Pond Pulse

Volume 1, Issue 2, February, 2007

                        In This Issue

Calendar of Events

Feb 9-11th
Koi Health Management
http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/conferences/2007/Feb/09/koi.phtml
   Feb. 9-11th       
14th Annual Nagata Fish Sale
  http://www.lagunakoi.com
   May 8-10th    
    Lawn & Garden World National Hardware Show
         http://www.nationalhardwareshow.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Message From The President

The weather this year has most of us waiting on spring. Whether North, South, East or West; there seems to have been interesting weather in most regions of the country affecting some of ponding the adventures.


In Central America- that’s NEBRASKA-about the time we thought we might have a pleasant winter, it was “Katie bar the door” and the weather temperatures went below zero.

Spring doesn’t officially arrive until March 21st no matter what part of the country you live. But it is understood that you zone 1, 2, and even some 3’s are chomping at the bit to get ponding.

So, is this the year you expand your pond, up grade or renovate? Don’t forget that the sponsors of IPPCA are resources for parts and pieces for those “up grades” and “renovation” projects. Also IPPCA technicians are just a phone call away at 770-592-9790 and the forum has always been a great resource for information. http://www.ippca.com/phpBB2/index.php
Rocke’
President IPPCA
CPPC/CAC

                                          

 

 

 

 

Special Days In February

February Birthdays                                            February Anniversaries

                                  Kim Combas  (2/11)                                               Mike & Patty Garcia (2/8)               

                                  Freddie Combas (2/22)                                           Freddie & Kim Combas (2/13)

                                  Dia Combas (2/26)                                             Kevin & Stacey Weitzel (2/21)

 

February Weddings

Please welcome Debi in to the IPPCA family as she will marry Max Phelps on February 15, 2007.

Congratulations Max & Debi!

 

IPPCA & CPPC
By Jay Bearfield
Liquid Landscape Designs

I joined the IPPCA in 2005 after reading about it in an article published in an industry magazine. What attracted me most from the article was the idea of an association that wasn’t some elaborate marketing scheme. I mean, was this for real: An association that provided sound information from the field and wasn’t afraid to use and put different company’s products to the test? It was just unheard of.

After my initial phone conversation with Dave Jones, the current president, it looked like this was the association for the “real” installers: Highly professional and motivated individuals covered with pond scum, smelling like muck and armed with a net. All of whom meet the most basic of requirements: dedication to the hobby as well as the industry. And to my great pleasure, I have not been let down!   

And now, two seasons later, I seek to be part of the next level of our ranks: the Certified Professional Pond Contractor (CPPC). My simple reasoning for seeking this achievement is this: “Street Credit”. As we all well know, sales and service are essential to all of our businesses. To be recognized as certified by an association with strict, published standards, will only help with the acquisition of future clients and help exemplify what it means to be provided with professional service.

I can only hope that when I have the honor of displaying this certification more public awareness is created for this association, and in turn this industry. Additionally, I feel it can only help contribute to the public realization that there is such a thing as ‘Pond Contractors’, individuals who actually specialize in water features. And when it comes to this particular group of professionals, I think everyone who comes across us will realize: “We’re DAM good at it!”

 

Getting Ready for the Spring Rush

Ahhhh, the sweet smell of crocus, tulip and daffodil flowers fill the air…  It must mean springtime is here and for pond builders in New England, springtime means “Hello Crazy Season!”  In New England where we typically shut down most of our customers’ ponds, the springtime rush is very busy and crazy.  We typically perform 3-4 cleanouts a day for 6 days a week for the entire month of April and even extend sometimes into May for new customers.  While it is a very crazy time for us, it is also among our most profitable as well. 

To get things started, we will mail out our Spring Newsletter in late February which details the “goings on” with MetroWest Water Gardens, including new products in our store and flower show exhibit and lecture schedules.  This newsletter also includes out “Clean Out” request form which our customers fill out and send in to get on our schedule. 

Tom Frost
 "The MetroWest Pond Guy"
 MetroWest Water Gardens
508-916-1535
pondguy@metrowestwatergardens.com

not very deep.  Most water garden ponds implement submersible pumps, which means you should double check to see that the GFI is working.  If not and the pump leaks electricity, you could end up with an electrically charged pond - not a good thing for fish, humans or plants.
     No article on pond safety would be complete without mentioning pond construction safety.  Ponds are constructed using heavy rocks and boulders.  The toll of improperly moving very heavy boulders by hand can result in hurt backs and pinched hands or other body parts.  LCIS has written much about safety precautions we should take when it comes to lifting heavy objects.  Do read and pay attention to these materials.  They are free, and they man save you a costly lawsuit, or worse yet, you may temporarily lose a valued employee.
     You can find additional pond safety information from suppliers, governmental agencies and healthcare groups.  Read up on the material, especially if you are considering going into the pond business.  I have found however, that one of the key principles of pond safety is the use of common sense.  Get familiar with local municipal codes and more importantly, make safety your first and main priority in the construction and upkeep of water features in the landscape!

