Water Feature Help Center

A water feature has moving water: a pump pushing water through a waterfall, stream, fountain, bubbler or spillway. That includes ponds, koi ponds, water gardens, pondless waterfalls, streams, fountains, urns, bubbling rocks, and birdbaths that have a pump (we treat those as small fountains). Still water with no pump isn’t a water feature, and swimming pools aren’t covered either.

Moving water picks up oxygen, feeds your filter and its good bacteria, and makes it hard for mosquitoes to lay eggs. When the pump stops, water goes stale fast in Florida heat. If your pump quits, fix it or call us the same day.

Test every 1 to 2 weeks during the warm season, and any time something looks off: green or cloudy water, foam, or fish acting strange. Test more often in a new pond (the first 6 to 8 weeks), after heavy rain, after adding fish, and after any treatment.

For ponds with fish, test pH, KH (alkalinity), ammonia and nitrite. Nitrate and phosphate help explain algae. Fountains and pondless features without fish mostly need pH and a look at algae and scale. Enter your numbers in our Test Your Water advisor to see what they mean.

Strips are quick and fine for a weekly check. Liquid kits are more exact, which matters when you are fixing a problem like ammonia or a pH crash. Many owners use strips weekly and keep a liquid kit for problems.

Yes, for pH: it rises during the day as algae and plants use carbon dioxide and drops overnight. Test at about the same time each time so you can compare. A morning reading shows your lowest pH.

Yes, text us your test numbers, your gallons and a photo of the water at (941) 356-9297 and we’ll help you read them. The Test Your Water advisor is a good first step.

Yes, a thin green or brown coat of algae on the rocks is normal and healthy, and it helps clean the water. The problems are green water (you cannot see the bottom) and long string algae that clogs the waterfall or skimmer.

Green water is tiny floating algae fed by extra nutrients (fish waste, overfeeding, fertilizer runoff, leaves) and lots of sun. Long-term fixes: feed less, keep up beneficial bacteria, add plants for shade, clean the skimmer, and add a UV clarifier sized for your pond. A clarifier or algae treatment can help in the short term.

Pull or brush out what you can first. Then treat the rocks and waterfall with a granular algae treatment that works on contact, following the label. Barley products and beneficial bacteria help keep it from coming back. Never kill a heavy bloom all at once in hot weather.

Many are fish-safe when used as labeled, but dying algae uses up oxygen. Treat in the morning, run your pump and any aerator nonstop, remove dead algae, and use the lower dose if you are unsure of your gallons. Some algae products are not safe for snails, shrimp or other crustaceans. Check the label.

Yes, a UV clarifier sized for your pond usually clears green water, because the UV bulb stops floating algae from multiplying and the filter catches the clumps. It does not fix string algae. Size it to your gallons and pump flow, and replace the bulb as the maker directs, usually once a year.

Foam usually means extra protein in the water from fish waste, overfeeding or decaying plants. Feed less, clean out debris, and add beneficial bacteria. A partial water change helps. Foam remover clears it fast but does not fix the cause.

Cloudy water is usually fine particles, a new pond still building bacteria, or a bacteria bloom after a big clean-out. A clarifier (flocculant) clumps particles so the filter can catch them; rinse the filter pads afterward. If it stays cloudy, test ammonia and nitrite.

Most ponds do well between 7.0 and 8.5. A steady pH matters more than a perfect number. If you need to change it, go slowly, no more than about 0.2 to 0.3 a day.

KH (alkalinity) is your water’s buffer. It keeps pH from swinging. When KH drops low, pH can crash overnight and harm fish. Keep KH at 100 ppm or higher. Microbe-Lift, the maker of the KH buffer we carry, lists 100 to 300 ppm as ideal. Florida rain is soft and can pull KH down, so test after big storms. Fix KH before you try to fix pH.

Ammonia comes from fish waste and should test at 0. If it shows up: stop or cut back feeding, do a 10 to 25% water change with dechlorinated water, add an ammonia detoxifier and beneficial bacteria, and make sure the filter is running. Ammonia is more toxic when pH is high. Retest in 24 hours.

Nitrite is the step between ammonia and nitrate and should also test at 0. It is common in new ponds. Feed less, do partial water changes, add beneficial bacteria, and ask us about pond salt, which helps protect gills. Retest daily until it is back to 0.

