Do You Want to Add Water to Your Orlando, Central Florida Landscaping?

Splashing, bubbling and gurgling are not just for ponds and waterfalls. You can add a splash to your Orlando or Central Florida Landscaping with as little as 4'X4' open space in your landscape.


What is a Fountainscape?

Fountainscapes are small decorative water features such as tabletop fountains, container water gardens, stand-alone fountains, bubbling urns, spitters, and fountains that incorporate an in-ground reservoir.


Fountainscapes can be as big or as small as your Orlando or Central Florida landscape will allow. When you hear the term water feature, you might picture an ecosystem koi pond or pondless waterfall.
Thinking to yourself I would love a bigger feature but I just do not have the room for anything on a large scale.

Fountainscapes are the perfect choice when you want the calming effects of water and the tranquil sounds that moving water create.
Aquascape offers many choices when it comes to fountainscape options or possibly you have your own urn, or other object that you would like to make into a water feature.


The giant frog pictured above was made into a custom fountain in the Central Florida town of Zellwood.

For your do it yourself projects Pondtastic recommends using Aquascape's   AquaBasin™ it can easily be installed within just a few hours if you like to tackle home projects on your own, or you can hire Pondtastic to do the job for you. 

Aquascape provides Orlando or Central Florida a wide variety of decorative pieces that can be used in conjunction with the AquaBasin™, from ceramic urns to brass sculptures to carved stone structures.


What's more, Aquascape adds new decorative options each year, so there's always something fresh and new to add to your landscape.

 










 




How to make your dream a reality?
If you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation. We can provide you with details and options for your particular design and budget. 
Pondtastic is Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape Contractor
Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.
      

Waterfall Wednesday Backyard Retreat in Orlando, Florida

"Welcome to Shangri La"


When I first stepped into this backyard I did not feel like I was just a few miles from busy Downtown Orlando. This beautiful lanai has become a labor of love to create the perfect backyard retreat for this couple.


 



The first time we met, I spent an hour talking about Aquascape 8.0 Signature Series skimmers which doesn't sound exciting however it was very important for me to make sure that this Do It Yourself project was done correctly. I am very passionate about anything ponds, even boring filtration. Over the course of the time spent talking, a very loyal customer was born. 




As I remember it took a long 4th of July weekend in 2011 to install the ecosystem pond with a little help from friends and family. The fish and plants were added and in a very short time they both were "Hooked on the Pond Lifestyle"

After the first year their fish were huge. As you can see they are very well fed, only the best of the best for these Koi.
Blackwater Creek Gold N by the 40lb bag.

Just about a year after the pond was built the homeowner noticed the shelves and rocks starting to fall into the pond. Each year we cleaned the pond we would do our best to re-stack the rocks but they continued to slide into the pond. Small round rock were used in most of the pond which by nature are easy to lift but difficult to stack.

In August of 2015 the Pondtastic crew arrived to rebuild "Tank and Friends" pond (Tank is the only Koi's name I remember).
New shelves were dug to handle the weight of larger boulders as well as it provides a place to add plants. The larger rocks also added character and functionality to the pond. 


The pond is perfectly located as the focal point of this screened lanai. Although the footprint of the pond is exactly the same due to the hardscaping already installed. We think the new design makes the pond look bigger.

 

                                              
 
This backyard retreat has many features added by the homeowners that make it their little piece of paradise. From the commissioned hand carved garden fairy to the beautiful custom hand made wooden table, sign and bench.





The pond can be viewed from several beautiful seating areas around the lanai as well as from the Florida room.






I'm so grateful for the day that we chatted about skimmers because  as the saying goes at Pondtastic 

"We Build Friendships One Pond At A Time"

 Enjoy the rest of these great views from this Backyard Retreat

How to make your dream a reality?
If you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation. We can provide you with details and options for your particular design and budget. 

Pondtastic is Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape Contractor

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.

                                              Jim and Theresa

Waterfall Wednesday in Celebration, Florida

This beautiful waterfall serves many purposes in this Celebration, Florida backyard Oasis.