     Pond installation is one of the fastest growing segments of the landscape business; I know it is in mine.  More and more landscapers are adding the design and building of ponds and pondless waterfalls to their portfolios because the demand for both these water features has skyrocketed in the past few years. If you are not serving your clients in this area, then you are leaving money on the table.
     That said, with this new aspect of the landscape business comes new safety issues and concerns.  Why would the construction of a pond call safety issues to the fore? 
     Think of it, an electrical pump is submersed in water.  Does this call to mind the old Alfred Hitchcock movies where an unhappy wife drops the plugged in radio into the tub while her husband is bathing, thus leading to his demise?  How can anything that plugs into the house current not fry everything in the pond?
     For one thing, the submersible pumps come with waterproof connections.  If the connection ever leaks or fails, the ground fault interrupter (GFI) into which the cord is plugged will trip until the problem is fixed and the GFI is reset.  However, the biggest challenge to pond safety, as it is with pools, is the danger of drowning.  The potential for drowning also exists for swimmers at the beach, and while you can't control beach  conditions,  you  do

have control over how a pond is build, in order to ensure safety for children, adults and pets.
     Most ponds today fit into one of two categories, The old style of ponds, known as "Koi Kichi" ponds, which are constructed with concrete and go about four feet deep, house the world's most expensive and prized koi fish.  They usually have external, or out of the water pumps, so no danger of electricity mixing with water is present.  However, with a very deep four-foot depth, these ponds can pose a significant danger to younger children.  Most municipalities have codes that specify that any body of water that is more than two feet deep (such as a spa or swimming pool) is required to have a fence erected around the water feature.  
     Neglecting to provide this safety fence around a deep koi pond opens up all kinds of liability issues for the contractor and the homeowner.  The course of wisdom then, is to construct a barrier around a Koi Kichi pond as you would around a swimming pool.
     The second category of today's popular ponds is known as "Water Gardens."  These ponds are also house koi fish, however, these types of ponds are usually built to a maximum of two feet of depth and can accommodate a plethora of water plants.  Most municipalities won't require a fence around these ponds, as they are
 

Shipping Fish The AquaOne Way
 ser·en·dip·i·ty
 Function: noun
 the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things
 not sought for
 

One of the things I enjoy most about working for a company with a diverse line of products is learning new ways to use them.  Most of the time it is a “palm to the forehead, why didn’t I think of that before now”, type of moment.   One such discovery involves our Aqua-OneŌ product.  Like most great ideas, it is blindingly simple and appears self-evident after the fact.  Here’s how it came about.  I was sharing a story about one of our customers in another country who is a koi dealer.  They like most dealers, have a problem with the condition of fish when shipped any distance due to the high ammonia levels.  They found that by taking the fish upon arrival and putting them in straight Aqua-OneŌ (aerated) for about four hours, they healed much more quickly from the ammonia burns.  Thus, they were saleable much sooner.  OK, that’s a great idea and an ingenious use of our product.  It also demonstrates how safe it is for koi.  About this time, the contents of my cranial unit began to show signs of life.  No one was more surprised than me . . . except perhaps for my co-workers.  I said to myself, “Self, we know that Aqua-OneŌ is really good at reducing ammonia and nitrites and if it can help fish heal after a long trip in a plastic bag, why can’t we just put Aqua-OneŌ in the bag before they ship so they never even have to suffer from the high ammonia in the first place?”  “Wow, you’re a genius” I replied, not believing it for a second.  But still, it’s a good idea.  So there you have it.  Put a little Aqua-OneŌ in the bag with your fish and they will be much happier when they arrive at their destination, assuming that the airline didn’t lose their luggage. 
            But seriously folks, I am told that the primary killer of shipped fish is ammonia and not low dissolved oxygen.  It would stand to reason that you can not only improve the fish health but also extend the survivability by using one or two capfuls in the fish bag when you ship.  If you are on the receiving end, you may want to require that the shipper do this for you to help ensure your investment. 

 Bill Brannon
Distributor relations
Aqua-One
www.andersonbio.com
888-265-7929 ext. 107 

 

Help us help you!

