In this case or pond..haha..the fear is that smaller fish will get eaten by bigger fish. Fear no more, you can indeed put smaller fish in your pond with larger fish and expect the smaller ones to stay alive. The one exception to this is catfish. Catfish will eat anything and might even go for the fish in your pond. 
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Pond fish will eat eggs, however, when they get to one or two inches long Koi, Golden Orfe’s,  Shubunkins and Fantails will not eat other pond fish. Bigger turtles on the other hand may eat smaller turtles. If you plan on having different creatures in your pond do some research or feel free to ask us some questions. A couple of questions you can ask yourself or do some research on are:
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• Will these creatures get along or will they pick on each other?
• What kind of food should you buy for each creature?
• Do they eat the same thing? Will they fight for it? 

​It is imperative that you are aware of what is necessary for each creature so that they are able to thrive in their environment. Having a pond can be a lot of fun as much as maintaining it can require a lot of responsibility.

​Do not fret; do not be overwhelmed because we are here to help you. Do not be afraid to go out and get smaller fish for your pond, or even different creatures!!

Related Links:

• When can I start feeding my pond fish and koi this spring?
• When is the right time to stop feeding my pond fish or koi in New Jersey?
• ​​Can I put Turtles in my fish/koi pond or waterfall feature?

You venture on out to your beautiful pond and you see one of your fish hanging out by itself.  Many times this is not a good sign, as the fish is not feeling well and could progressively get worse.  For some reason, I don't know the scientific reason, our fish friends will find an area in the pond they are comfortable with and hang out by themselves when they are sick.  A fish being sick could mean many things: A bacterial disease, parasite infection, burned gills, and numerous other ailments.  

This is a tough question to answer and even harder to give advice given the limited treatments available to us as pond hobbyists.  The FDA has made it more and more difficult for us to help our fish when they do become sick.  Our recommendation would be to contact a professional who will ask you tons of questions to help you  narrow down what may be the cause of the ailment.  
There is one important step you can take immediately.  Make sure the fish is still eating!  This is huge.  If you throw food into the pond and the fish eats it, this is fantastic!  Now you need to get yourself some really good food.  In the past, we use to be able to purchase foods with antibiotics in them, in the past year these have been taken off the market. 
The next best food would be Probiotic Plus Food made by Blue Ridge Fish Hatchery.  While this doesn't contain antibiotics, its the next best thing we have in our tool box to help our fish.  You can order it at Next Day Koi.  While in the checkout if you enter coupon code: afrogsdream you will save 10% on your purchase.  
If your fish is eating or not eating the next best thing to do is contact your local pond professional or pond center for help and advice on the next steps to take to help you fish.  
A great resource online to research for yourself is Pond Crisis and Koi Vet.  These two sites are full of information and worth the trip to gain insight into koi health.  

You have just purchased some new fish or maybe someone gave you some to add to your pond.  This new fish immediately goes off by itself or hides and you are worried there may be something wrong with it.  Set your mind at ease, your new fish has just entered a new surrounding and is a bit stressed from the travels and the new pond.  If your new fish is hanging out by himself, it's ok for a little bit.  If he or she is hiding, it's ok don't get discouraged this is normal.  However, should the new fish be hanging out by himself as described above for more than 24-48 hours you're going to want to get some help.  
Sometimes new fish will hang out by themselves, but should eventually make some friends and begin hanging out with all the others.  

Related Links:

• When can I start feeding my pond fish and koi this spring?
• When is the right time to stop feeding my pond fish or koi in New Jersey?
• ​Get some Probiotic Plus Food (enter code: afrogsdream and Save 10%)

​What is a fish cave and how is it going to even help your fish? 
 
A fish cave is a place in your pond a fish can go and hide so those darn predators can’t get to your fish or at least give your fish friends a place to hide. 
 
So how can you do this?

The best fish cave is the one that’s built into the pond.  It is hidden and camouflaged to appear as part of the pond.  We love these as they can be built larger, so all your fish have a place to go.  

A built in fish cave can be done on an existing pond, however it’s best and easiest to hide and build in when you initially have your pond constructed. ​

​There are many varieties of these, however I am going to share with you the two we use most often. 
 
