful suggestions on what works, what looks good, what’s cost effective and what isn’t.

Landscape Contractor – Responsible for overseeing the building process of your garden fountain, a contractor will hire out the necessary hands to create the plumbing, install plants, dig the site and provide construction. You can hire a landscape contractor without the help of a landscape architect. Your fees may be lower, but you may miss out on some creativity and design solutions.

Structural and soils engineers – These professionals will analyze your soil and make sure any structures in your garden fountain project are safe if you need to go to the building department for permits.

Accessorize Your Fountain With Solar Power

These days, solar-powered products are big with homeowners concerned about the environment. One easy-to-install, low maintenance piece is the solar power light. You can use a solar power light to brighten up the pathways around your fountain or light up the fountain itself. An inexpensive solar power light for a pathway might just be $30 to $40 for a four-piece set. A high-end set might run you ten times that much. Want a solar-operated pump? You can find them everywhere, from home and garden stores to online locations and catalogs. If you want to add water spray to your fountain, you can even do that with a circular floating spray which shoots water up to 17 inches. There’s even a birdbath that circulates water and runs on solar power, as well.

How To Plan An Outdoor Garden Fountain

Adding an outdoor garden fountain to your home can be a complex process. With styles ranging from modern garden pools with a minimalist attitude and streamlined edges to a lush garden pond with no hint of man-made effort, the choices are virtually limitless. To help you in the planning stages of your outdoor garden fountain, we’ve compiled some considerations for you to think about.

What kind of environment do I want? This is an obvious question, but one that needs to be answered. An outdoor garden fountain can be a tranquil, meditative oasis or a vocal crash of waterfalls. An outdoor garden fountain can be the main attraction in an outdoor environment or a natural element to enhance the existing landscape.

What designs inspire me? Browsing through landscape garden books, magazines and visiting outdoor areas with garden fountains will help you get ideas to get started. You can borrow an entire concept and replicate it in your own environment or take pieces from various water features and create them into a cohesive design.

What will be the dominant feature? The pool can be the main attraction and the landscape can surround the pool. Conversely, you can design the landscaping to have an unobtrusive body of water to punctuate the land.

What plants will you add? The overall look of your outdoor garden fountain will be strongly influenced by the plants that you add. In addition, the strategic addition of plant life can help maintain the ecosystem of your water feature.

Will you add fish? Fish add visual interest and a focal point to any outdoor garden fountain. They also can help the ecosystem by controlling algae. If you decide to add fish, you’ll have to consider an appropriate design to maintain your fish’s health.