Ponds unfairly get pegged as mosquito breeding territory. With minor tweaks, a true mosquito pond could be solved and become breeding grounds no more. If you don't have a pond but you're wondering--- fear not and read on. A common concern that new or soon to be pond owners express is whether their pond can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The life cycle of the mosquito is just like any fly with 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, adult. The first 3 stages are aquatic and last for just over a week, the adult stage lasts about a month or so.  To lay eggs in the first place, mosquito prefer stagnant water; i.e. slow moving or motionless still water with low oxygen levels and high nutrient levels.

If your watergarden is correctly built, there should not only be no stagnant water areas, but attract many types species that happily and aggressively eat mosquitoes. These species include but are not limited to: fish, dragonfly, frogs, and birds. If mosquito are still coming, there may be a swampy area elsewhere on your property or the neighbors. Check around!

If your pond is built different than the Aquascape Inc. set up, consider adding something like a spitter decor fountain to churn up the stagnant water areas you're finding. Spitters can be a fun decorative addition to the water feature anyways. The addition of an air station, such as a bubbler, will also churn up the water AND add some extra oxygen to your fish. If it's filtration you're lacking, considering adding a skimmer box, as it will help solve more than just a mosquito issue-- it'll clear up all sorts of maintenance problems you might be having, too!!!

WATER CONDITIONS in your pond

• High oxygen levels because of aerators, waterfalls, and streams.
• Low nutrient levels because of filtration systems, water treatments, and aquatic plantings.
• Lots of water movement from pumping systems, skimmers, decor spitter fountains
  

ENVIRONMENT of your pond

• Fish, dragonfly, frogs, birds and bats  all either eat mosquito larva or mosquito adults!

TREATMENTS for your pond

• Mosquito Dunks is a popular and effective treatment.

It is perfectly normal to wonder about the potential mosquito issues with a pond---especially if you inherited a pond with a new home purchase. Fortunately, a well-managed pond is exactly NOT the place that mosquitoes want to be or lay eggs. Our well balanced ponds will be home for all sorts of critters that have an appetite for mosquitoes and their eggs.

Dreamscapes has a full service maintenance program that travels all over the Lebanon, Lancaster and Dauphin County areas constructing and installing pond tents. We also carry a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! Tadpoles and snails are also available at our Aquatic Retail Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania seasonally while supplies last from May-August.  If you think you need it, we have it!



Retail Hours:  April 5th-October 27th 2018:
                           Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
                           Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
                           Saturday: 9am-12pm
                     October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT


Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | info@dreamscapeswatergardens.com

Dreamscapes Watergardens services koi ponds and waterfalls in the city of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown of Pennsylvania, PA

Fish predators…they are everywhere- sometimes more during some seasons than others. Whether you’re new to ponding or just need a new trick at keeping the predators uninterested in your stock..you’ve come to the right place for a short list of some pretty effective methods. If your fish are missing, please know it wasn't the dog or cat that hangs out by the pond. While some of the below solutions may seem odd, they all have worked for our customers at one time or another. It’s important to note that some of these work better when combined with each other.

Heron are absolutely beautiful birds and they happen to be protected here in Pennsylvania. Territorial birds, younger ones are shy and prefer to hunt without humans around and will take off if there’s noise. Older birds are more brave and require much more effort at keeping them away once they’ve pegged you as a reliable buffet. A heron will come back repeatedly and eventually clear out every koi it can find if you don’t act fast.  

Heron Decoys – Fake herons work well if you move them when you spot a bird in the area. During spring, we recommend moving them daily as there are more rentless birds searching for food for their babies.

Fishing Line / Net Barriers – Heron do not fly into the pond---they walk into it. Because of which, you should string fishing line around/across pond to deter the heron from getting in. When they go to step, the line will get caught in their feet/wings and cause frustration.

Mink are known to hunt in Winter when the pond is iced over and your fish are just hanging out dormant. To do so, they will use the hole created by the bubbler / heater you installed as a "Life Support" to get under the ice. If you notice small footprints near the hole or blood/drag marks coming from the hole, these are indicators a mink has come for your fish and may come back.  

Pond Dye – Mink hunt by sight and have no sense of smell underwater. Adding pond dye to your pond will make it so they cannot see what they want to hunt.

You may find raccoons prowling around the pond from here and there, however, normally found at the scene of the crime, after-the-fact, raccoons are rarely capable of killing koi. Obvious signs that koi was killed by a heron and not the raccoon is usually the large puncture wound in the fish.  Once the heron has speared a fish too large to eat, it throws it on the shore, and the raccoon is found with it later.  

Motion Activated Devices – Motion activated lights, motion activated scarecrows, anything that can detect motion at night can help.  