This one is made of aluminum with a mesh top.  You literally just drop it in and it’s sinks to the bottom.  Initially you can see it and it may stick out, but over time the metal and mesh begin to grow that good pond stuff over it.  This does tend allow it to blend in. 

​The other option is new, but we think quite nice.  It’s a cave made to look like a log has sunk in your pond.  Same concept as the other one, but blends in, looks nice, and functions as a place for your fish to escape to. 

While a fish cave will help protect your fish from predators there’s also two other great reasons we feel a fish cave is essential for your fish. 
 
1.Provides a place for your fish to get out of the sun.  Fish do like to get out of the sun and this provides the perfect place for your fish to do so. 

2.During the winter, your fish friends like to huddle, go to a safe place together to over winter.  A fish cave provides this safe place for them to go and huddle.  This in turns lowers the stress on your fish. 
 
So, a fish cave.. should you do it?  We highly recommend it!  If your pond is already built get a prebuilt one, it’s better than not having a fish cave.

Related Links:

• How do I deter Blue Heron away from my pond fish?
• Mink Happens!  How to deter this elusive pond predator.​
• Can I put smaller fish in a pond with larger fish? 

A Frog’s Dream Aquatic Services is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Morris County New Jersey (NJ) Hunterdon County New Jersey (NJ) Somerset County (NJ) and Warren County (NJ). Fish and Koi Pond Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and  Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily inspiration.  Receive #TheWeeklyRibbit for weekly water feature tips and a fun video.  ​

As you can imagine, your koi and pond fish “telling” you they are hungry doesn’t mean its the right time to feed them.  The right time to start feeding your koi revolves around one thing: WATER TEMPERATURE.  We recommend commencing feeding at 55 degrees F.   Even though the water temp may be ok at 55, we still recommend only feeding once a day and quite possibly a lower protein food.  Once the water temp is above 70, it's game on with the feeding frenzy! There are many opinions to this, but we feel it’s better to be safe than sorry and there is plenty for your koi and pond fish friends to snack on while we are waiting for the water to warm up.

Here’s a quick why: Fish metabolize protein at warmer water temperatures and will eventually lose the ability to metabolize protein at lower temperatures.  If protein is digested at lower water temperatures the food may get stuck in the gut causing sickness in the fish which could ultimately cause the fish to die.

Related Links:

• When is the right time to stop feeding my pond fish or koi in New Jersey?
• Can koi and pond fish be overfed?
• ​It's winter, and my fish look hungry!  Can I feed them?
  

A Frog’s Dream Aquatic Services is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Morris County New Jersey (NJ) Hunterdon County New Jersey (NJ) Somerset County (NJ) and Warren County (NJ). Fish and Koi Pond Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and  Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily inspiration.  Receive #TheWeeklyRibbit for weekly water feature tips and a fun video. ​

​I unveil to you the Aquascape  Smart Control Plug.  I know, I know it doesn’t look like much but this little guy is going to make our lives so much easier!  Let’s see how!  

Essentially it’s a plug splitter allowing you to plug three devices into it, BUT….. you can control functions such as on/off, set timers, and even allow alerts if certain devices stop working! 
 
How does it work?  You download the Aquascape Smart Control App, hook it all up to your Home WIFI network and start controlling your devices that are plugged into it. 
 
Let’s check it out!!

Let’s circle back around to labeling!  Each Smart Plug has three outlets, Each outlet is labeled 1, 2, 3.  In the app you can label each plug with the device that’s plugged into each outlet.  For example.  Pump-Outlet one, Fountain pump-Outlet 2, Aerator Outlet 3. 
 
No more guessing- you need to unplug your pump to service it, you go out and unplug outlet one, done.  No more fumbling around trying to figure it out

​The on off function is like having a switch at your finger tips.  Let’s say you are outside and want to turn that aerator off so you can see your fish better, pull out your phone, open the app.  And you just click it off!!  When you’re done, you can push the button and turn it back on!  You don’t have to bend down and unplug it.  This is just so cool!  

​The other feature you gain by using the Smart plug, is the ability to set on/off timers for each individual device plugged into the Smart Plug. 
 
