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At PondSolutions.com® we have 1000s of Pond Supplies and complete Pond Kits for Garden Pond, Fish Pond, Koi Pond, Water Gardens and Lakes!  To shop from our online catalog of pond supplies simply choose from the list of pond supplies in the right hand column.

New to ponds or water gardens and don't know where to start?  Check out our online course for information on  building a pond and how to properly take care of it.  We also have 100s of answers to frequently asked pond and water garden questions   We cover all sorts of questions like how to reduce algae, how to eradicate pond weeds, questions about water chemistry, fish stocking information and so much more.  Check out our comprehensive pond, water garden and pond fish FAQ section here.

Trying to combat algae and pond weeds this season?  Read our comprehensive information about how to get rid of the algae and pond weeds in your pond, water garden or lake!  We also have several, helpful, pond tips that'll be sure to help you with your pond and water garden needs!

If you're new to ponds and want to see some nice pond and water garden photos, check out some of our customer's pond photos from small to large size ponds!

We have 1000s of Pond Supplies to choose from!  Choose from the Pond Supply categories below!

Pond Supplies:

Large Pond and Lake Supplies

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Pond Algae Control Products

Pond Barley Straw

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Patio & Deck Ponds

Pond Aerator

Did you know that using a pond aerator year round  is essential to have overall, good pond health?  By having the correct size and type of pond aerator, your pond will reap the benefits of being oxygenated from the bottom of the pond all the way up to the top!  This type of aeration can be achieved by using one of our diffused pond aerators. 

Using a pond aerator during the cold winter months is a great idea besides using it year-round.  You see, sludge and muck still slowly decompose at the bottom of the pond and with this decomposition toxic gases are emitted throughout the pond.  These gases need a place to 'escape' or else they'll build up under the ice and kill your fish.  By using a pond aerator during the winter, not only does it provide necessary aeration and oxygen in the pond but with a proper size pond aerator and properly placed, you can keep an area of your ice on top of the pond from freezing over.  This 'hole' in the ice will allow an exit hole for the toxic gases from sludge and muck to escape.

Using a pond aerator is absolutely vital to having a healthy pond year-round.  They can be super easy to install, inexpensive to run and last for years and years. 

Check out our pond aerators here.  We have a variety of sizes to choose from for very small backyard ponds to those several acres in size.

We also have pond nets to skim off unwanted duckweed and filamentous algae that float on top of large ponds in addition to seine nets that are used to seine ponds (fancy term to remove a lot of fish in one large swoop) full of fish.  Check them out here. 

Pond Bacteria

Did you know that when you add beneficial bacteria to your pond you're actually adding a microbe 'army' to clean up your pond?  It's true!  Day and night the microbes multiply in numbers and work hard at cleaning your pond. 

The bacterial microbes eat the fallen leaves, sludge, silt, muck, etc. (all the nasty stuff in your pond that causes high algae blooms and awful smelling water).  By adding a good beneficial bacteria product to your pond regularly, you'll be doing your best to keep your pond healthy and enjoyable.

For small, backyard ponds less than 50' x 50' in size) we recommend using our Microbe Lift beneficial bacteria product.  (Check out the Microbe Lift Autumn Prep for spring, autumn and winter use, too.)   For larger ponds and lakes up to several acres in size, we recommend you use our PlanktoniX®.  Check them out here. 

Remember, pond bacteria multiplies more abundantly during the warm summer months so if you have a problem with your pond and have a lot of sludge, then be sure to get on a regular treatment program for your pond to decompose the sludge (and hence, clear your pond and make it healthier).  

We've also have great, helpful advice on the following page regarding pond maintenance issues.  It's definitely worth the read!   

Definitely the best way to go to make a pond!  These deluxe pond kits eliminates the time, effort and guesswork at creating a pond!  They come complete with everything you need to create a beautiful looking pond and come in a variety of sizes.  Check out our pond kits.  From as small as 6' x 6' ponds all the way up to 40' x 40' ponds! 

Answers to the Infamous Questions...

HOW DO I CLEAR MY POND OF ALGAE?

First of all, there's primarily 2 types of algae that plagues most people's ornamental ponds or water gardens; string algae and the notorious plankton algae that makes your pond water green like a "lovely" bowl of split pea soup (yuck).   Both types of algae grow by somewhat different methods, so I will explain each one of them to you individually.

String algae is pretty simple.  It usually grows along the bottom or edges of your pond or water garden where there isn't a lot of water circulation.  It looks like a bunch of green hair and looks pretty awful, too.   To kill the string algae in your pond you need to sprinkle it liberally with Kosher Salt ( it must be Kosher Salt or non-iodized salt and NOT table salt).  Let it sit for at least 3 days and then brush off and rinse and clean the pond thoroughly.  There CANNOT be any fish in the pond during this time, so the choice is yours and if you are set up to remove your fish and if it's worth the hassle. You can also use our Green Clean to kill the string algae without emptying the pond or water garden.  You can find out about it here.

Plankton, our lovely "pea soup" algae is probably the most common type of algae in ponds, water gardens or lakes.  It's the stuff that makes the water look green and causes you not to be able to see your wonderful fish.  The best way to explain how to get rid of  planktonic algae is to first understand what causes it to grow.

