Posts Tagged ‘Fish’

Your Very Own Backyard Pond

Friday, November 25th, 2011

If you have a backyard or back garden, you can have a fish pond. They are not costly to build and if you make it yourself it is clearly even cheaper. You can make your own pond pretty easily, you just have to bear a few things in mind when you plan where you are going to situate it and how big it will be.

A backyard fish pond is great for all kinds of households. Tending a backyard fish pond is not difficult and the gentle exercise will be good for you. it is also therapeutic to watch the fish and other pond life going about their daily business and children will learn a bit more about nature,

It is important to plan your pond before you pick up your spade and the first thing to think about is where you are going to put it. Try not to put it under a tree or you will be pulling leaves out of your pond every day in autumn. Do not put the pond at the lowest point in your backyard or it could overflow when it rains and your fish may swim away which means that you will have to sandbag it before it rains every time..

The noon sun can be very hot, so it would help if the pond had at least partial shade between 11 AM and 2 PM. If your locale is subject to freezing then the pond should be 30-45 inches deep for at least 4 m2 or 36 ft2, although if the winter can be really bad, it is best to seek guidance from a neighbourhood pet shop. Have a look at the pre-formed fish ponds in a garden or pond centre to see if you like those formats and sizes. If you do not, then you can procure a butyl pond liner (a sheet of rubber) and design your own pond.

Once you have dug out your backyard fish pond and put your pre-formed or butyl liner into the hole, you should finish off the pond’s edge with either brick, block or stone. Use similar materials to make a few caves in the pond itself for the fish to hide in. You can also anchor the fountain and any under-water lighting. Fill the pond with water, but do not put any living thing into it yet. Put the rest of your equipment in.

You will require a general purpose pump to send water to the pond filter, which should be two or three feet higher than the water level. The water will then have to pass through a filter to remove plant debris and faeces and under a UV light to kill bacteria. It can return to the pond via a waterfall, which will help oxygenate the water as will the fountain.

After a week, the water will have discarded the chemicals like chlorine which the water company puts into it and you can buy plants and fish, but do not rush into it. You may want to build a few shelves to put flower pots on for the aquatic plants that have need of them.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is at present concerned with fish pond accessories. If you are interested in a Solar Powered Pond Pump, please go to our web site now for some special deals.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Your Koi Pond After A Storm

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

A storm can be distressing for your outdoor fish, especially for large koi carp, which, being large, possibly do not have many areas to hide. However, if you have designed your koi fish pond well, you will have taken this into consideration when your built the pond. Similarly, the pond should be deep enough for your fish to be able to get well beneath the choppy surface layer.

If you prepared for the storm, you possibly put a net over the fish pond, so the first thing you need to do after the storm is clear up any fallen debris and take away the net, so that you can get a good look at your fish and what occurred to them. They may be a bit stressed, so move unhurriedly and try hard not to frighten them. Stress is a killer in the animal world as well as in ours.

Did you take the added safeguard of sand-bagging the rim of your pond to stop it over-flowing and the fish swimming away? If so, take away the sand bags, so that you can get a better look.

Now you can get a good look at the upheaval, if there is any. Use a net to quietly skim off any leaves that have blown under the netting and onto the pond. If any plants have been uprooted, put them back where they should be. In general, put the pond back as it used to be, so that the fish feel at home. Again, move unhurriedly and try not to put your fish under any more stress.

If you have to carry out major structural repairs, you could place your koi in a child’s plastic paddling pool until you can sort the problem out. Put the pool in a shaded spot and fold the netting over it several times so that the fish can not get out and cats and birds cannot get in. If you can aerate the pool with a pump so much the better.

Place a few plants in there with them for shelter and feed sparingly. if the repairs will take a long time, you could ask your local pet shop to take them away for a week or whatever. You will need to pay board and lodgings, but it is better than losing your prized koi carp.

Once any repairs have been carried out, you ought to check the water quality, which could have been affected by debris falling into the pond or by your repairs. Rain, especially acid rain, can have quite an effect, especially if it rained for a long time.

First check the water for nitrates. If the levels are unacceptable (see the testing kit for details), you should stabilize them. If the levels are extremely high, first remove the plants from the water.

Then test the KH levels. If they are low, say, below 100, then you could add a cup of baking soda per 1,000 gallons of water and check again. Whatever you do, the quickest way to de-stress your fish is to restore their environment to what it used to be with clean water to swim in.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many subjects, but is now involved with water garden pumps. If you are interested in a Solar Powered Pond Pump, please go to our web site now for a special deal.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The Fundamentals Of Keeping Koi Carp

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

Are you thinking about putting a koi carp pond in your garden? A koi fish pond is a great improvement to any garden. A garden pond is completely relaxing: watching the fish going about their every day lives is relaxing and listening to the sound of the water moving is relaxing as well. Koi carp are a good choice over some other fish because they grow quite large and breed freely even in captivity.

