I’m installing my own pond. Any suggestions?

You can locate your pond anywhere, but try to avoid a place where there are lots of leaves or debris. You will be thrilled not to have to clean quite so much.

Consider a location that’s close to a garden. You can use the water you drain from the pond to water those bushes.

Fill the pond with tap water from the faucet, add some water conditioner, and wait at least three days before adding any fish.
     
Change 20% of the water in your pond twice each week. Remove some old water from your pond and replace it with fresh tap water from the faucet. In most areas of the country, you don't need to add conditioner to the water when you change 20% or less. But changing more than 20% can be risky for the eco-system even when you add conditioner.

My fish are ill and won’t take their medicine. What can I do?

Fish become ill if the water quality is poor. Be sure to test the water for proper levels before, during and after giving medication to sick fish.
    
So your fish won’t overlook their medicine, mix it with flake food or pellets and put it into the freezer. After a few hours, the mixture will have hardened, and the fish will ingest the medicine when they eat. For very large fish, use a medical syringe (with needle removed) or a kitchen baster to inject medicine directly into the fish’s mouth.
      
A quarantine tank can be effective in protecting your investment. You can quarantine sick fish and stop the spread of disease or use it to acclimatize new fish into the environment.