E-News from
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- Autumn 2007 -
I Tried But I Couldn't Do It!
When I first fired up the E-Newsletter I thought I would find the time to send it out every month. I really tried hard but May and June got away from me. July and August were filled with some personal business that needed attention squeezed in during an unusually busy hot summer. So for those of you who wondered why they did not receive their emailed newsletters - stop wondering. They weren't sent!
What's Up, Doc?
E-News
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by PondDoc.com for people interested in the
water gardening and koi-keeping hobbies.
© copyright 2007,
PondDoc.com
Peggy Ferguson, Editor
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Peggy's Direct Phone: (404) 375-9600
Cecil "The Pond Doc": (770) 663-6325
Fax: (706) 864-7290
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Inside This
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Buying Fish
Autumn Prep
External Pumps
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SuperPro Filters
Bead Filters
SuperFlo External Pump
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I am determined, however, not to allow September to come and go without releasing another e-newsletter. There is quite a bit of information that needs to go out about the natural changes in your pond during fall and some really exciting changes are occurring in pond products. We've added several new products. We've even scheduled major changes to some of our products and are planning exciting updates to our website during the winter months ahead.
~ Peggy
What's Up, Doc?
- Aquarium Products Revamps a Few of Our Favorite
Medications
Aquarium Products is the manufacturer of many of the products we endorse for fish health medications. They produce Fluke Tabs, Anti-Fluke and Quick Cure (formerly known as Cure-Ick) among others. They recently revamped several of our staple medications by changing their names, reformulating the strengths and even combining two of them into one. The changes are beneficial but may be a little confusing. Fluke Tabs were not changed at all. Anti-Fluke is now also called Life Bearer and an ounce now treats 500 gallons instead of 250. Cure-Ick is now Quick Cure and doubled its strength as well. Anti-Fungus and Anti-Bacteria no longer exist except in left over stock. I think we may have a fair amount of Anti-Fungus left. They combined these two and call it FuBa Fix. The good thing about that change is now we can use just one product to get rid of fungus and bacteria problems. Be sure to read your labels on these products carefully because we certainly would not want to overdose the pond by using the old dosages with the new formulations.
Emperor Aquatics has made changes that directly affect all the models in their Smart UV line. Instead of having separate replacement transformers for each model we now have a single universal power pack. That's good and bad... Folks with 12, 18 and 25 watt units will pay a little more for a replacement transformer than they would have paid last year. The good news is that you no longer have a starter bulb to deal with. It's good news for people who have the 40 watt and up units because they will be paying less. A drawback to this universal power pack is that an 80 and 130 watt unit must use two of the power packs instead of the single transformer so a second plug in is now necessary but if one side of the unit goes out you need only to replace the one side, which will save money. Don't worry, even purchasing two of the new power packs will not be as expensive as purchasing one of the old ones.
We hope that we never have the need to replace the power pack. There are a few things we can do to help prolong its life. Never run the unit if the quartz sleeve is cracked and leaking. Test it by keeping the quartz sleeve intact and remove the lamp and transformer. Run the pond without the lamp and transformer for a few days and look for leaks. Take a paper towel and rub along the inside and outside end of the quartz sleeve. It should never show ANY signs of moisture. Also - never submerse the unit or allow the power pack to lay in a puddle of water.
- You Can Help Us...
Since we closed our facilities in Alpharetta where we sold fish that were quarantined and treated we've experienced a sharp increase of sales in parasite treatments to customers in the Atlanta area. We are certain that it is because these same customers that were buying our "cleaned" koi and goldfish have now been forced to purchase untreated ones from other sources. We are constantly being asked when we'll begin selling fish again. There are plans for proper facilities in the near future. The Pond Doc, however, has concerns that he'll bring them in and no one will show up to purchase them -- not wanting to make a "trip" to Dahlonega! We'd love to hear from our local customers and perhaps others who used to make trips to Alpharetta so that we can determine if it is feasible for us to sell them and which ones to bring in. Either call Cecil at (770) 663-6325 or email us.
Seasonal Check List
It's here. That melancholy time of year when the days become shorter and there's a slight chill in the air when you first venture outside in the morning. I am enjoying the crisp, coolness so far (though I know cold weather is on its way), especially after such a hot, dry summer. I know - those of you in the Midwest received more than your fair share of rain. Let's hope that your Fall weather is more kind to you. Here are some steps we all can take to make the transition from summer to fall to winter a little easier on us and healthier on our ponds, koi and goldfish:
- When water temperatures begin to fall (under 64 degrees) feed your fish once a day (instead of twice or more) with easy-to-digest M-Wheat Macrobiotic Fish Food. Stop feeding the fish anything at all when the water temp goes down to 50 degrees and stays there.
