Bespoke Ponds
A bespoke pond can completely transform the look and feel of your garden whilst encouraging wildlife and adding value to your home.
The gentle rippling of the water surface is great for soothing stress and promoting relaxation, but at the same time, you breathe life into a unique ecosystem.
A healthy & happy ecosystem pond to enjoy, reflect and relax
Water, fish and plants all play a role in the cycle of life, and here at SI Waterscapes, Ian Logan creates one-of-a-kind Aquascape ecosystem ponds to mimic the natural cycle. He designs, builds and installs ponds that are entirely unique, easy to maintain and healthy — nurturing safe environments for families, pets and wildlife.
Over the past century we have lost most of the ponds and streams we all played in as children. Many of the ponds have been filled in for building and most of the ditches and streams have been piped up and covered.
This loss of habitat has highlighted the importance of garden ponds as a refuge for animals that would otherwise have limited options. Garden ponds entice all types of wildlife to become regular visitors to your garden and many will make it their home.
So what are your options?
Traditionally ponds in the UK have been made with a flexible liner or preformed fibre glass. These are often disappointing and uninspiring to look at – Why?
The bare exposed surfaces do not provide habitat for beneficial micro-organisms that break down biological material and you end up, very quickly with a submerged compost heap and “aromatic” green water.
This is why we always make ponds using rocks and gravel on top of the liner to create planting shelves which in turn provides habitat for all the microorganisms that will allow your pond to run properly.
We build these in 2 forms – Stillwater ponds and Ecosystem ponds. The difference in these is best explained visually:
Eco system pond components
What is an eco-system pond?
This method uses pumps and filters aligned to work with “mother nature” to enhance what happens naturally in our rivers and lakes.
This method, whilst new to the UK has been developed over 30 years by Aquascape Inc in the USA and is now adapted worldwide as the simplest and most low maintenance method of creating beautiful looking clear water ponds.
They work amazingly well and create balanced eco-systems which means that you have little to do other than admire your own piece of paradise.
5 key components of an Aquascape Ecosystem Pond
There are five crucial components within a professionally designed and installed custom pond.
These are natural filtration processes and what keeps your pond clean. For more information please click here.
Ian is among the most qualified and informed water feature installers in the industry, with expert knowledge across all aspects of custom pond construction, including:
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Plants and fish
Koi pond installations are becoming more popular, but the key to success is creating a perfectly balanced environment where plants and fish thrive together. Plants are Mother Nature’s true filters, flourishing from an abundance of nutrients and depriving algae of its food source. Aquatic plants not only bring earth’s finest natural colours and textures to the fore, but maximise the overall health of the ecosystem. In turn, koi and other types of fish can minimise the need for costly maintenance because they graze on algae and bottom feed from the pond floor. Koi, in particular, make for very enjoyable pets with unique personalities and the ability to tolerate varying water temperatures.
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Rocks and gravel
Rocks and gravel not only make the bottom of the pond look natural, hiding the liner material. They also help create a practical surface area for bacteria to break down excess nutrients in the water, dissolving organic debris on the pond floor.
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Pond surface skimmer
With a mechanical filter in place, also known as a skimmer, the debris is skimmed from the water’s surface before it sinks to the bottom of the pond and accumulates.
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Re-circulating water pump
An efficient circulation system will keep the water moving and provide the necessary oxygen levels for healthy koi fish and plants. By aerating the pond, the pump also helps increase its health and lifespan.
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Waterfall bio-filter
BioFalls® (biological filter) provides surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonise and remove excess nutrients from the water.
To find out more about our filtration process please click here.
Our Stillwater ponds are built in a similar way but without the pumps and filters. They are approx. half the price of our Eco-system ponds but require more hands on servicing and regular treatments to maintain high water quality.
We recommend Eco-system ponds as the best way to ensure high quality low maintenance.
See what our customers say about their Eco-system ponds.