Karrie and Lloyd Lightsey sure were busy getting donations rounded up for the American Cancer Society. Karrie is a cancer survivor, and she puts her heart and soul into fundraising and donating to the cause. Last fall, Karrie gathered shirts with logos from pond builders and retailers and had them made into a beautiful collage …
First off, happy spring, everyone! By the time you read this column, water should be flowing nicely, with fish happily swimming and aquatic plants starting to green up and bloom. I love this time of year. I have a little personal story to share with you. My son Evan got engaged a couple of months …
>> Also see the main feature, “Waterlily Pests and Diseases: A Ten-Year Update.” Healthy waterlilies are very tough plants. They withstand rains, winds, droughts, hail storms, and neighborhood kids with sticks. And more importantly, pests usually ignore them. Thriving lilies grow fast and bloom well, with plenty of leaves and regular blooms. There are enough …
Healthy or Stressed — It Makes a World of Difference Read More »
>> Also see the main feature, “Waterlily Pests and Diseases: A Ten-Year Update.” Waterlilies are fairly low maintenance, especially compared to equally gorgeous terrestrial flowers. However, they do require some regular care to stay healthy and bloom well. Here are the basics. Rinse & Observe Whenever you add water to your pond or display tanks, …
Author’s Note | We never guessed that our 2009 article on waterlily diseases and pests would be such a hit with readers for so long. As the author, I’m especially gratified that it has helped many Nymphaea growers. The article also prompted numerous online questions about individual waterlily problems. Several queries revealed a common denominator — …
Most of us who have been in this profession for a long time have had the experience of adding newly purchased fish or plants to an existing population, only to see them start dying within a couple of weeks. Holding new fish or plants in a quarantine tub for a length of time before placing …
Fish need oxygen! Adequate amounts of dissolved oxygen are crucial for all pond and fish life. Unfortunately, oxygen is one of the most overlooked parameters of water quality in the retail setting, as well as in koi ponds. Low dissolved oxygen (DO) is an underestimated cause of many fish losses. As a koi seller, it …
Language of Koi | Dissolved Oxygen Levels in Tanks and Ponds Read More »
In February 2017, I received an interesting phone call that ended up changing our business for the better. The man on the other end, Paul Oveisi, said that he was putting together a brand new coffee and beer garden near Downtown Austin and wanted a pond to be the centerpiece of the outdoor area. Oveisi’s …
Cosmic Coffee and Beer Garden Showcases Sustainability (and Water Features) Read More »
by Roger and Melody Sears, Since I began building ponds more than 30 years ago, technology has come a long way. Some of the best improvements have been the skimmer and waterfall box systems. They allow for continuous cleaning of the pond surface, mechanical and biological filtration and easy access and protection for the pump. …
The Flooded Skimmer: A Next-Level Filtration Method Read More »
I grew up in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s near Chicago, catching just about anything that would swim, crawl or hop. When I caught something, I would bring it home and put it in one of several tanks in my parents’ townhome. When I ran out of tanks, I found a baby pool that …