Sweetwater Landscape Inc FAQ

No rocks and gravel will not hurt your fish, but if your fish have a parasite such as Flukes, your fish will try and get rid of the parasite by rubbing against just about anything to find relief. The parasite would be the issue, not rocks and gravel.

So many people would say yes, but the truth is a properly constructed Ecosystem Pond is very easy to clean and maintain. Rocks and gravel are a natural component that not only enhance the natural beauty of a pond, but equally important rocks and gravel provide 12x’s the surface area for our beneficial bacteria colonies within the pond. These beneficial bacteria colonies are a very important part of the nitrogen cycle breaking down ammonia into nitrites, then nitrites to nitrates (plant food), think balance.

Yes… Water, air and sun are the ingredients for algae. There are many species and sub species of algae, but for the sake of argument lets classify algae into two groups for now. 1) Platonic algae is the pea soup colored water often associated with ponds and stagnant water. String algae is the flowing strings or matts of algae, but your water is clear.

First step is to identify what type of algae are we dealing with, platonic algae or string algae. Next is choose the appropriate treatment measures. You have many treatment options including the addition of pond plant material to compete with the algae’s food source, add additional beneficial bacteria, add a fish safe algaecide such as Aquascape’s Liquid Algaecide (a phosphate binder). Bonus – We use and recommend the Aquascape Automatic Dosing system. This system adds beneficial bacteria, enzymes and phosphate binders automatically and daily to your pond. Greatly reducing maintenance.

An important note about Mother Natures great plant, Algae. Algae is probably the most important plant on the planet. We would not be here to day without the presence of algae of one form or another. Your water feature should have algae, the algae should be part of a very important biofilm. The right algae in the right place can actually help you keep your pond or water feature clean. Too much algae does cause problems within a closed system such as a pond or water feature, thus the need for algae control.

Some ponds absolutely need a UV light to combat pea soup / green water algae. Ponds constructed consisting of the proper mechanical filtration, bio-filtration and recirculatory system will not need a UV light. We think of a UV light as a bandaid to a much larger problem.

Yes! Even though Northern California is not really known for harsh winters, our water temperatures get cold enough to stop feeding. As water temperatures approach 50* F your Koi fish ability to digest food is greatly reduced. Koi enter a state of semi-hibernation and their body functions including the need for food decrease. Koi do not have stomachs, the food they consume is digested in their intestines. Feeding in the winter can cause bacterial infections in the gut. Do not feed your Koi fish below 50*!

I want a water feature, but I have small children or grand kids? Safety is always the first concern regarding water features and ponds. We should always think of the impact a water feature will have on our lives concerting the safety and wellbeing of our small children. Water attracts kids and the first line of defense is to never leave your small children unattended around water. We have many clients that initially wanted a pond, but safety concerns raised red flags. In these cases a Pondless Waterfall was the way to go. With a Pondless Waterfall we have the ability to provide the sight, sound and peacefulness of a mountain stream or babbling brook with a maximum depth of water 2”-3”. The Pondless Waterfall is a great option for safety, people on the go and for those who want the water feature, but not necessarily the pond.

The average pond or water feature takes about 3 days to complete, while small fountains may only take  few hours and very large ponds may take 3 weeks.

Depends… Small solar pumps work marginally okay for smaller fountain features. Although our pond and waterfall pumps can be very energy efficient, the solar panel to run the average pond or waterfall pump would be very big and not cost effective. We do have many ponds and waterfalls that are powered by a whole house solar system and these pumps perform very well.