It’s that time once again, although this year has “encouraged” a number of business and lifestyle changes, for all of us, everywhere. 2020, wow! We’ll be meeting virtually, but that hasn’t affected the lineup at all.
We’ll kick off two days of classes, camaraderie and communion with live introductions from President Jeff Weemhoff here in Aurora, Ohio and CEO Thorsten Muck from World Headquarters in Horstel, Germany. As befits the greatest strength of Atlantic-OASE, our theme Two Brands Are Better Than One echoes throughout the event. Day One, classes on Advanced Filtration and the A-O Water Feature offer solutions for perfect water clarity by combining American ecosystem and European pump-in-pond methodology. We’ll have updates on products and the new Training Center (don’t miss that!), a tour of the factory, Round Tables with all your friends here and a Virtual Cocktail Party, a BYOB schmooze and booze.
Day Two will kick off with New Products, always a favorite, then Natural Swimming Pools, THE up-and-coming new water features, with my buddy Max Colditz from Across The Pond, a Continental expert on Natural Swimming Pools, review the latest in WiFi-enabled equipment control and host more Round Tables before Jeff closes the Conference. Along with all of our live classes the two days, we’ll have a section of prerecorded classes to go watch at your own leisure! We’ll go over quoting hardscape projects and chat with special guest Jason Lenox about the challenges of LARGE ponds and boulders, show you how to shoot videos and photos with a drone, learn social media tips for your business and more!
Along the way we’ll be sending you a bunch o’swag, offering exclusive pre-recorded content for you to enjoy anytime and giveaways and streaming our always-anticipated annual Awards Ceremony. Guests from around the world have already registered (Hi David!) – what are you waiting for? See you soon! Demi
Demi has been in water garden construction since 1986. As Atlantic’s Director of Product Information, if he’s not building water features, he’s writing or talking about them. If you have a design or construction question, he’s the one to ask.
Nature can be punishing when bad chemistry or persistent disease from an imbalanced ecosystem throws a pond into chaos. A slight miscalculation or delay in addressing the cause and all can be lost; life itself relies on knowledge of plants and how we take care of their aquatic environment.
With every season comes a list of must-do’s, can’t-it-waits and let’s-hope-it-doesn’t-happens. Creating an evolving things-to-do list, by season, should minimize risk to aquatic plants.
Spring
After spring blasts us from hibernation to assess our pond’s winter damage, we break out our work ethic and tools of the trade and begin the transformation of spring cleaning.
After all, your home extends beyond your house. Pond plants rely on a pond’s ecosystem to ensure a healthy environment during their most active months. Divide and repot plants, when applicable, and introduce new marginal, bog and floater plants—whichever might bring balance to the habitat. But take note: the pond also expects the plants to do their part. Plants with deep roots break down toxins and excessive nutrients into needed oxygen. So the entire ecosystem needs to be on its best behavior and work together.
Perhaps the most impactful spring chore is a thorough vacuuming of the pond from top to bottom. The PondoVac series from OASE—PondoVac Classic and the PondoVac 3, 4 & 5—will remove large debris including leaves and anything else that accumulated over the fall and winter months. This simple chore provides pond plants a good start to the season.
Summer
A good deadheading of aquatic plants, on a consistent basis throughout the summer, helps keep the pond neat and tidy. Remove any foliage that is browning, leaning or deteriorating into the pond. FlexiCut 2 in 1 with it’s adjustable head makes deadheading an easy chore without risk to the pond liner. This reduces debris build-up in the pond and provides room for new plant growth. Keep the pond free of debris with the OASE PondNet for skimming or OASE EasyPick pond pliers with a telescopic handle to remove leaves and small branches.
The summer season also demands maximum aeration to prevent mosquitos and algae blooms and a range of threats to aquatic plants. Water gardens are ideal habitats for a variety of freshwater plants and pond creatures, but only if that pond offers sufficient oxygen levels through aeration.
Waterfalls are effective for aeration and serve to beautify, too. Expect the waterfall to attract birds and other grateful inhabitants to pond banks. OASE offers energy efficient pond and waterfall pumps with advanced technology that ensure a clean and clear waterfall with stable oxygen levels. These pumps work to reliably circulate water with extremely low energy output. Try the OASE waterfall spillway—it’s durable, low maintenance and blends seamlessly into the background. But it’s impact is impressive.