For example- you have lights and aerator plugged into smart plug.  You can set the aerator to shut off at 6 pm in the evening and have the lights come on at the same time.  Now you can enjoy your lighting and see your fish!  Your aerator is off and you lights have been turned on. 
 
This can also be used for fountains, since they don’t need to run all day like a pond, you can set the fountain to come on when you know you’ll be out there to enjoy it and shut it off late at night.

Lastly and I think the coolest- the app will tell you when/if a device has stopped running! 

Why is this important?
 
You may be away for a long weekend maybe even on vacation.  If your pump stops working your fish could be in trouble.  Now you’ll now immediately if something happens and the pond can be addressed now instead of coming home after your time away to a disgusting cess pool.  This provides you the opportunity to contact your pond guy or maybe even a neighbor to get your pond up and running again.    

​We think this is one of the coolest new pond gadgets that have come out in a few years, and it’s just an outlet.  But I must add a very powerful outlet and tool to have for any pond hobbyist!  

Thank you for reading #TheWeeklyRibbit, we hope you learned a bit about this great product, The Smart Plug! 

Related Ribbits:

• How do I control String Algae in my pond during the winter?
• How much does a koi pond cleaning cost? 
• ​Why should I clean my koi pond in the spring in Morris County, NJ?​

A Frog’s Dream Aquatic Services is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Morris County New Jersey (NJ) Hunterdon County New Jersey (NJ) Somerset County (NJ) and Warren County (NJ). Fish and Koi Pond Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and  Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily inspiration.  Receive #TheWeeklyRibbit for weekly water feature tips and a fun video.  ​

​The temperatures creep up 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, maybe even some 60’s!  It feels like spring and winter are having a “play” date.  The fish pond begins to thaw and everyday the ice lessens and once again our pond fish can be seen, snuggled up for their winter slumber.  Not for long though!
 
As the temperature warm so does the pond water… we know what that means!  Our fish may become active again, swimming around and enjoying that awesome space you have created for them.

​Your aquatic family members, your beautiful koi and pond fish, are going to start begging for food!  Swimming towards you like torpedos with mouths wide open ready to vacuum up that gourmet fish food you spoil them with during the summer months.  They are so cute, so excited to see you tails and fins wagging waiting for your hand to throw that food to them.  

Come on, you know it has and you want to give them food, I know I do when my fish do this to me, we love them and want to make sure they healthy and ,let’s face it, feel loved. 
Here comes the not so fun part of this awesome scenario:
DON’T DO IT!  DO NOT FEED YOUR FISH!

I know, I know it’s tempting.  As it turns out, your fish could become really sick should you end up throwing them some food. 
 
Don’t do it, Don’t do it, Don’t do it! 
Don’t feed your fish friends again until the spring when our water temperatures regulate back to being above 50 F on a consistent basis.  This time of year water temperatures fluctuate too much and feeding our fish friends can be detrimental to their health! 

Maybe nothing... however the risk is not worth it.  During the cold months and when water temperatures reach about 50 F the pond fish digestive system won't digest protein.  If the fish eat a high protein fish food, like we feed them, there is a chance the food could get stuck in the gut causing bacterial infections and eventually liver disease and all that not so good stuff.  

​Have fun during these warm spells enjoying your fish and watching them swimming around, and don’t let them sucker you into feeding them. 
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Once you stop feeding your fish, just stop and don’t do it again until the spring!  Your pond fish will thank you! 

A Frog’s Dream Aquatic Services is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Morris County New Jersey (NJ) Hunterdon County New Jersey (NJ) Somerset County (NJ) and Warren County (NJ). Fish and Koi Pond Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and  Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily inspiration.  Receive #TheWeeklyRibbit for weekly water feature tips and a fun video.  ​

​There are thousands of strains of pond algae and they all only need two things to grow, sunlight and food!  Unlike suspended algae, the algae that makes your water look like pea soup, string algae can grow in the winter. 
 
The main source of food for algae is broken down debris such as leaves and any leftover sludge from the fish being active all season.  Even though they are hibernating, your fish are also adding nutrients and food to the water for the annoying and ugly green stuff to grow! 
 
