Aquascape (St. Charles, IL) manufactures faux-log fish caves as heavy-duty, natural-looking shelters that protect pond fish from predators – including herons. Designed for use in new or existing ponds as a decorative accent that doesn’t need to be hidden by rocks, the units are made from poly-resin and are 19 inches long, 12 inches wide […]
Tag: predators
2016/9.2, September 21 — Hilltop Staging, Pond Pests, Shimmering Reflections and more
THE ESSENTIAL E-NEWSLETTER FOR WATERSHAPE DESIGNERS, ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS September 21, 2016 www.watershapes.com FEATURE ARTICLE All About the View The hilltop spec house called for a soft-spoken pool and spa that didn’t interfere with the great view beyond. So he started with a simple form, writes Ben Lasseter — then focused his creative energies on […]
Crime-Scene Ponds
Most ponds are at the mercy of predators of one sort or another. In Mike Gannon‘s experience, however, there are two usual suspects he knows he can ignore — and a whole class of offenders who can’t seem to resist stopping by to feast on fishy treats.
Happy, Healthy and Safe
By Mike Gannon
Koi ponds can be watershapes of great beauty in which sizeable populations of large, gorgeous fish thrive through the long lives these creatures often experience. With the pond that appears at the start of the video linked below, however, there were key features that were missing from the existing pond that put the big fish at risk in a number of ways.
I don’t know the full history of the pond, but it’s clear it
Turtle Heaven
By Eric Triplett
Every once in a while, we come across a client with a special interest in supporting something other than the fish and plants that generally inhabit the ponds we design and install. Occasionally, for example, we’ll get a request to build a watershape that will be particularly attractive to non-fishy wildlife – everything from birds and frogs to various mammals and even insects.
In most cases, no special features are required: The pond becomes a known, habitual part of the local ecosystem and various creatures will just show up, so all we really need to do is make certain the water is deep enough and that we’ve installed enough caves and hiding places that the fish will be able to elude predators.
Turtles, however, are a different story. Where frogs and birds and raccoons and butterflies will just appear, pondowners generally need to bring in turtles – and then