Fall & Winter
Remove pond plants from plant shelves and place them in a lower/deeper section of the pond to ensure roots don’t freeze. Not all plants take kindly to submersion through the winter—some require a temporary new home until the spring returns and the sun and warmth are here to stay.
Fall is also a season to divide aquatic plants, including water lilies and iris. Continue to ensure your pond is free of debris from falling leaves—another task for the OASE EasyPick. Remove dying plant foliage from the pond with the OASE FlexiCut 2 in 1 as it can eventually pollute the water. After plants have ceased growing, cut back and lower the pot to the bottom of the pond.
Some tropical plants can bloom throughout winter if brought inside and kept in a tub container with at least six hours of light—or remove the tuber from the pot after the foliage has died.
All aquatic plants are different so it’s important to research the specific needs of each plant. Luckily, resources are aplenty. The 21st century has brought technology—efficient, economical, user-friendly technology. Solutions to every pond plant scenario are hashed out online by water garden enthusiasts.
Original OASE Living Water article can be found here.
Pumps are the heart of all things water features: pond, pond-free, hardscape and fountain features. Without them we have no moving water to circulate, filter or entertain us.
They are the number one thing we all use and the number one thing that is misused and misunderstood. And by that, I mean all pumps are not created equal.
You have a simple magnet driven pump commonly used in small water features or hardscapes. Easy to use, very energy efficient, easy to clean and easy to fix broken parts. The flow rates are typically lower so you can not create a large water fall with them.
Next in the line of pumps are Asynchronous and Synchronous electric. Similar in that they have a stainless-steel rotor assembly and have a vortex impeller to allow for higher water flow volume. Still lower energy consumption, easy to clean and easy to repair. The synchronous electric pump will shut down if it runs dry or something is blocking the flow and some are frost protected to -4 degrees. These pumps have a wide flow range and can be used in a wide variety of pond, pond-free, and hardscape features on a regular basis.
The direct drive pumps are one of the hardest to size and service. This type of pump has many uses from high to low flow needs. It is commonly misused because of the flow requirements. These pumps operate in a very tight window of best operating ranges. A lot of care is needed in choosing these types of pumps so they can remain in operation for many years.
For more in-depth information on our pumps please go to www.atlantic-oase.com or seek help from an industry professional.
What’s coming in the next generation of pumps and what is already here will blow your mind, if not make you think twice about your pump choices.
Look towards the day all water garden pumps are DC brushless motor pumps. Your drills, drivers, blowers and mowers are seeing the light of brushless motors, including the vacuum world. More power, less energy and whole lot more ingenuity. Look now and towards the future as pumps in the water feature world change too.
First to market from Atlantic-OASE: the Aquarius Eco-Expert and AquaMax Eco-Expert. The first DC brushless motor pumps for ponds, pond-free, hardscape and fountains.
Just to highlight a few things the Aquarius Eco-Expert has:
DC brushless motor pump, very energy efficient
Robust stainless-steel intake screen passes debris particles up to 3/16 great for fountain nozzle use
Frost protection to -4 degrees
Integrated Environmental Function control shut off if runs dry or clogs
No minimum operation head heights
Integrated earth grounding plate
Submersed or inline
Water types include chlorinated pool and salt water
Dynamic Function control 1 preprogrammed water scene alternating fountain heights
When paired with the Eco or EGC cloud controller you have even more option on this pump. Making this pump first on the market to claim a 12-function pre-programmed water pattern along with things like runtime, pump status and malfunctions, complete adjustment of output flow and so much more. Also, when paired with the Cloud Controller, these functions can be controlled on the EGC App from anywhere in the world. One other unique feature is that it can pair with up to nine other devices like additional pumps and ProfiLux lighting systems
Some highlights of the AquaMax Eco-Expert include:
DC brushless motor pump, very energy efficient
Robust stainless-steel intake screen passes debris particles up to 7/16 great for filtration use
Frost protection to -4 degrees
Integrated Environmental Function control shut off if runs dry or clogs
No minimum operation head heights
Integrated earth grounding plate
Submersed or inline
Water types include chlorinated pool and salt water
Seasonal Flow control switch lowers flow and wattages as water cools to 40 degrees
You can pair the AquaMax Eco Expert with the Eco or EGC Cloud Controller as well. Making this pump first on the market to adjust seasonally for water temperatures along with things like runtime, pump status and malfunctions, complete adjustment of output flow and so much more. When paired with the Cloud Controller, just like the Aquarius Eco-Expert, these functions can also be controlled on the EGC App from anywhere in the world. Pair it with up to nine other devices including the next generation ProfiClear drum filters and ProfiLux lighting systems.
