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Water gardening questions 3 water gardening questions, yes, more Don't laugh Just heard about the person who installed a "top hat" water feature in April (its now August 04) and he wanted to know why it wasn't working, the reason? there was no water in it. All ponds / water features / fountains need maintenance, which is regular cleaning and topping up with water when required Foaming pool We have had a lot of heavy rain lately and since that our pond has taken on the appearance of a large washing up bowl with suds everywhere. If the pump in turned off the foam eventually goes. I should say the the recirculated water falls into the pond thus causing agitation. Can you tell me what the problem is? This sounds like DOC (Dissolved Organic Compounds) It can be caused by several things, the most common is over feeding of fish, all fish foods contain protein, (some more than others) the protein forms a layer on the water surface and any agitated water, say a water fall or fountain nozzle will serve to agitate the water and the protein will trap the air forming bubbles just like a washing up bowl. The other thing that can cause it is if the surrounding area of your pond has accumulated protein (fertilisers / other chemicals) when it rains all this is washed into your pond. It has been known if you live near a farm / field, in heavy rain any proteins etc to get washed into your pond. There are several cures, fit a protein skimmer, feed the fish less / remove any uneaten fish food after ten minutes, or if it is really bad, a complete water change, but bear in mind that with a water change it may not work first time, since the protein may form a film on the pond sides as you lower the water, ideally you should completely empty the pool and thoroughly clean it, and any pumps / filters etc you have, but when you refill it bear in mind you will be using tap water which will kill all the bacteria in your filter, so you will literally be starting with a new pond. Also as with new ponds you should introduce the fish slowly and add a dechlorinator. NEVER use bleach / chemicals to clean a fish pool, as unless thoroughly cleaned out and rinsed several times the residue will kill any fish / livestock. 19 08 06 Black expanding foam I have heard about an expanding foam which is black in colour (as opposed to the usual orange / yellow colour) It is said to be ideal for ponds as it is fish safe and bonds well to liners, fills small gaps, easy to trim when set. Lets look at it in more detail Expanding foam is commonly used in the building trade to fill gaps etc, and it is true when it sets it can be filed sanded and cut very easily with a saw blade. This new black foam seems to be ordinary foam but black, if this is true I would not recommend it since when wet it will start to disintegrate. Yes it will take time (a few years) but as its new on the market how can any one have tested it for a few years to see does it do as I predict and disintegrate. I may be wrong, but for now I would not use it 06 09 06 Don't forget to send in your questions, contact us
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