Peter May's secret to the perfect pond maintenance

Cleaning the biological filter during the month of Autumn ... Is the same as the spring clean but bear in mind that you are moving into a cold season there the filter may be operating largely mechanically. The priority therefore is to just get the bulk of the muck out.

Plan of attack for the pool filter maintenance ... But before we get into the grimy details of full filter and ancillary servicing, you may have a situation where the quality of the pond water needs to be attended to immediately. This process can be going on whilst you attend to the filter

Perfect pond maintenance| Serving a biological filter in spring ... Have you been using your filter system all winter? Thats no problem as long as you are just circulating the surface water, nice and gently. But you may be finding that your filter is getting just as dirty now as it was in the high summer and you thought everything would slow down in winter.

Pond maintenance| Trouble shooting filters But you've got a filter and its got problems. The problems are generally as a result of the original reason for resorting to a filter rearing its ugly head again.

Precautions to avoiding diseases, viruses and parasites ... There are many more diseases, viruses and parasites, which if the proprietary treatments have no effect against then the fish are best humanely disposed of.

Ways you can empty the pond fish and refilling it again .... Catch the fish when the pool is almost empty. Although it seems stressful for them to be slithering around in the in the mud, it better than being chased around the pool by a lunatic with a net for half a day and still end up slithering around in the mud.

Hints and tips for gardening and pond life ... Do not use tap water in cleaning the medium or any of the filter elements. The chlorine in the tap water will destroy the valuable bacteria.

Coping with the muck and the mire: the clean out ... Every pool and pond in the whole world is filling up with muck from animals and rubbish from plant life all the time.

Installing pond electrics ... All of the possible accessories and features, even if they hadn't crossed your mind to have, should have been catered for in the installation; pool heater, a pump for an inpool fountain, filter and filter pump, u/v lamp, waterfall, rockery lights, underwater lights and squirting frog.

The pond skimmer ... Another tool for the serious pond keeper is the skimmer. It is particularly useful in the autumn and if there are poolside shrubs that shed leaves and flowers and into the pool, or even the automatic removal of excess fish food.

Cleanliness next to Godliness with the the pond vac ... The company Oase have undoubtedly produced one of the most efficient and easy to use vacuums on the market called Pondovac.

Experiencing panic stations with your water garden! ... Emergency remedial action is to pump in oxygen by turning on a fountain or stream. If there is nothing like this incorporated in the pool, spray water from a hose at a height that allows the jet of water to push air under the surface

Water pumps are pretty much the key to the operation of moving water in the pool...There are pumps that suit filters, others that suit fountains and some that have the real pushing power ideal for waterfalls.

Pumps for biological ... easily dismantled Blagdon Hydratech pump qualifies extremely well as a filter pump. Not only is it capable of pumping water containing 5mm solids, if there is a blockage in the impellor it automatically reverses until the blockage is ejected. It sounds mad but it works.

Pumps for U/V clarifiers and clarifiers for filters ... There is no doubt that filters seem doubly effective if they are working in conjunction with an Ultra Violet Clarifier or UVC.

Pumps for fountains ... For small pools with tiny waterfalls or just simple fountain effects there are excellent 24volt submersible pumps on the market that are perfectly adequate for a small waterfall or fountain, but are hard pushed to provide for both.

Pumps for waterfalls ... By splitting the waterfall into ribbons you can get a more impressive width of flow from a smaller pump and it can look more natural

Build your own vegetable filter ... You want to incorporate a veggy filter into your present system and or your pool is bigger than 2 cubic metres. You could try building one.

When can I expect results with my filtration system? ... The system will start mechanically filtering straight away, but allow at least a month in the growing season for all the plants and the micro-flora to get established.

Vegetable filters or mini reed bed systems ... The principle of the Reed Bed system or vegetable filtration was a part of a sophisticated garden design at the Chelsea Flower Show 2002.

Add on the mechanics to your water garden ... Perhaps it is time to add a bit of sparkle to your water garden scene. How about a fountain to give it that eye-catching appeal that demands your attention or the drama and noise of a waterfall or a cascade?