KY-Water Garden Services

Waterfall and Stream Construction

Waterfalls and Streams are a beuatiful addition to any home or buisness.  Many people go on long hikes  into the woods, just to see a section of a river, a waterfall, or a stream. They’re beautiful and captivating!

A man-made waterfall is simply water pumped from one body of water to another. If you do it right, it’ll look good, sound good, and not lose any water along the way. You need to think about the effect you’d like to achieve. Do you want a peaceful trickle or thundering rapids? Are you trying to drown out traffic noise from a nearby road or are you looking to copy the sounds of nature?  These decisions will help determine the type of rock that we choose and the size pump that we will need for your water garden.

Creating a Beautiful Stream
As we design, layout, and create the stream portion of your water garden, there are a few tips that we like to keep in mind as we create the most naturalistic stream possible.

  1. Water wants to run downhill as quickly as possible, and along the way it hits objects that are harder than the surrounding soil (large rocks and logs), and encounters sharp elevation changes. The goal is to copy this look as much as possible.
  2. Our stream should twist and turn as it makes its way toward the pond. The turns will increase the sounds, and will also increase the number of viewing areas. The more places it can be seen, the more it’ll be enjoyed.
  3. A large rock should be placed at each turn. At elevation changes, place additional larger stones, or a series of stones, to replicate the erosion process.
  4. Our stream should get narrow in areas, and then widen out and slow down in others. We always make sure to use a good mix of stone and gravel to create a natural look. We then fill the streambed with aquatic plants to create an awesome supplement to your filtration system.
  5. We always slope the streambed toward your pond, about, ¼ inch of fall.
  6. If our stream narrows in one place, we open it back up downstream.
  7. We always leave several inches of soil and liner above the proposed water level in the stream.
  8. Remember that high water flow rates need a wider stream and/or higher edges.

Building a Beautiful Waterfall

There are many ways to build a waterfall for your water garden. Often the result is a waterfall that leaks or looks like a chimney stack spewing water. The easiest way to build waterfall is to use one of our waterfall filters. Easy to hide, they give you a good foundation for building a leak-free, beautiful waterfall. Waterfall filters are extremely flexible, and a variety of different waterfall styles can be built even when there isn’t a lot of space to work with.

It seems that alot of  people are so captivated with the sound of water, that all they want is a large waterfall and stream that fills their yard with the natural sounds of falling water. The only downfall is, if the water garden gets neglected, and forgotten about, it doesn’t work very well. So, let our creativity take over and let us use these tips to create an mini paradise in your backyard,  Mother Nature will appreciate it, and so will you.

Pond-less Waterfall Construction

The waterfall is the most beautiful and favored feature in a water garden. If space is limited in your yard or you have safety concerns with a pond, go pond-less! The name basically explains it all. It’s a waterfall or stream, without the pond. So why would you want a waterfall without a pond? The truth is that a Pond-less Waterfall is perfect for everyone,  unlike a water garden, a pondless waterfall can be placed anywhere in your existing landscape. Perfect for front yard curb appeal, or in the front of your buisness to draw attention.

Safety – Because there is no pool of water, a Pond-less Waterfall is a great option if you are concerned about liability issues associated with a traditional pond.  Another advantage is that you will not need to put a fence up if you live in a subdivision like you would if you were to install a traditional pond. You also get no home association issues making them perfect for all subdivisions.

Cost – Cost can be a huge factor when considering the type of pond you want to build. most of the time, the price of a Pond-less waterfall will be less than a water garden, because there is less labor involved, as well as less rock and materials. Operating costs are also less. Because you’re not dealing with an entire pond system, it’s also not necessary to run the pump 24/7 so electrical cost are lower.

Space – The small size of the Pond-less Waterfall means you can  enjoy a beautiful waterfall anywhere in you yard, or place of buisness.

Maintenance - Taking care of your Pond-less Waterfall is simple. Filling the reservoir once per week to compensate for water loss because of evaporation is all that’s required. Also the addition of chlorine, or algaecide depending on if you have aquatic plants, once per week is all that is needed to control algae.