Look for much more on the line of DC brushless motor pumps in 2021. Changing the way the world pumps water!
About the Author:
Jim Chubb
Jim is Atlantic-OASE’s Midwest Regional Sales Manager and has 26+ years of sales experience and 16+ years in the water garden industry.
The InfiColor Color Changing Lights are so much fun to play with on a normal basis but, I was so excited to get my hands on the app to change it to fit in with the seasons! Halloween time is right around the corner, so what better time to show you some fun color combinations for October.
Did you know you can use the Atlantic Color Changing lights for more than just your water features? Be creative with them! I’ve seen some pretty unique things done with the lights, like setting a Cabo Wabo Tequila bottle on top to create a one-of-a-kind lighted fountain for a Tequila-loving client. If you’d like to see how that turned out, check out Atlantic-OASE Professional Contractor, Cazee Ponds‘ Instagram post!
How cool would it be to have color changing Jack-O-Lanterns? Since Halloween is my favorite holiday, I knew I had to give it a try! Along with the Colorfalls, I used two ring lights inside the pumpkins to get my Color Changing Halloween vibes. You can put your lights in your pumpkin in a number of different ways: cutting a hole in the top for the cord to pop out the back, a hole in the back to run the light and cord through, or, what I did, cut a hole out of the bottom of my pumpkin big enough to set the pumpkin directly on top of the light.
Using the InfiColor smartphone app, I created some Halloween custom light patterns that I thought would look festive. I was thinking oranges, purples, greens and yellows.
Customize your Halloween lights however you see fit and adjust the speed and transitions to make your yard festive for the spooky season. See some of the fun I had below!
You can also mix it up with still colors and have multiple colors displayed. I played around with changing the color of the Colorfalls and made it a different Halloween color from the pumpkins for some great color combinations!
All of the different color combinations looked so great and I couldn’t choose a favorite. If you wanted to get real advanced with it, you could always create a different custom color pattern for each light zone and time it up to change colors of each zone at the same time.
What combinations did you come up with for the Halloween season? Share them with us on social media and tag us!
After graduating from the University of Akron, Caitlyn joined Atlantic-OASE in the fall of 2019. Caitlyn manages the social media and online content for the company. She also supports the Atlantic-OASE Professional Contractor (APC) Program and Marketing Departments in creating marketing and advertising strategies and plans.
As water feature installers, my sons and I are used to hard, dirty and sometimes dangerous work. We enjoy what we do, whether it’s digging ponds, plumbing pumps, rolling boulders or tweaking waterfalls. We also value anything that makes the job faster, easier or more fun. We’re always looking for tools, apps or gadgets that save time & effort, eliminate stress, add to our comfort on the job or are just fun to use. Often a buddy will turn us on to one. I’d like to return the favor by passing our favorite Tools That Don’t Suck along to you.
Sometimes the perfect tool doesn’t exist, so you have to make it. I’m reminded of Lloyd Lightsey’s answer to the perennial problem of leaving the brand new pond as clean as possible so the customer gets that perfect first impression. Not easy to do with rocks that always seem to be covered in magic clay – you know, the stuff you think was washed off that instantly dirties up the pond even after two rinses. Well, Lloyd took matters into his own hands and built a ‘trummel’ to wash his gravel spotless before installing. Ask him about it sometime, definitely a TTDS.
We had a situation that demanded a totally new tool at the job we’ve been working on whenever quarantine has allowed. I don’t say that lightly; we actually got chased out when the Governor closed down the entire state to New Yorkers March 28 – by the National Guard! When restrictions eased, we went back to finish, and ran into a problem. Our customer had asked for a bridge or peninsula over a tiny watercourse at the foot of a natural stone bluff. All machine access had been cut off. The stone we wanted to use wasn’t massive, but a triangle five feet on a side, almost four inches thick, weighs over five hundred pounds.
