// BLOG
New Year Announcement
January 11, 2012
Well Happy New Year! We here at Gordon’s Landscapes LLC are excited for this year. Some of our long term goals have just become short term goals, and we have started some new ideas to benefit our loyal customers. January is an excellent time to take a soil sample to find out what your plants need for the new year. Gather about 1 pint of soil in a zip lock bag and take to the County Extension Office. They will send you the results in 2-3 weeks. There is a small charge for this service.
Kill winter and early spring weeds in your bermuda lawn now. Bermuda will be dormant so the spray will not hurt it now. For best results the temperature should be above 60 degrees for 3 consecutive days. See us for details.
•Fertilize pansies
•Mow cool-season grasses
•Prune trees and shrubs
•Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees
•Till garden beds (this brings the insects to the surface and the cold weather will kill them)
•Recycle Christmas trees (for the birds)
•Feed winter birds
•Water plants as needed
•Buy an Amaryllis for Valentine’s Day
•Check mulch on landscape plants
•Mulch around strawberries
•Once again, make sure leaves haven’t blown in and covered up any cool season grasses.
Pond Construction-(General)
July 7, 2011
When we install we are well trained by classroom time and many step by step instructional videos to properly install the pond of your dreams. Construction materials generally are of three types: concrete, preformed rigid liners or EPDM liner material. Concrete has two serious shortcomings; the tendency to crack and, unless properly sealed and/or cured, the propensity to make the water too alkaline for fish or plants to survive.
Preformed rigid liners, due to their small volume capacity, poor volume-to-surface ratio and their depth restrictions, are very inappropriate for the inclusion of fish other than for the rearing of fry or use as a hospitalization facility.
EPDM 45 mil liner material is the viable alternative offering excellent value when cost is related to useful life. Draped in a hole and filled with water, it will mold itself to every contour of the excavation. It can be obtained in almost any size giving the pond-maker freedom to design a pond which fulfills all his specified ideals of shape, size and profile and exactly suits the needs of his particular site. EPDM also stretches and can absorb the stresses resulting from ice pressure or soil movement. We only use a liner specifically approved for ponds. Materials designed for other uses may contain toxic chemicals.
To determine the size of the liner required, add twice the maximum pond depth to both the maximum length and width measurements. Add one additional foot to each measurement for overlap around the pond edge.
Come to a preliminary decision as to how big the pond will be and then MAKE IT BIGGER! This will allow for improved water quality, greater versatility and greater stocking capacity. Most first ponds are enlarged in less than two years; this process being more labor intensive and expensive than the original installation.
Maximum surface area is of primary importance. The amount of gaseous exchange available at the surface will determine the stocking capacity of your pond. In the middle Tennessee area, the pond should have at least one area with a minimum depth of 18 to 24 inches.
The pond should be located where it will receive the maximum amount of sunshine both in terms of intensity and longevity and as far away from trees and overhanging bushes as possible. Water lilies, the most popular pond plant, require a minimum of four hours per day of intense sunshine in order to develop to their maximum potential. Trees, in addition to casting shade, annually shed large quantities of leaves, pollen, petals, twigs, seeds, berries and fruit. This detritus, rotting in the pond, pollutes the water with the by products of decay having at least harmful, and possibly fatal, results to the fish.
Further, the pond should be located and designed so that it does not receive run-off during heavy rainfall. Lawn and garden fertilizers will add concentrations of phosphate and nitrate to the pond water causing severe algae problems; insecticides and weed killers will poison the pond, resulting in fish death, and least problematical, silt will create brown, cloudy water. We hope to hear from you please send us e-mails if you enjoy our website. Thank you!
POND VOLUME-(GENERAL)
July 7, 2011
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It is imperative that you know the total gallonage capacity of your pond. Equipment size, stocking levels, water quality adjustments and medication dosages are all expressed in terms of total gallons. Guessing the total gallonage, particularly in the case of administering medication, could be lethal to your fish. Rectangular pond volume can be calculated by multiplying the length (in feet) by the width (in feet) by the average depth (in feet) by 7.5; the answer being total gallons. For circular ponds multiply ½ the diameter (in feet) by itself, by 3.142, by the average depth (in feet); the answer being total gallons. If your pond is too irregularly shaped to use either of the above formulas to calculate total gallonage, it must be determined at the time of the initial filling. Turn on your water and fill a measured container such as a five gallon bucket, recording the amount of time taken to fill this container. Fill the entire pond, recording the time to do so, and equate the two to determine total gallonage. For example: if it took one minute to fill the five gallon container and sixty minutes to fill the pond, the total pond volume would be 300 gallons (60 X 5). Note: For determining the proper size pump(s) and filter for a pond, the following modifications must be made to actual total gallonage:
For more information and more resources please feel free to contact us. gordonslandscapes@sbcglobal.net |
Undesirable Water Conditions: Cause and Prevention
June 16, 2011
Green Water
An outdoor pond will never be totally free of algae, nor should it be. Algae serves as a source of food for many micro organisms and is a critical part of the food chain.
