There are many benefits of water features that far outweigh the beautiful aesthetic approach. From increased family time, to health and wellness and environmental conservation, it is pretty safe to say that water features are for EVERY body..even if you just don't know it yet. 

....that water features have been proven to provide soothing sights and sounds that help you relax and de-stress in today's busy world? It's true! In the Standards and Guidelines Preliminary Report of 2007, the Sustainability Sites Initiative reports that water features lower your blood pressure and improve your physical and mental health as you prop your feet up and enjoy the therapeutic effects of Mother Nature. In fact, hospital patients who have a view of natural landscapes recover faster from surgery and require less pain medication. In addition, heart rate, blood preassure, and other measures return to normal levels more quickly when people view natural rather than urban landscapes after a stressful experience. 

It is becoming more common to see medical care facilities, senior care homes, and churches marketing their water feature as highlights to their facilities for the reason of therapeutic approach to care and relaxation. We've even been contracted to install them at local public schools so that the students have a place to decompress before and after school. To see an example of a water feature we installed at the Sechlar Family Cancer Center, click here to read our blog on that project! Similarly, check out the Fountain Installation project we installed at the Northern Lebanon Middle School a few years ago. The Prayer Garden at Lebanon Area Evangelical Free Church serves symbolic purpose as it greets all of the worshipers and attendees to the church. Lastly, we installed a beautiful pond with a waterfall at the Retirement Community at ECC Stoneridge at Poplar Run in Myerstown, PA so that the folks can sit and enjoy the beauty that comes from pond fish and rushing waters. Check out the Stoneridge Water Feature by clicking here!

Dreamscapes also 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 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,

Ponds leak for all sorts of varying reasons: low liner, liner tears/chew holes, plumbing breakage or even a dammed up waterfall from plant over-growth. For the average DIY pond owner, the above issues are pretty easy to detect and to fix. Having checked for liner and waterfall issues, DIY pond owner's regularly call about their mystery leak.So what about when you've tried everything that's been the problem before and you can't figure out what's happening this time?

What are screws and gromets in a pond? Screws and gromets are the hardware pieces that hold the face plate of the skimmer box to the actual skimmer box, securing the liner between the two. If you don't know what a skimmer box is or need a refresher, click here to read our blog on skimmer boxes!

Brass screws and gromets are typically sold with and used during the original installation of a pond's skimmer box and tend to rust/disintegrate within the first 10 years after installation. Because you never have to use, look at, clean or even pay attention to screws and gromets, it's easy to forget that they exist as a part of your backyard pond altogether. 

Before you start removing and repairing the screws and gromets on your skimmer box's face plate, it's always a good idea to make sure that the screws and gromets are indeed the problem causing the leak. We trial and error this by turning the pump off, filling up the pond to it's normal level and letting the pond sit over night. The pond will continue to lose water and drop until it find's the whole causing the leak. If the screws and gromets are the problem, the water level will drop until it reaches the lowest screw that's rusted/disintegrated. With the water removed, it should be visibly obvious if a screws are rusted/disintegrated.

Another way to check is by digging along the front-side of the skimmer box until you can wiggle your hand behind the liner by the face-plate. If there is water or even moisture back behind that liner, that's a great indication that water is being lost through the deterioration of the screws.  

To solve a leak of this nature, first you're in need of removing the screws and gromets from the face-plate. Keep in mind that it is important to replace ALL the screws and gromets, whether or not they're all compromised. Removing the screws often requires drilling the old screws out.

To replace with new screws and gromets requires very special precision, as you need to line up the new screws where the old screws have made holes in the liner. Similarly, if any screw is every a little crooked, you can expect to continue losing water. Thus it is important to take your time doing this type of repair. 

Stainless Steel Screws and Gromets are the best replacements for the original brass screws and gromets that we've found. You can purchase these pieces at any Fastenal store. Tip: don't forget to use the silicone when replacing the screws and gromets!!

Dreamscapes also 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 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

Something you’ll definitely want to invest in when it comes to keeping your pond functioning correctly is the check valve. The check valve helps prevent water from draining back into the pond when the power to your pump is cut. This is beneficial for more than one reason but first let's discuss what it looks like and where it goes.