They are not that problematic to keep either. As with all fish ponds, you need to maintain the quality of the water, but that is not so much of a problem when you know what you are doing. Once you have got the water correct, the rest will follow more or less on its own, although you will have to check it frequently.

Having said that, you should not just rush out in to the garden, dig a hole and fill it with fish. You need to buff up on the topic first, but there is so much information on koi on the market, that you will have no difficulty in that respect. There is also plenty of information on the Internet.

The first thing to do is dig a hole for your pond, but it better not to have it uniformly deep. It should be three or four feet deep at one end and a foot or so deep at the other. The koi will lie dormant and sleep in the deeper water, but only the fry will feel relaxed in the shallow end. They will take sanctuary there to avoid being eaten by the larger fish. Like most fish, koi are cannibals.

Once your pond has been dug out, fill it with water and leave it for a week. Use this week to test your water features such as the water pumps, the filter and the fountain. If you are losing water strive to plug the leak. If you have to keep topping up the water level from the hosepipe, you will probably run into hardship with chlorine.

After a week, the chlorine in that tap water will have dissipated and any surplus oil in your pond apparatus will have been washed out, so you can put aquatic plants in. Plant them in pots so that you can move them easily if necessary. You ought to also construct some underwater caves for the fish to conceal themselves in.

Once you are satisfied that everything is working well and that the environment is stable (this is easier to do in larger ponds), you can think about buying some koi.

You have to decide why you would like to have koi. Do you want to show them and possibly earn some money? In that case you will have to start with expensive fish, but if you just want to sit and watch them, the cheapest ones are all right. You can probably ask a friend to give you a dozen anyway.

If you procure your fish in the breeding season, you will almost certainly get a few gravid (pregnant) females anyway.

A word of warning: fish normalize their environment better than we do. A given amount of water will only hold a precise number of inches of fish. So, as an example, say that each ten gallons of water will be sufficient for ten inches of fish and you have 200 gallons that is 200 inches of fish, which is 20 x 10 inch fish or 40 x 5 inch fish. As the fish grow, they will die to maintain this ratio, so do not purchase too many until you are familiar with the ratio.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on numerous subjects, but is at present involved with finding a koi pond contractor. If you are interested in a Solar Powered Pond Pump, just go to our web site now for some fantastic deals.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

How To Build A Backyard Fish Pond

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

A backyard fish pond will augment the beauty of your garden, there is no question about that. A backyard fish pond will add a focal point to a scruffy garden and will make a lovely backyard or garden even more attractive. There is something happy about the gurgling and splashing of fresh water.

However, despite the massive upside of having a backyard fish pond, there is also the issue of maintenance. This is not an onerous task, but it is on-going and does need to be carried out on a regular basis.

Everybody enjoys a backyard fish pond. If you already have one, you can bear witness to the fact that guests, friends and family love to spend time sitting around the edge of your pond watching the fish go about their lazy lifestyles and listening to the rhythm or running and splashing water. It seems to enthrall humans and it is therapeutic.

If you do not already own a pond, but want one, the first step is to decide where to locate it. A few suggestions here:

1] do not put it at a low point in the garden or it might flood when it rains and your fish might swim away. 2] try not to put it under a tree or you will spend the rest of your life dredging leaves out of the water 3] do try to put your backyard fish pond where it will be at least in partial shade at midday

Once you have the best site, you need to think about size and format. The most popular shapes are: round, square, oval and kidney shaped. The depth of the water is also important if you live in an area that is subject to freezing. Thirty to forty-five inches is enough in most cases, but it would be worth asking neighbours or the local pet shop for guidance.

Once your pond is in place, you can install your apparatus. You will need a pump to suck the debris out of the water and forward it to the pond filter. However, this pump will allow plant debris to pass through it, so if you would like a fountain, you will almost certainly need another pump, otherwise the fountain’s jets will become blocked by dead plants.

If this all seems a bit much, you can buy a pond kit which contains all the bits and pieces you will need to set up a backyard fish pond. One tip here: if you get solar-powered equipment, it will save on electrician’s fees and you will never have an electricity bill for your backyard fish pond.

After fitting the pumps, filter and fountain, you can fill the pond up with water and turn the devices on. The water is unsuitable for fish at the moment, so just allow the apparatus run in and the water mature. This will take a week for the water. Meanwhile, choose your fish and plants and construct any hidey-holes you want to put in for your fish.

When the week is up, you can add your plants and populate your backyard fish pond with fish.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many subjects, but is currently concerned with koi pond kits. If you are interested in a Solar Powered Pond Pump, please go to our web site now for a special deal.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Scuba Diving Reefs In Mexico

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

If you are searching for a warm, friendly country with a bit of a difference, you could do worse that add Mexico to your short list. If you are asking yourself what there is to do in Mexico, well, there is plenty of history, delicious food, culture and beautiful, beautiful, deep-blue waters. If you are searching for a bit of adventure in your holiday, scuba diving in Mexico could be it.

