New Year’s Resolutions for Pond People

It’s hard to believe that we are once again approaching the grand finale, of yet, another action packed year.  With the end of the year on us we are faced with figuring out a few good New Year’s Resolutions to challenge ourselves, impress our peers and to become a better, well rounded person that makes a difference in our lives, our children and the community we live in.

We’d like to offer a twist on a couple of the typical New Year’s resolutions!

Diet

No, I don’t think YOU need to loose any weight, but I do believe that most pond enthusiasts could use a little guidance when it comes to feeding their fish.  A simple saying we have “Out in the Field” is “Feed your fish not your pond”!  Here are a couple of rules for your consideration.

1)    You can feed you fish as much as they can consume in a single three to five minute feeding.

2)    It is a must to feed your fish a high carbohydrate food in the spring and fall with wheat germ as the number one ingredient.

3)    Do not feed your fish when the water temperature is below 50 degrees and you can bulk them up in the summer months, using a growth or color enhancing food that features fish meal as the number one ingredient.

Learn To Speak Another Language

Learning a new language is always a crowd-pleasing resolution.  We’d like to challenge all you PONDERS to learn some Japanese, or at least enough Japanese words to talk “koi fish.” Here is a couple of words to stimulate you.

• 1) Kohaku – (koh HAH koo) Is a white fish with red markings.
• 2) Sanke – (SAHN keh) Is a white fish with red and black markings.
• 3) Ogan – (OH gahn) Is a solid colored koi fish.
• 4) Showa – (SHOH wah) a jet-black fish with red and white markings; is one of my personal favorites.

Pond Tours

If you’ve never been to a pond tour then it’s time to get involved!  You can find a pond tour, Parade of Ponds, Moonlight Pond Tour, Desert Pond Tour, 365 Pond Tour, Pond Walk, day or night, three hundred and sixty five days a year!

Get involved by either going on a tour or better yet, have your own pond showcased on a pond tour. The Pond Digger Team will be hosting a monthly Pond Tour the Third Saturday of the month from MARCH THRU NOVEMBER! Keep in touch for details!

Seasonal Maintenance

In March & October it is important that you get down and dirty yourself or hire a pond specialist to clean out your filters, trim back any aquatic plants that have dominated your pond over the summer and just do some simple routine maintenance to prepare your water feature for the winter.

There are even pond cleaning seminars that are at your fingertips for the do-it-yourselfers out there.  The problem I see is that since most ponds look outstanding these times of year and most people say, “Why fix it, if it ain’t broke”?  Look at it as preventative maintenance.  Just a little seasonal maintenance can prevent lots of algae problems that could otherwise occur if neglected when the time is right.

And if your pond doesn’t look outstanding then you should have a professional take a look at your pond to help put you back on track. The Pond Digger team offers a wide variety of maintenance programs including – Quarterly, Monthly, Bi-Monthly & Weekly! Call our headquarters if you are interested in routine maintenance.

Quarantine

It should be mandatory that you commit, to protect your prized pond fish from certain pathogens that could wipe out your entire collection!  The most likely way for your fish to be introduced to an undesirable pathogen is by the introduction of new fish.

Do your homework and either purchase your fish from a reputable fish retailer that specializes in Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) pond fish or plan on quarantining each and every fish that you put into your pond!

You should even quarantine your aquatic plants and mosquito fish before introducing them into your show pond. The Pond Digger Headquarters specializes in SPF koi and goldfish. Call our Headquarters for details or stop in and see us!

Stop to smell Roses (or Lotus)

In today’s busy, high tech, mobile phone congested lifestyle it seems that people are caught up in the workday longer than ever.  Don’t get so caught up that you don’t “Stop to smell the Roses.”

I too, sometimes find myself getting home late so I have planted star jasmine next to my pond that not only smells wonderful but also shows up nicely under a clear moonlit sky.  I also have a couple of Angel’s Trumpet Trees planted next to my water feature that blooms like crazy most of the year.

For an added bonus the Angels’ Trumpet has an evening fragrance that I can smell as soon as I step out of my truck when I get home from work each day. Most importantly if you have never planted a Lotus next to your pond, I highly recommend it! The fragrance that a lovely LOTUS plant gives off is quite amazing!

Get A Second Opinion

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran pond enthusiast or still green behind the ears, I highly recommend that you have a pond professional have a look at your pond for an evaluation.

The Pond Digger team offers FREE 10 POINT POND INSPECTIONS where we have an experience Pond Tech check everything you want to know and everything you don’t want to know about your pond! We’ve literally saved our clients thousands of dollars over the years. Think of it like as a CHECK UP for your pond!

Near or far we can help. We schedule FREE ON-SITE Consultations 30 miles from our base camp in Yucaipa, Ca. For all our clients outside the 30-mile radius we can still help you with a FREE CONSULTATION via the Internet!

Email to schedule FREE POND INSPECTION!

eric@theponddigger.com

Wishing you and yours a safe and Happy New Year.

Eric Triplett

The Pond Digger