This is what a check valve looks like and it attaches directly to the pump inside the skimmer box. Inside this check valve is a rubber stopper that regulates the flow of the water through the plumbing, in that the force of the water pushes the stopper up and out of the way when the pump is functioning correctly. When the power is cut, that stopper drops back down and seals the hose off so that the water is essentially trapped inside the plumbing until the pump is turned back on. It is important that the check valve is disconnected for the winter during your water feature shut down process so that the water does not freeze in the plumbing, causing cracked pipes and pond leaks.

The reason a check valve is important is because you need to keep water in your biological filter so that the beneficial bacteria colonies can continue to grow. If you lose power and the water washes down your waterfall and plumbing, you expose the bacteria to air and the bacteria will die. Without beneficial bacteria, you throw off the balance of your ecosystem which inevitably causes the return of algae. Rebuilding your beneficial bacteria colonies does not happen over night so it is most productive to PREVENT killing your beneficial bacteria.

Another benefit to a check valve is what is prevented when the water stops circulating during a power outage. For big ponds with big, beautiful waterfalls, there is always extra water tied up in the plumbing and on the falls, at all times. If a check valve is not present, when your power is cut without a check valve, all that extra water has no where to go except out of the pond, flooding your patio and yard. You now have to add all the water back to the pond and depending upon the amount of water displaced, you may find some beached fish in the after-math.

Located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Dreamscapes Watergardens installs koi fish ponds and pondless waterfalls (disappearing waterfalls) all over the Central Pennsylvania area. For more information on koi ponds and waterfeature installations, please contact us directly!

Dreamscapes also 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 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,

Snails...a novelty of the pond world. They're slimy, slow and have an appetite to eat algae. At Dreamscapes Watergardens, we sell Trapdoor Snails for backyard ponds near Lebanon, Mechanicsburg, Harrisburg, Hershey, and Camp Hill areas of Pennsylvania seasonally from April-August in our Aquatic Retail Center. They're pretty cheap (and pretty fascinating) critters to add to your pond, though, you can't be too sure that you'll see them very often due to their size.

We always find that kids LOVE to spend time trying to find the snails in the pond--the ultimate "Where's Waldo" game.

Trapdoor snails in Central Pennsylvania definitely have an appetite for algae, rarely eating anything else. So if you're prone to having algae in your pond, these critters will absolutely thrive off of it and be very happy in your backyard pond. A common misconception, however, is that snails will be the solution to your algae struggles. While they're definitely fun to spot wiggling around your ecosystem, realistically, you would have to have hundreds of snails in order to beat an algae issue. Thereby, snails will never be the end-all-be-all to algae growth-- thus we call them a novelty.

If you're looking for true measures for how to control your algae, you've still come to the right place! There are 5 elements of a healthy ecosystem and without one of those elements, your pond balance is thrown off wack and inevitably into an green algae phase. We recommend making sure you have all of these elements in place instead of committing to an army of snails. Sometimes, however, string algae is absolutely inevitable and unbeatable. In these cases, we recommend an Iongen System designed to control String Algae by use of copper.




For more tips of controlling algae, read some of our other blogs:
Controlling String Algae in my Backyard Fish Pond
String Algae in Lebanon Pennsylvania Ponds and Waterfalls
Keep your Koi Pond Water Clean in Lebanon County Pennsylvania

Located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Dreamscapes Watergardens installs koi fish ponds and pondless waterfalls (disappearing waterfalls) all over the Central Pennsylvania area. For more information on koi ponds and waterfeature installations, please contact us directly!

Dreamscapes also 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 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,

Trying to figure out the best maintenance practices for your water feature is IMPOSSIBLE if you don't know the total gallons of water you're operating. Thus, how to calculate the gallons of your pond is a frequent question we get asked at our Aquatic Retail Store at Dreamscapes Watergardens. If you're reading this and wondering, "Why do I need to know how many gallons of water my pond holds?"...you have some work to do and some blogs to read. Not only is pond volume important to know for water treatment applications, but it's also necessary when considering "How Many Fish Can I Have in My Pond?" and even pond pump and filtration spec. information!

