Avoiding common pitfalls in the water garden.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

A test for water gardeners or super sleuths.

This article (hypothetical or not) is designed to inform, test, and entertain. Have fun, learn, and good luck. Graphics have been not been included to allow for faster down load times.

System Specs: 10x12 pond, average depth 2 ft.. Lined with Pondgard 45 mil rubber. Sandstone coping, gravel bottom, 1200 gallon per hour pump with small sponge filter/operating a fountain head and a small waterfall. This system is roughly 1200gallons.

The first official day of pond season has opened! Meaning the water garden is complete, it has just been filled with city water, and it is running. Shortly after filling the pond and plugging in the pump the young man (as he prefers to be referred to) gently releases a large bag of fish containing four, 12inch comets into his 1200 gallon pond. After staring with amazement into the pond for about an hour the young man decides it is time to go indoors (his mother is calling him for dinner). Before he heads into the house for supper he unplugs the pump and proceeds inside.

The following morning before school the young man rises early to check on his new creation and its inhabitants. To his pleasant surprise he meets his mother and father outdoors on the nearby deck watching the water dance across the stones before it splashes into the pond. With his mother and father, they enjoy the site and sound of the water in their backyard. The smell of fresh brewed coffee and lilacs are in the air when the father regretfully explains to the boy that there had been a problem with some of the fish overnight. It would seem that 3 of the 4 fish had passed away, and where found floating that morning as the father went to the pond to plug in the pump. The young man has to see this to believe it and notices the one remaining comet has a grayish haze covering its body.

After returning from school that day the young man is determined to figure out what had happened to his fish. He is now hungry for information and tenacious by nature. He goes on his quest for answers to the riddle, and he suspects that the answers are close at hand.

There are several clues that are deliberately placed here to distract from the facts of the story.

Below are the choices that the young man is debating which one is correct?

Based on this scenario what actually happened to the young mans fish?

He purchased sick fish.	Ammonia/Nitrite poisoning.
This stinks! Back to GRN homepage.	The pump was off, causing severe oxygen depletion.
The fish did not like the pond.	Chlorine or Chloramine Poisoning
The fish fought to the death.	No plants in the Pond.

Hope you enjoy the little quiz, and are happy with your score.

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