Alpine 60W Transformer

60 Watt Transformer with Photo Cell and Timer. Enhance the beauty of any water garden and add intrigue with this Multi-Light Transformer with Photo Cell and Timer. Photo Cell and Timer will activate when it gets dark.

Terminal Strip 12 Volt line connections accommodate any bare wire or “Y” connector application.

This unit should be connected to a UL listed Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. Ground shielded for use with underwater lights.

• Works with most outdoor low voltage lighting

• Ground shielded for submersible lighting

• cUL Listed

• Input: 120VAC 60hZ – 0.6A

• Output: 12VAC = 5.0A 60VA

• Suitable for indoor or outdoor use

• Supports up to 60 Watts

• 3ft Power cord to GFCI Outlet

• Photo Cell and Timer – 4, 6 or 8 Hour which works with the photo cell or constant On or off

• Transformer accommodates most any bare wire 12v ac lighting

• Includes Special 3 Port Connector to use with Alpine Lighting (Lighting Sold Separately)

• NOT for use with dimmers

• 2 Year Limited Manufacturers Warranty

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS ITEM OR BROWSE OUR OTHER SALE ITEMS

Pond & Koi Books

We have a good cross-section of books for your enjoyment or a gift for someone you may know who truly appreciates Koi.  Whether you are looking for reference material from the Encyclopedia of Koi, or the beautifully told story of Nishikigoi in Koi Kichi, you’ll want to make sure you have these books at your disposal.

Many of our books are under $20! 

Take a look at the Pondmaster series books like Koi Colour Varieties & A Practical Guide to Building a Koi Pond.  We also carry a nice selection of pond plant books that are affordable and make great gifts!

Visit Our Books & DVD Section

Fall is officially here and it’s time to start working on your autumn pond maintenance.

1. Eliminate debris and leaves in and around your pond, make sure to catch the leaves and other unwanted matter at the bottom of the pond as well. Install pond netting to prevent leaves from falling into the pond. Remove organic build-up.
2. In water temperatures below 65º F but above 42º F feed wheat germ based foods to your koi and goldfish, wheat germ is highly digestible and keeps ammonia excretion to a minimum. At below 42º F you can stop feeding altogether, this process is important to the health of your fish and to reduce organic waste in the water.
3. Clean your filters and other equipment thoroughly. If you live in a cold weather state you will eventually have to shut down and remove your equipment to prevent damage from freezing.
4. Purchase a de-icer now so you have it ready when your pond starts freezing over.

These are just a few tips to help ensure a safe and healthy pond come spring.

Nycon Koi Net

Koiscapes now has Nycon nets available.  The Nycon Koi Net has a solid aluminum frame with a soft protective covering designed for fish safety, it also has a 1″ diameter handle that is permanently attached.  This net is great for entry level koi.

Check out Nycon Entry Level Koi Nets Here

We also have the Nycon sock nets, your choice of 8″, 11″ and 15″ diameter with a 12″ handle.  They also have a sock net transporter that holds water.  Sock nets are a safe, easy way to handle large koi.  Sock nets utilize soft, non-snagging mesh.

Check Out Nycon Sock Nets Here

Cleaning Out Your Pond

Once the snow has disappeared and the ice has melted in your pond give your pond a spring cleaning. It is important to remove the debris and sludge that accumulated at the bottom during the last few months. While water temperatures increase the organic matter from the previous year breaks down, this can potentially dangerous for the health and well being of your pond and the creatures occupying it.

Use a skimmer net or pond vacuum to remove debris from the pond.  A Pond Vacuum is an easy and efficient way to remove leaves and other unwanted matter that builds up at the bottom of your pond.  Keeping the pond floor clean and free of unsightly floor sediment, sludge, and plant debris is necessary and, unfortunately, it is often quite tiresome.  A good pond vacuum will make the task more manageable and less strenuous.

Checking Your Equipment

It is a good idea to inspect all equipment before things get going full swing. Ideally all pond equipment, including pond liners should be checked for leaks, loose fittings or signs of other ware and tear. It may be necessary to replace items, so preparing for this now will help reduce any mishaps or equipment failures later on when your pond and koi’s well-being will depend upon it.