When calculating your total volume of water, you must take into account the set-up of your pond: are there rocks and gravel in the pond and are there plant shelves? Also if you generally have a waterfall running, there is always MORE water hanging out in the plumbing, filtration system and coming down the waterfall at all times.

Take the measurements of your pond by length, width, and AVERAGE depth and plug those numbers in to the formulas below.


No Rocks and Gravel:   Length x Width x Average Depth x 7.48
YES Rocks and Gravel: Length x Width x Average Depth x 7.48 x 0.4

Below is a rough estimate for typical pond sizes:
4x6    = 300 gallons of water
6x8    = 400 gallons of water
8x11   = 500 gallons of water
11x11 = 700 gallons of water
11x16 = 1000 gallons of water
16x16 = 1500 gallons of water
16x21 = 2000 gallons of water

Now that you know how many gallons of water your pond holds, you can re-evaluate the way that you're applying water treatments, if you have too many fish and even if your pump is big enough to recirculate your water. ALL of these components drastically change the quality of your water and even the health of your fish.

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-May 27th:         Wednesday-Friday: 10am-5pm; Sat: 9am-1pm
                                                         Mon & Tues: Hours By Appointment
                     May 28th-Nov 25th:        Thursday-Friday: 10am-5pm; Sat 9am-12pm
                                                         Mon, Tues, Weds: Hours By Appointment
                     Nov 26th-April 2018:       All Hours By Appointment


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

Backyard ponds have become an exciting landscaping trend! Most homeowners want a pond to add ambiance to their yard with the benefit of the sights and sounds of tranquil moving water. Man-made ponds and disappearing pondless waterfalls create a relaxing place to retreat from the chaos and stress of life while enjoying the entertainment of pond fish and other wildlife attracted to your back yard. Yet few realize the full extent of the benefits to installing an ecosystem pond or water feature.

Maintaining a lush lawn obviously requires regular watering if there’s a dry-spell. Evaporation on a pond, however, is the same as on a swimming pool: 1” per day during the height of summer. A pond will have an auto-fill device that only adds water when it’s needed, whereas an automatic lawn-sprinkler goes off by timer whether or not the lawn actually needs the water, thereby wasting unnecessary water and money.

But there’s a LOT more that goes into maintaining a nice-looking lawn. You have to fertilize it and spend many hours a week mowing/edging the grass and moving around your non-permanent outdoor entertainment items like trampolines, baby pools, chimneas etc. to ensure grass doesn’t die underneath of them. Aside from the time involved, about 54 million Americans mow their lawns each weekend, using 800 million gallons of gas per year, AND producing tons of air pollutants, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ​Ponds, however, reduce the need for more lawn pesticides, fertilizers and gas mowers. They require about 10 minutes of maintenance per week. As an added benefit, the debris and sludge collected by your pond filter during maintenance can be used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer for your lawn, garden, and trees. The aquatic plants and water source becomes home or food to many of nature’s critters from frogs and snails to the butterflies, birds and bees that fly above.

Educational Benefit:
In today’s technologically advanced world, picture this: your kids and grandkids WANTING to spend time outside, interacting with Mother Nature and not in front more screen-time. One of our top comments from new pond-owners is that they can’t believe how popular their water features are with their kids or grandkids. From feeding fish and trying to catch frogs to learning to help take care of the ecosystem, the educational aspect of backyard fish ponds are priceless.

We often find our very own son spending some time everyday just to dip his feet in to think. His favorite place to eat meals during the summer? Outside by the pond.

Home Value Benefit:
Did you know?: A well-constructed water feature can also INCREASE your home value! That's right- a tastefully done water feature is considered a luxury item--especially a matured water feature with established plant life.

If you’re looking for a low water-use, energy-efficient, low maintenance, super enjoyable and entertaining landscape option, you might want to consider an ecosystem pond or water feature. This a water feature might be the way to go? Contact us today to find out what options exist for your backyard paradise!

