My aim in this book is to give essential advice on all the main aspects of garden fish ponds and to make the advice as easy to understand as possible. The advice is directed at freshwater garden ponds. My experience with ponds has all been in the warm temperate Mediterranean type climate of Perth, Western Australia. The principles for water gardens are similar worldwide but warm temperate climates like that of Perth intensify some of the problems facing pond owners. This book will therefore be particularly useful to pond owners in sunny climates similar to Perth's - especially California, South Africa, Chile and all of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

The book begins with pond design, starting with the position of the pond in the garden. I discuss the consequences of different pond sizes and depths and the advantages of a dual pond system. Should you have a "natural" or artificial pond? I give guidelines for these and for "self-cleaning" ponds. I explain why I recommend designing the pond with a sump, overflow, automatic top-up valve and leaf skimmer.

Next, I present advice on building ponds. Ponds can be built with liners, bricks, concrete, fibreglass or polyethylene. I write about my experiences with ponds made from each of these materials and also my preferences for pipework materials.

In the next chapter, I give my recommendations for pumps, filters, ultraviolet clarifiers, copper ionizers and water features. Choosing the right equipment will give you the optimum result. You want the right effect for the least cost in terms of both money and effort.

The chapter on fish gives advice on transporting, handling, and feeding fish. I supply information on diseases and predators and I recommend the number of fish a pond can handle.

The following chapter delivers general information on water plants - why you should have them and their role in the ecology of the pond.

Finally, I give recommendations for pond maintenance including a maintenance routine. The maintenance is largely directed at algae control. I discuss the various forms of nuisance algae - microalgae, blanket weed, and slime algae - and I recommend methods of control. This final chapter also covers adjusting and maintaining pH and hardness. Other advice includes water testing and water treatments including bacterial additives.

Maintaining good water quality is fundamental to the success of any fish pond. "Good" water quality means the water's suitability for its proposed purpose. Water quality is affected by every aspect of a pond, from its position, design and construction to its pumps, filters and maintenance. Each chapter of this book tells how each aspect of the pond affects the water. Every fishpond is different - the solutions to one pond's set of problems may be very different to another pond's. The water quality will be affected by many factors, known and unknown. The information I give on water quality is only to allow you to understand the basic things affecting ponds.

Water quality is affected by every aspect of a pond, from its position, design and construction to its pumps, filters and maintenance. This book tells how each aspect of the pond affects the water.