Pond building and maintenance is a fun and creative business that can create income throughout the year, especially in temperate parts of the country. A loyal and experienced crew can move quickly on a job and keep total hours at a job site to a minimum. This proud crew works with California Aquatics in San Diego, Calif.

As summer warms your customers?EUR??,,????'??? water, it?EUR??,,????'???s not too soon to think ahead to autumn?EUR??,,????'???s crisp nights. Koi and other fish will be slowing down then, but they?EUR??,,????'???ll make it through winter as long as their home has sufficient depth not to freeze solid.

California-based Exotic Waterscapes offers the following tips to get your pond or water feature ready for the cold months.

1. Add beneficial bacteria two times per week this fall.

Once your pond stays below 50 degrees for the winter we recommend switching to a product like Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria. Beneficial pond bacteria plays a key role in Koi pond care.

2. Reduce your fish-feeding regimen.

As your water temperature drops below 65 degrees, the metabolism of your fish slows down. Start feeding your fish just a couple of times a week. A fish food that is specially formulated for the fall (wheat based) is a must at this time of the year. Stop feeding your fish completely when water temperatures falls below 50 degrees. If you don?EUR??,,????'???t have a thermometer for your pond, get one!

3. String algae prevention.

To make pond maintenance easy, use an enzyme additive once a month to help control undesirable string algae. Enzyme products assist in the breakdown and reduction of debris in your streams, waterfalls and pond, thus reducing your pond maintenance needs.

4. Barley straw extract.

This 4,000 gallon pond, with two waterfalls and streams, was completed in December, 2003 at Silver Pines Lodge in Idyllwild, Calif. Exotic Aquatics of Redlands created this water feature at 5,400 ft. in the San Jacinto Mountains. Fish in cold-climate ponds can overwinter with little problem as long as a deep freeze doesn?EUR??,,????'???t turn them into popsicles.

Helps control string algae. Barley straw is an effective and eco-friendly way to reduce algae. It takes 4-6 weeks for barley straw to become effective, so we suggest using an extract treatment this fall to help control algae over the winter.

5. Trim your perennial aquatic plants.

Pond plants start going dormant as the weather cools. Your aquatic plants aren?EUR??,,????'???t dying, but they may turn yellow or brown as they go dormant. You should trim back the yellowing leaves to prevent the fall debris from building in your pond. This simple trick will make your fish pond cleaning responsibilities easy.

6. Inspect and clean pond hardware.

This is a good time of the year to lightly clean out your biological waterfall filter and service your skimmer box and pump. Most of the material you read from pond equipment manufacturers suggests that you only service your biological waterfall filter once a year.

With these helpful fish-pond cleaning hints and just a little preventative pond care it will help to reduce algae problems and extend your enjoyment of your water feature into the holiday season.
?EUR??,,????'??+www.exoticwaterscapes.com

This mountain pond has 21 beautiful Koi, including two babies born in 2005. In the summer time the fish are always hungry. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees F they don't eat at all, however.

Water Facts

60: The percentage of Florida?EUR??,,????'???s annual rainfall received in Northern Flordia during that state?EUR??,,????'???s ?EUR??,,????'??rainy season,?EUR??,,????'?? May ?EUR??,,????'??? November. Source: University of Florida Extension Service

49.97: Inches, the average annual amount of rainfall recorded in Gainesville, Fla. Source: Gainesville Real Estate