As the nations only functioning independent pond contractor certification organization, the IPPCA works hard to ensure a better future for all our members as well as the entire pond community. The rigorous standards the IPPCA sets for our contractors makes our program both challenging as well as rewarding. Our Certified Professional Pond Contractors have achieved a level of knowledge and performance in their installations that far exceeds the national average. In return for this accomplishment the IPPCA is dedicated to assisting our basic and certified members.

Some of the many benefits of an IPPCA membership are listed below:

1. Your own updateable web page with photos
2. Use of the IPPCA Logo Reciprocal link to your own website
3. Member's Only Forum
4.Reciprocal link to your own website and listed on other pond and water feature oriented websites,  which vastly increases your exposure to potential customers.
5. Certification available to Contractor Members at 2 (two) levels beyond basic Membership
6. Free admission to all IPPCA hosted events.
7. Access to marketing tools, networking with industry leaders, and free technical support.

       But the IPPCA is determined not to rest on its past achievements. In order to continue to expand and impact the industry we all love so much WE NEED YOUR HELP!
       We would like to know how the IPPCA can be of better service to you and your business. Only by harnessing the ideas of all our members can we continue to grow and continue to assist others in our efforts. Let us know what you need to operate more efficiently. From marketing to instruction, from Advertising to Business administration, if we can help you we will.
       We at the IPPCA wish to thank each and every one of you for your continued support. We look forward to your comments and suggestions and to your assistance in the continued development of this vital organization.

John Olson
Executive VP
pond-profits@comcast.net
954-540-4321

Associate Member Of The Month
Russell Water Gardens, Redmond Washington

Russell Water Gardens was excited and wanted to be part of the first and only Neutral Association.  Here is an Association that will accept contractors that install all types of products not just one manufacturer's.

Russell Water Gardens was our First Associate Member and felt that they should be the First Associate Member Of The Month.  Thanks John, Pam and the Russell Water Gardens Team for your support.

Contractor Of The Month
Troy Winters, Clear Water of Michigan

Troy was our first IPPCA Member besides the founders.  Troy wanted to be a member no matter what.  He saw the potential in the marketing and with the education that the IPPCA has to offer.

We are proud to have Troy as part of the IPPCA Professionals.  Congratulations Troy for being our 1st Contractor of The Month.
 

 

 

Sponsor Of The Month
EasyPro Pond Products, Grant, Michigan

Dave Ouwinga and EasyPro Products was our first Sponsor and has backed the IPPCA on all our programs to date.  We congratulate Dave and EasyPro Pond Products for being the 1st Sponsor Of The Month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                         The Basics of Pond Safety
                                                               by Mike Garcia, Enviroscapes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January An Expanding Month For The IPPCA

January has been an exciting month.  Some really big things have happened for the IPPCA in the last few weeks, Our first newsletter distributed, see it at  http://www.pondpulse.com, which will be the archive for all our newsletters. 

We’ve had Koi Club of the Air sign on as a new sponsor, an internet radio talk show.  Freddie Combas and Dave Jones were interviewed on it last July.  Go to http://www.koicluboftheair.org and check out the latest development in the industry.

 The second new sponsor is Dow Chemical Company.  They will be offering a quality do-it-yourself expanding black foam product that will proudly display the IPPCA logo.  We are also working with Dow to have a booth at the largest hardware show in Orlando in May.  If any of you are interested please let us know and we will work you in on the schedule.

 Our oldest sponsor, EasyPro Manufacturing, has taken its Installation Certification to the next level with agreeing to work with the IPPCA on the IPPCA’s Independently Certified Contractors’ Program.  This will allow EasyPro Customers to gain EasyPro Manufacturing Certification through IPPCA Membership and EasyPro product usage.  A contractor does not have to use exclusively EasyPro products, but will have to pass three levels of evaluation to assure familiarity and competency with the extensive EasyPro product line.  This represents the most stringent and quality conscious manufacturer’s certification in the Pond and Water Garden Industry.  Two levels will be with the IPPCA and one level with their local EasyPro distributor.  All will be monitored and maintained by the IPPCA. EasyPro and the former PondSweep Manufacturing are just two of the IPPCA’s sponsors that have taken advantage of this IPPCA offered benefit to its members.  Details are still being worked out, but if you would like to be one of the first, just give us a call and we will be glad to get your application to become an EasyPro Certified Contractor in the works.

We have other exciting things developing that we hope to be able to tell you about in our next newsletter.

Dave A. Jones
Executive Director
Chairman Of The Board
"The Pond Professional"
dave@thepondman.org
770-592-2273

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