Plankton requires primarily 2 things to grow: sunlight and nutrition.  The sunlight obviously comes from the sun and the nutrition comes from  bi-products from fish waste, dead and decaying leaves, decomposed fish food (make sure you don't over feed your fish) decaying aquatic plants and weeds, and nearby chemicals and fertilizers that flow into the pond (particularly if your pond sits in a lower part of your yard).  Most ponds I've seen have at least some, if not all of the above nutrients in their pond or water garden (and green water, too!).  The way to get rid of or reduce the amount of algae in your pond is by reducing the amount of sunlight and nutrients available to the algae. Sunlight can be reduced by providing shade to your pond or water garden either by reducing the sunlight available to it from above or by adding aquatic plants such as water lilies or other floating plants including water hyacinths which will block some of the sunlight that filter through the water below.  The leaves of these plants help to cover the surface area of your pond and also make the pond look pretty. You can also use an aquatic "sun blocker" such as Aqua Shade for a variety of backyard ponds & water gardens including koi ponds, fish ponds, all types of water gardens and lakes.  Nutrients on the other hand, can be reduced in a couple of different ways.

To reduce the nutrients in your pond or water garden which is causing your algae to thrive, you first need to clean out your pond.  Get rid of any dead and decaying leaves on the bottom or along the sides of the pond.  Once you have that done, get a skimmer so you can have leaves and debris that may blow into your pond, sucked up before they ever settle and start to decompose. If you don't want to get a skimmer, get a net (you also can keep out predators such as racoons, blue herons, cats, etc. with a net) or make it a practice to clean the debris off the pond or water garden every day or so.  If you need help at getting the leaves out of the bottom of your pond, get a pond vacuum that will help remove them.

The next way to get rid of the nutrients in your pond is by adding beneficial bacteria to your pond. You see, there are 2 types of bacteria;  the 'bad' kinds of bacteria and the good kinds!   'Bad' types of bacteria can cause a lot of problems to your fish's health and can be pretty involved to explain.  To keep it simple, the bad types of bacteria can eat away at their skin, their gills, and cause them to be sick and die.  Needless to say, you don't want the "bad" type of bacteria.  The good, or 'beneficial' bacteria is a type of bacteria that is required to not only break down toxic ammonia from fish wastes and convert it into harmless nitrates (referred to as the Nitrogen Cycle - which is something you want in your pond) but they also consume the same nutrients as algae does!  So, when you add more beneficial bacteria, you starve out the algae, thus resulting in a clearer pond!  Beneficial bacteria also breaks down sludge build up, "muck" on the bottom of koi ponds, fish ponds, water gardens and really, any type of pond, water garden or lake.  It is absolutely vital to having a healthy pond.  So what do you need to do to establish some beneficial bacteria in your pond?  Provide them a place to grow such as a biological filter, rocks, plants, and filter media.  Establishing a nice colony of beneficial bacteria can take 3-8 weeks but you can actually get a "jump start" on things by adding some beneficial bacteria to you pond.  The best product we've used is an all-natural product called Microbe Lift.   It works great (we use it on our own small ponds and water gardens) and it can be used throughout the season as a good maintenance plan to keep your pond clear.  You can find out more about it here.   We also recommend our PlanktoniX ™ beneficial for large fish ponds over 50' x 50' in size all the way up to lakes several acres in size!

Beneficial bacteria's effectiveness is enhanced by the use of an aerator.   Proper aeration also adds to the overall health of the pond or water garden and can get rid of the "bad" types of bacteria growing in deep waters where there is little or no oxygen and where sludge build up is great.  After all, the beneficial bacteria need a good source of oxygen supply in addition to the fish and aquatic plants in your pond.  As your pond or water garden continues to age, fish population and aquatic plant & weed population increases and sludge builds up quickly.   Using a good aeration system is absolutely vital for keeping aquatic life in your pond or water garden alive and well.  We have a large assortment of aeration systems for very small tanks, small backyard ponds and water gardens all the way up to aeration systems for large fish ponds and lakes many acres in size.  You can find our aerators here.

I do have to mention some other products that are out on the market (and yes, even on our website) that will "destroy" algae, but these products will only work for a short time.  They are a temporary solution.  How they are supposed to work is by killing the algae and then the dead algae is supposed to be filtered through your filter.  What essentially happens is that the dead algae builds up on the bottom of the pond and creates an organic 'compost pile'.   This provides tons of nutrients within the pond and causes more algae to bloom in a couple of weeks.  People who continually use these products are actually making the algae situation worse.  You're continually providing more and more food for the very algae you're trying to get rid of!  It creates a vicious cycle and you need to stop the cycle.  By continually adding these chemicals & algaecides to your pond, you're changing the pond's chemistry and ecological system.  You need to add beneficial bacteria to the pond or water garden to reduce the nutrients available to the algae.  This will eventually starve out the algae and stop the cycle and result in a clearer, healthier pond.

Well, there you have it;  some suggestions at maintaining a healthy, clearer and more enjoyable pond.  I hope this information helps you!  Don't forget we have a Ponds Online Course that explains how to create a pond, how to determine your pump and filter sizes and much more.  Take a look at it.  We also have free information throughout out site about fish care, a safe amount of fish you can have in your pond and how to properly transfer fish to your pond.  I'm sure you will find this information  invaluable.  

For those of you who have very large ponds and lakes, please check out our information for controlling algae and pond weeds in lakes (the way to treat ponds and lakes over 50' x 50' in size is different than the treatment for small backyard ponds and water gardens since obviously the volume of water and size of area are substantially different.)

We at PondSolutions.com are happy to help you.  Let us know how we can be of service.

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