10 Pond Myths - Busted

For years, pond ownership was accessible only to the rich and famous because of the mega-maintenance required when doing battle with Mother Nature. Realistically, the average American Joe and Josephine could not afford to hire a battalion of landscapers to beat back the onslaught of algae, to repair the constant leaks in the concrete, and to flush out all the clogged pumps that were typical issues with the hobby in its earlier years.

However, thanks to new techniques and technologies, all that has changed. Today, a backyard water garden can be a low-maintenance, personal paradise that's affordable to anyone who really wants to have a pond. Regardless, pondering myths that unnecessarily discourage some from taking their own water garden plunge, still persist.

With these thoughts in mind, here are 10 of the most destructive myths, and the modern facts that have kept many from taking the plunge into the wonderful world of water gardening.

• Myth: Maintaining a water garden is a constant headache
  Fact: Ecologically-balanced water gardens let Mother Nature do the heavy lifting. Make sure you install a water garden that works with Mother Nature - not against her. Top-quality ecosystem pond systems that include mechanical and biological filtration, lots of aquatic plants, fish, active bacteria, and plenty of rocks, are a good example. The result is minimal water testing and chemicals, no clogged filters, stagnant water, or mucky bottoms that need constant draining and cleaning
• Myth: You should never have algae in your pond
  Fact: A proper proportion of green algae is considered beneficial. Fish eat it and it's part of the ecology of any living, healthy pond. Pristine, over-treated water is dead by comparison. Too much algae has a simple cause - too much sunlight and plenty of nutrient-rich water. That's why a well-designed natural pond includes proper filtration to diminish the nutrients that help algae grow, and shade sources from landscaping and aquatic plants.
• Myth: Small water features are less work
  Fact: Actually, the larger the water feature, the easier the maintenance. Aquarium hobbyists know it's much easier to achieve a healthy, stable tank with more water, not less. Small water features rarely have the flow or capacity necessary for long-term stability, and soon need lots of maintenance. Regardless of size, a properly designed pond is better able to achieve ecological balance, but as water gardens become larger, they also become more stable with each passing year as plants, bacteria colonies, and other vital life becomes established.
• Myth: Ponds need daily water testing and corrective treatment
  Fact: If the pond is not chemically-dependant, there's nothing to test. Mother Nature never tests her water. And, she doesn't use any store bought chemicals or pharmaceuticals. Neither should you. Stick to the system of ecosystem water gardening and let your pond grow healthy on its own.
• Myth: Water gardening involves a lot of hard work
  Fact: Not necessarily. A well-designed, ecologically-balanced pond needs only a scoop of liquid or dry bacteria every month or so, the skimmer basket cleaned weekly, plus an annual spring cleaning in cold climates. In gardening terms, an ecologically-balanced pond is about as much work as maintaining an established perennial border, minus the weeding and watering. Aquatic plants water themselves. The big maintenance item is a recommended annual spring cleanout. Many opt for a contractor to do this for them ($200-$300).
• Myth: Any contractor or landscaper can build a watergarden
  Fact: Building a pond and building it right are two different things. Building ecosystem ponds is a relatively new specialty. A good landscaper isn't necessarily knowledgeable in the concept, design or construction that makes an organic water garden system work. Also, much of the literature and information still in circulation does not relate to ecosystem water gardening. Make sure that the installer is well-experienced in ecosystem ponds, such as the Aquascape Designs Products, and also be sure to get plenty of references and check them out.
• Myth: A water garden costs a fortune
  Fact: A water garden is certainly an investment, but it no longer has to be a money pit. At the most affordable end of the spectrum, DIY kits with everything you need retail for $700-$900, plus another $600 for the items that don't come with the kit (rocks, pebbles, fish, plants, etc.). Total $1300-$1500, plus a healthy amount of sweat equity for an 8'x11' pond w/waterfall. Professional installations are similar in price to buying a hot tub, and start at around $5000 and average $6500 to $8000, and higher, depending on the size. Inexpensive fish and plants are easily found. Running a high efficiency pump 24/7, 365 days a year, will tack about $30-$40 onto your monthly electric bill. Low-maintenance water gardens are considered good landscaping investments that often pay for themselves in home equity
• Myth: Water features are breeding grounds for mosquitoes
  Fact: Mosquitoes breed in still, standing water. A well-designed backyard water garden has lots of water movement, where mosquitoes don't like to breed. Also, ponds and water gardens support fish, frogs, toads, and other wildlife that are natural predators of mosquitoes.
• Myth: Predators will eat all your fish
  Fact: Predators are out there, but there are things you can do to protect your fish. Koi lovers beware. In shallow water gardens ponds, your "gazillion" dollar prize specimens can be at risk, mainly from blue herons. But, whether you have pedigree koi or the inexpensive lovable "mutts" that most pond lovers prize, you can fight back. An inexpensive, motion-activated sprinkler, such as the Scarecrow, will deter herons with a timely jet of water. Muskrats are not as common in backyard ponds as they prefer to hunt in large bodies of water. Raccoons don't care to swim for their supper, preferring to dip into the buffet from the banks. A pond that is at least 8 feet wide will deprive these varmints of dry access to the deepest part of the water garden.
• Myth: To keep fish, water gardens need to be deep
  Fact: Two feed deep is as good as a mile. Fish, including koi, hibernate in ponds just two feet deep through winters as cold as Minnesota's zone 4 bone chillers. A small circulating pump and de-icing heater are all you need to keep a "breathing hole" in the ice and oxygenate the water for your fish