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All I have to offer is an opinion because my Aquascape pond is only a few months old at this writing. The concepts of gravel and the problems associated with it are enumerated here. My pond (built by Aquascape installer Ed Beaulieu and quite a few other certified and non certified installers) is a great representation of what has made Aquascape so famous and popular, however, it does contain some gravel and I will be testing the water in this pond serially over the summer months to see if Hydrogen Sulfide can be elaborated sooner than 12 months into the establishment of the pond. Honestly, I have doubts that there will be any trouble at all because in my installation, the gravel is no more than one or two inches thick. Gravel (naturally occurring in nature, or if added to the pond) can sometimes represent a liability in the fact that some smaller fish can ingest a pellet of gravel and not be able to either swallow or expel the gravel. Lodged in it's mouth, the gravel prevents ingestion of food. Some fish die, while others are discovered and the owner simply expels the stone from the mouth by pushing the stone forward, with a headless Q tip under the gill cover. I have seen this, it's not a theory. However, it was only a coincidence that while I have seen gravel mouthed fish several times, none of them came from Aquascape ponds. The phenomena of gravel obstruction of the oral cavity is a "gravel" thing and anyone (Including God) who uses gravel in the pond, their plants, or near the pond, could see this phenomena. Gravel, if laid in too deep (2+ inches) can cause water quality deterioration because of the bacterial production of noxious gases and elaboration of dissolved organic compounds. Koi are constantly turning over gravel in nature, and so if one avoids deep gravel in the pond, this problem may be circumvented. I have often thought that if a person wanted the appearance of gravel without having loose gravel in the pond, [For example, if they wanted to deploy a bottom drain and not have it full of gravel] they could cement the gravel into the pond. One would simply stir a coarse aggregate into some concrete and then spread the amalgam onto the pond bottom. As the concrete dries, spray off the surface, exposing the surface of gravel in the concrete. Suction off the waste water and allow the concrete to cure for a lengthy period. Rinse and re-rinse. Observe carbonate and pH levels afterward. Obviously, reading the above, this is a lot of extra work, and I will be trying it to validate or invalidate the feasability of the concept, but in the meantime, I think that if the pond is constructed of sufficient size, and the owner is observant of water quality and fish health, gravel in the pond is secondary to more common causes of fish illness, including overfeeding, and a failure to quarantine new fish. People who are getting hysterical about "gravel in the pond" should slow down and try to achieve more balance in their thought process, as gravel constitutes a VERY common subtrate media in nature and somehow, fish manage to survive. The noxious gases concept is a "good one" when applied to ponds suffering from annual neglect or a failure to supply fresh water periodically. However, as I said, if the owner is observant of water quality and fish health, gravel in the pond should not be a significant threat to fish health. I have been assured by some "Koi" pundits that the average hobbyist it too stupid to "get it" and will not understand the responsibility they have in a gravel bed filtration system. It's a simple maintenence issue. If the gravel is too thick or if the gravel bed is allowed to accumulate significant solid wastes for more than 18 months, it's been my clinical experience that fish health degrades in direct proportion to the prevailing decline in water quality and fish losses may occur. This would be true of any pond with an uncleaned filtration or water purification system. Thank you Dr. Erik Johnson
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