(You might be interested in how we calculated the weight of the stone. The way we figured it, it’s the area of a triangle – ½ Height x Base, or in this case the crazy formula for an equilateral triangle. You can look that one up. Either way, it works out to over 10 square feet, times the thickness at 3.6”/12” = 3 cubic feet, times 170lbs per cubic foot for granite = 510 lbs)
The challenge was, we had to travel 150 feet through a long narrow trellised garden, then take a hard right through a narrow gate. There wasn’t enough room to put four men, or even three on it, and there were only two of us on site anyway. We had to come up with another way.
Enter the Flag Dolly. Like most useful tools, it’s very simple – four wheelbarrow tires bolted to a 4×4 chassis. I drilled the 4×4 to accommodate two 5×8”x18” threaded rods for the axles, then bolted on a pair of filled puncture proof tires, so the dolly could be tilted backwards for turns without deflating. I bolted two air filled tires to the ‘front’ of the 4×4, to absorb any shocks from holes and cobblestone borders we had to traverse.
Loading turned out to be easier than anticipated, after we managed to get the horizontal flag vertical, which wasn’t fun but eminently doable. Then we rotated the vertical stone forward onto the carefully placed and braced dolly. Once placed, moving the stone actually went quite smoothly. By the end of the run I was confident enough to have my man Kevin let go long enough to shoot a short video.
Necessity is one heck of a mother.
About the Author:
DEMI FORTUNA
Demi has been in water garden construction since 1986. As Atlantic’s Director of Product Information, if he’s not building water features, he’s writing or talking about them. If you have a design or construction question, he’s the one to ask.
Fall is a great time to prepare the pond for winter. In order to reduce gas build up during the winter months, more frequent or more thorough cleaning of the pond is recommended. An easy way to clean organic matter from all nooks and crannies of the pond is with a PondoVac.
As the weather gets colder, feeding fish should be dialed back and appropriate foods used.
As the temperature falls below 45°F, bacteria activity stops and with it the biological filtration functionality of the pond filter system. It is now time to stop feeding fish and to consider winterization of the filter.
Clean Before the Mess
If leaves and debris sink from the surface to the pond floor, there is risk of the pond becoming unbalanced and murky. The SwimSkim, AquaSkim, and FiltoSkim skimmers keep everything clear, before murky water occurs.
Falling leaves and other organic matter cause a majority of the clouding issues in a garden pond. Initially they collect on the water surface, then they sink to the bottom and contaminate the pond floor.
Surface skimmers remove organic matter before it sinks to the bottom.
Idea partner for the AquaMax Eco Premium pump series
Telescopic design allows for easy installation for a wide range of pond depths
Thanks to practical pond helpers, such as the the FlexiCut 2-in-1 pond scissors, the EasyPick pond pliers, and the PondNet, you are fully equipped for removing dead plants and algae from the pond or easily trimming plants.
EasyPick: Pond pliers for grasping and removing cuttings or leaves in and on the pond
FlexiCut 2 in 1: Pond scissors that simultaneously hold the cut plants when cutting
PondNet: Pond fish net with a telescoping handle for removing unwanted debris
Maintenance Made Easy
Sometimes you aren’t able to stop debris from falling to the bottom of the pond. To prevent the pond from being over-burdened later in the winter, remove organic matter from the water and clean the pond floor. Practical and powerful helpers, such as the OASE PondoVac 3 or 4, support you in this regard. With this innovative pond and pool vacuum, dirt, algae, fish waste, and plant remains on the pond floor no longer stand a chance.
Simple and fast way to remove debris and decaying organic matter
Different nozzle head options for every pond application
Debris collection bag ideal for returning cleaned water when suctioning larger particles
Compact design and built-in handle allow for easy movement and transportation
Maximum suction depth of 6-7 ft.
Seasonal Cleanup
Green leaves become classic autumnal hues then begin their journey downward, floating rhythmically past windows and serving as harbinger of crisper, cooler weather. Fall weather beckons us to enjoy comfortable outdoor temps and the array of colors before boots and parkas become the go-to.
For pond owners in many parts of the country, the season has an asterisk. Fall means leaves in perpetuity—begging to be raked up, sucked up and picked up. But for a season of pond-side enjoyment, trade an afternoon and a bit of elbow grease. Trust us—it will be worth it.
A treed landscape demands extra TLC for your pond this time of year. Keeping your pond leaf-free is about more than aesthetics—it protects its ecological balance. Decomposing leaves and other organic matter infuse the pond’s water with excessive nutrients, depleting oxygen levels. Consistent and prompt removal with OASE’s PondNet will help maintain the pond health. OASE’s EasyPick pond pliers are a must-have tool for extracting sticks, cuttings and other large debris too awkward for netting.
