Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Questions about Greater Phoenix Pond Society membership
GPPS was founded in 1996, and is a group of pond enthusiasts dedicated to the promotion of water gardening and fish keeping in the Arizona desert. We meet on the second Saturday of all but the hottest months at one of the members' homes. We host an annual free pond tour the second saturday of May where members open their personal ponds for public viewing.
Come to a meeting! Use the Contact Us form here on the website to let us know you'd like to come and we'll get you the details.
The pond tour happens on the second Saturday in May, from 9AM-4PM. Check the main page for a link to the map a week before the tour.
Come to a meeting! GPPS maintains a library of pond, plant, and fish-related books you can check out.
Questions about pond building and water quality
There are many kinds of pond liners. A liner is a material that retains the water in a water feature. Most are a flexible, rubberized material. Smaller ponds are often based on a rigid moulded liner.
It is recommended that the water in a pond be turned once every 2 hours. Once every hour is an ideal turn over rate for smaller ponds of less than 1000 gallons. Turn over means that the full volume of the water in the pond, pipes, and filter(s) cycle completely through the system.
The amount of oxygen water can hold is dependent upon atmospheric pressure, salinity, and temperature. Water may hold less oxygen as altitude increases. Salinity is not as important for most freshwater ponds. The most important factor is water temperature. Water can hold less oxygen as it becomes warmer. Most low oxygen problems occur from June through September and impact larger fish first. Respiration rates of both plants and animals increase with the warmer water, so more oxygen is used. Large amounts of feed given to fish at this time of year result in large quantities of fish waste which create a higher demand for oxygen.
Questions about fish and their care
A koi is an ornamental Japanese carp, Cyprinus Carpio. Depending on the pond size, feeding and stockage levels, Koi can get 24-36 inches long. All koi have the same body shape and have two pair of barbells (whiskers), unlike goldfish that have several body varieties and fin combinations.
The American Flagfish (Jordanella floridae) gets about 2-3 inches long and is an excellent algae-eating fish. It's quite attractive and does well in Arizona ponds. Another species is the Giant Sailfin Molly (Poecilia latipinna), which can reach 6-8 inches. It also is primarily a vegetarian, but is a surface-dwelling species whereas the Flagfish tends to stay near the bottom.
Most fish will eat mosquito larvae, but the Mosquito Fish (Gambusia affinis) is commonly used for this purpose. They are prolific and require essentially no care. While in common usage to control mosquito populations (such as "green pools" in Arizona, Gambusia are considered invasive.
Questions about plants and their care
Plants use nitrates and phosphates removing them and thereby filtering the pond. These items could contribute to algae growth.
Both hardy and tropical water lilies like sun light. They need at least five to ten hours per day, along with regular fertilization, to keep them happy.
Tropical lilies have more blooms per plant than hardy lilies, and go dormant in the winter time. Tropicals are strongly aromatic and hold flowers above the water. Many tropicals have viviparous leaves (producing new plants) and flowers that come in all colors. Hardy lilies have slight to no aroma. Hardy lily flowers float on the water's surface and there are no blue or purple colors. Hardy lilies keep their foliage all year-round and have no viviparous leaves. Many varieties of tropical lilies are night bloomers.
Marginals (sometimes called "bog" plants) are grass-like plants that grow in shallow areas no deeper than six inches. They border the water garden. Some examples are cattail, bamboo, rush, and papyrus. Other plants fall into the family of marginals and grow with a minimum of three hours of sun light.
There are three genuses of plants known as elephant's ear: alocasia, colocasia, and xanthisoma colocasia.
Alocasia is the taro that is grown in standing water all over the Pacific as food. There are many cultivars that are popular ornamentals for ponds and bogs. Many have dark purple or almost black leaves. Alocasia will grow in moist soil as well as standing water.
Colocasia is the genus of the giant elephant's ear and 'african mask' grown as a house plant. It is native to Central and South America. Colocasia will rot in standing water.
Xanthisoma colocasia likes to be in water up to 6 inches deep, but it must occasionally dry out (but not bone dry).
A regular fertilizing every month is good during the growing season. A balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer that is water-soluble, such as Miracle Grow or Peters.
A few are Hornwort, Water Thyme, Parrot Feather, and Mares Tail.
A few are Water Lettuce, Water Soldier, Floating Fern, Duckweed, Azolla, and Fairy Moss. A popular plant in some places, Water Hyacinth is illegal to sell or ship into Arizona.
You should place them in shallow areas of the pond. Some ponds are built with a plant shelf at around 12" deep specifically for placing shallow-water plants. Another location could be a shallow area of a bog filter.
Yes and No. Or better said, it depends. Water surface area is reduced by floating plants, e.g., lillies. Off gassing depends on surface area. Likewise, plants at night respirate, using oxygen to produce CO2. So depending on the number and size of your fish, the CO2 increase and lack of O2 may kill larger fish. Increasing waterfalls, stream beds, fountain, and/or trickle filters will increase water air surface area.