Flexibility - Perhaps the best part of the Pond-less Waterfall is the prospect for the future. If you change your mind later on, wishing you’d build a water garden, you can! If you leave enough room around the base of the waterfall, it’s easy to add a pond onto an existing Pond-less Waterfall.

A Total System

It may be difficult to imagine a waterfall and stream without the pond. Where does the water go? A Pond-less Waterfall works much like a regular water garden. A hole, deeper than a normal pond, is dug then lined with rock and gravel, then filled with water. The water is then circulated from beneath the rocks and gravel by a pump that sits on the bottom, inside a Pond Vault. A pipe runs from there up to a waterfall filter and into an overflowing waterfall, where it runs back into the pond. Since the water level never pools above the level of the rock and gravel fill. It give the appearance of a waterfall without a pond, when in fact, the “pond” is there but not visible.

The Pond-less Waterfall has made many homeowners who were previously unable to indulge in the beatiful sounds of falling water, very happy. It’s a great alternative for those who are trying to save money, or have limited space, or homeowners who thought they would have to buy a fence just to even have a water feature.

Swimming Pool Waterfall Construction

Swimming pool waterfalls are a great way to add a natural touch of beauty to your existing swimming pool, or hot tub. The waterfall filters hook right up to your swimming pool return line, giving you a beautiful effect.

KY- Large Retention Pond Maintenance

Aeration Systems-Algae Control-Erosion Control

We treat, build and maintain large retention ponds

In a nutshell, big ponds (over 50' x 50' in size) require a different type of pond maintenance than small ponds.  Filtration systems for large ponds are unrealistic when you're considering millions of gallons of water.  Typically what is required for large ponds is adequate aeration, regular treatment of a beneficial bacteria product to break down all the organic things in the water such as fallen leaves, dead aquatic plants, dead fish, etc. and the addition of an aquatic sun blocker such as Aqua shade.

You see, large ponds whether they are fish ponds, farm ponds, duck ponds or whatever, usually contain a lot of nutrients from all the organic matter in the pond. This organic matter forms a 'compost pile' underwater which provides nutrition for algae and pond weeds to grow. The beneficial bacteria helps break down this organic matter and 'compost pile'.  If you don't add the bacteria product, sludge and muck result over time.  Parasites, bad types of bacteria, etc. can harbor in the sludge and muck and can create an unhealthy pond for fish and people as well.  Sludge and muck also consume a lot of oxygen thereby reducing the amount of oxygen in the pond that is needed to support aquatic life such as your fish.  So, you need to add a beneficial bacteria product that will help break these organic nutrients down.  These nutrients are always available in the pond whether you have a 'compost pile' underwater, sludge, muck or none of the above.  Nutrients are also from fertilizers that run into the pond (especially near farms, etc.), soil that runs into the pond from rain run-off, wastes from fish, sand that blows into the pond, etc.  There are always nutrients in the pond.

In addition to adding the pond bacteria you need to have proper aeration. This helps provide necessary oxygen to the pond to support aquatic life including your beneficial bacteria.  Even if you don't have fish in your pond, you should have an aeration system to help with the decomposition of the organic matter (sludge and muck) in the pond and help to avoid bad types of bacteria and parasites that live in the sludge and muck that keep your pond unhealthy. Aeration also keeps ponds from becoming stagnant as well and helps reduce still water that mosquitoes love to lay their larvae in.

A lot of times when you don't have aeration you will find filamentous algae growing in shallow, warm water.  This is caused from an abundance of nutrients in the water feeding the algae and still water that the algae can freely grow in.  A lot of people refer to this algae as 'pond scum' as it looks like greenish-yellow floating muck on the top of the water's surface (it can also grow at the bottom of the pond as well).

In addition to treating your pond with beneficial bacteria to break down the sludge, muck and organic nutrients in the pond and having proper aeration, the use of treating the water with an aquatic sun blocker is most helpful.  You see, algae and aquatic plants (submersed) need not only nutrition but sunlight to grow.  So, when you add the aquatic sun blocker at the beginning of the season (preferably), you thereby reduce their growth.  An aquatic sun blocker is not an herbicide.  It will not kill the growth that is there.  It will help to prevent further growth.

