Garden Ponds
Few things are more peaceful than the sights and sounds of a garden pond full of colorful fish. Whether you decide you want a pond primarily as a water garden or to enjoy koi or goldfish, both life forms complement each other to maintain a healthy ecosystem. Fish are attractive to look at and bring movement into your pond; they eat and thus help control other organisms such as mosquito larvae and plant pests. The also help fertilize the aquatic plants with their excreta and provide carbon dioxide through their respiration to aid photosysnthesis.
Floating plants, on the other hand, protect baby fish and keep the pond cool and algae resistant by shading the water from direct sunlight. Other elements of a healthy pond include pumps, waterfalls, or fountains to circulate the water, lights around or inside the pool, and other special equipment to keep it clean.
Your pond may be the initial focal point around which you design the rest of your landscape or you may add it later to enhance your enjoyment of the yard that is already there. Either way, becoming a pond enthusiast will add a satisfying new dimension to your life and your home.
-- Tips courtesy of HomeAdvisor.com