Check the equipment for signs of damage. Inspect each piece of equipment for cracks in cords as well as broken or damaged equipment. Clean filters and filter pads or brushes, if they are old you should consider replacing them. You will also want to inspect the waterfall for leaks. The freezing and thawing of the ground during winter can slightly displace rocks making the waterfall leak. This can often be fixed with black waterfall foam without having to take the waterfall apart.

Check the Ultraviolet Clarifier for loose fittings, carefully clean quartz sleeve and look for cracks in the sleeve. A cracked or broken sleeve will ruin a UV bulb. Now is the best time to replace the UV bulb as you want to be sure your UV light is working effectively in the upcoming months. UV bulbs should be replaced every year; keep in mind just because the bulb is still burning does not mean the UV spectrum is still working. If the pond does not clear up a new bulb may be needed.

Oxygen is vital to the well-being and overall condition of fish, plants and filter bacteria. Higher water temperature will cause oxygen levels to decrease. Be sure to check that your air pump is working properly. A common replacement item in air pumps is the diaphragm. These can fail unpredictably, but more so when the diaphragm is cold or has not been used for several months. Keep a spare one handy just in case.

Preparing your pond now will help avoid a disaster later on.  KoiScapes Inc. has all the products and know-how to help get your pond underway for spring. We’re right at your fingertips visit our online store at www.koiscapes.com.

Test Your Pond Water

Testing your pond water in the spring is important to give you an idea of how your pond changed over the months it has been in-active, and if it needs to be treated. Your pH may have dropped due to the diluting effect of rain and snow, you also should check your nitrate levels. Although the breakdown of organic matter during the winter is very slow, it still occurs, and most likely has led to an accumulation of nitrates. If your pond contains too many nitrates, the warmer temperatures in the spring will start to rapidly produce algae growth. Spring time is also a good time to check your ponds ammonia and phosphate levels.

Another important thing to test in the spring is your water temperature! Some water clarifiers and conditioners have a recommended water temperature for usage, also the type of koi food you choose is based on your pond’s temperature.

Checking The Health Of Your Fish

If your fish have remained in your pond over the winter, now is the time to check them for diseases or parasites. Remember to check your water because the health of your fish goes hand-in-hand with your water quality. Under spring conditions micro-organisms can multiply quickly, creating a stressful environment for your fish. Because your fish’s immune system isn’t fully recovered from the winter yet, they are more prone to disease and parasites during this time.

Here are some signs that something is wrong – swimming in quick bursts, running into objects, little or no movement when other fish are active, holding fins against their body, and check for white or red areas on your fish.

On another important note, do not feed your koi until the water is consistently above 50°F.  At this point you should be feeding them a wheat germ based food, which is easier for digestion, until the water temperature reaches at least 70°F.

Winter Fish Feeding

Your fish will become more sluggish and dormant as the temperature in your pond drops, they require less protein and eventually begin to live off the fat they built up during the warm season.   Excess protein consumed is generally excreted as ammonia, an inactive pond can not help break down ammonia and if too much builds-up it will harm your fish. To prevent this from happening, start feeding your fish less everyday and eventually stop at below 42º F.

In water temperatures below 65º F but above 42º F feed wheat germ based foods to your koi and goldfish, wheat germ is highly digestible and keeps ammonia excretion to a minimum.  We carry wheat germ brands such as Hikari, Microbe-Lift Legacy, and Hai Feng.

Prevent Pond Freeze Over

We recommend not running waterfalls during below freezing temperatures; it can cause ice jams and leaking. You can shut down your pump from around mid December to late February in hardiness zones 5 and 6, for colder areas shut down from November through March if needed.
If you are keeping fish in your pond over winter, it is essential to have a de-icer. A de-icer will keep a hole in your pond to prevent it from completely freezing over, this provides a way for toxic wastes to escape and oxygen to enter. Use of an air pump throughout the winter will also help oxygenate the water.