So, in a nutshell, if you have a large pond or lake, you will need to treat it with beneficial bacteria every 2 weeks when water temperatures are 50°F or above, have adequate aeration running 365 days a year, and treat it with an aquatic sun blocker such as Aqua shade. Try to eliminate as much debris, leaves, grass clippings, etc. that go into the pond and add to the 'compost pile' at the bottom that ends up feeding unwanted algae and pond weeds.   If you can't afford or don't want to spend the money for all the above, realize that you are only providing part of the equation that is needed for the pond. All 3 things areneeded for proper pond maintenance.  As your budget allows, be sure to get all 3 things;   adequate aeration, treatment of beneficial bacteria on a regular basis and treatment of an aquatic sun blocker.

Be sure to avoid problems later on.  So many times I hear over and over again are people who say that their pond has been just fine for years and they didn't add any of that stuff that I mentioned above.  Well, this 'may' appear to be the case.  Their pond probably has a large volume of water compared to the amount of fish and organic matter in the pond.   Large volumes of water can 'hide' a lot of problems ... for a while. Sometime later though, their pond will be severely unbalanced ecologically. During the years without treatment their pond weeds multiplied, the 'compost pile' at the bottom of the pond got larger, sludge and muck built up and all while the fish were multiplying.  Everything 'seemed' fine, for a while then one day they went out to their pond and saw hundreds or thousands of dead fish floating at the surface.

 Why?  Well, as I explained above, sludge and muck consume oxygen.  Fish multiply and they consume more and more oxygen.  Pretty soon, there will not be enough oxygen in the pond to support aquatic life!  This can happen all of a sudden on a hot summer day or you can discover it after the snow and ice melts in the beginning of spring.   This all could be avoided by doing the 3 things I mentioned above; adequate aeration, adding beneficial bacteria on a regular basis and treating it with an aquatic sun blocker.   If you haven't done these things for your pond, it's never too late.  Start today!  Know that keeping a healthy pond or creating a new one is a process and it's not going to happen over night.  You also can't 'undo' what hasn't been done for several years (if your pond hasn't been treated) in just one season.  This takes time.  Get on the right track, though.  There can be nothing more enjoyable in your yard than a beautiful pond or lake to swim in, fish in or simply to sit back and admire and there's nothing you want to avoid more than a pond that is stagnant, smelly and infested with weeds and mosquitoes.

If you have further questions with your pond, or pond construction please contact us.  We're always happy to help.

Aquatic Passions - Kentucky's Premier Pond Builder
Call Us Today (859) 940-1865
KY-Water Garden Installers

 

 

KY- Water Garden Installation

Aquatic Passions Services

From ponds and waterfalls, to stream construction. Swimming pool waterfalls, to pond less waterfalls, we have you covered. Maybe you have an existing pond that needs updating. Let us give that old water garden a new face lift. A pond should not only look good, it should function as good as it looks. Maybe you have a hard time keeping your pond clean and not green we offer monthly and annual pond maintenance services, to keep your pond algae free all season long.  click here for pond maintenance information.

Why Choose Aquatic Passions As Your Water Garden Contractor?

Experience: We have been installing ponds, waterfalls, and streams for over ten years. With just over 300 water gardens installed, you can say we have learned the hard way what works and what does not. Nobody in Kentucky has more infield  experience when it comes to water gardens than Aquatic Passions.

Quality: We only use the the best water garden products in the industry backed with the best warranties. Infact we are the only water garden contractor in the state to offer a two year warranty on parts and labor. Most contractors only offer a one year warranty. When you do Quality work, it's easy to back it up.

Customer Service: We know you work hard for your money, and you deserve the the best for your hard earned dollar. If for any reason you have a problem with your new water garden after installation. Pump problems, etc... all you have to do is give us a call, and we can be there normally within two hours to address any problems you may have and get them fixed the same day. No waiting two weeks like the other contractors out there who seem to have no understanding of what the term customer service means.

