Question
Sean, first let me thank you for taking the time to read this. I tend to get long winded.
I have a large fish pond with goldfish, turtles and crawdads that you can view at www.mannmadeponds.com. That is a web site my grandson made for it. Sounds commercial but it is just a play on my last name. I don't build ponds. One was enough. Anyway, what I want to do is cover the pond with a shade cloth roof that would extend from the present patio structure out over the pond to help with two things. First the climate here in Bakersfield can be very hot and desert like conditions in the summer and very cold in the winter so I get a great deal of algae. I do have a large UV light ( SMART UV 150 Watt HO from Emperor Aquatics) but it is not sufficient so I thought of shade cloth. The second thing is I would like to grow some tropical looking plants on the edge of the pond like ferns and ginger etc. Can you give me any suggestions of what shade percent number and color of cloth I should use? I am leaning toward green and 80%. If you have any unique architectural ideas on the structure to hold it up that also would be greatly appreciated.
Again thanks,
Charles Mann


Answer
Sounds like a nice feature. As for your question about shade percentage, I am not familiar with what is best for a pond. Intuitively I should think something that is 50% screen might make a significant enough impact as some sunlight is important for warmth and energy for aquatic life that is desirable. As for how to support or attach it I would take in to account your surrounding vegetation to start. If you have trees that could cause leaves to be dropped onto the screen you may want a sloped design to shed falling leaves or some way to periodically lift, remove or drop the screen roof to allow leaves to slide off. You may want the option to remove the screen in colder periods of weather to allow in more sun light. In any case I would design something with 6x6 posts and a combination of trim and detailing for an aesthetic look that matches or compliments your home or other nearby structures. Consider an arbor like structure with wood detailing, moldings, base trim, etc. There are lots of books in the average home store on patio structures to look at to get ideas. Consider an arbor that has 4x4 (or similar) screen panels that you can remove, clean or replace. The panels may be screwed down or held with some sort of snap or pin.  I would suggest you take a look at your local home or book store at books on patio structures and arbors.
I could not find any info in my considerable library on Pond shades or pond screens and nothing much on the Internet...so you will have to be a bit of a pioneer on this one.

Good Luck with your project.

Sean J Murphy, LA,ISA, LEED AP
Please check out my blogs and articles on landscape topics like this on my websites.
http://www.seanjmurphy.com
http://amenityarchitects.com