Located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Dreamscapes Watergardens installs koi fish ponds and pondless waterfalls (disappearing waterfalls) all over the Central Pennsylvania area. For more information on koi ponds and waterfeature installations, please contact us directly!

Dreamscapes also 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 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

There's a lot of information out there on the internet but you've ended up here. That's great! Unless you're from a different zone than we are here in Pennsylvania. The pond industry is all weather dependent so I'd like to start by reminding you that you should always get your pond information from local contractors, as they experience the same weather conditions (and planting parameters) as you do. Make sure you know what geological area your source is writing for! In other words, Florida doesn't get snow the way that Pennsylvania do, right?

The chances are pretty high that you are installing a backyard pond so that you can house a lot of really awesome koi or goldfish as pets and you obviously don't want to have to replace them year after year. While some people choose to bring their fish inside for the winter, the bigger they get and the more they multiply the harder it is to do something of that nature successfully.

One of the most important reasons that people talk about the DEPTH of a pond is because of safely overwintering the fish and because of water clarity issues if you make the pond too deep. The freeze zone is 18" and as you can imagine, we do get enough snow and freezing temperatures in Pennsylvania that ponds here do tend to freeze. For this reason, we always recommend to dig your pond at least two feet (2' or 24") deep so that the fish can live safely underneath that freezing area, keeping in mind there are still "life support" items needed to sustain fish life under ice.

Another reason depth is talked about is when it comes to proper filtration of the pond. When using an Aquascape Pond Skimmer, it will successfully skim the top layer of the pond but anything deeper than 2.5-3 feet will need to be stirred up in order to be able to pull that water into the skimmer box for filtration. Without stirring up that deep area, water quality issues are inevitable.

While talking about how deep you'll need to dig a pond in Pennsylvania, you need to consider the need for aquatic plants---because it absolutely is a need. There are many benefits from having aquatic plants in your backyard pond in Central Pennsylvania. From providing shade to naturally filtering the water, aquatic plants all have a very specific depth that they like to be planted in in order to survive. For this reason, while we recommend digging the pond to 2 feet deep for overwintering the fish, we also always recommend digging plant SHELVES around the outside of the pond so as to not drown the plants.

Your "marginal shelf" should be dug between 0"-8" deep and your "mid-zone lilies shelf" should be dug at 12"16" before your pond drops to the 24" depth for overwintering purposes.

Click here for more Aquatic Plant Care and Benefits.

Located in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Dreamscapes Watergardens installs koi fish ponds and pondless waterfalls (disappearing waterfalls) all over the Central Pennsylvania area. For more information on koi ponds and waterfeature installations, please contact us directly!

Dreamscapes also 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 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

Wanting fish is one of the top reasons why people get a backyard pond to begin with--so they can house and then interact with their beloved fish pets. Fish feeding naturally comes with the territory of owning pond fish. When to feed pond fish and how much to feed pond fish and should you feed at all certainly is always the topic of conversation for newer pond owners. In this blog, we're going to answer the last question.

Koi pond fish are really awesome fish not only because of their unique patterns and colorations but because they are vivacious algae eaters. While goldfish don't love algae as much as koi, they will eat other micro-organisms in your pond, when they're hungry. In fact, when you think about it logistically in Mother Nature, fish fend for themselves all day, every day when it comes to their food sources.

So with that logic, you could quit feeding all together and let your fish eat up the algae and other nutrients in the pond as they would in nature. If you get your fish accustomed to looking to you for food, however, it may be hard to switch them to only what they find inside their ecosystem.

The more consistent you are with your fish feeding (i.e. feeding your fish at the same time from the same spot every day) the more personable they will become-- seemingly coming to greet you as soon as you come outside to the pond. We also have been able to HAND-FEED fish and even pet them! Imagine the interaction your kids and grandkids will have with fish who literally are happy to see you.

If you neglect feeding your fish, they wont look to you as friends and may consider you a threat if they don't understand what role you play in their lives. You may notice fish bolt really fast when they see a shadow or sense quick movements and they may even go as far as hiding from you!