These items add phosphorus and nitrogen to the water which string algae thrives on.  During snowy winters the nitrogen levels can even get higher due to all the nitrogen contained in snow and the slow release of nitrogen during snow melt. 
 
During the summer months bacteria and plants usually consume these nutrients, but we all know our plants are hibernating and the good bacteria go dormant this time of year, so no help from either of these!! 

This string algae won’t hurt a thing, if anything it’s good for the system during the winter months.  It does have some filtration capabilities and during the day is providing oxygen for your finned friends.  So even if it’s abundance, your fish will be just fine and don’t really care. 
 
The only reason it’s bad, is because, let’s face it, it looks terrible!!    

The most effective solution in the winter time is to manually remove it, if it’s bothering you that badly.  It’s the safest and easiest, however this isn’t going to help it form not growing.  Also, should you have ice all over the pond, this might be, well just downright impossible.

There are a few companies out there that make cold water bacteria.  They work at water temperatures below 50 degrees. We use Aquascape's Cold Water Bacteria  during our winter visits, with success, but sometimes mother nature beats us and the algae does still grow.  I’d have to say less, but some algae is still there. 

In addition to the Cold Water Bacteria you could also try a Barley Straw Extract.  While I haven’t personally tried this, some say it works.   It might be worth a shot.  If you do try it, let me know how it goes!!  

All in all, this is common and not to be a concern in the least.  At the worst, let it grow since you’re more than likely not out there enjoying your pond too much during the winter.  All that string algae will all get removed during your spring clean-out. 
 
Thank you for reading #TheWeeklyRibbit, we hope you learned a bit about the nightmare of winter string algae!  

A Frog’s Dream Aquatic Services is offering this pond information as a personal information source to our website visitors. Pond services are performed in Morris County New Jersey (NJ) Hunterdon County New Jersey (NJ) Somerset County (NJ) and Warren County (NJ). Fish and Koi Pond Construction, Streams and Waterfalls, and  Fountains are all in our wheelhouse of talent. Explore our website for more ideas. Like our Facebook page for daily inspiration.  Receive #TheWeeklyRibbit for weekly water feature tips and a fun video. ​

​The cost of a Morris County NJ area spring koi pond cleaning can vary like man services.  Some of the variables affecting these costs are the length of time between clean outs, quantity of fish in your pond, location to deciduous trees, netting options, and other factors can affect the pricing of this important spring service. Below we have listed some starting prices to have a spring koi pond cleaning.  Please continue reading for information about additional services.  

​As mentioned before, many factors determine the price of a spring koi pond cleaning.  Additional factors to take into consideration is the type of filtration for your pond and the depth and the length of your stream.  Do you have a bog, negative edge, wet well or wetland filtration?  If yes, these variables can impact the price due to the additional labor it may take to properly perform a full and thorough spring cleaning for your koi pond.

How long has it been since your last spring koi pond cleaning, 1 or 2 years?  How many deciduous trees do you have growing near or around your pond?   Has the koi pond been netting during the fall season?  Have your aquatic plant grown out of control in the pond and need to be thinned or repotted? 

The quantity of aquatic plants that call your pond home can drastically affect the cost of a spring koi pond cleaning.  An overcrowding of aquatic plants can reduce flow in the streams, waterfalls and other waterways causing the build up of sediment in the stream and on the koi pond floor.  These plants have strong and aggressive root systems that can become embedded on the one bottom.  Aquatic plants can be thinned out and repotted during a spring pond cleaning; the cost is typically $75-$100 a plant. 
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Multiple times we have done spring koi pond cleanings and encountered roots systems that had grown and covered the entire bottom of the pond wrapping in and out of all the rock work.  In cases such as these it can take most of an entire day just to remove all of the roots and repot some of the plants and then an additional day to perform the cleaning.  As you can imagine, these are typically Morris County NJ koi ponds that haven’t been cleaned out in many years.  

