Garden pond
supplies are necessary to maintain the health and beauty of your
garden pond. There are basically two different types of garden pond
supplies: those that are necessary for maintaining the health of your
garden pond and those that are used to adorn the pond and provide
more beauty. Some garden pond supplies fall into both categories.
Basic garden pond supplies are usually pond liners, pumps, filters,
plants, biological media, drains, aerators and skimmers. If you plan
to have a garden pond that has fish or is medium to large size, then
a pump and mechanical filter are going to help make life a lot easier.
Pumps circulate the water through the filter keeping the water clean
and healthy.
Many pumps have aerators and skimmers attached to them, making your
job easier so that you don’t have to purchase these garden pond
supplies separately. Aerators circulate the oxygen in the water and
skimmers get rid of the debris. Many pumps fall into the category
of being both useful and as an adornment as you can attach a waterfall
or fountain head to the pump.
Biological media and plants help keep the water clean through the
nitrogen cycle. Fish release waste that is made of ammonia. This ammonia
is toxic to the fish, so you have a biological media where ammonia-eating
bacteria can live. The bacteria changes over the ammonia to nitrates
that are healthy for the plants. The plants grow, providing oxygen
and food for the fish.
If you have fish, then fish food is another necessary garden pond
supply. There is a large variety of fish food available. Fish food
is categorized by season, to enhance color, or with a large variety
of vitamins and minerals good for your fish. Certain foods are recommended
for the spring/summer and other foods are recommended for the fall/winter.
Certain fish food will also enhance the color of your fish. This food
is best recommended for summertime.
If you live in a place where your water will get below 50 degrees
Fahrenheit, then another garden pond supply you will need is a pond
heater and deicer to keep your fish alive during the winter. If the
pond water completely freezes over, then your fish will receive no
oxygen and will die. The deicer melts the pond enough to provide holes
in the ice for oxygen. The heater will keep your water temperature
at a high enough level that the water will not freeze all the way
through.
If you want garden pond supplies that will enhance the beauty of
your garden pond, then there are many of those, as well. One of the
first garden pond supplies you should purchase is a pump with a waterfall
or fountain attachment. This will enhance your water feature greatly!
Another way to decorate your garden pond is with lights. You can lights
in a variety of ways such as spotlights, subtle path lights, floating
pond lights, etc. Plants and statues are also another great way to
adorn your garden pond.
If you are worried about the cost of your electric bill going up,
think solar power. There are many garden pond supplies that are now
solar-powered. These are usually the same price as the electric supplies
and are better for the environment. Many of the electric supplies
mentioned here come in a solar-powered version.
There are many, many more garden pond supplies that are not mentioned
here. Over time, you will learn which supplies are necessary to maintain
the health of your own pond. You will also learn which garden pond
supplies will enhance your waterscape the best.