Finally - An AFFORDABLE Pump Clean-out (De-Watering) Kit

September 27th, 2012 PondMeister

Are you paying your Pond Maintenance Contractor $400+ to clean-out your pond?

Now there is an affordable Pump Clean-out De-Watering Kit  ($149) that includes a 3100 gph Alpine pump with a THREE YEAR WARRANTY and a 30 foot fire-hose-style hose that will let you drain your pond for a fraction of the cost that you are paying a professional to do.

It can even drain the pond down to One Inch of Depth!

Durable and compact de-watering pump
– designed for simplicity and use

Pond News | 2 Comments »

Introducing Aquascape's new Generation Two AquaJet

May 20th, 2012 PondMeister

Would you like a nice fountain spewing water straight up in the middle of your pond with three different Fountain Heads to choose from? The new Generation Two AquaJet is the system for you!
Learn from Dave Kelly, The Tech Guy, as he gives you details on our new an improved AquaJet pump line; a complete solution for small to medium-size ponds. Other benefits of the AquaJet include its ability to be placed directly in the pond and the all-in-one kit that provides a stunning water fountain with the choice of 3 included fountain heads.

Pond News, Pond Products | Comments Off on Introducing Aquascape's new Generation Two AquaJet

Building a Fountainscape with an AquaBasin and UltraPump is a Snap!

May 5th, 2012 PondMeister

Combining Aquascape’s new Generation Three UltraPumps with their AquaBasins makes adding an exciting new Fountainscape a breeze.

The cleverly designed AquaBasins can support heavy Basalt Columns easily in a space as small as 45″ x 45″. The new UltraPump Generation Three Pumps now come with all the fittings that you need to support as many as three fountains with one pump. The pumps even come with a THREE YEAR warranty! Make sure you order the new 6′ Lengths of 1/2″ (#88003) and 3/4″ (#98404) Kink-Free tubing and you have all the plumbing you will need

Pond Products, Pond Tips | 10 Comments »

Generation Two IonGen has now arrived!

April 27th, 2012 PondMeister

Aquascape has just released the new Generation Two IonGen and we have plenty available. The Generation Two IonGen has a newly engineered digital Control Panel (still only takes one watt to drive) as well as a new Flow Control Chamber which houses the probe.

To recap the IonGen’s history, the IonGen was first introduced on September 1, 2009 with high expectations. A number of the Aquascape employees tried out the unit in their own ponds that summer and were raving about it. FINALLY something that ELIMINATES string algae!

My 6,000 gallon pond in sunny Southern California was blanketed with string algae in the early years. I would do “harvests” about every 3 weeks and could fill up a garbage can with the stuff. I finally discovered that I could keep it somewhat at bay if I used EcoBlast, AlgaeFix, Green Clean, etc every 3 days for 2 or 3 weeks in the spring and then once a week thereafter for the duration of the summer. This was a royal pain as well as very expensive.

So it was in great anticipation that I installed the IonGen on September 6th, 2009/ Holy Cow – the algae turned red and then black and then was gone! In the past 3 years I have not used one grain of EcoBlast (I do continue to use the Beneficial Bacteria for Ponds-Dry by Aquascape).

We have sold an average of about 375 a year for the past 3 years and the feedback has been awesome. I would say that we have had problems with only about 3% of the applications and it is usually related to some strange water conditions (Gunite ponds, turning the pumps off for half the day, funky well water, etc).

There were a few units where moisture had compromised the Control Panel and some issues related to the connection between the Control Panel and the Probe. These have all been addressed with the new Gen Two IonGen and as a result, the IonGens now have a THREE YEAR WARRANTY!

The new units also have a 15′ cord between the Control Panel and the Probe as well as another 15′ cord between the Control Panel and the Transformer. The 25′ Extension Cables with Quick-Connects can be used for further distances.

 

Dave Kelly, Aquascape’s Tech Guy, reviews our next generation IonGen™ (G2) system in this week’s video above.

Pond News, Pond Products | 7 Comments »

Pond Cleanout for Spring - Aquascape Video

April 19th, 2012 PondMeister

I was never a fan of annual cleanouts in my first 3000 gallon pond as it was perfectly balanced, had a light fish load, just enough trees to provide shade but not enough leaves to cause issues, and a pump that “turned” the water twice an hour. I went three years without even cleaning the BioFalls or ANYTHING and sold the house  (had to buy another house with more space for my 6,000 gallon pond!)

