Water features come in myriad shapes, sizes and styles. From koi ponds to pondless waterfalls, streams, fountains, columns, and bubblers of all sorts, it’s easy to add the visual and auditory beauty that they bring to your yard.
Like any landscape feature, they need a little TLC if you want to get the most out of them. Today we’re sharing a four-step process and with some essential products that will help you keep your fountains and bubbling water features beautiful and functional.
Clean
It probably goes without saying that a beautiful fountain is a clean fountain. Slime, grime, debris and scaling is neither attractive nor healthy. Unlike ponds, which should be naturally self-balancing, fountains and bubblers often lack the plants, wildlife and other elements to create a composed ecosystem.
That’s why a bit of cleaning by you is so important. Every three to six months, depending on weather and other environmental factors, it pays to clean your fountain with some good old-fashioned elbow grease.
Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take all weekend! Just grab a soft cloth, a bristle brush for tough spots, and a garden hose. Without fish to worry about, you can safely empty and refill your fountain right from the tap.
To make your job a whole lot easier, use a product like Aquascape’s Clean for Fountains. It cleans and clarifies fountains and fountain water, reducing maintenance tasks for you.
It works by helping to clump and clear suspended debris while preventing and eliminating foam. Once you get your fountain running again in spring, add this treatment once a week while your fountain runs and you’ll be rewarded with cleaner water and easier maintenance through the season.
And don’t worry – it’s also safe for fish, plants, birds and pets, so you won’t have to worry about runoff or harming the environment.
Treat
Algae is not uncommon in fountains. They tend to be smaller and stiller than a pond, without the plants to protect against overexposure to sun. Algae loves few things as much as warm water on a sunny summer day!
You can make your life easier if you place your fountain or bubbling water feature in a location that gets at least some shade.
But when it comes to algae, your best defense is a treatment like Aquascape’s Algaecide. A single teaspoon in a 50-gallon water feature will control string algae growth as well as single-celled floating algae, which is responsible for that unappealing green water effect.
If you suffer from an algae bloom this summer, add a dose to your fountain once every five days until the water clears up. Don’t worry, it’s fast-acting – and safe for ponds, pets and wildlife, too.
You can continue to add a treatment once each week to prevent further blooms, a small step that will make ongoing maintenance much easier.
Maintain
You may have noticed that we’ve sprinkled a tiny bit of maintenance into each step so far! That’s good news – it means maintenance doesn’t have to be an arduous, time-consuming task. A little dose of cleaning treatment plus a little dose of algaecide regularly, and you’re well on your way to a healthy fountain.
But there’s one more issue that can pop up in a fountain or bubbler – white scale.
White scale happens when you have a lot of calcium or lime buildup, which is more common if you have hard water. That’s where Aquascape’s Fountain Maintenance comes in.
A couple of pumps of this treatment and you can eliminate scale and debris that has built up. Most importantly, it removes scale without damaging the surface of your water feature. Like everything we’ve mentioned so far, this treatment is completely safe for fish, plants, pets, and wildlife.
Add a dose of this treatment once per week along with the others, and you can both clean and prevent white scale so you can spend more time enjoying your feature and less time worrying about it.
Prevent
Another word you may have noticed pop up a few times is “prevent.” Whether it’s your koi pond, water fountain, waterfall or patio water garden, your best line of offense is a good defense.
Stopping problems before they happen means less effort for you, and more enjoyment for everyone.
Aquascape’s Prevent for Fountains reduces maintenance and prevents the unhealthy, unsightly conditions that will dampen your enjoyment. It uses a special blend of clarifiers to clear and prevent debris and white scale buildup in the water, as well as on the surface of the fountain, rocks, or gravel.
It will also help to prevent stains, foam, and other unappealing water conditions. It is safe for birds or animals that may drink from your fountain, but not for use in ponds that contain fish.
Add a pump of this treatment into your fountain, bubbler or water garden once per week and you can avoid many of the other common issues caused by lack of attention.
Fountains, columns, bubblers, urns, water gardens and other water features add beauty and charm to any space. They are often an attraction for birds, butterflies and even frogs, and will add a soothing auditory element to front yard, back yard, or anywhere in between.
With a bit of preventative care and maintenance, your water feature can be a joy all season. You can find these products in our Matawan showroom right now. We invite you to call or stop by with questions.
If you need professional help with your water feature, or don’t have one yet but can’t wait to add one, get in touch with one of our pond pros. We’re here to help you live your best outdoor aquatic life!
