I've just been watching the chaos created by the severe snowstorms in America's Mid West and it alerts me to how severe those winters can be in the Northern Hemisphere. I'm lucky in that I live in South Africa and miss these extreme conditions.
It brings me onto the topic of hot water because what's better than a lying in a hot bath when its snowing outside.
Heating of water in the home is a one of the most expensive monthly energy costs incurred by a household and by choosing the right kind of water heating system a significant sum of money can be saved. However it's not always an easy choice ... not only is the type of hot water heater important but also the choice of fuel to use. If you go to my site about water heating you will be able to discover the way to make rational choices between the types of hot water heaters (eg tankless versus storage heaters) and the different fuel options.
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tankless, storage, hot water, heating, heater, energy, electric, gas, lpg, home, water
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
The Easiest Way to Start in Water Gardening
While it it is not strictly water gardening many people start the fascinating journey into the world of water gardening and fish pond keeping by installing a simple wall fountain or other type of recirculating self contained fountain. Lightweight wall fountains are really easy to install since they are made from fiberglass and don't need any special wall fittings.
There is a wide range of designs on the USA market but the most popular involve dolphins as can be seen in the picture. If you want to see the range of wall fountains and many other types of garden fountains then click the link.
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water, fountains, fountain, wall, pond, garden.gardens, feature
Sunday, December 23, 2007
How to Choose Aquatic Plants for Your Garden Pond
Unless your a seriously dedicated koi pond keeper (who wants nothing else but water, oxygen and koi in the pond) you will probably want to have some plants in your garden pond. How do you choose which ones will suit your pond?
Well there are 4 basic types: Marginal plants, bog plants, deep water waterlilies and oxygenators.
Oxygenators (many just float within the pond water) are particularly important since they do the job of enriching oxygen concentrations in the pond water to the benefit of all the inhabitants and also the pond filter.
The uses of all the different types along with a long list of the various aquatic plant types can be seen at this pond plants website.
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aquatic, pond, plants, water, garden, ponds, marginals, oxygenators, bog, waterlilies, water lilies
Well there are 4 basic types: Marginal plants, bog plants, deep water waterlilies and oxygenators.
Oxygenators (many just float within the pond water) are particularly important since they do the job of enriching oxygen concentrations in the pond water to the benefit of all the inhabitants and also the pond filter.
The uses of all the different types along with a long list of the various aquatic plant types can be seen at this pond plants website.
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aquatic, pond, plants, water, garden, ponds, marginals, oxygenators, bog, waterlilies, water lilies
How to Choose a Biofilter for Your Fish Pond
Every fish pond needs a biofilter to purify the water in which the fish live and thrive.
The fish in a pond eat and metabolize the proteins in the food and then excrete nitrogen chemicals (ammonia) which if allowed to build up in the water will ultimately poison the fish. It is therefore necessary to install a biofilter in an artificial pond mainly because the pond is overstocked and fish are overfed compared to conditions prevailing in a natural lake for example.
Here's what happens in the biofilter ... water containing ammonia is pumped into the biofilter and as it passes through the filter bacteria residing inside the biofilter (these build up naturally on all the media surfaces contained inside the biofilter) convert the ammonia to nitrates which are far far less poisonous than ammonia itself. The water leaving the biofilter is thus purified and returns to the pond "clean".
To keep the filter bacteria alive the pump supplying water to the filter must run 24/7 otherwise the bacteria will die from lack of oxygen and food in the form of ammonia.
Selecting the right filter involves choosing between gravity fed and pressurized filters. It's important to understand the volume of the pond system to make a correct decision. You can learn how to select the right filter by clicking the link.
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pond, ponds, biofilter, filter, clean, garden, fish, koi, ammonia, nitrates, bacteria
The fish in a pond eat and metabolize the proteins in the food and then excrete nitrogen chemicals (ammonia) which if allowed to build up in the water will ultimately poison the fish. It is therefore necessary to install a biofilter in an artificial pond mainly because the pond is overstocked and fish are overfed compared to conditions prevailing in a natural lake for example.
Here's what happens in the biofilter ... water containing ammonia is pumped into the biofilter and as it passes through the filter bacteria residing inside the biofilter (these build up naturally on all the media surfaces contained inside the biofilter) convert the ammonia to nitrates which are far far less poisonous than ammonia itself. The water leaving the biofilter is thus purified and returns to the pond "clean".
To keep the filter bacteria alive the pump supplying water to the filter must run 24/7 otherwise the bacteria will die from lack of oxygen and food in the form of ammonia.
Selecting the right filter involves choosing between gravity fed and pressurized filters. It's important to understand the volume of the pond system to make a correct decision. You can learn how to select the right filter by clicking the link.
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pond, ponds, biofilter, filter, clean, garden, fish, koi, ammonia, nitrates, bacteria
Saturday, December 22, 2007
How to Select the Right Pump for Your Fish Pond
Every fish pond needs a pump which in most cases will be submersed within the pond (called a submersible pump).
The pump is used to circulate water through an installed biofilter so that the pond water contaminated by fish waste products can be purified. The pump circulates pond water which contains dissolved oxygen required by the bacteria inside the purifying biofilter. Very often the pump also feeds a waterfall or a fountain in order that oxygen from the air can be absorbed to replenish that lost by the biofiltration process. Learn how to select the right pump for all garden pond situations by clicking the link.
Technorati Tags: pump, pond, submersible, pumps, ponds, biofilter, filter, water, fish, garden
The pump is used to circulate water through an installed biofilter so that the pond water contaminated by fish waste products can be purified. The pump circulates pond water which contains dissolved oxygen required by the bacteria inside the purifying biofilter. Very often the pump also feeds a waterfall or a fountain in order that oxygen from the air can be absorbed to replenish that lost by the biofiltration process. Learn how to select the right pump for all garden pond situations by clicking the link.
Technorati Tags: pump, pond, submersible, pumps, ponds, biofilter, filter, water, fish, garden
Kill Pond Algae: How To Select an UVC for Your Fish Pond
The reason garden ponds go green and/or murky is because microscopic algae is suspended in the pond water. These algae come to the water surface to absorb light necessary for photosynthesis. The fish in the pond don't mind the murkiness but the pond owner does.
There are in general two ways to get rid of this murkiness or pea soup water as it is often called.
1. The use of additives such as Viresco Aqua or Viresco Koi. More often than not this is a short term measure since the algae will return once the additive has been used up. Nevertheless it is an effective way and is initially a low cost approach and no equipment is necessary.
2. The installation of an Ultra Violet Light Clarifier (UVC) which kills the algae that is pumped through the UVC unit. This is a very effective way of controlling suspended algae and if sized correctly works 100% of the time.
You can learn how to choose the right sized UVC by clicking the link.
Tags:
uvc, uv, algae, ultra violet light, pond, ponds, fish, garden
There are in general two ways to get rid of this murkiness or pea soup water as it is often called.
1. The use of additives such as Viresco Aqua or Viresco Koi. More often than not this is a short term measure since the algae will return once the additive has been used up. Nevertheless it is an effective way and is initially a low cost approach and no equipment is necessary.
2. The installation of an Ultra Violet Light Clarifier (UVC) which kills the algae that is pumped through the UVC unit. This is a very effective way of controlling suspended algae and if sized correctly works 100% of the time.
You can learn how to choose the right sized UVC by clicking the link.
Tags:
uvc, uv, algae, ultra violet light, pond, ponds, fish, garden
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