Water lilies, water lettuce and water hyacinth can all help hide your fish from the prying eyes of predators during the pond season.  Koi tunnels and or koi caves give your fish places they can hide when they feel threatened. Lastly, an aerator will not only add oxygen to your pond in the hot summer months but it will also break the water surface up and help to obscure a predators view to whats beneath the surface.

Dreamscapes has a full service maintenance program that travels all over the Lebanon, Lancaster and Dauphin County areas. We also carry a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! Tadpoles and snails are also available at our Aquatic Retail Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania seasonally while supplies last from May-August.  If you think you need it, we have it!

Retail Hours:  April 5th-October 27th 2018:
                           Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
                           Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
                           Saturday: 9am-12pm
                     October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT


Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | info@dreamscapeswatergardens.com

Dreamscapes Watergardens services koi ponds and waterfalls in the city of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown of Pennsylvania, PA

From time to time you may notice your pond pump acts different than normal-- making a different kind of noise or not working to the same capacity. On average, pond pumps last about 5 years if it is taken care of seasonally and routinely. Obviously if you don't service your pump (unclog it when necessary, clean out the sponges on Ultra Pumps, don't let it freeze solid during winter, restricting flow with small fittings etc) you may see a shorter life span due to the unnecessary stress put on the pump. Aquascape Inc. pumps are the brand that we, at Dreamscapes Watergardens, install and sell as a retailer because we've seen the best quality come from them. Bonus: they're backed with a 3 year warranty.

Generally speaking, pumps either work or they don't work at all. If you're seeing something weird going on with your pump, there's a good chance the issue is listed below. Follow along to see if your pump issue is fixable!

Dreamscapes carries a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! Tadpoles and snails are also available at our Aquatic Retail Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania seasonally while supplies last from May-August.  If you think you need it, we have it!

Retail Hours:  April 5th-October 27th 2018:
                           Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
                           Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
                           Saturday: 9am-12pm
                     October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT


Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | info@dreamscapeswatergardens.com

Dreamscapes Watergardens services koi ponds and waterfalls in the city of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown of Pennsylvania, PA

A common question we get asked, especially by new pond owners, is will my dog or cat catch my koi fish? We are here to assure you that your fish will be fine. When your k-9 or feline companion begins to explore the big puddle in your backyard for the first time since installation they will be extremely curious. But in their defense, your neighbor and kids are curious too---so are you!!

Typically what we see first is that the dogs want to run around it and test the durability of the rocks around the edge, which is completely fine. They may sniff around at the water, and possibly could even play around on the rocks through the streams. Sooner or later they will become brave enough to take a plunge into the pond, unless of course they hate water, like cats. Cats notoriously hate water...and even when perched along the edge of the pond, cats don't have enough leverage or ability to reach all the way into the pond and scoop a fish out. Cats and dogs may sit and watch fish for hours as if mesmerized --- fish mesmerize everyone though!

Almost every pond built by Dreamscapes Watergardens has at least one fish cave installed in it, which allows the fish to hide from predators. The fish cave is virtually hidden from view. So if for some reason you own a dog that can swim as fast as a fish, they will still have a place to hide out and lie low while your dog is enjoying your water feature. Most dogs tend to lose interest in chasing or staring at fish after they get use to the pond being on your property as well. With a little bit of time and trust, we promise your dog will learn to love your pond and coincide with your fish.

We have two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, who are WATER DOGS, for example and they are ALWAYS in the pond. A year apart in age but both still fairly young, we went through the feeling out the safety of our fish pretty recently and can report that the dogs have never caused harm to the fish. They may be all over the waterfall and in the pond every day but not only have the fish been safe but we've never had an issue with the liner tearing either from their claws. We also have had our friend's dogs in the pond with no danger done to the fish.

Dreamscapes is a full service watergarden company offered installation, renovation and maintenance services for ponds, waterfalls and fountains all over the Central Pennsylvania area. We also carry a full line of pond supplies from water treatments and fish medications to pond pumps, heaters, fountains, plants and fish! Tadpoles and snails are also available at our Aquatic Retail Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania seasonally while supplies last from May-August.  If you think you need it, we have it!

Retail Hours:  April 5th-October 27th 2018:
                           Monday-Wednesday: By Appt
                           Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm
                           Saturday: 9am-12pm
                     October 28th-April 2019: HOURS BY APPT


Contact Us
2155 State Route 343, Lebanon Pa | 717-272-6555 | info@dreamscapeswatergardens.com

Dreamscapes Watergardens services koi ponds and waterfalls in the city of Lebanon, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Cleona, Cornwall, Fredericksburg, Indiantown Gap, Jonestown, Kleinfeltersville, Mount Gretna, Myerstown, Newmanstown Palmyra, Quentin, Reistville, Richland, Schaefferstown of Pennsylvania, PA