Tidy up by pruning pond-side landscaping with OASE’s FlexiCut 2-in-1 pond scissors. With a handle length of 5.2 feet, they are well-suited for overgrown vegetation in hard-to-reach areas. And feel free to jettison the waders—FlexiCut pond scissors stabilize while they cut so you don’t have to trudge through the water for strategic positioning.
If cleaning the pond daily with a net is not ideal, consider a surface skimmer. OASE surface skimmers work overtime to keep ponds clean and debris free. Choose a skimmer based on pond size, plug it in and put it to work. It aerates as it cleans, contributing to a healthy ecosystem for fish and plants. To remove organic buildup, silt and debris from the bottom of the pond, try OASE’s PondoVac 5.
Assess the plants. Depending on the type and variety, they may need to be divided or removed before the first freeze. Start your research, identify the species and devise a plan. As you inspect each plant, remove any dead or dying foliage.
Install netting over the pond toward the end of summer—it will not compromise its beauty but will serve as barrier to leaves and other organic matter. Netting will also protect your marine pets from predators.
As the mercury dips, fish metabolism slows and food requirements change. Any uneaten fish food floating in the pond will decompose, compromising the ecological balance. Reduce feedings to once daily and reduce the amount of food once the water temperature dips below 70 degrees. When it reaches the high 50s, feed two to three times per week. If food is not consumed within five minutes, consider reducing the amount of food at each feeding. Once the water temperature dips below 50 degrees, refrain from feeding fish.
When your work is done—trade your lemonade for a pumpkin spice latte, grab a sweatshirt and enjoy fall’s crisp, cool weather. Relax in your Adirondack, listen to the robin’s roundelays, and look up at the falling leaves against the bright, blue sky. (Cross your fingers they land on the other side of the fence).
Original OASE Living Water article can be found here.
After years of draining ponds down to do major cleanups, with the hassle and risks of catching and containing fish safely, we’ve modified our fall cleanups to two shorter visits using Atlantic-OASE products to make things easier. Here are 4 innovations that cut the time we spend by more than 50%, spread out over two visits.
OASE Pondovac 5 – Instead of waiting for all the leaves to come down where we are on Long Island, we start the cleanup early with an initial visit to vacuum out the leaves that start to fall before Halloween. The Pondovac 5 effectively picks up leaves and debris down to about 4 feet without roiling up the water, so we can spot clean the heavier pockets quickly and easily. The vacuum is designed to pull debris into a leaf bag and pump out excess water continuously, no stopping until the large bag is full, and it takes only a minute or two to empty. If they haven’t already switched, we set our fish pond owners up with hi carb, low protein fish food to fatten fish and reduce ammonia loads. Find them here.
Atlantic Pond & Garden Protector – We then set up the second line of defense against leaves, the PGP. Great for ponds and water features up to about 12×18, which covers the majority, the Protector is a net system with fiberglass supports that arch over the feature, holding the net securely high above the water. Leaves tend to blow off the net instead of dragging it under water, and it’s a perfect support for spooky webs and other Halloween decorations. Find them here.
OASEFiltoClear Pressure Filter with UVC – To round out our first visit, we’ll clean out the skimmer and fall box and backwash the FiltoClear. This small, easy to hide filter backwashes with a few pulls of the handle and no mess at all, in contrast to the waterfall box, and clears the water after our visit in no time. We’ve added a FiltoClear and an AquaMax pump to our ecosystem ponds were clients demand perfect water quality, and the combo really delivers. We can even offer the Clear Water Guarantee as long as we follow the simple sizing guidelines. That’s our two-man, one hour October visit, which keeps customers happy until after Thanksgiving. Find them here.
Typhoon Air and Diffuser Kits – After Turkey Day, late enough so most of the leaves are down, we’ll go in once more for the pruning and final cleanup. The Pond & Garden Protector will have kept the leaves outside the perimeter; after we clear them away with a blower, we’ll set up our air for the winter. We move the diffusers from the deep spots where they were needed in the summer, to the edges where they keep a hole free of ice in winter without disturbing the “warm” water at the bottom. Cool fact – unless it freezes all the way solid, the densest water at the bottom will stay at a balmy 38 degrees, regardless of how cold the air gets. We’ll backwash and drain the FiltoClear, shutting off the intake for the winter. Finally, we’ll clean and service the pump, which stays in for most of our fishponds and pond-free features but gets pulled from fountains and stored for winter. Find them here.
