Water garden supplies can be purchased at home improvement and garden centers, as well as from online aquascape supply stores. These supplies include tools for installation, seasonal care, and predator control. Chief among installation materials are plumbing supplies. These include flexible PVC piping that is easy to manipulate and resists cold weather cracking, manifold kits that divide pump discharges into two distinct lines for friction reduction, and PVC pipe fittings.

Materials that control algae levels in your water garden are also important. You must be vigilant about the presence of these naturally occurring, microscopic plants in your garden. If not controlled, algae can quickly multiply out of control and wreak havoc on the pond's delicate ecosystem, kill off your fish, and turn your pond into a slimy, green disaster.

Essential Water Garden Supplies

However, only products that naturally control algae should be used, such as organic algacides and beneficial bacteria that consume algae and ammonia. Chemical solutions go completely against the purpose of a water garden, which is to have a natural ecosystem that thrives without hazardous materials. Besides, chemicals will surely kill the life forms living in your water garden, from insects to fish to frogs.

Another problem for water gardens is predators, mainly birds. Fish-hunting birds such as herons can quickly deplete your water garden's fish population. However, an ingenious solution has been invented that neither harms the birds nor your pond life: decoys. Bird decoys, from the realistic heron and alligator decoys to the water-shooting "bird scarecrow," are not only effective, but fun and attractive additions to your water garden.