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The Pond Gnome does not use any concrete, mortar or chemicals in any of our work. Why not? We have several reasons above and beyond wanting to work WITH Mother Nature not AGAINST her. Read on... CONCRETE POND BUILDS ARE RIGID SYSTEMSOnce you pour concrete, you're done. If you ever want to enlarge or change your feature, you will need to completely remove and replace it. You can't add on. You can't change the shape or the size. If a concrete pond cracks (which it eventually will due to the constant expansion and contraction of the earth), it cannot be repaired. Oh, some people will try. They'll fill the cracks with silicone, which will work until the next time the ground shifts. Or they'll paint a black, while, or blue rubber coating over it. That's the best option for functionality, but not very attractive. With a flexible system, you can expand, change the shape, or add on. And we like options.  CONCRETE PONDS & BIOLOGICAL FILTRATIONBiological filters are often under-designed (or flat-out non-existent) for concrete ponds, especially if they were not built with living ecosystems in mind. Oftentimes, a landscaper will build a "pond" for someone during a time when they're not considering adding life to it. Or the landscaper just doesn't ask about such things, because they're not a pond specialist, or they just don't care. Biological filters are homes for bacteria and zooplankton in which to live and convert poo (algae gold, but harmful to fish if too concentrated) into plant food. When the filter is under-built, it's much too small to house the required quantity of micro-organisms to convert the excrement load. It usually plugs up before it can even begin the conversion process! Every time you clean it, it reboots the conversion processing, starting over something that takes up to a week just to cycle and get started again. Very counterproductive.  CONCRETE PONDS AND WATER TREATMENTIf you've been trying to create an ecosystem in your concrete pond, and have been using bacteria and enzymes, you may forget and leave the living beneficial bacteria product outside, because using it is more convenient if it's right next to the pond, especially considering how often you need to use it for this type of construction. However, in the 100+ temps, that bacteria you are adding is now dead. It needs to be alive to do anything beneficial, which is coming out of dormancy, colonizing your bio media, and beginning the eating and conversion process.  CONCRETE PONDS AND AQUATIC LIFEAfter 22+ years in this business (since 2000), we can tell you we are certain that small concrete bowls of water containing aquatic critters producing ammonia-laden defecation in the water every day, and sporting little to no biological filters, are never, ever guaranteed to produce and maintain a stable, balanced, clear-water aquatic ecosystem. Every time a fish or turtle defecates, the water parameters change measurably. In fact, zoos have staff specifically tasked with complete water change-outs and cleanings, every week, on ponds with a bio-load that is greater than the regeneration zone or biological filtration to compensate.  CONCRETE PONDS FOR BELOVED PETSWe are happy to try and help with these pet tanks, but you'll need to be crystal clear about your expectations for it. If you wish to discuss this further, we would be happy to assess your situation and suggest a pond management program where we help you move forward with your existing pond on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis (depending on how much work you want to do yourself).
SEE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONCRETE AND ECOSYSTEM-DESIGNED PONDSIf you love the ponding hobby and are interested in possibly replacing your existing concrete water feature with a beautiful, living, ecosystem pond, we'd love to chat! If you'd like to see some for yourself first, please feel free to visit any of our public displays, or set an appointment to come by our office/showroom (by appointment) to talk with us. JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF CONCRETE PONDS WE'VE REPLACED:THE ULTIMATE BEFORE & AFTER:OTHER POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY: BACKYARD POND ENHANCES QUALITY OF LIFE WHAT IF PEOPLE TREATED RESTAURANTS LIKE THEY DO CONTRACTORS? TOP 10 REASONS YOU NEED A POND Comments are closed.
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The Pond Gnome offers Pond Design, Pond Construction, Pond Maintenance, Pond Remodeling, Pond Replacement, and Pond Cleaning Services for the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area, including the cities of Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Carefree, Cave Creek, Glendale, Peoria, Sun City, and other surrounding communities.
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