They are not as toxic, but they feed algae. Under 40 ppm nitrate and under 0.5 ppm phosphate is a good goal. Plants, water changes, less feeding and keeping lawn fertilizer out of the pond all help.

Do not mix products unless both labels say it is OK. Several fish medicines and clarifiers say not to use other chemicals while treating. Fix the most urgent problem first (oxygen, ammonia, nitrite), then the rest.

That is an emergency. Check that the pump and waterfall are running, add aeration right away, and test ammonia and nitrite. Do a partial water change with dechlorinated water if levels are up. Hot nights are the riskiest time in Florida because warm water holds less oxygen. Call us if they do not improve.

Fish that rub on rocks or dart around may have parasites or poor water. Test the water first. If the numbers are good, use one parasite treatment at a time, as labeled, with aeration running.

Watch for white spots, red streaks, sores, ragged or fuzzy fins, clamped fins, hiding, not eating, or hanging at the surface or bottom. Test the water first, since most fish illness starts with water quality. This guide is general pond advice, not veterinary advice.

Feed only what they eat in a few minutes, once or twice a day in warm weather. Leftover food turns into ammonia and algae food. Feed less when water is cool and switch to an easy-to-digest wheat germ food. Overfeeding is one of the most common causes of green water.

Add fish slowly, a few at a time. Float the bag to match temperature, then let them in. Quarantining new fish for 2 to 4 weeks in a separate tank keeps disease out of your pond. Use a water conditioner made to protect slime coat.

Fewer than you think. Too many fish means more waste than your filter can handle. Koi grow large, so plan for adult size. Tell us your gallons and filter, and we will give you a number for your pond.

A water garden focuses on plants and a few small fish. A koi pond is deeper with stronger filtration for big fish. A pond can be anything in between. All of them need moving water from a pump, a skimmer and a biological filter.

Empty the skimmer basket and net, top off with dechlorinated water, add beneficial bacteria per the label, check the waterfall flow, and look at your fish. Test the water every 1 to 2 weeks.

A healthy ecosystem pond usually needs a full clean-out about once a year or less. Remove leaves and muck as they build up. A full drain-and-clean stresses fish, so we do it carefully and add dechlorinator and bacteria after refilling.

Muck is broken-down leaves, fish waste and dead algae. Beneficial bacteria and sludge reducers break it down, and a pond vacuum or net removes the rest. Heavy muck feeds algae, so keep up with it.

The water falls into a hidden basin under rock and gravel, where a pump sends it back to the top. There is no open pond, so there are no fish, less upkeep and almost no standing water for mosquitoes.

Top off the basin as water evaporates, keep leaves off the stream, and keep the stones clean (see “Why does my stream get slimy?”). Beneficial bacteria help keep the stones clean. Clean the pump intake a few times a year.

Count the water in the basin plus the water sitting in the stream. A water-block basin is easy: multiply the number of blocks by the gallons each holds. Our volume calculator walks you through it.

Sun, nutrients and shallow moving water make streams a favorite spot for string algae. Use a granular algae treatment or rock cleaner on the stones with the pump off for the label time, add beneficial bacteria, and shade the stream with plants where you can.

Keep the basin full so the pump never runs dry, clean the intake screen monthly, and wipe off scale. For green water, see the next questions. Small basins lose water fast in Florida heat, so check the level often.

That is mineral scale left when hard water evaporates. Topping off often slows it down. Scrub with a soft brush and a fountain-safe cleaner, and use a scale and stain control product made for fountains.

Sun plus nutrients in a small amount of water grows algae quickly. Use a fountain algae and clarity treatment as labeled, keep the water topped off, and clean the bowl. Do not use pond fish medicines in a fountain. If birds drink from it, use only products whose label covers fountains or birdbaths.

Yes, if the birdbath has a pump. We treat it as a small fountain, so the fountain answers here apply. A still birdbath with no pump isn’t a water feature, and we don’t cover it. Measure the bowl with our volume calculator. Birds drink from it, so use only products whose label covers fountains or birdbaths.

Most fountains and urns are too small and too warm for fish, and they have no biological filter. If you want fish, a small pond is the better choice.

Run aeration and the waterfall around the clock, since warm water holds less oxygen. Test more often, feed in the cooler morning, top off with dechlorinated water, and shade part of the surface with plants. Hot nights are when oxygen runs lowest.

