ABC’s of Ponds

As a Koi Health Advisor, I particu­larly enjoyed her comments about new hobbyists, in her section “New Ponder Syndrome.” She writes “We have a problem, folks.  It’s called a ‘little bit of knowledge’ and it’s running rampant across the U.S…..Every pond [new hobbyists] see tells them theirs is inadequate for their fish. Every advertisement for a new filter is cause for great anxiety.  They are gnawing their way through life…They throw chemicals into the pond to solve one problem and create several new ones.  They live in a constant state of unfulfillment.”

She goes on to say that koi keeping and pond ownership, if we follow a few basic rules, should “bring down” our blood pressure, not raise it, and explains exactly what we need to do, with a sense of humor.

Another thing I really liked about her book was her acknowledgment of the various kinds of ponds we might enjoy, from reflecting pools to frog ponds, turtle ponds, water garden ponds to the straight-sided classic koi pond. All offer tremen­dous enjoyment, and she gives suggestions on how to best build each one and what kinds of questions to ask contractors if we are having someone else build the pond for us.

Carolyn J. Weise is editor of the Mid-Atlantic Koi magazine, works in consumer relations for Ecological Laboratories, Inc., and has written for numerous pond and water garden publications over the years. She bought her first koi in 1990, and has been koi kichi ever since.

This is an all around “must have” book; after you look it over, you may want to order one for your­self. I now have my very own copy.