Totally different circumstances this time. Three mammoth California Pepper trees shedding 365 days a year, initially under-pumped and filtered, and after two years so much sludge and crud had built up to GUARANTEE a massive algae bloom every year. (This was pre-IonGen  – the IonGen completely eliminated the string algae. )

I was finally convinced that a complete pond clean-out each year would make a world of difference, and it has!
Join the Aquascape team as they walk you through the steps of a spring clean-out

Pond Tips | 1 Comment »

Spring Cleanout Time Again!

March 9th, 2012 PondMeister

It’s that time again … spring is right around the corner!  This, of course, means that the time is here to start thinking and preparing for Spring Cleanout season. 

Dave Kelly, the Aquascape Tech Guy, is up this week presenting the Spring Start-Up Video which gives you a simple overview of the Spring Cleanout process as well some great tips and product uses.  Don’t forget about our convenient Spring Starter Kit (98953) , it’s a great way to get things rolling!

Pond Products, Pond Tips | 1 Comment »

The Coolest Thermometer yet!

March 4th, 2012 PondMeister

How would you like to sit in your house and monitor the water temperature in your pond? Now you can with the Wireless Pond Thermometer (LCTWT) from La Crosse Technologies.

Here are the stats on my pond right now as I sit in my office. Looks like I can feed my normal Premium Color Enhancing Fish Food Pellets now as it is 57.7 degrees but I better hold off on the regular Beneficial Bacteria – Dry until I get up to 60 degrees and stay with the Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always had to crawl down, pull up the tether and fish out my old thermometer which always had just enough algae on it to make it illegible.

This probe drops in the water and the Control Panel is brought inside permanently for easy viewing. I have had mine going for about 6 months and love it.

Pond Products | Comments Off on The Coolest Thermometer yet!

Fertilizing Around the Pond?

February 15th, 2012 PondMeister

Question of the Day:

What is the best way to fertilize the plants and lawn around my pond. Some of the lawn and plants are above the level of the pond. Are there products that can be used safely in these areas?

PondMeister Answer:

Whoaaaaa – This is one of the best ways to mess up your water quality in the pond and create some serious algae blooms. No matter how careful you are and think you are safe, fertilizers used around the pond area for potted plants and lawns inevitably may “leach” into the pond and do serious damage to the water quality and even kill the fish. I have never had one pond owner yet ‘fess up to doing this but believe me, many of us are guilty of this.

In the Pre-PondMeister days of Yore, I was a frequent offender and fertilized all of my potted plants around my 6,000 gallon ponds with time-release fertilizers and then watered vigorously with the water draining out of the bottom of the containers back in to the pond. I never gave it a thought and wondered why my pond water had major league algae blooms and was green and cloudy.

EHow writes: “Fertilizers contain nutrients, especially phosphorous and nitrogen, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Since fertilizers help plants grow, they also cause algal blooms in aquatic ecosystems”  Read more: How Does Fertilizer Affect Aquatic Ecosystems? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6623588_fertilizer-affect-aquatic-ecosystems_.html#ixzz1mVo8LcHq

The BEST fertilizer of all for your garden plants or your yard is…drum roll please…..POND WATER! I keep a bucket near my pond and water my plants with the pond water which is loaded with fish waste and other good stuff for the plants!

There are plenty of safe pond plant fertilizers for your pond plants at http://www.thepondoutlet.com/home/tpo/smartlist_287/fertilizer.html

A few good ones are Pond Plant Fertilizer by Aquascape, Once-A-Year Plant Fertilizer by Aquascape and Highland Rim Aquatic Plant Fertilizer

 

Questions and Answers | Comments Off on Fertilizing Around the Pond?

Too Many Fish?

February 15th, 2012 PondMeister

Question of the day:What is the best product you have to control green algae (both to remove and to maintain) in a 400 gal. contained pond with 2 aeration pumps and 15 6-8in Koi?? I don’t have string type algae; just algae growth on pond sides, bottom and pump housings. Have tried several products, but always have to remove fish and pressure wash pond at least twice/year. Suggestions?

PondMeister Answer:I know this is not the answer that you want to hear and I really want to take your money but the best thing that you could do would be to remove at least two-thirds of the fish in your pond.

Using the old rule-of-thumb of 1″ of fish per every 10 gallons and assuming that you have 15 fish at 7″ each, your pond should be a minimum of 1,050 gallons to house that many fish. Koi grow at an amazingly fast rate of speed especially compared to aquarium fish so that your problem is going to get worse every day that you put it off.

