Page 2 - 20 Pond Myths Exposed

Pond Myth #2:
Pond Myth #1: The presence of rocks and gravel
Predators will eat all of your fish! make it difficult to clean your pond

Pond There is a constant fear in the water gardening You are susceptible to buying into this myth if,

Myths legged predators will go swimming in your and only if, you’ve never experienced ponding
community that raccoons and other four-
Exposed
with rocks and gravel in your pond. If you
pond, and while they’re in there, they’ll help
have a smooth-bottom pond, and each seson
themselves to some of your prize koi,
shubunkin, or goldfish when ou go out to your
grime that collects on the bottom, you auto-
pond in the morning and discover your’re your’re amazed at the amount of muck and
matically rule out rocks as a solution. you
missina fish or two, it’s very tempteing to keep visualizing that same amount of muck on
blame it on such critters, especially if you top of the rocks and gravel and say, “NO!” to
didn’t see it happen. there has to be a reason- even considering them. It’s understandable. it
able explanation, and predators are as goos as seems logical... until you learn the rest of the
any, right? story.

However, take the following facts into consid- Rocks and fravel offer a natural place for
eration before you jump to any conclusions. aerobic backteria to colonize and set up house-
Racoons generally won’t swim. that’s not to keeping. This bacteria breaks down the fish
say they never swim, or couldn’t stand on the waste and debris that would otherwise acuu-
side fo your pond and take a paw swipe or two mulate in the pond and turn into sludge.
at your fish. Fortunately, most fish will swim You’ll find that having rocks and fravel in
to a depper, more protected part of the pond your pond not only makes it look better, but it
when a predator is threatening them. makes for a healthier pond as well.

The one predator with legitimate credentials is so contrary to the myth, having rocks and
the blue heron. These tall, long-legged, big gravel on the pond bottom actually allows
beaked birds can easily wade into your pond, Mother nature to clean up after herself, saving
help themselves to any fish they think look you headaches and hours of work trying to
tasty adn fly away with their bellies full. they keep the pond bottom muck-free.
are a protected species, so they are off-limits if
you’re thinking about taking revenge on them. Pond Myth #3:

UV Lights are the best way to keep
Giving your fish a placd to hide dramatically you pond clear
help their odds of survival. Plenty of lily pads
give them some protection and will work to
minimize attracting a heron in the first place. UV Clarifiers are one of the ways to keep your
Other protection measures include a cave-like pond water clear, but certainly no the only
structure that can be built in during the pond’s way, and arguabley not the natural way. The
excavation, or if you already have a pond, they fact of the matter is that if you have a pond
can be added with a little pond remodeling. that’s naturally balance, in which the aquatic
circle of life is rotating the way that Mother
Nature intended, you don’t need a UV at all.
The possibility of pond predators seeking out
your pond is, indeed, a valid concern in terms In this naturalistic setting, the fish eat teh
of the sfety of your pond’s inhabitants, but the plants, then produce waste that gets broken
possibility should be a reason to avoid down by aerobic bacteria that’s colonized in
building a pond the rocks and gravel, and then it’s taken back
up as nutrition by the plants, continuing the
cycle. A naturally balanced pond is a low
maintenacne pond because Mother Nature is
doing the maintenance work for you. Pretty
good deal, don’t you think?