We’re often questioned by Phoenix Homeowners about various myths and misinformation they’ve heard about water gardens and ponds. Here are a few of those pond myths for your enjoyment and information.

You should locate your pond in the lowest part of the yard

This is probably the worst location for your investment because of the runoff that can flow into your pond. Should that runoff contain fertilizers, your water quality can be a nightmare to maintain. Should that runoff contain other chemicals, you could experience a plant and/or fish kill. Besides, when your pond is positioned near your house, you can take in the beauty and tranquility of your pond when entertaining friends or lounging on your deck.

You can use a timer on your pond

Not true! Your ecosystem pond is a living, breathing organism that needs constant oxygen, just like the human race. If you shut your system down at night, you can never have sufficient growth of beneficial bacteria to fight algae blooms, and your finned friends will have a hard time breathing because plants exhale carbon dioxide at night.

You can shut down a non-living disappearing pondless waterfall system, however, whenever you’d like because plants and fish are not depending on the circulation for oxygen and nutrients.

You must drain and clean a pond regularly

If you decide to work in harmony with Mother Nature, using the five-part recipe, instead of doing battle with her, then draining and cleaning your pond should take place only once a year (at most). In fact, most of our clients only have us drain & clean their Phoenix pond every 3-5 years.

The more filtration, the better the pond

Believe or not, you can over-filter a pond. Tight filter pads in your skimmer pick up the smallest particles of debris, causing you to be cleaning the filtering mechanism out constantly. Fish in the wild certainly don’t swim around in bottled water. If you can see a dime on the bottom of the pond, then the water clarity is just right for your fish and filtering past that create headaches, not eliminates them.

You can’t be both a Koi hobbyist AND a water gardener

Not true! You can raise Koi and have a beautiful water garden. The pet Koi can grow up to be just as beautiful and just as healthy as they are in traditional Koi ponds – and you’ll love them just as much!

The presence of rocks and gravel make it difficult to clean your pond

Rocks and gravel offer a natural place for aerobic bacteria to colonize and set up housekeeping. This bacteria breaks down the fish waste and debris that would otherwise accumulate in the pond and turn into sludge. Regardless of your pond’s location (i.e. close to trees and loads of leaves), or how many fish you have in it, you’ll find that having rocks and gravel in your pond not only makes it look better, but makes it healthier, as well. So contrary to the myth, having rocks and gravel on the bottom of your pond actually allows Mother Nature to clean up after herself.

Predators will eat all of your fish

Raccoons generally won’t swim. That’s not to say they never swim, or couldn’t stand on the side of your pond and take a paw swipe or two at your fish. Fortunately, most fish will swim to a deeper, more protected part of the pond when a predator is threatening them.

The one predator with legitimate credentials is the blue heron. The Scarecrow, a motion-sensing sprinkler that can be set up alongside your pond, ready to fire a steady stream of water at a heron, has had some degree of success in warding off these curious critters. Plenty of lily pads give them some protection and will work to minimize attracting a heron in the first place.

Other protection measures include a cave-like structure that can be built in during the pond’s excavation, or if you already have a pond, they can be added with a little pond remodeling. Crevices, or miniature caves, can also be created within the rock walls of your pond.

UV lights are the best way to keep your pond water clear

UV clarifiers are one of the ways to keep your pond water clear, but certainly not the only way, and arguably not the natural way. The fact of the matter is that if you have a pond that’s naturally balanced, in which the aquatic circle of life is rotating the way that Mother Nature intended, you don’t need UVC at all. A naturally balanced pond is a low maintenance pond because Mother Nature is doing the maintenance work for you.

Your pond must be at least three feet deep in order to keep Koi

There are thousands of 2’ deep ponds around the country, full of happy and healthy Koi. The water in a 2’ deep pond will generally only freeze eight inches down, even in the coldest of climates, because of the insulating qualities of the earth that surrounds the pond.

Koi can’t be kept in a pond that also contains plants

In a naturally-balanced ecosystem, Koi and plants complement and need one another. In nature, fish feed on plants. As a result, the fish produce waste, which is broken down by aerobic bacteria on the bottom of your pond, which, in turn, is used as fertilizer by the plants to grow and produce more natural fish food. See how cool that works?

You have to bring your fish inside for the winter

Here in Phoenix, ponds don’t freeze. You may get a little ice around the edges in a really severe frost, but we really don’t have to worry too much about it. Up north and in some other colder states,  the fish do fine during the coldest of winters as long as you give them two feet of water to swim in, oxygenate the water, and keep a hole in the ice with a de-icer, allowing the naturally produced gases to escape from under the ice.

Pond water must be tested on a daily basis

Mother Nature never tests her water, and her ecosystems do just fine. A well-conceived, naturally balanced water garden normally requires no testing either. In fact, testing your water and trying to regular your pH will drive you a batty.

A pond will attract mosquitoes

Mosquitoes will generally only lay their eggs in still, stagnant water. If the mosquitoes happen to lay eggs in your pond and the mosquito larvae hatch, the fish in your pond will consider them a treat and will pick them off the water’s surface with great enthusiasm.  Most biologists agree that a well-built organic pond is the cure for the West Nile Virus!

You cannot have a pond in an area where there are a lot of trees

Yes, you will have more leaves in your pond in the Fall but, by the same token, the shade provided by the tree(s) will help minimize the algae bloom in the summer. Furthermore, if you have a skimmer sucking the top quarter inch of water off the top of your pond, it will pull most of the leaves and related debris into the skimmer net.

Having a pond may decrease the value of your home

Everyone knows that when it comes to the resale value of your home, a swimming pool can be either a boon or a hindrance to a sale. However, in the opinion of some real estate agents, ponds can be a great addition to your home that might even pay dividends. With water features becoming more and more popular, you can bet that the demand for them will get even bigger!

There are a lot of liability and safety issues

It’s natural to have these thoughts and concerns, but it is important to remember that a professionally-installed water garden has levels leading into the pond. The first shelf is only ankle high once the gravel is laid down. The next shelf is up to your knee, while the smallest area in the bottom is just above your knee, so it is not constructed like a swimming pool. We do recommend that you make your neighbors aware of the water garden and educate your own children and friends about the safety of any body of water. If liability is a true concern, consider the option of a disappearing pondless waterfall or stream.

And remember: always watch your kids around water!

Serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Glendale, Arizona (AZ) & Surrounding Areas

For more information on Pond Design & Construction: https://pondgnome.com/pond-construction-phoenix-az/