Koi
Can You Actually Domesticate a Koi Fish?
Koi can learn to recognize their keeper, take food from your hand, and live for decades. Here is how the bond forms, how to hand-train koi, and the pond conditions that help.
Hoaglandscape resources
Pond and Landscape Resources for Charlotte Homeowners
Pond care advice, water feature ideas and local project stories from Hoaglandscape.
Hiring a Pond Builder
What to Expect When You Call a Pond Contractor: A No-Pressure Guide
Nervous about calling a pond contractor? Here is each step, from a casual first call and on-site visit to the written proposal, installation, and one-year warranties afterward.
Hiring a Pond Builder
Planning a New Pond? Why Late Winter Is the Best Time to Start
If you want a pond by summer, start planning in late winter. Charlotte contractors fill up by spring, and off-season consultations give you more time, attention, and schedule buffer.
Pond Care
Is My Pond Ready for Spring? February Checklist for Charlotte Pond Owners
February is the in-between month for Charlotte ponds. Use this checklist to inspect water, equipment, and fish, and get bacteria and wheat germ food ready before spring warms up.
Pond Care
Spring Pond Cleaning Checklist: Getting Your Charlotte Water Feature Ready for the Season
Spring cleanout timing in Charlotte depends on water temperature, not the calendar. This checklist covers holding fish, draining, cleaning, refilling, and equipment checks.
Pond Care
What to Do When Your Pond Freezes Over: A Charlotte Pond Owner’s Winter Guide
A frozen pond traps toxic gases and can starve fish of oxygen. Here is how to open the ice safely, why you should never break it, and how to keep a hole open all winter.
Koi
When Should You Stop Feeding Koi in Winter?
Koi feeding follows water temperature, not the calendar. Cut back at 60 to 55 degrees F, feed lightly down to 50, then stop, and restart with wheat germ food once water stays above 50.
Pond Care
3 Essential Tips for Prepping Your Pond for Fall and Winter in the Carolinas
Three fall jobs that protect your fish and water clarity: trim back aquatic plants, stop feeding koi once water drops below 50 degrees F, and net the pond before the leaves come down.
Pond Care
Why Fall Pond Netting is Essential for Your Charlotte-Area Pond
Falling leaves rot into sludge, ammonia, and toxic gas. Here is why Charlotte ponds need netting, when to put it up, how it compares in cost to a spring cleanout, and how to install it.
Pond Care
Beat String Algae with the Aquascape IonGen System
Pulling string algae by hand spreads it. The Aquascape IonGen releases copper ions that keep it from taking hold, and here is how we install and calibrate it for Charlotte ponds.
Project Stories
Epic “Jungle” Koi Pond Renovation in Charlotte, NC | 20-Year-Old Palm Tree Paradise Gets an Upgrade!
A 20-plus-year-old koi pond in Charlotte, hidden by palms and overgrowth, gets a new skimmer, a BIOFALLS filter, and a rebuilt fieldstone stream, all while keeping its jungle feel.
Project Stories
Traditional Japanese-Inspired Pond Cleanout Leads to Stream Transformation | Part One: The Cleaning
A Japanese-inspired garden pond was losing to string algae. In Part One we cleaned it out, installed an IonGen, upgraded the pump, and repotted the lilies ahead of a new stream.