Advantages – Cleaning up twice saves us the hassle of trying to schedule everyone before their Thanksgiving get-together but still brings in the same revenue. We don’t remove or even disturb the fish this way, which really lowers stress levels, especially with high value fish. The two visits do double the travel time, but we spend far less time total, and we charge the same, in two more palatable payments. And our customers seem to appreciate the extra visit even if we’re not there nearly as long total. It’s a win-win all around.
About the Author:
DEMI FORTUNA
Demi has been in water garden construction since 1986. As Atlantic’s Director of Product Information, if he’s not building water features, he’s writing or talking about them. If you have a design or construction question, he’s the one to ask.
I was recently asked to write on my favorite Atlantic-OASE product. I did not have to give it a second thought. Immediately knew which product I was going to share my thoughts on.
But first, a little background. I have had a pond in the back yard for many years. It was built with the American standard of filtration or equivalent to the ecosystem style pond. It has a skimmer, a large pump, and a filter falls (biological filter in the waterfall). The water has always been crystal clear, and beautiful. I have never seen a visible algae problem as the plants grow each season and out compete for nutrients. But in recent years an issue had become more and more recurring, and that is increased maintenance. It had gotten to the point of cleaning the skimmer every 4 days. This does not sound too tough, but when you travel for work as I do it can be problematic.
Enter my new favorite product from Atlantic-OASE, the BioTec Screenmatic² filter with an AquaMax Eco Premium Pump. Let me tell you, when the idea of putting a pump in the bottom of the pond was first suggested, I did not react that well. Now six months later, it was the best decision I have made where the pond is considered. I have gone from always maintaining my pond to actually enjoying my pond.
You see, the standard of just a skimmer and falls works just fine, but there is always going to be maintenance. Depending on the fish load and plants, the maintenance will vary from pond to pond. In my case, I have a medium to large fish load, a ton of plants and we like to see the fish eat. A simple helpful option would be to remove some of the fish and reduce the load, but if you know me, that wasn’t realistic. As I mentioned before, I never had water quality or clarity issues but, the skimmer net was clogging about every four days. The debris in the net was always a hair like substance and was fine enough to clog the net.
After adding the BioTec Screenmatic², it took about 2-3 weeks for the skimmer maintenance to reduce then go away. It has now been right at 4 months and the skimmer is still functioning properly with out fail. Prior to installation the skimmer would clog and not let water pass.
The BioTec Screenmatic² is a flow through filter with biological and mechanical filtration. It automatically separates debris by using a self-cleaning screen depositing coarse debris into its removable tray. The intelligent cleaning sensor detects pollutant levels entering the filter and automatically activates the screen. It is very cool to watch your pond filter clean itself.
This is not just an endorsement of a product it is a testimonial. This filter has changed my lifestyle. It solved two problems while enhancing my lifestyle. First was the question of what was clogging the skimmer net. By the time I cleaned the skimmer it was a black hairy substance covering the net. It turned out that I have a good growth of a carpet style algae on the rocks in the bottom of the pond. The fish would scrape the rocks clean and continually release the algae into the water column for the filters to remove. Now that there is a way to remove it from in the pond, the skimmer stays clear and ready for larger debris. I did not realize this until I checked the removable debris tray from the filter.
The second problem it will be taking care of, my yearly cleanout. You see, with just a skimmer and falls and a medium to large fish load, my filtration was in efficient. Debris would build up in different areas of the bottom of the pond. Now a few months in, I do not see any debris areas and am estimating the yearly clean out can be pushed an additional year if not more.
By adding the BioTec Screenmatic² I was able to eliminate excess maintenance and keep all my fish. If there was room, I would just rebuild the pond larger but since there is not, it was the BioTec Screenmatic² to the rescue and I couldn’t be happier.
About the Author:
Sean Bell
Sean is the Regional Sales Manager for the Southeast for Atlantic-OASE. Fish Geek and water feature enthusiast, Sean has managed one of the largest aquarium stores in the Southeast while running his own pond maintenance company. When it comes to water features, Sean is your guy!
