We are the area's #1 recommended pond experts
Don't just hire any landscaper to design and build your pond. A backyard pond is a living, breathing part of your landscape design and we specialize in building beautiful, functional, safe ponds for you and your family to enjoy.
Aquatic Edge is the Premier, Award-Winning Koi Pond and Pondless Waterfall Installer in Western PA.
Aquascape's 2020 Artist of the Year
Westmoreland and Allegheny County PA’s highest quality residential Koi Pond design and installation company. Master-Level Certified Aquascape Contractor. We utilize the proper filtration and construction techniques required for a beautiful and low maintenance backyard koi pond in the Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Irwin and
surrounding areas.
Ponds are ecosystems, in that they play host to a total interrelationship of all organisms in the environment – birds, fish, frogs, plants, and many microscopic organisms. Thus, ponds not only create a natural ecosystem in their defined environment, but they also fit into the community and life cycle of not just one homeowner’s back yard, but of the entire ecological region. An Ecosystem Pond works with Mother Nature to provide food, shelter, and safety to the wildlife around it. It also provides you with an all-natural, low-maintenance piece of paradise.
It’s important to remember, however, that every piece of the ecosystem puzzle must be present in order for a true ecosystem to be in place. Eliminate one of these elements and you've got an unbalanced ecosystem that won’t be so low-maintenance anymore. We understand the key components needed for an Ecosystem Pond to flourish in Western Pennsylvania:
The Skimmer
The first part of mechanical filtration starts with the Skimmer Pre-Filter. Skimmer units work much like a pool skimmer. They collect surface debris, and pre-filter the water before it is pumped into the Biological Filter. The circulation pump sits inside the skimmer (behind the pre-filter net), thus removing it from the bottom of the pond which drastically reduces the maintenance needed to unclog the pump in inferior pond designs.
The BioFalls
The water that enters the skimmer gets pumped up to the biological Biofalls filter unit. The filter media and microscopic bacteria located in the BioFalls effectively scrub and polish the pond water. BioBalls are also located within this unit. By combining both mechanical and biological filtration, the Ecosystem does the maintenance for you, reducing your work and increasing your enjoyment. The BioFalls is located, depending upon the design of your pond, either at the edge of the pond or at the beginning of the stream. This unit serves not only as a key filtration area, but also as a perfect way to create the initial waterfall to begin your stream. As the water leaves the BioFalls it spills onto gravel, boulders, pond water, etc. and becomes aerated as it re-enters the pond. Air, particularly oxygen, is extremely important within the water as it allows beneficial aerobic bacteria to work at their peak effectiveness in breaking down organic waste compounds.
Rocks & Gravel
We add a precise layer of rock and gravel to the bottom of all Ecosystem Ponds we build. This will not only protect pond liners from UV light degradation, but will also provide tremendous surface area for beneficial bacteria to break down excess nutrients in the water and dissolve organic debris on the pond floor. From an aesthetic design perspective, a gravel bottom pond looks much more natural than a bare liner-bottom pond.
Pond Fish & KOI
Fish are an integral part of the ecosystem. Unfortunately, fish are often seen as high maintenance. Contrary to popular belief, fish actually reduce pond maintenance as they graze on string algae and other organic materials on the pond floor. They also make very enjoyable pets, providing hours of natural entertainment.
Aquatic Plants
Mother Nature's true filters, plants are great for adding character to a pond by providing color and texture, but from a filtration perspective, they're second to none. Thriving from the excess nutrients in a pond and depriving algae of its food source, the aquatic plants in a water garden, given proper coverage, are critical for the overall health of the ecosystem. All of our Ecosystem Pond installations come complete with a proper amount of aquatic plants that are hardy in the state of Pennsylvania.