We were first contact by this client after she had seen Pondtastic Water Garden's display at the Central Florida Home and Garden Show.

During the design consultation we learned that this feature was to serve two very important purposes. The first being, rain water harvesting. Underneath this beautiful waterfall approximately 400 gallons of rain water is being captured in the RainXchange®. The rain water is then used to sustain the pondless waterfall as well, with the addition of an external pump water is used from the RainXchange®  for watering the garden and surrounding  landscaping.

The second objective to this tropical paradise was to have a serene environment to provide therapeutic relief to her clients suffering from life threatening illness. 
Many days you can find yoga mats on the wooden deck in preparation for the relaxing effects of mediation and the sound of water.

 
This Pondtastic pondless waterfall is definitely used to it's fullest potential.



 
How to make your dream a reality?
If you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation. We can provide you with details and options for your particular design and budget. 

Pondtastic is Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape Contractor

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.

                                              Jim and Theresa

Is passion worth paying for?

ONE persons PASSION is better than forty people merely interested. - E.M Forster

As we begin the construction of a project that I have been working on for about two and a half years.

That's a long time right?

I sure think it is, and we make jokes about how long it has been from the first time we spoke about this project but this project really shows how I feel about what I do.

I believe that at Pondtastic Water Gardens we have a passionate team of individuals that  professionally create living works of art. I believe that there are very few people that can do what we do to the level that we do it.

Can others see that passion..... some can , some can't.

When people make a choice to hire anyone for anything... is passion a determining factor?

I am not any different than any of you that are reading this.. I have to make purchasing decisions also.

I look at the same things you do..... cost, experience, references, completion time, etc.... but does passion enter into the equation?  should it?

Absolutely without a doubt yes !

Can you have a passionate auto mechanic? would it make a difference?
Can you have a passionate plumber ? would it make a difference?

I believe that anyone who loves what they do will do it better. I believe that  people will do the extra for the satisfaction of doing the job properly and not just doing enough to get by.


It wasn't until I had the opportunity to really watch my team interact with our customers that I really saw this.

Sometimes I will be sitting in my office working away and kind of eavesdropping on conversations taking place on the phone... it is great to hear the passion in voices of our staff. Can others hear it?

Sometimes we will be out on a pond build and I will watch one of our team search for the perfect rock to finish off the edge of the pond.. stand back and look at it ... pull it out and get a different one. Could they have left that rock there and started to work on something else?  Sure ! But he had a vision of what he wanted it to look like and he wasn't going to settle for anything less.

That's passion ... That's what you get when you pay for passion... You get a team of people that care,  that are concerned that will go above and beyond every chance they have. A team of people that take ownership!

So is passion worth paying for?



How to make your dream a reality?
If you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation. We can provide you with details, options for your particular design and budget.
Pondtastic is Orlando's only Master Certified Aquascape Contractor

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.

What Do We Feed Our Koi at Pondtastic Water Gardens?

At Pondtastic Water Gardends we feed our Koi Blackwater Premium Food Only!


In Central Florida we feed the following 3 formulas of Blackwater Koi and Goldfish Food.
Many times people purchase a bag of color enhancing and a bag of max growth and mix them.We also have many people alternate their purchases from month to month.



Gold-N professional diet is amazing food! We have several customers that love the reduced waste in the pond and the amazing colors that are so vivid on their koi.

Read and decide which is the best formula for your koi.

Blackwater Max Growth Koi Food
Max Growth is formulated to grow and maintain your fish in top condition. A high protein fish floating meal-based diet with ingredients designed to be the primary diet for your fish. It is designed to grow your fish to the Max! The Max Growth diet is the staple diet used by one of the largest Koi suppliers in the USA. It contains absolutely no fillers. This diet is designed to grow Koi and Goldfish. Try it and you'll be hooked.
Max Growth Koi Diet is a floating Koi food.