- Use Microbe-Lift's Autumn / Winter Prep. It works in lower water temperatures to help keep your pond clean and healthy.
- To prevent leaves from falling into the pond, collecting then turning into "muck" cover your pond with netting. We have some quality netting in many sizes that lays like a blanket for easy handling.
- If you can -- take off the UV unit from your system and store it inside the garage for the winter. If that's not possible, at least protect the sleeve and lamp from the weather.
- Don't recirculate the bottom waters of the pond and subject it to "super cooling". When the water temperature gets down to 50 degrees raise your submersible pump up to a plant shelf to recirculate only the top water, re-route your plumbing to draw only from the skimmer or turn off the pump during the winter.
- If the pond freezes over for more than a couple of days, use a de-icer to keep a hole in the ice so gasses can escape. Do NOT crack the ice with a hammer. There's a really cool heated birdbath / de-icer combo for those who want to provide winter water for wild birds.
- Fall is a great time for major pond cleanings and pond re-does and repairs. The fish do better in holding tanks when the weather is cooler.
- It's also an excellent time to add fish to the pond (before it gets too cold). Make sure to place any new fish in a parasite treatment program. If you don't have quarantine facilities, treat the whole pond once you've added all you plan to add for the season. Use ProForm C and Prazi Pond during this time of year because it works in lower water temps.
- Stop fertilizing plants and cut away dead leaves as they brown out, leaving only stubs above the water line.
Recommended Reading
Autumn is a nice time to add fish to the pond. Many koi and goldfish are available through Koi shows and dealers who want to sell out their stock for the winter. In our "Recommended Reading" section I've included a few articles on purchasing and quarantining pond fish as well as excellent articles on the changes that occur during fall. This is a great time also to make major repairs and upgrade the pond. I have written a new article on how to choose an external pump -- something that is harder to do than one would think. A link to that article and others about pond construction is listed below.
- NEW! Adding Koi and Goldfish in the Fall
- UPDATED! Practicing Healthy Fish Salesmanship -- A Retailer's Point of View on Selecting Healthy Koi & Goldfish
- UPDATED! Autumn Care of the Pond
- UPDATED! Preparing for the Plunge
- Cool Weather Questions & Answers
- NEW! Choosing the Right External Pump for Your Koi Pond or Water Garden
There are plenty more profiles where these came from. Visit our
Product Profile Page for more!
Visit PondDoc.com's Product Profile Page
Congratulations, Pond
Doc
Cecil's Been 3 Months Without
Smoking!
Those of you who frequented our water garden center in Alpharetta may have heard me complaining about the Doc's one big habit that was ruining his health. Smoking! I'm sure you saw him with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth EVERY time you visited. He even smoked when he made pond calls! You may have actually witnessed me catch him in the act (over and over again) when he swore he had quit but was sneaking around. Many of you supported my efforts to help him quit and many of you saw what it was doing to him and expressed your hopes that he would kick the habit soon before it was too late. The last trip to the hospital for a blockage may have done the trick with a lot of help from our neighbor who is an Emergency Room doctor at Northeast Georgia Medical Center. Dave explained to him what smoking did to his lungs and heart in real terms. So far (with a few set backs) he seems to have quit. That was Sunday, June 17th (Father's Day) when he went to the Emergency Room. Now it's September. Three months is a LONG time for him to go without reverting to old habits. He's quit many times before but never for as long.
- Autumn is hands down the absolute BEST time of year to experience the North Georgia Mountains. The leaves begin turning in October and there's apple festivals, panning for gold, Oktoberfest in Helen, harvest time at the wineries and much more. Why not hike a few miles and see some her awesome waterfalls like Anna Ruby? Pack a picnic and see the mountains in style with our extremely high quality backpacks and picnic baskets. Click HERE to see them.
Looking Forward to the Next Issue
My goal is to send out another edition of What's Up, Doc? E-Newsletter before the holidays. It will have some great information on winter care of the pond. Of course, there's not much to do in winter so I'll have a little room to introduce some of our great products from Pond Doc's Home and Garden and Peggy's Personalized Products. They make wonderful Holiday Gifts!
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