By having twice as many koi as your pond can sustain, you are not only inviting the water quality issues that you are experiencing, but also are opening your pond up to serious fish health issues. Dumping more and more chemicals into your pond is NOT the answer.

Questions and Answers | 1 Comment »

Should I switch from Aquascape Pro pump to new Generation 2 Aquasurge?

February 3rd, 2012 PondMeister

 

So your old Aquascape Pro pump 3000 or 4500 has died?

The pump may have done you a favor because the new Generation Two Aquasurge pumps are so much more energy-efficient (save you a ton each month on your energy bill), less expensive and last longer. Free shipping too! We can ship immediately.

Read on:

The Bad news:

Aquascape sells no parts for their pumps. I do have names for repair and seal replacements. Schaaf Equipment (708)-598-9099 is a certified Crane repair place and Bergman Specialty 800-548-6648 has the seals for these pumps. Be advised the seals alone are about $88. After replacing the seals and fixing the problem with the pump, you still have an old inefficient pump.

The Good News!

The new Generation Two Aquasurge Pump also by Aquascape is the perfect replacement pump if you currently have a Aquascape Pro 3000 or Aquascape Pro 4500.

 

The Top Three Reasons for replacing your Aquascape Pro 3000 or 4500 with an Aquasurge 3000 or 5000 are:

1. Price is $226 less for the 3000 and  $315 less for the 4500. Aquascape lowered the prices again this year and the new Aquasurge 3000 is $303.98 and the new Aquasurge 5000 is only $383.98. The Aquascape Pro 3000 is now $489.89 and the Aquascape Pro 4500 is $618.99.

2. Aquasurge 3000 gph pump takes only 165 Watts vs. 280 watts for the Aquascape Pro 3000. The Aquasurge 5000 gph pump takes 360 Watts vs 625 Watts for the Aquascape Pro 4500. Based on 10 cents a kilowatt hour, this is a savings of $8.40 per month for the 3000 and $19.24 per month for the 4500

3.The Aquasurge pumps last longer. The Aquasurge is one of  the FIRST pumps to have a THREE year warranty. The Aquascape Pro line has a 2 year warranty.

If you have any questions whether the pump is strong enough, please compare the 2 charts below. The “Head Height” is the VERTICAL height from the Water Level to the TOP of the BioFalls. To this you add 1 foot for every 10′ of horizontal distance your pipe travels from the pump to the BioFalls. Find or interpolate the Head Height on each chart to see the amount of water provided by each pump.

At 5’ of Head, the Aquasurge 3000 puts out slightly less water (2900 vs 2700 gph) than the Aquascaper Pro 3000. You may want to upgrade to the Aquasurge 4000 which gets out 3750 gph while consuming only 215 watts.  The Aquasurge 5000 actually puts out more water (5000 gph vs 4500 gph) than the Pro 4500.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conversion to Aquasurge Pumps is a Snap:

Just a heads up – if you are switching from an Aquascape Pro (SFA) pump to an Aquasurge, you will need the Conversion Kit 29705. The Aquascape Pro pumps have a 2′” female threaded outlet and the Aquasurge has a 1.5″ male threaded outlet with a 1.5″ female threaded adapter. The “Kit” only has 2 parts. One part is for the Classic style skimmer and check valve assembly which has a black 2″ Flexible pvc hose between the pump and the check valve. If you have this simply cut-off the hose and glue into the 2″ slip fitting with pvc glue and screw the 1.5″ male thread into the 1.5″ female threaded part on the Aquasurge pump.

 

If you have the Signature Series skimmer and check valve, you merely unscrew the hard plastic piece between the pump and Check valve and screw in the 1.5″ female onto the Aquasurge 1.5” Male Thread outlet and the flanged side into the bottom of the check valve assembly.

 

Video showing Conversion from Aquascape Pro pump to Aquasurge Pump for Classic Series Skimmer (the skimmer with a debris net with 2 metal rods – one straight rod across the back and one U-Shaped around the opening)

 

Video below showing Conversion from Aquascape Pro pump to Aquasurge pump with Signature Series Skimmer (the Skimmer with the big black half-moon shaped Debris Basket)

Click Aquasurge Generation Two Pumps to see the new pumps.

We offer Free Shipping and no tax (only tax in California) and ship from one of our 9 warehouses around the country closest to you.

Pond News, Pond Products | 3 Comments »