Advantages: relaxing
Disadvantages: money!

...I love ponds. They are a big part of my life. Ponds will give you relaxation and joy. But in order to get this you need to keep your pond up to scratch. They are quite complex and there are lots of ways to achieve a good quality pond. I have three ponds. I have a small 2ftx4ftx3ft deep pond, I have a 10ftx9ftx3ft deep pond and a koi pond, which is 13ftx6ft5ft deep. Ponds come in different forms, you can make lots of different kinds. You can make formal, semi formal, informal and semi informal. You can make them out of liner, concrete or buy a performed pond. In order to keep a healthy pond there are 4 rules you must follow: DON’T OVER STOCK DON’T OVER FEED YOU MUST HAVE A PUMP YOU MUST HAVE A FILTER BOX AND UV (ultra violate light) When your pond starts to mature or after the first year you may experience... Read review

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Advantages: sturdy,reliable,easy to get new bulbs.
Disadvantages: none.

...I had a lovely pond of 3500 gallons, but the water in it was the colour of pea soup (mucky green), not very nice and not compatible with viewing my collection of fish. So I bought a Yamitsu 30watt UV sterilizer in the summer of 1997, which cost me £79, although slightly underpowered, (as it is recommended to have 10watts per 1000 gallons) it was the most I wanted (or could afford) to shell out, as I was doubtful if it would clear the troublesome green water. Installation was started the next morning, this entailed the cutting of one of the pipes from the pump, and fitting the uv unit in-line on this cut pipe, using the supplied stepped hosetails, I had to supply my own jubilee clips to complete this. The unit must be sheltered from the worst of the elements, mine is covered by some old pond liner. It has to be plugged... Read review

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Advantages: Does work
Disadvantages: None.

...People who have ponds often think that the purpose of a filter is to get nice clear water. This is not the case, the filters purpose is to get good water quality, and this can be achieved even if the water is pea soup coloured. If after testing your pond water for it’s quality, (there are many testing kits available at aquatic outlets) and finding that the quality is good, you can now consider the clarity of the water. Clarity is normally affected by the last stage of filtration, which is the production of nitrate. Nitrate is an excellent fertiliser, and it is this that feeds the growth of single celled algae and blanket weed (a filamentous algae). Luckily the single celled type, (of which when there is an abundance, makes the water green), is easily eradicated by the use of a UV steriliser unit. UV sterilisers are made... Read review

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Advantages: All in one solution. Neat and tidy.
Disadvantages: Needs setting up prior to installation.

...No, not your partner who refuses to wash. This gizmo is an all-in-one device for clearing the gunge from your outdoor pond so that your fish can see where they are going. Sadly, my fish were doing it blind for far too long so I splashed out on this as a solution. Unfortunately, the results were not instant as it took over a month to clear the existing green algae and other nasties before water clarity was achieved. Of course, it's then a simple maintenance job, which takes little time. The set up is one you have to make up yourself. There are all the bits, but it's a pain when you then have to install it too. You have a large rectangular bin which has two chambers. An inlet, which takes water you pump in from your pond. This allows large sediment to settle and is where the UV bulb is situated. This is a 15W unit... Read review

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Advantages: Efficient, easy to install, easy to keep clean
Disadvantages: None so far

...As my pump was getting old and was really too small for the pond, I decided to buy a new one. Having already installed a Fish Mate UV+Bio Filter a year ago, which I have been very pleased with, I opted to purchase a pump of the same type. I chose the 4000 which has a maximum flow of 835 gallons an hour, has an anti-clog filter design, has superior wear resistance and reported to have low running costs. It also has a fountain set with four options. As soon as I received the pump I set to to install it. It was very easy to do, but I did make the mistake of not checking the size of hose required when I purchased it and discovered that mine was too small. I was cross with myself as I wanted to get it set up that day, so I would advise anyone buying this particular model that they make sure they have a 1" or 1.1/4" bore... Read review

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Advantages: Lots of Wildlife, A Community Project
Disadvantages: Close to Motorway

...Sugar Mill Ponds are located just outside the Village of Rawcliffe Bridge, about five miles to the West of Goole, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This site covers an area of approximately twenty five acres and is one of the finest examples that I have seen of a former area of unsightly Industrial wasteland transformed into a tranquil, picturesque haven for Wildlife. This site is now a designated Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and is owned by Croda Chemicals Ltd. Access to the site is completely free and there are good footpaths around the Ponds and also along a section of the Canal. The site is quite compact and dominated by two large Ponds. There is a Car Parking area situated between these two Ponds and an area set aside for Picnickers, with wooden tables and benches. Croda Chemicals Ltd transformed this site under... Read review

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Advantages: lovely to watch
Disadvantages: needs constant attention

...Ponds are a wonderful addition to any garden, the sound of running water and watching your fish swim about on a hot sunny day is one of the simple pleasures in life. However most people think you just add fish and that’s it however they can be very time consuming and getting it right is not an easy task as I my self a beginner found out. I have a 4ft by 6ft pond, which is around 4ft deep at its deepest point. The pond itself is made with a liner, which is cemented at the topsides and then crazy paving all around it to enhance it. I recommend getting a liner if possible its so much easier and all you need to do is dig out the hole to the required size. You can then add your fountain to the middle, most pumps come with a fountain attachment, and you simply place large stone to the middle to hold your pump in a centre... Read review

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Advantages: I do prefer a soft liner then a hard plasic one.
Disadvantages: none provided you make sure the base is perfectly flat

...We have two ponds in the garden one for fish and one for the frogs, at least that was the idea,but I forgot to tell the frogs....they are every where. We have a liner in one pond and have a hard plastic construction for the frog pond,on building the plastic liner pond we first dug the shape,I thought that i would like a kidney shape. We first lined the hole with sand gave it a nice soft lining then put in some new pieces of carpet that we had left over,we were quite sure that the pondliner was sure to be safe,we lay the plasic liner in the middle of the hole and filled with water, it took its own shape then with the weight of the water. it looked really nice and was quite easy to construct,we had cut down into the soil about 8 inches and made a shelf,then cut down anothe 10 inches to the bottom of what would be the pond,then when... Read review

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Advantages: It really works
Disadvantages: It can stain hands or clothing

...tricky to remove so I speared it with a pair of garden secateurs that were to hand and then it was easy to peel off. It also comes with a small measuring cup that clicks over the cap during storage so you don’t mislay it between treatments. °°◦α α How to use Before use it is recommended to temporarily switch off any u.v. filters for 72 hours, although I don’t have such technology in my pond. Next you need to calculate your pond capacity it you don’t already know it. This is important so you treat with the correct dosage. Pond volume can be worked out by multiplying the average length in feet by the average width in feet by the average depth in feet and multiply all this by 6.25. This will calculate the number of gallons. (To work in new money you multiply the L x W x D in metres and then multiply by 1000... Read review

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Advantages: Small packaging, small price, very comfortable
Disadvantages: took 7 days to arrive after ordering

...) Upon visual inspection there is an easy way to tell from the shape of the lens edge whether it is the correct way round, the last lenses i used seemed to be almost the same either way, the only way to tell was to put them in and see if i could see! this was a nice suprise. The lenses seem to be made of a softer more rubber-like material than the other lenses i have tried which may make them more susceptible to damage but will also make them more comfortable for long wear. The inclusion of a UV filter in the lenses is a nice touch as UV is a concern in this day and age.... Read review

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