The Book Of Fish Ponds
Since leaving school with a good general education, Alan Hartley has had
an interesting and varied career. The sometime bank clerk, lifeguard, nurseryman
and fish-keeper eventually entered the family business of nurserymen with a
thriving garden center
As a diversification, Alan began keeping fish in the nursery's water
system reservoir and a natural progression soon saw him selling fish. There were
relatively few aquatic retail outlets and expansion came quickly, rapidly
becoming an important facet of the garden center
The philosophy of growing all the stock plants in house was followed as
far as was practical with pond plants bought in as cuttings and grown on for
sale. After his parents retired, Alan studied for the City & Guilds of
London Institute Certificate in Pet Store Management in order to become licensed
to run his own aquatic outlet at another garden center. Whilst there, he began
writing articles for the Pets column in the local newspaper in which he
advertised. The response to these many contributions to the newspaper encouraged
Alan Hartley to assemble them and to edit them into book form and they now form
the basis of this, The Book Of Fish Ponds.
When your children's fish have outgrown the goldfish bowl and your
children are of an age to take a further interest in fish- keeping, then you may
decide to buy a fish pond. Perhaps you want to add a fish pond as another
dimension to you garden for your own benefit. Water features are increasingly
popular for their own sake and for the variety of garden birds and other
creatures they attract. You may decide to embellish your pond with a fountain
and, perhaps, lights playing on it in the Autumn. Or you may want to increase
the variety of plants that you can grow in the expanded environment of wider
ranging conditions that a pond offers
Whatever your reasons for adding a pond to your garden, this book
contains invaluable information on everything from self- contained fountains to
large, formal Koi ponds. The Book of Fish Ponds gives a great deal of
information on such essentials as pumps and how to operate and maintain them. A
lot of facts are included on up-to-date filtration methods which are not to be
found in many other contemporary works.
Common diseases and their treatment are dealt with, along with general
pond care. There is also a useful section on various types of pond plants,
including some that are especially compatible with water-falls. Many types of
fish are reviewed in detail: questions on their care, breeding habits and
susceptibilities being dealt with in an easily readable manner.
A chapter on pond care through the seasons from Spring cleaning to
Winter dormancy is designed to allay common anxieties amongst novice
fish-keepers.
To round off, ten common problems which face newcomers to the hobby are
dealt with, together with their solutions. The guide is written from the
fish-keeper's point of view in a clear and simple style which imparts all the
necessary information without becoming over-technical. The content is
comprehensive and is clearly illustrated with diagrams and photographs
throughout. Alan Hartley draws on 15 years experience in the fish and aquatic
supplies trade and from dealing with customers' probing questions.
For details on how to buy this book click here