Author: Full Service Aquatics

The LOVEYOURPOND Blog is written by Mike Gannon of Full Service Aquatics located in Summit, NJ. Mike is an award winning pond, water garden, and water feature builder. Always “In The Pursuit Of All Things Aquatic” Mike has been a lifelong hobbyist and providing professional services since 1995. Mike is the creator of The Pond Hunter video series seen on Youtube and has made several television appearances on Networks such as HGTV and the DIY Network. He also hosts the Pond Hunter Radio Broadcast, a show on everything aquatic, every other Wednesday at 8pm EST. You can see what else Mike is up to at the following sites:

THE POND ALGAE TRILOGY Pt. 2

pond algae string algae

Let’s go deeper…   Green water*, is probably the most common pond algae issue that pond and water garden owners face at sometime and thankfully one that can be eliminated! Green water is not necessarily bad for fish or the overall health of the pond, but it sure is not what we’re hoping for when… Read more »

THE POND ALGAE TRILOGY Pt. 1

It grows almost everywhere on the planet. It provides food and shelter. It can live in peaceful symbiosis or quickly kill its host. It can reproduce at stunningly fast rates turning the surrounding environment red, blue, brown, and green. It can glow at night. It can float freely and sporadically or attach itself to a… Read more »

IT’S MOSQUITO TIME, JUST SUCK IT UP

“People who claim they do not let the little things bother them, have never slept in a room with one mosquito.” “What’s the New Jersey state bird?” …the mosquito. “The best blood at sometime will get into a fool, or a mosquito.” “There are only 2 of God’s creations I don’t understand, poison ivy and… Read more »

HEY POND OWNERS, IT’S GREAT BLUE HERON TIME AGAIN!

It just wouldn’t seem like spring in the pond world without a word on the Great Blue Heron. As water garden koi pond owners, many of us have become familiar with the largest wading bird in North America. Our familiarity doesn’t come by choice for most of us though. Our familiarity with the Great Blue… Read more »

CATFISH IN YOUR BACKYARD POND. FRIEND OR FOE?

catfish in the pond

Probably the biggest misconception I see among pond owners is that introducing a catfish to the backyard pond or water garden will help keep your pond cleaner. With respect I’d like to burst the bubble on that school of thought. Catfish, although scavengers, will not do anything to actually help keep your koi pond water… Read more »

SHUBUNKIN ALSO KNOWN AS THE POOR MAN’S KOI FISH

shubunkin

You say Shubunkin, I say Shuboykin You say Shubumpkin, I Shubunkin Let’s call it all the same… or are they?!   Shubunkin, the poor man’s koi, are beautiful and easy to care for calico goldfish. Shubunkin make a great choice for the backyard water garden pond adding color and liveliness to any setting. As a… Read more »

THE ART OF WATER GARDENING

monets water lily new jersey

Could water gardens be the ultimate and most influential form of art ever created? Follow me back… Worlds Fair Paris, France 1889, the Exposition Universelle du 1889. 100 years after the French Revolution the world was changing, and at this very moment Paris was the center of it all.

CRAYFISH FOR YOUR POND

Many ornamental and natural pond owners will at some point look to add some sort of critter to their pond for some added interest or for another reason like algae and aquatic weed control. One of the options that they are sure to see out in the pond market would be crayfish. Crayfish for your… Read more »

THE LOTUS FLOWER. MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE EYE

lotus flower summit, nj

The lotus flower, Nelumbo nucifera. The relationships that are sometimes developed between man and plant can be very fascinating. This definitely holds true for the lotus flower. The lotus flower and human connection goes back well beyond 1000 years, and crosses numerous cultural and geographical boundaries even from ancient times. The lotus is even revered… Read more »

DOES YOUR POND NEED A SHOWER?

bakki shower filter www.loveyourpond.com

Bakki shower filtration is a fairly new approach to pond filtration here in the United States, yet it has enjoyed some popularity in Japan and the UK for some time now. Bakki showers would seem comparable, in concept, to the familiar “trickle” type filters that are well known in the pond and aquarium industry; but… Read more »