If you are not already a scuba diver, that is not a problem, because you can learn from square one at lots of the diving schools and diving clubs in Mexico.

However, if you want to get the most out of a diving holiday abroad, you could attempt to learn the basics before you climb on the jet.

You see, you can learn everything in Mexico, but not a lot of clubs would take you out into the sea, until it is safe for you to do go; until you were proficient. This may take longer than your two weeks holiday. So if you could get the basics out of the way before you went, you would enjoy sea diving more.

There are loads of diving features in Mexican waters that can be reached by scuba divers, even novices, but one of the great thrills that a great deal of beginners crave is swimming with dolphins and turtles and this you can do in Mexican coastal waters.

However, besides these larger sea creatures, there are thousands of varieties of fish: some small and some very large. There are also reefs, plants and wrecks.

One of the easiest methods of finding a reliable diving club, is to book the diving at the time you book your holiday or through the hotel when you get there.

You could also book via the Internet before you set off and check on a club’s reputation by entering into a search engine: “problems with ….” or “disputes with …”, where ‘…’ is the name of the club.

If you are already vacationing in Mexico and you would like to have a go, why not ask about a local club with a good reputation for being safe divers at the local yacht club or marina?

People who spend a lot of time on the water and who own boats locally are certain to know someone who will take you on. They might even take you out personally.

No matter where you go on the coast in Mexico, you will find scuba diving clubs and teachers, so do not let that put you off. If you do not have your own diving kit, do not worry - very few beginners have a full kit.

Most individuals rent in the start until they are sure that they are hooked on the sport, because a full set of diving gear is not cheap, although you could buy your first wet suit second hand.

Look in diving clubs and on eBay for second hand diving apparatus, you will definitely save a heap of money until you are sure that scuba diving is for you.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a lot of topics, but is currently occupied with Body Glove cellsuits. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sale, please go over to our website for some impressive bargains.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Fishing Destinations And Guides

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

There are loads of styles and strategies for fishing, with the rod and reel being the most popular in the United States. Using a rod, reel, fishing line, and a hook, the probability of catching a giant one is literally in your reach. The size fish that you be able to reel in relies upon the weight of your line, strength of you rod, your ability, and sometimes a little luck. Through skillful technique and the correct settings you can sure hook that trophy.

Fly fishing is becoming more widespread and can an wonderful means to come across your trophy. You can find trout in the mountain streams and the most excellent way to reach them is wading in the cool mountain streams. Don’t forget bears love tasty trout too! Fly fishing started out utilizing a stick or a bamboo pole with a string tied to it with a fly baited hook. Instead of reeling the fly in, you just pull it again and fling it once again. Popping on the top of the slow moving stream is tempting for a hungry fish. Contemporary fly rods use reels and give more control for reeling in that monster.

Most large lakes have a good quantity of fish species. In the United States, you can locate fresh water populations of bluegill, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, quadalupe bass, black bass, spotted bass, yellow bass, white bass, striped bass, shad paddlefish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, channel catfish, black catfish, golden shiner, white crappie, yellow bullhead, black crappie, longear sunfish, green sunfish, trout, redbreast sunfish, warmouth, redear sunfish, common carp, Texas shiner, grass carp, red shiner, blacktail shiner, longnose gar, alligator gar, spotted gar, shortnose gar, smallmouth buffalo, bigmouth buffalo, walleye, bowfin, pickerel, American eel.

Listen up whenever speaking with locals, they may point you to a hot fishing location in the area you would like to fish. Look on forums, blogs, websites and your local paper for good insights. You will find that many people like to show off their trophy catch and often give out their honey hole spot.

Fishing can end up being a tricky activity and do not expect you’ll bring home diner each and every time! Determining when the fish bite and frogs jumping can be tough. The best time to catch a big one is between 30 minutes to an hour from sunup or sundown. Also the more moonlight, the greater chance you might have a great day of fishing. Angling is greatly affected by the time of year and also moon phases as well as the weather. Air temps, muddy water conditions, and various other circumstances also will impact just how fish feed.

Indians had their very own methods such as utilizing a spear which can be easier said than done. They often would utilize holes in creeks and channel the fish into the openings. When inside, the fish can not get out and before long they could have a good deal of fish waiting for the fire.

Many cultures around the world often catch fish by feeling for them around rocks. This seems to be popular among fisherman searching for big river catfish. They use hands and their arms to catch these monster cats. Feeling through the muddy water doesn’t come without risk! In some areas you might find a big mean water moccasin or even a gator, so watch where you stick your hands. Good luck on your next fishing adventure.

For more information on fishing guide or Alabama fishing!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »