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Auto-Fill: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

by ERIK TATE
Operations Manager
The Water Garden
WaterGarden.com

The Good: Auto-fill devices have become more and more common in water garden installations. The idea of keeping the pond full at all times is great. An auto-fill is hooked up to a water source so that when the pond's water level drops due to evaporation. A float is installed at the level of the water surface, as the float drops with the water level a valve is opened allowing new water to enter the pond.

The Bad: Most auto-fill float valves do not remove chlorine from the water. Small amounts of chlorine will dissipate on its own before harming fish. Any amount of chlorine can harm the gills of your fish, prolonged exposure or exposure in high doses can kill the fish. If using a float valve, you may wish to add a little dechlorinator on a regular basis to help neutralize the tap water additives. There are kits like the PondFil Float that use a cartridge filter that removes chlorine from the water prior to entering the pond.

The Ugly: A leak in the pond may go undetected using an auto-fill. When a leak occurs you will be adding larger amounts of new tap water and larger amounts of chlorine, eventually leading to gill failure in the fish and ultimately death.

Even Uglier: Mechanical parts don't last forever. If the float valve fails this could mean a constant flow of tap water entering the pond.

Bottom Line: Auto-fill float valves can save you the trouble of dragging a hose to your pond when evaporation drops the water level. This can be a big help, but if using this type of device it is good to have a little knowledge of the benefits and risks and to monitor the fish and the valve regularly.

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Be sure to visit our new products page where you will find the latest innovations in equipment and supplies to make your water gardening experience even more enjoyable.

Some of the more notable new items are:

Eco-Aqualizer

The ECO-Aqualizers clear cloudy and green water and improve water quality. How does it work? This non-electrical unit is installed outside the pond in-line with your plumbing. As the water flows through, the chamber ionizes the molecules of water. This breaks the hydrogen bonds freeing up more oxygen. Before adding this product to our offering we were skeptical but put one to use. The test pond was green and covered with string algae. In 3 days the water was crystal clear. The unit is backed by a manufacturer's money back guarantee. Available in 4 sizes.

Pondmaster Air Pumps
Provide your fish with extra aeration with one of 2 sizes of Pondmaster Aeration Pumps. These pumps are placed outside the pond. Then run tubing to the included diffuser in the pond water to increase oxygen levels. Use all the time or run only during times of depleted oxygen levels, such as when a pump goes out, using an algaecide, or simply in the heat of the summer.

Microbe Lift Legacy Fish Treats
The Legacy line of koi and goldfish foods has expanded to include 3 formulas of fish treats. Your pond fish will enjoy (and benefit from) occasional treats. These are available in Krill, Crustacean, or Kelp formulas. This is a great way to train koi for hand feeding.

You can always find our newest items in our online catalog on the
New Products page of our site.

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Frogs, Toads, and Tadpoles

by RANDALL TATE
Chief Manager
The Water Garden
WaterGarden.com

There are several types of frogs that may inhabit our ponds. Some frogs being aquatic will live a large portion of their lives in the pond while others will live nearby using the pond for breeding and for the food that it offers. Toads will also take up residence near a pond for the same reasons. Frogs and toads eat a lot of insects including mosquitoes. Their offspring, tadpoles, initially eat algae and as they grow they add insects to their diet. Some of these amphibians breed only in the spring while others will lay eggs several times throughout the year.

Frog or Toad?
"What's the difference between a frog and a toad?" you may ask. Toads are dry and have warts. Frogs are wet to the touch and have smooth skin. Toads hop as they have short hind legs. Frogs have long hind legs and jump. Toads do not have teeth but frogs have tiny teeth. Toads lay eggs in long strands while frogs lay eggs in clumps or large globs. These eggs are enclosed in a jelly like substance.

Some people are concerned when they first see the large mass of eggs in the pond. After they hatch you may have hundreds of tadpoles in the pond. At this point we get a phone call asking, "what am I going to do with so many frogs, my pond will not support this many". There is no need to worry. A lot of the tadpoles will never make it. If the tadpoles are toads then they will leave and take up residence elsewhere helping to rid the area of unwanted mosquitoes and other insects. If the tadpoles are frogs they may not be a type of frog that lives in the water. As soon as they mature off they go looking for a home. Some of the frogs that live in water will choose your pond for home and a lot of them will look for new ponds to inhabit.

What's In Your Pond
There are a lot of different species of toads and frogs that could be using your pond as a nursery. Depending on where you live in the US you could have American toads, Spadefoot toads, Fowler's toad or others. Common frogs that you are likely to see are Spring Peeper, Gray Tree frog, Green Frog, Leopard Frog, or Bullfrog. The Bullfrog is probably the least desirable species since they tend to dominate the pond eating the other species to extinction. They also will eat some fish. With amphibians being on the decline worldwide your pond may be the best hope of recovery for many species. Amphibians provide a necessary environmental benefit and we can help by providing shady cover and areas of moist mud or mulch for them to use for winter hibernation.