The term “pond cleaning or pond clean-out” is often times used very loosely. In fact, there are different levels of spring pond cleaning, as well as a variety of pond construction techniques that will make a water feature easier or even more difficult to clean and maintain. A “pond cleaning or pond clean-out” could just be physically removing any leaves or debris that’s accumulated in the pond and cleaning the pond’s filtration system.  Another type of cleaning could be simply vacuuming leaves out of an exposed-liner pond and rinsing out the filter pads. At A Frog’s Dream our preferred method of a spring koi pond cleaning is what we refer to as a complete drain and clean with a component inspection. This service is typically performed in the spring. We would be delighted to provide you our list of procedures we do for this service, but I really want to focus on expense related questions and not so much on the method of our spring koi pond cleanings. 

Another important factor to consider in the cost of your pond cleaning is the company you decide to hire. Most Morris County, NJ lawn & landscape companies will typically be less expensive than bringing in a company that specializes in water features. Retaining trained professionals (specialists) in a given field of expertise is much costlier than hiring general laborers.  The Team at A Frog’s Dream is taught about fish handing, health and diseases, aquatic plants, plumbing, filtration, etc. by industry experts. This investment in our team definitely raises the cost of our service and may or may not be a value to you. We have seen local landscape companies do pond cleanings for as little as $350.00. I’m not vouching for the quality of the service delivered, only the price. At A Frog’s Dream, our starting price for a complete spring koi pond cleaning and component inspection starts at $995.00.

Another thing to consider: Is sanitation important to my fish friends?  Does the company sanitize their tools and equipment between cleanings? This can be a big deal to some people! Do you have koi and other fish in your pond? This should be a something to think about or even question if you do have fish in your pond.   Some clean out crews (ours included) clean multiple ponds each day in the spring time. Pond diseases, bacteria, and parasites can easily be transported from one pond to the next inside the holding tanks, pumps, and plumbing used to complete a spring pond cleaning.  The spring time is a fish’s most vulnerable time of the year when the water temperature is cool and the fish have slower metabolism it is the perfect time for problems to occur due to inadequate sanitation practices. Something to think about if you have fish you love!

Professionalism may also be a consideration and an important factor in choosing your pond service company. A guy/gal in a pickup truck with a hose, a pump, and a 5-gallon bucket may take a few days to clean your koi pond. The alternative is that a professional team of trained technicians shows up and has all the proper tools to do a fast-efficient clean out. This includes Koi tanks that hold hundreds of gallons of water, the team goes into action, pond is clean, and fish are returned unscathed and healthy to their cleaned habitat in rapid fashion. The experience delivered by a professional team may or may not be an important factor to you. 
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Other variables related to pond cleaning costs are that of the company’s methodology (how well the pond is cleaned), the size of the feature, and other business related variables. With the information we have provided above you should be educated to make an informed and confident decision on who you should hire to clean your koi pond.
 
If you have any other questions on the price of a clean out, what we do when we clean a pond out or any other questions please contact us here.  

Related Links:

• My pond is open and cleaned, now what? 
• What is an exploratory pond cleaning?
  
• String Algae??!!!!  How do I get rid of Pond Algae?

The goal every spring is to get your koi pond all cleaned up from the winter slumber and see your waterfall and your fish swimming around! Right?
 
While there is so much emphasis on draining and cleaning the pond, there are many other things to consider while deciding whether a spring koi pond cleaning is really worth it for your pond.  
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Please, don't get me wrong the process of draining your pond and removing organic matter for your fish is extremely important.  As it turns out though, there are numerous other important tasks that should be accomplished while your pond is drained.
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This is the stage of a spring pond cleaning most of the focus is on.  Getting all that organic debris build up out of the pond.  This is important to the health of your pond and ultimately your fish.  How much debris is currently in the pond?  Did you net the pond in the fall?  Did you cut back your aquatic plants to keep the plant debris from decomposing in the pond?  

Included in this step would be making sure your filters are cleaned.  When was the last time you cleaned your filter or replaced the filter media or UV Bulbs (if you utilize a UV Light)?  

This is the best time of the year to really inspect your fish.  The fish are removed from the pond and housed in large tanks.   This is the most opportune time to visual check the health of your fish.  It's always best to catch an ailment before it gets too bad.  The winters are tough on our koi friends and we need to take care of them.  When choosing a service to perform a cleaning, consider asking them if they will be checking on your fish friend's health during the process!  