Green water is caused by single-celled free-swimming algae. They are individually microscopic but may be present in such numbers as to make the pond appear as though it were filled with pea soup. Their existence depends on the presence of light and nutrients (primarily phosphate and nitrate) both of which are abundantly available in a newly filled pond in which plant growth is still relatively undeveloped. As the pond plants mature they will provide shade for the water and begin to absorb the dissolved nutrients required for the algae to survive. The algae begins to die and sinks to the bottom where it is eaten by the fish. The water clears, and it very often happens abruptly. There is no “normal” period for this; it depends on many variables… water chemistry, plant density, livestock levels, seasonal weather… that are different for every pond. Water changes will not accelerate the process. They may alleviate the problem temporarily, but in reality the newly added water is rich in nutrients which merely serve to start the cycle again. Plants and patience are the answer to most green water problems.
Brown Water
Murky brown water is the result of muddy sediment being stirred up by fish or by water turbulence. It may have a greenish cast because such stirring tends to encourage algae growth. The sediment must be allowed to settle and then be siphoned off or removed by filtration.
Milky Water
Milky, clouded water indicates decay and water pollution. It is caused by the decomposition of organic matter, particularly of fleshy origin. Change the water and search for the source of the problem; usually a decomposing fish.
These Topics are on misc. topics but most helpful when needed.
June 16, 2011
Diseases
Well-nourished fish in a well-managed pond have a strong natural resistance to the potentially harmful organisms that always surround them. Continuing health depends more than anything else on keeping the water free from pollution in the form of organic debris. The water may look perfect but still be lethal. That is why a water change is often a necessary part of the treatment of disease problems.
The fish can only symptomatically inform us of the nature of its malady. Consequently diagnosis must depend on intelligent observation of the owner, particularly of behavior and appearance before death. Water quality values (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and dissolved oxygen) must be known quantities before a diagnosis can even be attempted. If the problem is a result of poor water quality, medication will serve no purpose whatsoever. The systematic use of test kits is a mandatory part of pond keeping.
Parasites
Parasites are the most common pond fish ailment and are usually of the ecto-parasite variety… that is, living on the outside of the fish. They may enter your pond from bird droppings, occur in live foods, or even be introduced from a fish purchased from The Aquatic Critter, though we make every effort to insure otherwise.
Symptoms of parasitic infestation include clamped fins, listlessness, poor appetite, excess mucous secretion and/or rubbing (flashing) against the bottom or sides of the pond. Parasites affecting the gills will generally cause symptoms of rapid gill movement or gasping at the surface. It is generally the weakest fish in the pond or one with a damaged mucous coating that becomes the host.
Fungus
Fungus spores are present in all water; fish are surrounded by them all their lives. As long as the fish are well nourished, undamaged, and living in well oxygenated, unpolluted water their resistance to infection is complete. Fungus infection is always a secondary problem and a clear indication that there is something else amiss. In addition to treating the fish, it is vitally important to discover and correct the conditions that made the fish susceptible to infection.
Fungus is not infectious from fish to fish. However, if a number of fish share the same unhealthy situation it is likely they will all develop fungus; but they will not have caught it from each other.
Fungus, which destroys the area to which it is attached, appears on fish as a white cotton, wool-like growth on the skin, fins, or gills. It’s commonly known as “cotton-wool” disease.
Bacterial Infection
The buildup of bacteria that can affect pond fish is generally caused by poor water conditions due to the accumulation of organic debris. Medication may provide temporary arrest of the infection but the condition is likely to reoccur if the underlying cause is not corrected by at least a partial water change.
Symptoms may include clamped fins, listlessness, poor appetite, fin and tail deterioration, cloudy eyes, body film, blood red streaks in the fins and tail, and bloody patches on the skin.
Dropsy
There are many suspected causes of this disease, but the primary causative is thought to be poor water quality. The most noticeable symptom is the protrusion of the scales away from the body, giving a “pine cone” appearance. The disease severely affects all of the internal organs and medication rarely provides long term benefits. The best course of treatment is to destroy the infected fish. The disease is not thought to be infectious from fish to fish.
Unexplained Fish Death
When the process is gradual, fish being lost at intervals, one or two at a time over a period of time, there must be a strong suspicion that they are suffering either from some form of water pollution or from flukes (parasites). All the possible causes of pollution should be considered and any necessary steps taken to correct them. The most common are too many fish, overfeeding and too much decaying debris. In all cases where pollution seems a plausible explanation, a water change is called for.
The sudden death of a number of fish which had seemed to be in good health can only be explained in terms of some very drastic form of pollution rather than disease. The only action possible is a complete water change.