It's important to remember the more YOU feed your fish, your fish will look to you as their source of nutrition and will become more personable and friendly.

Dreamscapes also 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 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

We're taking it back to the basics again on this blog to explain another one of the components of a proper filtration system: a biofalls box.

A Biofalls box serves the purpose of a biological filtration system for a backyard pond and is where your waterfall 'starts". The biofalls box works as the 2nd part of the filtration system; the first part being the skimmer box. After the water is "skimmed" from the pond into the skimmer box (where the pump lives), it is then pushed up to the "biofalls box" at the top of the waterfall where it then spills over into the stream portion that flows down into the pond.
But then what happens and why?

Inside a biofalls box is where 2 more of your filter pads and all of your biomedia are housed. Biomedia, whether it be bioballs or lava rock, is where all of your beneficial bacteria colonies grow (as well as in the rocks and gravel on the bottom of your pond). The purpose of your biofalls box is that as the water passes through the biofall boxes' biomedia, the beneficial bacteria can essentially break down the invisible particles of dead organic matter in your pond that contribute to poor water quality if not taken care of. It then spills over to your waterfall where it makes it's way down into the pond, completing the recirculating system.

If set up properly, your pond should have no stagnant areas and you should be recirculating your pond's total water volume 2-3 times an hour.

YES a biofalls box is necessary!

LESS work for you means more time to enjoy your water feature free of hassle if you set up the right elements so your pond works FOR you instead of against you. Always remember, there are 5 elements to keeping your pond water clear and if one of them is missing, you have a harder time maintaining that crystal clear water that you strive for. Preventing a maintenance nightmare is much easier than fixing one!


 1) Filtration: Removes harmful debris and provides an area for additional bacteria colonization
 2) Rocks and Gravel: Provides surface area for bacteria to colonize
 3) Recirculating System: Keeps water flowing and oxygenated
 4) Pond Fish: Helps keep algae in check and fertilizes the plants with their waste.
 5) Aquatic Plants: Cleans pond by using nutrients and growing vigorously.

Dreamscapes also 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 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,

Building a backyard pond can be an amazing opportunity, that is not only fun to build but full of reward for years to come. But how do you make a pond ? Where do you start? Do you want to tackle this backyard pond project yourself or let a hired professional pond contractor take control? In order to answer this question, you have to understand just how much work is involved in building a pond, and whether or not you're ready to tackle such a project.

The bottom line is, in order to install your own water feature, you should be prepared with all the equipment, knowledge and for a great deal of physical labor. Building a pond usually involves digging a decent-sized hole, knowing how to level all areas correct to consider the sustainability of aquatic plant life and proper skimming levels and be able to place a few tons of rock and gravel. It can be easy if you have all the equipment and a lot of time...or it can be really hard and cause you a world of frustration with poor water quality and leaking issues!

Aquascape Inc. has a 20 step process that we follow here at Dreamscapes Watergardens for every single build that we do. When it comes to pond construction, if you have all the right tools (equipment and knowledge-wise) to get the job done, following 20 easy steps should get your pond in the ground pretty quickly.

Here's a quick synopsis of what should be going on during your pond project.

1. Locate and mark out your basin area with orange marketing paint.
2. Place skimmer and biological filter into position
3. Lay Plumbing
4. Hook up and level biological filter
5. Excavate your pond basin
6. Install the underlayment and then the liner.
7. Install the skimmer
8. Hook up pump and plumbing
9. Rock in pond
10. Wash Stones
11. Fill pond.
12. Build the waterfall
13. Bring in topsoil
14. Build the retaining wall
15. Plug in and teak the waterfall
16. Trim the liner.
17. Mulch the berm.
18. Clean up
19. Add bacteria and refer to owner's manual for daily maintenance questions
20. Enjoy

Or maybe you're a visual person. That's okay, too! Without the meat and potatoes, a list of steps might not make all that much sense. Fortunately for you, Aquascape has put together a video of that same step-by-step process and you can view it below here!

Dreamscapes also 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 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