If you have fish and your pond does completely freeze over, never break the ice because the shock can kill your fish. Taking hot water and gradually thawing a spot open in the pond is a better way to open it up, but making sure your pond doesn’t freeze over completely is imperative.

As your pond freezes over during the winter, toxic gasses start to build up underneath the ice creating a toxic environment for your fish.  A de-icer simply heats the area around the de-icer to create a hole in the ice, letting toxic gases to escape.

We have a great selection of de-icers, browse them Here!

Eliminate debris and leaves in and around your pond, keep your pond oxygenated, and feed your fish less at a lower protein level as water temperatures drop. Plants, fish, and equipment all have individual needs during the winter and it’s not too early to start, remembering these important tips will help ensure a safe and healthy pond come spring.

REMOVING DEBRIS
A build-up of leaves and other organic matter can cause an imbalance in your pond, reducing oxygen to dangerously low levels and also places an extra burden on your equipment. The quantity of debris is increased during the fall, so start now and continue to remove these materials on a regular basis, skimmer nets and pond pliers are helpful in this process.

To maximize your debris-removing efforts install pond netting over your pond to help prevent leaves from falling into it, we also carry pond scissors if you would like to cut back on the foliage around your pond.  You may also want to invest in a pond vacuum, it is a great method to remove leaves and other unwanted matter that builds up at the bottom of the pond.

Adding bacterial additives like Autumn Leaves Digester or Microbe-Lift Autumn/Winter Prep can also  help.  These products are specially formulated for pond winterization and are extremely helpful when the leaves start falling, both contain beneficial bacteria and will help jump start your pond to a healthier environment come spring.

COLD WEATHER KOI FOOD
A Koi’s metabolism functions best at temperatures above 70º F. High protein foods are difficult to digest when the water temperature falls below 65º F. In water temperatures below 65º F but above 42º F feed wheat germ based foods to your koi and goldfish, wheat germ is highly digestible and keeps ammonia excretion to a minimum. At below 42º F you can stop feeding altogether, this process is important to the health of your fish and to reduce organic waste in the water.

Feed smaller quantities more frequently for better nutritional absorption.
Feed only as much as the fish will eat in about 3 to 5 minutes.

Check Out These Cold Weather Koi Foods!

We hope these tips help get you motivated to start your  fall pond maintenance!

Laguna Max-Flo Pump

We are now carrying Laguna Pond products!  Check out their Max-Flo & Power Jet Pumps, Pond Nets and Pressure-Flo Filters.

Laguna offers a wide range of quality products for creating and maintaining beautiful water gardens.  Every Laguna product is thoroughly tested and evaluated at their in-house testing facility before it is released in the marketplace.

The Laguna pumps and filters come with a 3 year manufacturers warranty.

Only water that passes through the UV unit will be treated.  Located inside the UV unit there is a quartz sleeve that is protecting the UV lamp from shorting out.  The water passes over the quartz sleeve and the UV light kills the algae, bacteria and viruses.  Sterilizers will not kill a parasite or illness on the fish, but parasites go through a free floating stage, at which point they are eliminated.

When choosing a UV, you need to look at the size of your pond and flow rate (gph) of your pump.  Make sure to follow manufacturer guidelines for what UV power you will need, each manufacturer recommends a different wattage for different pond sizes and flow rates. We recommend you replace your UV bulb at least once a year.

Ultraviolet disinfection is never used as the sole method of water treatment. At the very least, it should be accompanied by sediment pre-filtration to ensure that bacteria and viruses are not shielded from the UV light by particulates in the water, and regular pond maintenance as well.  Two other main factors in algae growth are excess nutrients and too much light.  Avoid overstocking your fish and only feed them as much as they can eat in 3 – 5 minutes, this will cut down on the excess nutrients in the pond.  Algae are small plants that thrive on sunlight and warm weather, if your pond receives too much light consider adding plants for shade.  Create a clear and clean environment for your fish by combining filtration, UV, and general pond maintenance.

Aqua Ultraviolet is now offering some Great Rebates on UV sterilizers & replacement lamps. CLICK HERE FOR REBATE DETAILS!