2LBS $15.98      5LBS $31.98     40LBS $91.98        + Tax and Shipping





Blackwater Color Enhancing Koi Food

Color is formulated to bring out the maximum vibrancy of color. Special ingredients aid in bringing out the color needed to enter your fish in competitions or simply make them look their best. For optimum results. Use for up to two months prior to show or competition. This diet contains 4 different natural color enhancer's in sufficient quantities to brighten the colors RED and YELLOW. Some color enhancing diets on the market put only enough product in the diet to be listed on the label. We put enough ingredients to include over 30% of the diet. Quality product, great price.
Color Enhancing Koi Diet is a floating Koi food.

2LBS $15.98      5LBS $31.98     40LBS $91.98        + Tax and Shipping

Blackwater Gold-N Professional Diet
Gold-N combines ingredients with many micro nutrients and vitamins as well as other ingredients to help digestion and maximum uptake of nutrients. This floating Koi food is a favorite of those keeping champion and show-grade fish. It is used by professionals world wide. Blackwater Creek also uses it as a grind to feed small fish for fast growth and body shape. This diet if fortified with probiotics including Bacillus Subtillus and Aspirgillus Orezae in sufficient quantities to maximize digestion and minimize waste.
Fish-meal, Shrimp Meal, Kelp Meal make up over 60% of the diet. No fillers, better digestion. This is why so many hobbyists are discovering that you don’t have to pay a lot to provide your fish with the top diet available for Koi.
Many people who have not taken the time or have the time to dig deep into Koi nutrition may judge a Koi food on price alone. This perception that "if it costs more , then it must be better"  allows some people selling fish food as Koi food to charge  a high price for an inferior product. (Tilapia food , Catfish food etc) These are not the best for your fish. Blackwater Gold-N is.  Therefore if you would like to pay more for a diet to help you feel better about quality, we have listed Gold-N with various prices for you to choose from. Its the same diet, same packaging, and same size... just at a higher price to compare with  the other diets claiming to be professional. If it makes you feel better, you can pay more... we don’t mind (grin).
This is the same diet formerly called Blackwater “Gold”. Hikari Sales USA is the registered  trademark holder of the word "Gold" and thus we were forced to change the name... By the way… the “N“ in Gold-N stands for “Not Hikari”  Compare this diet to the Hikari Saki diet and you will see that it is a comparable diet at half the price. Champion fish deserve Gold-N

 Gold-N Professional Diet
  8lbs $69.98   40lbs $174.98   + Tax and Shipping









 Learn About Gold-N Professional Koi Diet

Thank You to Blackwater Creek for being a shared contributor.

How Much Does the "Average" Pond Cost In Central Florida?

This is the first question people ask when they are “pondering” the addition of a pond to their Central Florida landscape.

How Much Does the “Average” Pond Cost?

While it sounds like a simple question, how much does an “average” pond cost? A true pond expert will take this question and ask for a definition of “average.”

The concept of “average” is difficult to define when playing with custom designed products. When it comes to ponds, each is individually crafted to fit the new environment, and as a buyer, you should keep in mind that the average numbers will fluctuate to your particular pond.
Ponds come in a variety of shapes, looks, and styles, depending on your space, budget and preferences.

 What does “Average” look like?

The most commonly built ponds in the Orlando area, are about 11’ x 16’ in size. Using these numbers, the “average” will begin around $12,000 but commonly rounds up to about $15,000-$20,000. Now this range depends on how many custom features the pond aspires to have. A pond alone may be around $12,000 (at that particular size), but add-ons that many people envision in a pond, such as plants, lights, waterfalls, fish, streams etc., will add to the base price.

Customizable Features

Why would the final price tag of a pond be vastly different than the base model? Ponds, like cars, are very customizable. Certain people only want the car with roll up windows and an AM/FM radio. While others want the leather seats with a navigation system and an engine push start button. So when you ask for a basic pond, it doesn’t include the add-ons that most people like in a pond. This will include fish, plants, lights, streams etc.  This can change the definition of what the average pond costs.

How to make your dream a reality?

Before getting attached to these numbers, if you’re considering adding a water feature to your home, CONTACT US for a free phone consultation and let’s begin at a drawing board. We can provide you with details, options for your particular design and budget. Who needs average when you can have it personalized?

Pondtastic serves all Central Florida Counties Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Polk and Brevard.

Special thanks to co-contributor Laura Reale