Aquascape MicroPond & MicroPondless Kits (99763, 99764, 99765 & 99769) - Manual (Page 17)

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Fig. 46 If you find the leak, pack soil beneath
the liner to raise the edge.
Fig. 47 Hide the exposed liner with gravel
and mulch.
Fig. 45 Check the perimeter of the basin for
any areas that are wet.
If you notice you have to add water
on a daily basis, you may have a
leak. We have found that 99% of
leaks occur along the perimeter
of the waterfalls and pond edges.
Small leaks are generally due to
the ground settling; this causes the
water to trickle over the edge
of the liner in the stream or water-
fall. Leaks such as these can be
easily fixed.
Steps in finding a leak:
• Check the perimeter of the pond
for any areas that are wet. Damp
or saturated soil is usually a good
indicator that water is leaking
over the liner. (See fig. 45)
• Check to make sure any slow mov-
ing sections of the stream/water-
falls have not become obstructed
by leaves, plants or other debris,
causing the water to back up over
the edges of the liner.
• Investigate the outside perimeter
of the waterfall and stream. Look
for any water that is noticeably
being diverted over the side of
the liner.
• Once you have found the leak,
simply pack soil beneath the liner
in order to raise the edge above
the water level. Hide the exposed
liner by replacing the gravel and
add mulch. (See figs. 46 & 47)
Leaks
Water clarity is usually at its best
in the fall because of fewer battles
with algae. It truly is an enjoyable
time of year. Here are some things
that you can do to keep your water
garden looking good.
• There may be increasing num-
bers of yellow leaves this time
of year, so prune them off all of
your plants. Your lilies–tropical
and hardy–should still be going
strong, at least until the first
heavy frost.
• Stop fertilizing your aquatic plants
when the weather starts getting
cooler. This lets them know the
season is coming to an end.
• When your water temperature
gets down around 50 F° (10° C)
or so, stop feeding your fish. If you
continue feeding them, you could
cause major health problems for
your little aquatic friends.
• Enjoy the good water quality! In the
fall, water is almost always very
clear because of the cooler tem-
peratures and the full, lush plants.
• About this time, the foliage starts
falling off the trees, and the pond
fills up with wet soggy leaves.
This is one time of year when your
pond may require daily mainte-
nance. (See fig. 48) If you have a
skimmer, you’ll probably have to
empty the debris net every day to
keep up with the influx of leaves.
Some of the leaves will undoubt-
edly sink to the bottom, although
you can net these pretty easily
before they start to break down.
Don’t knock yourself out snag-
ging every single leaf. Some left
in little areas here and there will
give insects and frogs a place
to overwinter.
• If you’ve left a little too much or-
ganic matter, it may start looking
like a tall glass of sweet-tea from
the south.
But don’t fear. Removing excess
debris, and adding activated carbon
should clear it right up.
• As it gets cold, the lilies and mar-
ginals will have all but died for
the season, and the trees are just
about bare. The fish are spending
more time on the bottom and are
slowing down. Now you can cut
Fall & Winter Maintenance
Fig. 48 Remove excess debris from your pond.
Note: Several of the steps do not apply to MicroPondless ® systems.
PD/PL
PD/PL