What's Your "Pond Personality"?

What's Your "Pond Personality"

Spring is a great learning time for us at Cool Ponds. We find out how the winter has affected water features, if our customers are heeding our advice, and what does and doesn't work when it comes to maintaining a water feature. We learn all of this while cleaning ponds.

This is what a healthy, clean pond will look like. A slight
green covering on all the surfaces under the water and
crystal clear water.

Now, if you are reading this thinking "she's writing about me," rest assured that I have no one customer in mind. But there are several categories that most of us fit into. See where you think you fit:

• I love my fish and because I love them I must feed them whenever they look like they want food. Huh, is this you? I'll admit I fit into this category. We're the ones that have large cleaning bills or who promise themselves while cleaning their pond they will cut back on feeding only to forget the promise by the next week.
• My pond adds beauty to my backyard but I don't really want to deal with it. This is great in one aspect because you're not over-feeding. The problem arises when you don't add beneficial bacteria. You may not see any issues in your pond... it may seem fine. But then one spring the string algae will begin to take over. That's from not removing the sludge layer all along. It can sneak up on you.
• I'm diligent about not over-feeding and only using high protein fish food; I keep my fish population in check; and I use the recommended water treatments. Who are you? Speak up! I want to hear from you!
• I want my pond to look fantastic and not have to work on it. These are our Regular Maintenance customers. And as you would suspect, their ponds (except for a few leaf issues) were the cleanest ponds we've seen this year. Now, I'm not writing this because I want you all to sign up for regular maintenance, that's not my point. My point is that if you add the recommended treatments regularly (these customers get theirs every two weeks) you will have a clean pond. I can also add that these customers are mostly not over-feeders when it comes to their fish, either.

I'm not asking you to change your "pond personality." But I am asking you to accept your personality and the consequences that come with it. I have one pond at home that is about 10,000 gallons. It takes Steve and I two days to clean it and I complain and whine the whole time. So I can choose to 1. Feed my fish less so it doesn't need cleaned each year (we use the recommended treatments but we all feed way too much) 2.Get over myself and commit to cleaning it knowing that I loathe it. or 3.Commit to paying my crew to clean it. (I'd rather they clean your pond!) Well, I won't stop feeding. I enjoy it way too much, so next spring I will probably have the crew clean it knowing that it costs me to have them do it. (Costs me a lost day in revenue that I cannot get back.) My pond and my quality of life is worth that to me... So what is your pond worth to you?

Join in the conversation... what do you think? Comment on this post.

Written by Cool Ponds Staff Member Staci