This is the start of the season and we are all counting on our equipment running smoothly so our fish remain healthy and our pond stays beautiful all year.  During your spring pond cleaning all systems should be checked and maintained.  Do you have any leaks in the plumbing?  How is your skimmer and biofall connection holding up?  Any potential liner pulls or stretching that could be an issue?  Are the plants starting to get out of control?  If you have lighting, are they all working properly and are the lenses clean?  Any unstable rocks or rocks that have fallen into the pond?  How is your pump running and does it need some pump maintenance?  

These are just a few of the many things that go into an all systems pond check and the spring koi pond cleaning is the perfect time to address, fix, and maintain these items to create a wonderful ponding season.    

Your plants are an integral part of your pond ecosystem and require some care to keep healthy and growing strong.   One thing we don't have to provide them is water, that's for sure.  But a good pruning and splitting during your pond cleaning is a great way to keep you plants healthy and beautiful! ​
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Do you fertilize your aquatic plants?  Many aquatic plants love to be fed.  Yes, I mean fertilized.  This is a great time to do that so the get a jump start on their spring growth!  

As you can see, a spring pond cleaning is like a yearly pond physical.  

Why do we do all of this?  Peace of mind.  We get physicals for peace of mind, when we bring our vehicles in for service all main systems are checked for peace of mind, we have our furnaces cleaned and checked for peace of mind.  Ponds and water features are cleaned and checked in the spring for, yes you guessed it peace of mind.    

Whether you hire a professional or do the spring cleaning yourself, a pond cleaning is essential in keeping your pond and fish healthy and running well for the season with minimal issues during the spring and summer seasons.  

We hope, with the information we have provided above you will be able to make an educated decision as to whether you should have your pond cleaned for the spring.  

If you have any other questions on the whether you should perform a spring koi pond cleaning please  contact us here.  ​

Related Links:

• My pond is open and cleaned, now what? 
• Spring Cleaning Services 
• How much does a fish pond cleaning cost?

As it turns out, there is no definitive broad answer to this question.  The correct answer to this questions completely relies on the town you live in and their written codes that determine what a pool is and isn't.  

The best answer we can give you, and I'm sure you guessed it, it depends on the town.  Each town in NJ has different codes, however they are typically based on two factors that determine if the pond or water feature is considered a pool.  

1. Pond Depth
Most towns will determine the classification of a pool based on its max depth.   Many towns we have worked in consider anything deeper that 24" to be considered a pool.  In this instance, as long as the fish pond or water feature you are creating has open water at a depth of less than 24", you shouldn't need a permit.  

2. Overall Square Footage
Square footage also plays a role in determining if you are creating a pond or a "pool".  If you go over a max square footage of open water, the town may classify your fish/koi pond as a pool and not a pond.  

Here are a few examples of how some towns work.  For our example, let's say the town recognizes a pool as being more than 24" deep and square footage can not exceed 300 sq. ft.  

Example 1: Your pond is going to be 23" deep with a max square footage of 150 sq. ft.  Given the towns codes above this pond would be good to build without a permit.  

Example 2: Your pond is 18" deep but going to be 320 square feet.  Given the town's codes above, you would need a permit to build this pond.   Even though you are under the depth requirements, the pond square feet is too large.  

Typically what happens is the pond you want is either too deep or the square footage exceeds your towns requirements to be considered a garden pond.   Most times the permit is just for safety and for the need to have a Pool Code fence installed around your pond.  So far we have not run into any other permitting except for a fence around the pond.  

There can be, yes.  Every water feature or fish/koi ponds need electric.  If you don't have electric within 20' of the newly installed fountain, pond, or water fall a power source will need to be installed.  All electrical work does typically need a permit from the town and inspections.  

A phone call to the Zoning/Permitting office of your town will do the trick.  
In every case, we highly recommend calling the town in which you live and ask them if a permit is necessary to install what ever water feature you are looking to add to your landscape.  We do our due diligence and will call most of the towns we work in frequently to make sure the codes have not changed.  Should you live in a town and we don't know the code, we will call and check to make sure we are working within the codes of that particular town.  

Related Links:

• How do I choose the right pond contractor in Morris County, NJ?
• Build your pond or water feature
• Who are the best pond and waterfall builders in Morris County, New Jersey?