Atlantic-OASE has some of the most awesome filtration now available in the market today.
Filtration is an essential in pond construction. For years we have been using Skimmers for mechanical filtration to skim off surface debris while keeping our pumps from clogging. We use Biological filtration in waterfall boxes that harbor the bacteria that convert toxic wastes to plant food. And let’s not forget Pressurized filtration, canisters with UVC lights to remove the fine particles and keep algae from taking over.
All have been a critical part of pond building, from the smallest pre-formed ponds to the largest. As ponds became larger and the koi hobby grew, fish loads have increased. That’s made filter systems evolve to keep up. Flow-through filtration boxes, sometime referred to as gravity filters, have earned a place in the market as a leading filter choice.
The newest and most technologically advanced filters are just now hitting the market, and they are not only for the elite koi clubs and koi keepers. These filters are for everyone looking for lower maintenance and crystal-clear water in their ponds.
Introducing the Next Generation of Filtration
Let me introduce the next generation of filtration: the ProfiClear Premium Compact-M and the ProfiClear Premium Compact-L pump-fed filters. These flow-through filters are unique in that they have a drum filter combined with a moving bed of floating filter media that can keep up to 31,500 gallons crystal clear.
Combine them with the Bitron C UVC and one of our in-pond bottom filtration pumps and you are eligible for the Clear Water Guarantee (see chart and info). And it cleans itself!
But that’s not all, there are tons more bells and whistles, like a 60-micron drum filter and Helix 13 floating bed media that has almost unbelievable amounts of surface area for bacteria, and so much more. Yes, it cleans itself, just close the lid and the filter does the rest.
Did I mention how smart the unit is?? If you choose you can add the Easy Garden Control unit to this filter and have full access to your filter system anywhere in the world. The EGC system and app can display and control a variety of functions including operational status, filtration cycles, water temperature, cleaning time, interval time, manual cleaning, overall performance data and charts with data collected over time. And did I mention it cleans itself!!!!
With this addition to an already extensive line you now have access to any type of filter needed to clean and clear a pond, backed by a clear water guarantee (when used as directed).
Enjoy your Enjoy your water garden hobby from small to large, goldfish to Koi and remember the next generation of filters (they’re Self Cleaning!) are waiting for you and your contractor to install on your new or existing pond.
Look out for my next blog on the Next Generation of Pumps for ponds and fountains coming soon!
About the Author:
Jim Chubb
Jim is Atlantic-OASE’s Midwest Regional Sales Manager and has 26+ years of sales experience and 16+ years in the water garden industry.
Last week, on the 19th anniversary of 9/11, first responders gathered in Rochester, Michigan to honor the lives lost.
The Rochester color guard and fire department performed a touching 9/11 observance ceremony in front of the Rochester Fire Department revealing their new memorial garden. The memorial garden, Heroes Point, will be a public garden for reflection.
The ceremony was lead by the City of Rochester Fire Department and Chief John Cieslik. During the ceremony, a flag that was once flown above the 9/11 memorial was raised to its now permanent home.
Created by Vince Pampolo of Exterior Concepts and his team, the memorial garden features 27’ of Atlantic Color Changing Colorfalls formal spillways falling into custom basins set in red, white and blue colors. The area includes garden walk ways and a courtyard to highlight the piece of the twin towers. The memorial and spillway was created to replicate the falls and running water at the ground zero memorial in New York.
This dedicated project couldn’t have been made possible without the donations and hard work from not only the contractor, Vince Pampolo of Exterior Concepts but, also the teams at RAK Sales, Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply and Atlantic-OASE. The expert craftsmanship that was done with the falls, hardscape, landscape and overall finished look of the memorial garden was appreciated by all the fire department and all of the ceremony’s attendees.
As an attendee of the event, I was brought to tears a few times while the speakers spoke of the heroism that took place on that date. A true reminder never to forget the lost souls and to always remember the police, fire and first responders that puts their life on the line for you. They never run away but, always towards the trouble in sight.
You can view news coverage on the event here:
Photos taken and provided by: Andrew D. Zaccagnini from Rochester Fire Department, Ross Buffa key account manager from Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply and Jim Chubb
About the Author:
Jim Chubb
Jim is Atlantic-OASE’s Midwest Regional Sales Manager and has 26+ years of sales experience and 16+ years in the water garden industry.
