more good advice for beginners

[brokensword]

1. keep the pump off the bottom
2. 60% shade/coverage of the surface is ideal
3. to help control the fish population, do not feed during and just after spawning behavior is detected.
4. With any filter, the outlet should be TWICE the volume of the inlet, to prevent spillage/loss of water
5. At 39F, the warm water will be at the pond bottom and not at the top.
6. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm
7. plants give off O2 during the day but take it in at night
8. use double water timers to prevent accidental overfills
9. use a float valve to prevent accidental pond emptying
10. UV will not kill string algae
11. UV needs a slow flow past to work effectively.
12. UV will kill beneficial organisms right along with the free floating algae cells
13. Use plants instead of UV
14. use fast, low growing plants in a bog for quicker nutrient uptake and ease of thinning
15. if the water level in your bog starts to rise, keep an eye on the bog plants and thin as needed
16. use unions whenever/wherever you can re pond plumbing; you'll thank us later!
17. a bog is mainly used for bio-filtration; using it for mechanical purposes can and probably will lead to clogging issues
18. a bog's primary function is to provide a large area for denitrifying bacteria to colonize.
19. plants in a bog are there to take up the nitrates converted by the denitrifying bacteria
20. a skimmer is a filter only in the sense it takes out large debris
21. a waterfall should be built such that ALL the water that MIGHT leak sideways is contained and returned to the pond.
22. koi, as they grow, put out an exponential amount of waste
23. You do not need a bottom drain to have a successful pond.
24. Raise the aerator (if used) in the winter to within 12" of the surface; do not leave it deep.
25. Ways to keep a hole open in the ice; trough heater, deicer, pond breather, pump aimed toward the surface, aerator.
26. NEVER pound on the ice to make a hole in the winter; set a pot of boiling water flat on the ice instead.
27. Aeration does NOT occur in any appreciable measure from the bubbles rising through the water column; it happens by way of surface agitation.
28. The iron in well water will not harm the fish nor the plants.
29. It is not necessary nor desirable to add salt to the pond. A separate salt bath IS beneficial for various fish illnesses.
30. The only sure way ponders have found to protect their fish from predation by birds is by using a net, at least 12" above the water surface.
31. If you have a pond and are near bears, moose, cougars, minks, or otters, good luck!

[j.w]

Great advice @brokensword