In the rainy season, test KH and pH after big storms, because heavy rain can drop both, wash in lawn fertilizer and overflow the pond. Keep runoff away from the pond and add beneficial bacteria. Manatee and Sarasota counties ban nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer June 1 to Sept 30, which also helps your pond.

Before the storm, trim weak branches, bring in loose decor and lights, and unplug pumps if flooding or power surges are expected. After, clear debris, check for saltwater or runoff, test the water, and restart the pump as soon as it is safe. Call us for storm clean-up help.

Usually not. Water rarely stays cold for long here. During a cold snap, feed less or stop feeding when water is under about 50°F, and use a cold-water bacteria if the label calls for it. Keep the pump running.

Yes, oak leaves and palm debris add muck and nutrients. Empty the skimmer more often and net leaves before they sink. A pond net helps under trees.

Yes, run your pump 24/7, because it moves water through the filter, keeps good bacteria alive and adds oxygen. Turning it off at night can cause fish loss and dirty water.

A common guide is moving your full pond volume at least once an hour, more for koi, after accounting for how high the pump has to push water. Waterfalls also need enough flow for their width. We can size it for you.

Usually a clogged intake, full skimmer basket, debris in the impeller, or low water letting the pump suck air. Unplug it, clean the intake and impeller, and top off the water. If it still struggles, call us.

Rinse filter pads and media in a bucket of pond water, not tap water. Chlorine in tap water kills the bacteria. Do not clean everything at once, and do not scrub media spotless.

It pulls floating leaves and debris off the surface into a basket before they sink and rot. Empty the basket and net at least weekly, more in the fall.

Some water loss is normal in SW Florida’s summer heat, sun and wind, and waterfalls and fountains lose more from splash. How much varies a lot by feature, so a bucket test (next question) is the surest way to tell evaporation from a leak.

Do a bucket test. Set a bucket of water on a step in the pond so it sits in the same sun, mark the water level inside the bucket and on the pond, and check 24 hours later. If the pond dropped a lot more than the bucket, you likely have a leak. Check the waterfall and stream edges first, a common leak spot. Still losing water? Call or text us at (941) 356-9297 and we’ll find it.

City water has chlorine or chloramine, so add a dechlorinator for the gallons you add every time. Well water can carry iron or minerals; test it first. Rainwater is fine but soft, so watch KH.

For many Florida features, yes. An auto-fill valve keeps the level steady and helps protect the pump from running dry. You still need to dechlorinate city water, so top off in small amounts.

Not if the water keeps moving. Mosquitoes lay eggs in still water, so a running pump, fish in a pond and no puddles nearby keep them away. Keep the pump running, keep fish if you have a pond (they eat larvae), and empty still puddles nearby, like plant saucers or a stopped fountain bowl. Pondless waterfalls have almost no open water, which makes them a smart pick if mosquitoes worry you.

Dunks made with Bti are labeled for use in ponds and fountains and target mosquito larvae. Follow the label. Most features with good flow do not need them.

Plants use the same nutrients algae feed on, shade the water, give fish cover and add oxygen during the day. Aim to shade about a third to half of the surface in summer.

Water lilies and other floaters for shade, marginal plants on the shelves, and bog plants in the stream. Pick plants that handle our heat. Ask us for a plant list sized to your pond.

Salt can hurt many plants, so use the lower plant-safe rate on the label or skip it. Granular algae treatments can burn plant leaves they land on. Read each label for plant cautions.

Use our water volume calculator. Pick your shape, enter length, width and average depth (or several widths and depths for a freeform pond), and it shows US gallons using cubic feet × 7.48. Add your stream or basin for the full system.

Most ponds have shelves, so the deepest point overstates the water. Take 4 to 6 readings across shelves and the deep part with a yardstick, and average them.

Use the lower end of your estimate. Overdosing is riskier than underdosing for most treatments. Retest and dose again on the label schedule if needed.

Our dosing guide shows the dose for your gallons for each product we carry, with how-to steps. Each rate comes from the maker’s product page, and products without a verified rate say to follow the label. Your label always wins.

Ammonia and nitrite: 24 hours. KH and pH: the next day. Algae and clarity: on the label’s repeat schedule. Then test everything again in a week.