Christmas Gift Ideas for Pond Owners

It is the season to be gift giving and we at PondMarket have some great items that would make your pond lover's day. Here are some ideas for the pond lover:
Color Changing Candle Holders... add a truly unique touch! These beautiful tealight holders truly create ambiance and set the mood for Holiday Entertaining! They will make the holidays sparkle whether used in your living room or on the patio!

Swimming Pets.... bring the beauty of these darlings to ponds that are too small or cannot sustain fish for other reasons. They look so real, you will want to feed them. They swim like the real thing! We have Koi in several colors as well as this turtle! They work in the pool or hot-tub, too!

Floating Water Lily lights.... add color and beauty to a winter pond! These wonderful lights come in a set of three with transformer and plenty of cord. Float them in your pond and let it be the focal point of your yard even at this time of year!

You can find more at:PondMarket Store

Last Minute Pond Fish Nutrition before Winter

It is a challenge to make sure the fish go into the winter months with the best possible chance of survival. The importance of good nutrition cannot be overlooked considering they will not eat for several months and must live on nutrients and fat stored in their bodies. A good way to add excellent nutrients (and add them fast) in a way that can still be digested already cooled water is Microbe-Lift Fruits and Greens. Click Here for Fish Nutrition Food

PondMarket.com on YouTube.com

Watch...the Koi Auction at the Pond Market!

The PondMarket held it's first annual Koi Auction this month and some wonderful pets found new homes. See part of the proceedings in this video (and while there check out the many instructional videos we have available for you - we add new ones each week).

See how to build a pond and more. Aaron, Vice-President of PondMarket, teachs you the step by step process in building your very own pond. Subscribe to the videos to keep in touch with new videos being added. Visit here.

Pond Photos on our Siste Site: pondmarketphotos.com

Something new at PondMarket.com! Announcing PondMarketPhotos.com!

Now you can submit your Pond Photo and your favoite Fish Photo for all the world to see. We know how special your pond is to you. The Photos of Ponds already submitted to us are just stunning. Visit the Pond Gallery Here.

Another one of our many of our features at Pond Market Photos is "Ask The Pond Doctor". Sometimes, you may have a Pond problem hard to solve. Our "in house" Pond Experts will help you solve any problem. There is none to small and none to large! Click Here to submit your question along with a photo of the problem and our Pond Experts will study it and help you get it on track.

Check our Blog often for some great additions to PondMarket.com!

Use Pond Plants to control Pond Algae

Use Pond Plants to control Algae

The most natural way to control algae in ponds is to use aquatic plants!

Plants shade the pond, take up nutrients (depriving algae) and look great in the Bargain!

We are now shipping plants and the selection is on our website!

For a great selection of Pond
Plants, Visit Here.

We also carry a complete line of Pond Plant Supplies:
Visit Here!

Clean STRINGY, FUZZY & other GRIMY Stuff in the Garden Pond

We all know it happens this time of year: Our beautiful waterfall rocks get covered in black, sometimes fuzzy - sometimes stringy - sometimes slimy - stuff that is not so pretty to look at!

The Pond Bottom starts looking grimy - especially aggravating if it is covered with nice looking gravel or rocks.

The Pond Market has the "No Hassle" solution:

The 1-2-3 Punch:

1) "Restor" to clean pond rocks and waterfalls up without scrubbing
2) "Fizzy Kicks" to get rid of sludge and decomposing bottom stuff
3) "Barley Juice" to naturally help prevent growth of new stringy, fuzzy and grimy stuff Natural solution for old Pond problems:

Give them a try and see how wonderful they are Here!

Thinking about building a pond but don't know where to start? You have some ideas but would like to see other ponds before you commit to that idea? Visit our new Sister site, PondMarketPhotos.com for plenty of Ponds built by our customers. They are beautiful, stunning and they help in bringing so much peace and serenity to the owners.

Pond Plant Tips

This is the time of year to divide and re-pot your Pond Plants! Be sure to fertilize adequately with aquatic plant fertilizer (this is fertilizer specifically formulated to NOT feed algae, which is also a plant). It is also fish safe.

Water Lilies and Lotus in particular are very heavy feeders...and will bloom much more profusely if fertilized adequately (every three weeks or so). Spikes are available for the other plants that will only need to be applied once and continue feeding all year. Fertilizer tabs such as Lily Grow by Tetra are more suitable for Lotus and Water Lilies to make more fertilizer available faster to these spectacular plants.

The PondMarket carries everything needed for Pond Plant Care. Visit the Plant Supplies Department at www.pondmarket.com/store

Koi in your Garden Pond

Koi in your Garden Pond

Spectacular! Colorful! Tame!

Koi are a great Pond Fish for larger Garden Ponds! Each Koi needs at least 250 to 350 gallons of water due to their mature size.

Nothing looks quite as majestic as a mature Koi (with a length of 2 to 3 feet) seeming to float through the water.

Koi can be tamed to eat out of your hand and will recognize their owners quite readily.

Koi live a long time...in well maintained Koi Ponds a life span of 25 years is average...but longer life spans are not unheard of.

But Koi MUST have adequate filtration, very good water quality and plenty of oxygen, especially during hot spells. Nutrition is also very important. Koi grow fast and benefit from Growth Food and Vitamin Suppliments. Their colors will intensify and literally shine if fed a good quality diet.

Beneficial Bacteria additions are a must, to deal with the waste these wonderful fish produce, otherwise the pond bottom will accumulate a thick layer of "sludge" that acts like a compost pile to feed algae.

The PondMarket carries a wide selection of Koi Food, Beneficial Bacteria and Pumps and Filters to provide a cozy and healthy home for these great pets!

Visit www.pondmarket.com/store for Koi Supplies and don't forget to visit our information site at www.pondmarket.com to download our free e-book "Basic Pond Fish Care"!

Pond Cleanup Spring Check List

Are your pond and fish ready? It's been a long Winter and Spring is finally here. Here is a Spring Start Up Check List for you to help you get your Pond in shape for many pleasurable days and nights ahead.

Remove Winter Cover.

Muck-Out/Net Out the Pond Debris.

Skim Off Leave Debris.

Test pH and Adjust as Necessary.

Apply Sludge Eating Bacteria.

Clean/Replace Filter Media.

Innoculate Filter with Bacteria.

Test Salinity - Add Salt if Necessary.

Visually Inspect Fish for Irregularities.

Also Inspect Fish for Diseases and Parasites.

Replace UV. and Lighting Bulbs.

Add/Replace Barley Bales./....Pellets.

Relocate, Repot, and Fertilize Plants.

Start Feeding Cool Weather Food at 50 Degrees F Water Temperature.

Spring Water Garden Pond Fish Care

Early spring is a very stressful time in the colder parts of the U.S., because the fish have been dormant so long and now have to cope with a lot of water temperature fluctuation!

For this reason, it is very important to really take care and keep water quality at an optimum at this time of year. Particularly if Koi or Golden Orfe are present in the Pond.

The digestive system of Koi depends entirely on its intestine (Koi have no stomachs) and when the water is cold their intestines do not work at the normal rate. That is why it is important to feed Koi a low protein diet in the spring.

Beneficial bacteria have not had time to establish a sufficient colony to deal with great loads of fish waste, there again the amount, type and quality of the fish food is important (like the old saying goes: garbage in--garbage out!).

It is best to start feeding slowly and to measure nitrites about once a week until the weather stabilizes, especially in ponds with many and/or expensive fish (or those dear to the heart)!
Remember, our free e-book "Spring Start-Up" is available for download on our website!

Products necessary for a good start in the spring pond can be found here.