Examples of our work shown in the pictures below.

Choosing The Right Pond Kit

Easy Pro Pond Kit Above
    Easy Pro Pond Kit After    Installation
 
Easy Pro Pond Kits, are simply the best money can buy.
How do we know this? We have tried 95% of the other pond kits available for our own experimentation. We have used them on our daily construction projects with less than satisfactory results. You could say we have "Learned the hard way." We want to make sure you don't get stung.
 
Most substandard pond Kits have skimmers and waterfall filters that are made out of thin thermoplastic. This causes the sides to bow in from ground pressure. If you don't believe us, just go find a waterfall filter made by anyone other than Easy Pro, and see if you can push in on the sides of the skimmer and filter housing. You will be very surprised when you see them flex in and out like a Frisbee. This side pressure support flaw makes the filter and skimmer housing distorted and out of shape when you bury them in the ground.
 
This results in leaks at the waterfall filter, and skimmer faceplate, where the water comes out of the filter and enters the skimmer. The leak then causes your skimmer, and waterfall filter to settle and cause even more problems.
 
Another big advantage is that the Easy Pro, waterfall filters have a shelf, or thick lip molded into the 3 top sides of the filter units. You can use this lip area to apply black waterfall foam in a trough, on top of the shelf or lip, while it is wet and setting up you can now sit small rocks into it. Then after all of the rocks are in place, add gravel into the gaps and openings between the rocks in order to hide the filter unit completely from the naked eye.
 
This makes a natural-looking waterfall and stream drop. You will be very happy with the natural waterfall look when you are finished and you will not have to look at ugly plastic.
Another thing to watch out for in less expensive pond kits is the plumbing lines they offer in the kit. Most of these kits use cheap kink free plumbing which can crack from freezing temperatures in the cold winter months. What you want is flexible PVC plumbing it cost more, but it’s well worth the price, and will never crack or cause you any problems. Look at the sample pictures below.
 
 Flexible PVC: This you want.
 
Kink Free Tubing: Don't want.
They both look very simular but I can assure you they are not. The flexible PVC above is a thick one piece tubing that uses glued fittings. While the Kink free tubing is a spiral woven tubing that is thin and uses screwed together fittings that are more prone to leaks.
 
Thepump is another problem on the cheaper pond kits that some contractors install. What you don’t want is a pump that sits flush on a filter screen in the bottom of your skimmer. Any pump that has a screen over the pump intake will tend to clog and require more maintenance. Another problem with these cheaper pumps is there life span which if you’re lucky last about a year which is all the manufactures or most pond contractors warranty their pumps.
 
The Easy Pro, pumps sit up on 2 inch legs and are designed to pass solids up to ¼ inch, thus preventing a clogged pump or premature break down from over heating. They also come with a two year warranty against defects, which is why we use them on our installations.
 
 This Pump You Want.
This pump is designed to pass solids so it almost never clogs. This pump also comes with a two year warranty.
 
This Pump Don't Want
This Pump cannot pass solids because of it's filter screen. This pump clogs often and only has a one year warranty.
 
The bottom line to our educating you on t pond kit's is that you get what you pay for. The reality of the situation is that most people with websites, that sell pond products, do not build ponds for a living like we do. Most of these website owners don't have a clue which waterfall filter works best. This is not to say they are bad people, they are just not out in the field getting their hands dirty using the products that they sell. They just assume that if it's manufactured, it must be a good product.
 
Websites or contractors that sell many different pond kits  other than the one I recomended above, is unfortunate for you the consumer. Why? Because you are the only one that's going to suffer by purchasing a cheap product that is substandard. We only install one pond kit brand, and that’s Easy Pro, They are  the only kit's that have proven to be perfect for the job.
 
The others in our professional opinion are a waste of your money. We won't lower our standards by using inferior products, or waste your time and money offering them for sale to our customers. Now you know what to look for.
 

 
 
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KY- Water Garden Installers